Book: Rookie Attraction by Ava Olsen
Reviewed by Emily
Rating: 4/5
I absolutely flew through this book. I read it in a little over a day. Slow burn isn’t usually my style but I enjoyed watching Sel and Finn’s friendship blossom into something more. It gave grumpy / sunshine vibes, but Sel wasn’t exactly grumpy but suffering the effects of harassment and threats. Unlike some other hockey romances, this one didn’t shy away from the toxic masculinity and homophobia that’s ingrained in the sport. Hugo’s fake dating ploy was underhanded, but I guess not all PR guys can be sunshine and apples. There was also a decent amount of hockey in the hockey book if that’s your thing. I’m a sucker for the injury activating their protective instincts. I loved both hospital scenes and how literally everyone was on to them except them. Y’all were not smooth at all. Bless their hearts.
The side characters, especially Mats and Berg, were great. I loved Mats as the comic relief throughout the story. I would’ve liked to know Brady’s motivations for why he tried to sabotage the team. I felt like it went beyond your standard homophobic asshole, but I could be wrong. Maybe that will be revealed in later books. I’m looking forward to Mats and Karson’s story in the next book already.