Icebreaker

November 29, 2021
Mickey James III, who’s white, loves hockey, but the steep expectations—he’s starting college at the school where his father and grandfather were hockey stars, and he’s a projected top-two pick for the next NHL hockey draft—weigh on him, amplifying his depression and anxiety. Plus, he’s bisexual, which he worries won’t go over well in “notoriously homophobic” hockey circles and with the media, even if the school’s athletic department has a zero-tolerance bigotry policy. Even so, Mickey can’t help noticing how attractive Jaysen “Cauler” Caulfield, his teammate and prickly rival for first pick, is. On paper, Mickey’s the consummate insider, whereas Cauler is Black in a largely white sport, has already sustained a career-threatening injury, and, Mickey’s starting to think, might be gay. Debut author Graziadei clearly knows the sport, but even readers who don’t will enjoy a tale that’s more than just enemies-to-lovers. At 17, narrator Mickey’s never really bothered making friends, and now he’s on a team that insists its players get along; their friendly byplay and love for the game, Mickey’s loving relationship with his sisters, and the book’s nuanced discussion of mental health make for a complex read. Ages 14–up.

December 1, 2021
Being a hockey phenom doesn't magically cure overwhelming depression and anxiety, but falling for a teammate definitely complicates things. At Hartland University in upstate New York, White freshman Mickey James III has the weight of his family's hockey legacy on his shoulders: His father and grandfather are both alumni and former NHL legends. The all-but-guaranteed trajectory of his seemingly charmed life makes him deeply uneasy but also sows some initial resentment in his teammates, as Mickey's mental health issues and years of sports-only development have left him a bit awkward. Luckily, they come to be overwhelmingly supportive--even Jaysen Caulfield, the other top NHL prospect and Mickey's biggest rival, who is a Black player in a mostly White sport. Explicit conversations about mental health make for a refreshing take on the typical athlete's journey. Mickey's five older sisters and their respective successes also shed sobering light on gender inequity in sports while raising the stakes for Mickey in a family full of winners. Mickey's queerness and budding relationship with Jaysen highlight first-time author Graziadei's ability to balance teen melodrama and well-paced eroticism with a thoughtful, contemporary consideration of queer representation in sports and media. Despite well-worn tropes that move both boys from a tumultuous meet-cute toward as realistic a future as possible for two NHL players in love, Mickey's progress with his mental health avoids predictability. Equal measures unabashed romance and sports story; a thoughtfully rewarding read for those who need one most. (Fiction. 14-18)

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December 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 College freshman Mickey James III is a hockey phenom who is stuck on his college team with his greatest rival, Jaysen Caulfield. Initially, the two hate each other, but it doesn't take Mickey long to come out to readers as secretly bi and to begin rhapsodizing about Jaysen. And yet, when Jaysen comes out to him, Mickey dithers. And dithers some more until he finally comes out to Jaysen. The two begin an awkward affair, unsure of where it can go since Mickey plans to be drafted by a professional hockey team at the end of the school year, while Jaysen plans to finish college before going pro. But this is only one of Mickey's problems: he also secretly lives with clinical depression and has problems with his father, a legendary hockey player who, Mickey feels, abandoned him. Graziadei's empathetic first novel is richly plotted and handles its gay themes and hockey action well, making it a natural read-alike for Ngozi Ukazu's Check, Please! #Hockey (2018). The author shoots and scores!

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