Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer
- Publisher: Carina Press, August 24th 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Ebook (eARC)
- Page Count: 303 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Caro Cassidy has competed in three Olympics before a hip surgery pushed her into retirement. Now she runs Girls & Goals for girls who play hockey and is very private about her personal life. When pro player and social media celebrity Amy Schwarzbach comes to coach Caro’s summer camp, the pair eventually acted on their mutual attraction and begins to date. But Amy plays in Boston while Caro lives in Chicago, and that means long-distance as hockey season begins. Can the two very different athletes fight for their relationship even when everything is on ice?
TW: homophobia, depression, brief discussions of suicide.
I should first say that the cover photo is slightly misleading for me. Since I cannot associate the two wonderful women as Caro and Amy, the cover prevented me from getting into the story until about halfway through. Then everything clicked into place and I have my own version of the couple in my head. But maybe it is just me.
Neither Caro nor Amy is flawless or completely likeable, and that makes them very real and relatable. Caro feels safer with privacy, and given her ties with her homophobic family, the thought of being out and proud at work makes her uncomfortable. Amy is proudly bisexual and has a strong social media presence. With both Caro and Amy being high profile hockey players, keeping their relationship off the limelight is not easy. But Caro is not ready to have her work associated with her personal life, and Amy tries to respect that. Now that is trouble bubbling up.
“If you accept yourself, you’re living an authentic life. No one can take that from you unless you let them.” – Dr. Sharon
Note that there are many hurtful homophobic comments throughout the book, and at one point, I found my vision blurring from anger. If homophobia is triggering to you, maybe reading this book is not a great idea. Also, since Caro has depression and Amy has anxiety, a fair portion of the book deals with mental health. I think the topic was done well, and we can definitely see how Caro and Amy’s relationship impacted their mental states. Both characters have insecurities, Caro’s stronger than Amy’s, and their character growths of overcoming uncertainties are great to read.
To be honest, Caro and Amy’s relationship did not fully work for me. Maybe because I didn’t get to see a lot of the initial bonding, I was almost convinced their attraction was completely physical. Until about two-thirds into the story and rifts showed up in their relationship. The mending and reconnecting parts had me believe their love was real though.
Out on the Ice is a wonderful debut novel that is not a light read. For anyone who loves women in professional sports with honest discussions of mental health, this book is for you. I really enjoyed reading it. [5 Jul 2020]
I received an e-ARC from Carina Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
