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Hat Trick
Tyler Thompson is recruited by Woodridge State to play Division I Hockey following the worst summer of his life. He is sullen, easily sent back into himself, and he absolutely does not want to be here. The ice just reminds him of his dad. He doesn't care that he's the heir to a hockey legacy, he doesn't care that he has soft hands, and god he definitely does not care what Adam Wetz has to say about it. Adam Wetz has been in skates since he was five, he was drafted in the third round during the Summer of his 19th birthday, and he can absolutely not stand people who don't take hockey seriously. And he absolutely can't stand that someone as good as Tyler Thompson can't be bothered to make an effort on the ice. The two couldn't be more different. And they can't stay away from each others throats.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2023
6 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 27, 2023
thoughts
Okay so I noticed this book about a week ago and was bummed that it didn’t come with my kindle subscription. But the premise I read never left my head and I found myself reading the free sample and soon enough I purchased it. I gave this book 4 stars because damn it was sweet. Such a good enemies to lovers book and I loved that the author navigated grief realistically. The ending made me cry and those are my favorite type of books. Now, I hope what I say next comes off as constructive criticism and nothing less than: I know this book was independently published and this is the author’s first book so I would just like to give some advice. Please re-edit if you can. There was some inconsistencies in the story that had me scratching my head a bit. Some errors were I had to reread to understand what was happening. It’s not a lot where it’s off putting but enough to notice. Regardless, I enjoyed the book and glad I caved & purchased. Can’t wait to see what the author writes next!
Okay so I noticed this book about a week ago and was bummed that it didn’t come with my kindle subscription. But the premise I read never left my head and I found myself reading the free sample and soon enough I purchased it. I gave this book 4 stars because damn it was sweet. Such a good enemies to lovers book and I loved that the author navigated grief realistically. The ending made me cry and those are my favorite type of books. Now, I hope what I say next comes off as constructive criticism and nothing less than: I know this book was independently published and this is the author’s first book so I would just like to give some advice. Please re-edit if you can. There was some inconsistencies in the story that had me scratching my head a bit. Some errors were I had to reread to understand what was happening. It’s not a lot where it’s off putting but enough to notice. Regardless, I enjoyed the book and glad I caved & purchased. Can’t wait to see what the author writes next!
May 23, 2023
could have been great
But this effort definitely wasn’t worth paying for.
I did like the story a lot but there were an insane number of errors in this book. Pretty much on every page.
At one point a chapter starts with, basically “Tyler looks at Tyler from the bench”. Spoiler alert: there’s only one Tyler. The word night used instead of not?.. I’m assuming. Sometimes it was impossible to figure out what word was intended to be used. Maybe this was written typed on a phone with a very unfortunate auto-correct. Idk but the errors took too much from the story.
And to top it all off, we had to end with one of the utterly hot MCs walking around with a missing front tooth, too? Ugh.
But this effort definitely wasn’t worth paying for.
I did like the story a lot but there were an insane number of errors in this book. Pretty much on every page.
At one point a chapter starts with, basically “Tyler looks at Tyler from the bench”. Spoiler alert: there’s only one Tyler. The word night used instead of not?.. I’m assuming. Sometimes it was impossible to figure out what word was intended to be used. Maybe this was written typed on a phone with a very unfortunate auto-correct. Idk but the errors took too much from the story.
And to top it all off, we had to end with one of the utterly hot MCs walking around with a missing front tooth, too? Ugh.
July 19, 2023
Hat Trick is a romance book about two uni ice hockey players. Tyler has just lost his dad, who was a popular hockey player, so with all the pressure from being in new place and with the expectations from his new team, he has a lot to deal with.
Adam Wetz doesn’t like Tyler, he goes from hating him to befriending him, to loving him.
The book has a melancholy tone, as it depicts grief from losing your parent, and the importance of friends, who have your back.
Adam Wetz doesn’t like Tyler, he goes from hating him to befriending him, to loving him.
The book has a melancholy tone, as it depicts grief from losing your parent, and the importance of friends, who have your back.
November 26, 2024
Ok, damn does it need editing,
I think they used AI to do it, some of the error are so silly.
I think they used AI to do it, some of the error are so silly.
May 25, 2023
A good start, or maybe even the first half... that kind of fizzled out.
Tyler does not want to play hockey. His depression keeps him in bed and barely functioning - sorry, we don't use the D word. Tyler is definitely sad. And it's great. Sorry, was that too much? It's hard to describe such a state, to treat it with respect considering it's a fictional story written for our "entertainment" - for us to live through it, in some cases. And the book does a really good job of it. It's on the milder spectrum since he is still attending practice and taking classes so he's functioning but we all deal with grief differently and I was... happy with what I was seeing. Then the romance started. The first stages of it, anyway. And it kind of gotten... well, downhill from there. The second part was titled something like downfall but I didn't take it to mean that.
Because suddenly Tyler is not sad. He is angry. Or tentatively content. Or frustrated. Or he's ashamed. Or he's trying to enjoy one of the frequent parties his teammates throw. On and on, the emotions roll around constantly and after the steady build-up of the first part, the second one suddenly feels so flighty. Instead of being able to focus on what he's going through, I was feeling jerked around.
