Book: How We End by Melissa Naatz
Reviewed by scribsbookshelf
Rating: 5/5
I am so in love with this. Reading “How We End” is like watching a beautifully shot movie. The book is unapologetically gritty but in the most stunning of ways. I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading about Wyatt and Julian but the relationship they have with one another and their relationship to their respective jobs is just so well told. Wyatt is a high-end escort who goes by the name “Cassidy” when she’s with her clients and Julian is a hockey player that many people have their eyes on. When his performance starts tanking, it’s to Cassidy he goes in an effort to see if there’s a remedy for his abilities on the ice. But in the moments they have together, they start understanding and seeing each other in a new light, and find that they might have more in common than they thought.
I don’t know what magic Melissa Naatz is weaving through this story but it’s so good. I’ve read my fair share of hockey romance but this feels like it’s so much more and I really appreciate it. Wyatt and Julian are not perfect no matter how hard they try to be, they are very flawed individuals. They have different traumas and they view their lives as being pretty similar despite their very different careers. The characters feel very real regardless of whether they are the main characters or secondary characters and the feelings they show one another also feel real. Everything about the story feels real and it feels good. Even though the topic and themes are heavy, something about this story feels cozy, but do NOT mistake it for being a cozy read. If you’re looking for a hockey romance that feels more ingrained in the real world, you might want to give it a try, but please note the content/trigger warnings.
Thank you so much to Haus of Fables and Melissa Naatz for the gifted ARC! All opinions are my own.