4.5.18

Review: Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls, #2) by Julie Cross


Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls, #2) by Julie Cross
Release Date: December 26, 2017 
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: YA Contemporary 
Source: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 
Amazon | BN | Indiebound
Haley Stevenson seems like she's got it all together: cheer captain, "Princess" of Juniper Falls, and voted Most Likely to Get Things Done. But below the surface, she's struggling with a less-than-stellar GPA and still reeling from the loss of her first love. Repeating her Civics class during summer school is her chance to Get Things Done, not angst over boys. In fact, she's sworn them off completely until college.

Fletcher Scott is happy to keep a low profile around Juniper Falls. He's always been the invisible guy, warming the bench on the hockey team and moonlighting at a job that would make his grandma blush. Suddenly, though, he's finding he wants more: more time on the ice, and more time with his infuriatingly perfect summer-school study partner.

But leave it to a girl who requires perfection to shake up a boy who's ready to break all the rules.
Review:


I've been hearing fantastic things about Breaking the Ice for months now. Everyone seemed to love it, but for some reason I kept putting it off. For what reason, you may ask? I can't even begin to tell you, sometimes I'm stubborn for no real reason. Thankfully, I finally decided to give it a chance when I was in desperate need of a feel-good/swoony romance, and you know what happened? I LOVED IT of course! (Note to self: stop being so darn stubborn) 

It's going to be hard to review Breaking the Ice without full-out fangirling so bear with me here. 

Fletcher and Haley mix as well as oil-and-water at first. Fletcher's used to being a man of very little words while Haley just wants to talk, talk, talk. I adored seeing them interact with each other. The first scene, in particular, is one of my favorites! As soon as Haley's tapping began and Fletcher's annoyance grew and grew, I knew it was only a matter of time before they ended up together. The chemistry between them is spicy - so spicy in fact that I felt like the page was going to melt at certain points. Honestly, Julie Cross writes some of the hottest non-kissing scenes I've ever read! The tension between these two was just off the charts, trust me. I was blushing! 

What I loved the most about Haley and Fletcher, however, was how real they were. They both had their fair share of drama and problems, and I enjoyed seeing them explore them as the book progressed. 

For instance, Haley's used to being the social butterfly of her town, and that was incredibly evident in the way she carried herself. She's friendly and sweet, the ultimate "Princess." However, below the surface, Haley struggles more than she'd like to admit. She's terrified about failing civics, and she also hates how the one person she wants to know the most (Fletcher) is the one person who wants nothing do with her. I appreciated Haley's determination. Once this girl had a plan in mind, she set it motion before you knew it! Sometimes her meddling got a little out of control, but it was always done with good intentions. Also, I LOVED that we got a boy best friend that wasn't a love interest here. Jamie was my third favorite character of the book (behind Fletcher and Haley of course!), and he added so many laughs to the book. His friendship with Halley was very much brother-and-sister like, especially when it came to squabbling. 

Fletcher, on the other hand, is a man-of-mystery. Even though his POV alternates with Haley, it was so hard to get a feeling for him at first. I wanted to know just as badly as Haley what exactly he was hiding. Why did he have wads of money as well as pockets full of panties? Was he a stripper? When the big secret was finally revealed I couldn't have been more surprised. It added a whole new layer to Fletcher's character - one that I adored. I also liked that while Fletcher wasn't one to hold back the sass and one-liners he still had so much heart to him. I loved seeing him interact with his family.

My only compliant? There were some secondary story lines I would've liked to know more about: however, at the end of the day it wasn't the biggest of problems. I got what I came for - a well-developed romance - and to tell the truth sometimes that all I need to be content. 

In all, Breaking the Ice is a slam-dunk YA Romance in my book. Combining scorching hot chemistry with lovable characters, Breaking the Ice will have you smiling and swooning the whole way through! I can't wait to see what adventures occur next in Juniper Falls! Also, I want more Jamie! Please and thank you! 

4 stars!!  

1 comment:

  1. I was a fan of this one. I especially loved Fletcher's family.

    ReplyDelete

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