I am so deep in my hockey romance era and was ecstatic to read this sapphic one! Though neither mc is an active player, their gig at the Winter Olympics still brings all the best of sports romance tropes: lots of forced proximity and flirty competition. 

Nat and Darcy are both former, decorated women’s hockey Olympians, once college teammates turned fierce rivals, representing Team USA and Team Canada, respectively. Their rivalry was only heightened by the fact that their relationship in college ended badly, so these two exes hosting a gig together is bound to be complicated.

I loved that the characters were older and that there were discussions of what athletes’ retirement looks like and how it can give you a bit of an identity crisis (especially for women who don’t rake in millions even at the heights of their careers!!). Speaking of, I also appreciated the conversations around women’s sports and hockey, specifically, and the disrespect paid to them and the erasement of their achievements. 

Though I appreciated having older characters, it didn’t always feel like they acted their age. I know they had a bad falling out in college and that resentment had just been stewing, but there was some pretty immature behavior and miscommunication that made it frustrating at times. It also made the pacing feel a little odd, as they had to overcome the hard feelings from before to get together, but their juvenile behavior constantly hindered their development. 

Still happy to see a sapphic hockey romance! Maybe with the PWHL and the increased attention around women’s hockey, we’ll get even more! Exciting times

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.