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Loading... Like Real People Doby E.L. Massey
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  mamawerewolf | Jun 23, 2023 |  no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesBreakaway (1)
Nineteen-year-old hockey phenom Alexander Price is the youngest-ever captain in the NHL. With a polarizing social media presence and a predilection for dirty play, he typifies the stereotype of young, out-of-control athlete. But away from the cameras, Alex is a kid with an anxiety disorder and the expectations of an expansion franchise on his shoulders. And maybe he tries too hard to fit the part of asshole playboy, but it's better than the alternative; in his line of work, gay is the punchline of an insult, not something he can be. Eighteen-year-old vlogger Elijah Rodriguez is a freshman in college recovering from an injury that derailed his Olympic figure-skating dreams. Mixed-race, disabled, and out of the closet since he was fourteen, Eli is unapologetically himself. He has no qualms about voicing his disapproval of celebrity jocks who make homophobic jokes on Twitter and park their flashy cars in the handicapped spaces outside of ice rinks. After an antagonistic introduction, Alex and Eli's inexplicable friendship both baffles and charms the internet. But navigating relationships is hard enough for normal teenagers. It's a lot harder when the world-much of it disapproving-is watching you fall in love with your best friend. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyRatingAverage: (4.32)
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Wikipedia in English
1
Eli is a figure skater who had a traumatic event that changed his life. Now he has a service dog and is trying to fight his way back to contention in figure skating. His practice arena is in the same complex as the professional hockey team, and one of the players used to be a figure skater whom Eli really admired. While meeting said player, the captain, young hockey phenom Alex spots Eli and his dog. One thing leads to another, and Alex takes Eli out for lunch to help him cross something off his bucket list, and Eli opens up a little bit to him, because Alex doesn't seem to be quite the jerk that he is painted to be. They become friends, and when Eli finds out that Alex is actually gay, decide to stay friends because Eli doesn't want to be involved with someone in the closet. But their friendship grows to the point where both of them are willing to take some risks and make some allowances in order to maybe find something great.
Oh my goodness. This was so, so, SO cute! Completely adorable. Did you see that glow? That was me, feeling warm, squishy feelings while reading this book. And it was told in present tense, 3rd person, which is my absolute least favourite of the POV tenses. Watching Eli and Alex interact with each other, and then with Alex's teammates was just...lovely. Not everyone had a great reaction to Eli, or Alex's friendship with Eli, for that matter, but the majority of the team, and the majority of Eli's best friend's team were "enh, it's no big deal. You like guys, so what?" Which is as it should be, in my opinion. Alex had a few kneejerk reactions, as did a couple of other characters, but I liked that they took the time to think about it and walk it back, or temper their reaction. It felt as though everyone really did think about their reactions and why they had them and, if they found them lacking, change them. There was hockey (which I love in my stories; it's my favourite of athlete driven romances), and there was a service dog, and a delightfully grouchy cat. All in all, one of the better books that I have read this year. (