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Off the Ice is the first book in the young adult Junier Falls series by Julie Cross. I have read a bunch of Julie's books, and I love how diverse of an author she is. She can write all genres and moods of stories. I really enjoyed Off the Ice and I can't wait to continue on in the series. It was a bit more drama filled than I was expecting. This is not a super light and fluffy young adult contemporary. This story has some grit to it.

Off The Ice is the story of Claire and Tate. I liked both Claire and Tate but it took me some time to warm up to them. I didn't instantly fall in love with them. In fact, the whole story takes some time to warm up. Off the Ice has a slower, more deliberate pace than some of Julie's other stories. I could even see this story appealing to both young adult and new adult fans. It is upper young adult in my opinion, and the characters bridge the gap between high school and starting college age. Claire and Tate each have their own issues and demons they are dealing with, and it takes them awhile to really get to know each other in a meaningful way. I liked that we were on their meandering journey right along with them. And when they did start to open up to one another, it was great!

Off the Ice was a good read. One I really enjoyed, and I the world of Juniper Falls is one I will enjoy traveling back to. I love Hockey romances, but a lot of this story does take place off the ice. (get it?) There are a lot of other issues falling on Tate and Claire's shoulders, so there is a lot explored within these pages. At times, it felt like the story was trying to do too much and touch on too many things at once. It was a bit overwhelming at some points, but overall it was a very good read. Off the Ice is going to be great for fans of sports romances that like a healthy dose of drama and real world issues thrown in.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs