Icebreaker

A.L. Graziadei

Jan 2022 · RB Media · Narrated by Tom Picasso

About this audiobook

Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman, a brother to five sisters, and a hockey legacy. With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history, Mickey is almost guaranteed the league’s top draft spot.

The only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfield, a contender for the #1 spot and Mickey’s infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) teammate. When rivalry turns to something more, Mickey will have to decide what he really wants, and what he’s willing to risk for it.

This is a story about falling in love, finding your team (on and off the ice), and choosing your own path.

Ratings and reviews

Beautifully written, A.L. Graziadei’s Icebreaker is a deeply personal account of a young man’s struggles in his first year of college. Swamped by the expectations of his family, friends, social media, and himself, Mickey is, first and foremost, a hockey prodigy. Icebreaker deals with a host of issues while Mickey navigates his Freshman year. Excessive alcohol use, forming new relationships, and coming out are enough for most young folks. In addition to some prominent family issues, Mickey is also dealing with the pressures of social media on a humongous scale. A.L. Graziadei does a wonderful job of building the tension, and my heart went out to Mickey as he gradually reached the crisis point. Living with mental illness is an ongoing journey, and with all the other challenges heaped on him, this is more than most seventeen year olds have to cope with. If you’re a hockey fan, there are tons of exciting and wonderfully detailed scenes in Icebreaker. I was impressed with A.L. Graziadei’s knowledge of the sport, and the detail adds a fantastic layer to the novel. Tom Picasso is a new narrator for me, and I’ll listen to absolutely anything he performs. His rich, mellow voice is perfect for Mickey, and he brings something unique to each of the many characters in Icebreaker. An outstanding job by Tom Picasso!