On Thin Ice (Juniper Falls, #1)

by Julie Cross

Jake Hammond is the current Prince of Juniper Falls. He’s also been labeled the next great player to emerge from the Juniper Falls hockey dynasty. When a hundred-year-old hazing tradition at Juniper Falls pond goes all wrong, Jake is left seriously injured, shouldering the blame for the near death of another student and the knowledge that the quiet new girl saved his life.

Maybe if she’d realized how different this small town was from Austin, Brooke Parker wouldn’t have followed her mum here. Not that she had a choice. Same with saving that cocky hockey player from drowning at the pond. Now, she keeps seeing that same guy, wandering the woods between their houses. And they start to regularly meet at midnight in Jake’s old tree house.

Jake realizes that Brooke is full of life, ideas, places, and experiences bigger and broader than anything he’s ever known. Plus, she’s the first person to ever see him as Jake Hammond, a guy who’s not sure what to do with his life, rather than the future hockey star.

Maybe it isn’t enough anymore to just be the town hockey star? For Brooke, relying only on herself might not be enough, either.

• ISBN10: 164063410X
• ISBN13: 9781640634107
• Publish Date: 1 January 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 30 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Entangled Publishing, LLC
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 340
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After a near fatal accident, Jake begins to question some of the traditions surrounding Otter hockey, but is Jake willing to risk his future to challenge traditions that have endured for over 100 years?

• Pro: Cross impressed me by taking on this topic. It was a rather interesting look at how entrenched these traditions become, and how difficult it can be to abandon those which are toxic. The characters' reactions and struggle with the situation came across as very authentic, and I appreciated how she let us view the issue from multiple sides.

• Pro: Let's hear it for finally getting a women's team in Juniper Falls. It was rather exhilarating watching this team get their footing and finding some success in their debut season.

• Pro: This story can be read as a standalone, but Cross also incorporated a bunch of characters from the previous two books. I always love catching up with old friends, and I was so happy with the future she gave to one of the side characters. It was great getting to know this character a little better, and also seeing things starting to look up for him.

• Pro: Both Brooke and Jake are extremely likable. Brooke's backstory was sort of heartbreaking, but I couldn't help but be impressed with how she dealt with her situation, and came out stronger because of it. And, I admired Jake for taking a stand on a tough issue. He had the deck stacked against him, but he still chose the high road, and I was proud of him.

• Pro: The romance was so sweet, and I was absolutely on board with this ship. The circumstances bringing these two together were less than ideal, but something real and beautiful grew out of it all. Both Jake and Brooke were there for each other and offered support and comfort when they really needed it. Their romance growing from a sort of friendship made it just that much better.

• Pro: Although it was slightly abrupt, I still loved the ending to this book. Cross gave me closure as far as the fate of the team, the town, its inhabitants, and this couple. I was left feeling very satisfied and extremely happy with the way things turned out.

Overall: I fall more and more in love with this series with each book. Once again Cross delivered a story with substance that incorporated family, friendship, romance, and left me hungry for the next book.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[Leigha]

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Hockey star Jake meets new girl Brooke in this romance that also doubles as an after school special on hazing.

My synopsis is tongue in cheek, but it’s not wrong. This is a romance about two people falling in love. It’s also about the realities of high school hazing. About the perpetuation of the act by members of the group for the simple fact they do not know how to stop it. Doesn’t absolve them of their own complicity, but it does show the courage it takes to go against a well oiled tradition.

Jake was by far the more interesting character. The story worked best when it focused on Jake’s investigation into his high school’s troubled hockey team. Brooke, however, suffered for it. Her story had so many interesting elements, but she was underutilized and under developed. Brooke shined best once she joined the women’s hockey league. This book would have been a solid 4 stars if Brooke’s character development had been a bit more.

tl;dr While I enjoyed the book, it didn’t develop both of the main characters as much as I would like.