Book Review: It's A Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J. Corson

Official Synopsis: Hockey star Charlie Porter has one shot to make her dreams come true -- literally. One goal is all that stands between her and the coveted Winthrop Cup, along with a life-changing hockey scholarship that could catapult her into the big leagues. But when Charlie misses her shot -- and inadvertently starts a good ol’ fashioned brawl between rival schools -- she waves goodbye to more than just the championship title. She gets kicked off her team, suspended from school, and banished to the Worst Place on Winthrop High. Things for Charlie cannot get any worse.

Until she meets Alexa Goldstein. A prickly, perfectionist ice princess with her sights set on the Olympics, Alexa is the last person Charlie would ever want to share a rink with -- no matter how good she looks in her figure skating leotard. But when Alexa’s skating partner breaks his ankle and torpedoes her chances for a gold medal career, the two unlikely allies -- along with Alexa’s terrifying, ex-Olympian mother -- strike a Charlie will practice with Alexa until her partner heals, and Alexa’s mother will use her connections to get Charlie back in her hockey uniform.

But as the ice between Charlie and Alexa begins to melt, their partnership only gets more complicated. Charlie’s falling hard -- and not just when she’s trying to land a double axel. What happens when making Alexa’s skating dreams come true means giving up her own?

It's A Love/Skate Relationship is a debut young adult novel that touches on topics like fitting in, figuring out who you are, and bullying. There are a lot of moments in this book that had me go 'ugh they are the worst' to the rival hockey team, while also going 'but tell someone they do this!' because apparently when you are no longer a teenager you think about things a lot differently. There were times at the beginning of the story when I felt myself not fully vibing with Charlie, as she was occasionally very whiny and definitely had a 'woe is me' attitude.

As the story goes on, Charlie starts to find a confidence in her new situation. As she begins to work with Alexa, learning how to figure skate and hoping to work off her debt to the ice rink, she starts to realize there might be more than hockey. (Though hockey is still important, obviously). They work together, with Alexa's mother coaching and helping make sure Charlie can catch on, they start to grow closer together, especially after Alexa finally breaks up with her mean hockey playing boyfriend, who is the reason Charlie is in this position to begin with.

There is a lot of growing in this book, and as Charlie grows I found her a lot more tolerable. That being said, there is still a lot happening in the book that made me roll my eyes or go 'damn teens', which is definitely more of an age thing than a writing thing. I really enjoyed the 'hockey player become figure skater' storyline, along with having the 'private school to public' vibe, though it definitely felt inflated.

The other main part of this book is the relationship that blooms between Charlie and Alexa, as they start to become closer to each other and finally show their feelings extend past friendship. They are not the only queer relationship in the story, but they are definitely the main one. Their relationship is sweet, with moments where they are worried about each other but also cute. For being a relationship in a young adult novel, it was very sweet and written very well.

The book is well written, with a lot of pop-culture references within the text. There are moments that reference Wicked and other movies/shows. There is definitely a lot of pressure on all of the kids, with hockey games and figure skating competitions. You also have the moments where Charlie thinks she is putting someone she cares about in danger, and decides to step away. This is definitely a fun take on a sports romance as well as a young adult version of that. I would love to see what else the author writes in the future.

I rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

It is scheduled to be published January 28, 2025!

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