I am part of the ARC Team for this book and so I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange of an honest review.

I was at first a bit worried given how my other ARC reads were going, would this one also get bashed by the ARC slump/the ARC disappointment? But I shouldn’t have worried. I started this one and boom, I was into the book. Kelly has such a way with words.

In this book we meet a girl named Summer. Her family is moving back to the small town they left when she was a kid. She doesn’t have the best of memories there, we quickly find out (mostly thanks to flashbacks) that her best friend drowned in the icy lake when the ice cracked and she fell through when they were 6. Yep. 6. You can imagine that she isn’t feeling much up for moving. And if that wasn’t the worst thing to happen… on the first day while going on a hike/run… she encounters a dead body. Really, at that point I just wanted to step into the book and give her a big big hug. The poor thing. Already reeling from being back and then finding a dead body. Someone who has been murdered even. Yep.

I loved what happens next in the story. We see Summer try to process what is going on, tries to solve the mystery, falls head over heels (more on that in the next paragraph), makes friends, and I loved seeing her actually begin to like the small town along with learning how to deal with her grief and loss from when she was a kid, because despite it being 10 years, she is still not OK.

The romance was just so swoony. OK, a bit instalovey for me, but in the end? I didn’t mind it that much. I mean, hello, Tate is hot. Sweet. Adorable. Cute. And I just found myself rooting for these two to get together (along with many other characters in the book haha). The romance is a big part of the book, but I just loved every bit of it. I loved seeing them cook for each other, Tate helping out Summer with her fear of the ice and being for her when things got a bit much. There were moments that it was a full blown teen romance I mean, sorry but it was so dramatic when he was arrested and Summer didn’t even give a hoot about anything and stepped in the car while it was slippery and snowy out, girl what??? Also other moments following that just had me roll my eyes just a bit much.

Oh, and just like in all of her books, the parents are absolutely sweethearts. I just love Summer’s parents. I loved how they were there for her. I loved how they tried to make everything OK for her, but also set clear boundaries and rules. I loved all they did. They were so sweet.

And I learned that ice hockey and field hockey are apparently two different kinds of hockey. I just thought the field was the difference, haha.

The mystery was a bit low, I had expected a bit more given that this one is a thriller. I had expected a bit more murder. But you know what, in the end? I didn’t mind it that much. The other elements in the story were good and there were still several moments of mystery + a kick-ass ending. Plus, despite shaking my head, I did like that our MC tried her best to solve the mystery a bit. OK, maybe breaking and entering isn’t the best idea, but hey, a girl gotta do what a girl gotta do!

Plus, I definitely had fun trying to deduce the murderer. And if there was something bigger going on! I had quite a few suspects, even the police doctor (aka the mom of her boyfriend). I am sorry, but she was just sus. Haha. In the end I have to say that the actual perp was a surprise we just don’t see them that much, I think that is what made me not think about them.

Yes, the ending! Oh boy. It was a ride. We go from our MC trying to investigate her theories to a whole rollercoaster as things truly set off. There is someone at the rink and they are not happy with interference! Then there is an exciting moment at the lake. And I just LOVED IT. PHEW!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book, loved the romance, enjoyed the bits of mystery, seeing our MC move on and face her grief was wonderful, I loved the dash of ice hockey, and so I would recommend this book!