Brooke Parker never expected to find herself in the tiny town of Juniper Falls, Minnesota. Of course, she also never expected to lose her dad. Or for her mom to lose herself. Brooke feels like she’s losing it…until she finds Juniper Falls hockey. Juniper Falls girls’ hockey, that is. Jake Hammond, current prince of Juniper Falls, captain of the hockey team, and player with the best chance of … the best chance of scoring it big, is on top of the world. Until one hazing ritual gone wrong lands him injured, sitting on the sidelines, and–shocking even to him–finding himself enjoying his “punishment” as assistant coach for the girls’ team.
As Jake and Brooke grow closer, he finds the quiet new girl is hiding a persona full of life, ideas, and experiences bigger and broader than anything he’s ever known. But to Jake, hockey’s never just been a game. It’s his whole life. And leveraging the game for a shot at their future might be more than he can give.
Each book in the Juniper Falls series is STANDALONE:
* Off the Ice
* Breaking the Ice
* On Thin Ice
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On Thin Ice takes readers back to the small town of Juniper Falls. It’s a young adult romance told in a dual point of view about standing up for what’s right even if it’s not the popular thing to do. If you love a sports romance, this one is quite enjoyable and features both female and male hockey players.
Jake lives and breathes hockey, much like most of the inhabitants of Juniper Falls. When a hazing incident goes awry, he ends up assisting the newly formed girls hockey team.
Brooke’s life took an unexpected turn and she’s living with her grandmother. She’s quite introverted and reserved as she contemplates the changes that have occurred to her life.
The connection and chemistry this pair shares is undeniable, and I enjoyed seeing their bond develop as they not only find solace in each other’s arms but friendship, support, happiness and understanding. With each other they find a confidant they can be completely honest with. The character growth and development of this pair over the course of the book, draws you further into their story.
I have previously read Off The Ice, the first title in this series, which honestly I didn’t enjoy anywhere near as much as this title. You can easily read this title as a standalone, and it’s well worth a read if you’re a fan of young adult sports romance.
Full disclosure: I didn’t realize that this was the third book in a series when I picked it up, but I’m happy to say that it reads like a true standalone. I had no problem connecting with Brooke and Jake’s story, and didn’t feel like I was missing any puzzle pieces. In fact, it wasn’t until the very end when I put together which couples the previous books revolved around. So, if you, like me, are on the fence about it being the third book in a series you haven’t read yet? I enthusiastically say, go for it!
Why? Because this is just a good story. It’s a more mature YA and I went into it with a fair bit of skepticism (mostly because I knew I’d already missed out on two books of this series), but it managed to charm me and pull me right in anyway. It’s a bit heavier than I was anticipating – there are definitely some timely and serious issues going on throughout the story and I think that it is far bigger than a YA romance. However, the YA romance is compelling in its own right and the chemistry between Brooke and Jake was on point and completely satisfying.
Those of you who read sports romance for the sports will be happy to know that there’s actually a fair amount of hockey in this book! And yet those of you who may not be invested so much in the sport itself will be happy to know that it’s not too much, you won’t feel lost, and the role of hockey in the book serves as a catalyst for some of the deeper, more emotional storylines. It’s a pretty complete package, and I’m so glad I took a chance on it!
Julie Cross scores a hat trick with the third book in the Juniper Falls series, ON THIN ICE. Hockey captain, Jake Hammond, is tasked with helping coach the new girl’s hockey team after being injured during a hazing ritual. He discovers that there is more to life then hockey as he gets to know the new girl, Brooke Parker. This story is suitable for young adults. It takes place in Juniper Falls, Minnesota.
I liked Brooke. She has had to deal with a difficult home life situation that caused her to relocate from Austin, Texas to Juniper Falls to live with her grandma. She decides to try out for the new girl’s hockey team to fit in and make friends. I love Jake. He is brave and has great values. I appreciated that he owns up to his mistakes and takes a stand to do what is right. I like how Brooke and Jake get to know each other. They come into each other’s lives at a point where they really need each other to help them deal with their situations. To outsiders, they might seem like a strange couple, but they help save each other (literarily and figuratively).
Julie Cross does an amazing job with this novel. The name of the book is very clever. The plot was skillfully executed. The topic of hazing is relevant and important. ON THIN ICE is a story of courage and doing what is right. The novel had a perfect ending. I love how characters from the previous books (like Mike Steller) were tied to the outcome of this novel. This has become my favorite book in the series. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
In the city of Juniper Falls hockey reigns supreme. When Brooke Parker’s father goes to jail, she and her mother return to her mom’s home town to live with her grandmother. With her mother’s downward spiral into depression Brooke turns to hockey to take her mind of her troubles and joins the brand new girls hockey team. Jake Hammond, captain of the Varsity boys hockey team, finds himself on the wrong side of the law when a 100 year old hockey tradition goes wrong. As punishment he has to be the assistant coach to the girls hockey team and finds himself drawn to Brooke, a girl who has obviously never played hockey but has some serious talent.
On Thin Ice explores a lot of tough subjects; bullying, depression, and suicide but the novel does a great job of putting a spotlight on these problems and allowing it’s characters to work their way to a solution in a very real, unforced way. Brooke’s family has gone through some really tough times and her life has been turned upside down, including moving to a small town. When she meets Jake after witnessing his teams traditional pre-season hazing she fights an attraction to him and who wouldn’t? Jake is also immediately curious about the “new” girl and when he finds himself her coach they take the time to explore a new friendship but also to help each other work their way through a land mine of adult responsibilities and feelings.
Julie Cross did a great job of portraying these scenarios and as an adult myself I forgot I was reading a teen romance. The emotional impact was that good. If you like sports novels/romances, this is a great one! There’s a good bit of hockey being played and those sports scenes were very well written. I could picture the action and feel the tension in those on the ice moments. Sports action scenes are not easy to portray and it really felt like Julie Cross had either played the game or was a huge fan. It was that good!
I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for a YA contemporary romance. It has some serious subject matter but an uplifting ending. Even though this is the third book in the series, you don’t need to read the first two. I didn’t, but I’m definitely going back to read them now. I’ve found a new author to love, yeah!
On Thin Ice is an intricately woven story about two teens on different parts that merge at the worst time. It’s about a budding relationship in a trying time. It even brings up bullying and hazing without the horniness of an after school special. It has aREAL feel. It doesn’t feel hokey or fake. I appreciated the flow and the realistic nature of their reactions to what was going on around them.
On Thin Ice has made me want to read the other Juniper Falls stories.
3 1/2 stars. Pretty good YA book. I really liked Jake and how the whole incident and how it was covered up really bothered him. Brooke was such a strong character. The whole story was interesting and move along nicely. My issue was that I felt like I was missing some info. I didn’t read the previous 2 books, but I feel like this book should have stood on its own. Also, the ending was a bit abrupt