Review by Kirkus Book Review
A figure skater starts over as an ice hockey goalie in this YA contemporary romance. Seventeen-year-old Willow Covington has reluctantly moved back to small-town Minnesota, where she hasn't lived since grade school. An Achilles injury and rapidly dwindling funds derailed her full-time pursuit of a professional figure skating career at an elite Colorado training center. A chance meeting with Brodie "Wind" Windom, a very cute ice hockey star whose father owns the town rink, leads Willow to a possible redirection of her energy: goalie on the all-boys club team. Brodie and Willow make a deal: In exchange for extra time on the ice to build up her figure skating skills again, he'll show her the ropes of what it means to be a goalie. Soon, flirty insults like "Toe Pick" and "Puck Head" are flying as fast as stray pucks, and, after a successful stint on the club team, Willow wins the high school team's goalie position. The catch? No fraternizing between players allowed. As Brodie's home life--no mother; alcoholic, frequently absent father; and a beloved, severely asthmatic younger brother--grows more fraught and he and Willow embark on a secret relationship, she receives the opportunity of a lifetime that will reignite her Olympic figure skating dreams. Will love--and hockey--prevail? Bestselling authors Rush and Blount have crafted a teen romance that's as fast-paced as a championship match, with witty dialogue, alternating narration from Brodie and Willow, and depth in every character, not just the two protagonists. Budding hockey player Willow faces realistic obstacles from the outside--not everyone is on board with a female goalie--and the inside. Does her heart truly lie with her old sport or her new one? Brodie also has a fully developed character arc as he learns to open his heart to Willow and accept help from his community when his father's alcoholism reaches a destructive peak. The book's ending is both satisfying and well earned. A love story that nails every goal with heart to spare. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