And the crying... Boys crying are normally great. Anyone crying is healthy, really. But once you make your characters cry for like the Xth time? It suddenly loses its impact. The first time felt cathartic. It fit the narrative. But at a certain point, it become a bit too common.
And Brand... the chatty guy who he bonded with? He went from being an important part of his life to being the annoying brother you use or just want to get rid of. Because obviously once "love" enters the equation, there is no space for friends. Sigh.
All the positive feelings just fizzled somewhere at that stage. It wasn't a bad book - but despite or because I enjoyed the first part so much, the second felt like a letdown. I no longer cared. The mutual feelings were so obvious it was painful and it ended up being one of the less fortunate books where I just loose interest once the main couple gets together. I trudged through to the end just to finish the book, but my heart wasn't in it.
Tyler does not want to play hockey. His depression keeps him in bed and barely functioning - sorry, we don't use the D word. Tyler is definitely sad. And it's great. Sorry, was that too much? It's hard to describe such a state, to treat it with respect considering it's a fictional story written for our "entertainment" - for us to live through it, in some cases. And the book does a really good job of it. It's on the milder spectrum since he is still attending practice and taking classes so he's functioning but we all deal with grief differently and I was... happy with what I was seeing. Then the romance started. The first stages of it, anyway. And it kind of gotten... well, downhill from there. The second part was titled something like downfall but I didn't take it to mean that.
Because suddenly Tyler is not sad. He is angry. Or tentatively content. Or frustrated. Or he's ashamed. Or he's trying to enjoy one of the frequent parties his teammates throw. On and on, the emotions roll around constantly and after the steady build-up of the first part, the second one suddenly feels so flighty. Instead of being able to focus on what he's going through, I was feeling jerked around.
And the crying... Boys crying are normally great. Anyone crying is healthy, really. But once you make your characters cry for like the Xth time? It suddenly loses its impact. The first time felt cathartic. It fit the narrative. But at a certain point, it become a bit too common.
And Brand... the chatty guy who he bonded with? He went from being an important part of his life to being the annoying brother you use or just want to get rid of. Because obviously once "love" enters the equation, there is no space for friends. Sigh.
All the positive feelings just fizzled somewhere at that stage. It wasn't a bad book - but despite or because I enjoyed the first part so much, the second felt like a letdown. I no longer cared. The mutual feelings were so obvious it was painful and it ended up being one of the less fortunate books where I just loose interest once the main couple gets together. I trudged through to the end just to finish the book, but my heart wasn't in it.
May 10, 2023
I liked the characters and there’s a ton of hockey. The friendships in the team are also lovely. The pacing though was way off. We are moving at a steady slowish pace along until the 90% mark and then we hit overdrive, there’s a big conflict, a too-swift resolution and then we race briskly through the next half a decade in epilogue.
Also I felt uneasy about the way our hero, who begins the book dealing with the death of a parent, seems to rely entirely on one new male friend for what is essentially (and sometimes overtly) therapy, instead of going to a therapist. We do not see the work reciprocated later either. The therapy is one-sided. It reminded me unpleasantly of too many m/f relationships.
And there’s black out drinking at parties, repeatedly, which is treated as normal and not problematic in the least. I get that college kids drink at parties. An entire college year of getting shitfaced at every event though is not healthy. The fact that no one in the book ever once thinks twice about it or does differently, is concerning.
Lastly, we have a teammate who is dating a pro woman hockey player. Not only does this man never tell a single member of his team his girlfriend is a player nor a pro, he also must not watch her games unless in extreme secrecy because he hangs out 24/7 with his friends and they know nothing about her, and when she finally shows up in person, she’s wearing his college team shirt instead of vice versa. Our hero gives him a little grief about it but WTF? The unthinking sexism is so high I want to drown that boy like a puppy and ask the woman why on earth she is putting up with it.
Also I felt uneasy about the way our hero, who begins the book dealing with the death of a parent, seems to rely entirely on one new male friend for what is essentially (and sometimes overtly) therapy, instead of going to a therapist. We do not see the work reciprocated later either. The therapy is one-sided. It reminded me unpleasantly of too many m/f relationships.
And there’s black out drinking at parties, repeatedly, which is treated as normal and not problematic in the least. I get that college kids drink at parties. An entire college year of getting shitfaced at every event though is not healthy. The fact that no one in the book ever once thinks twice about it or does differently, is concerning.
Lastly, we have a teammate who is dating a pro woman hockey player. Not only does this man never tell a single member of his team his girlfriend is a player nor a pro, he also must not watch her games unless in extreme secrecy because he hangs out 24/7 with his friends and they know nothing about her, and when she finally shows up in person, she’s wearing his college team shirt instead of vice versa. Our hero gives him a little grief about it but WTF? The unthinking sexism is so high I want to drown that boy like a puppy and ask the woman why on earth she is putting up with it.
December 31, 2023
When I started the book, I was really into it, thought it’d be a 4 stars read. I liked the theme of grief and overcoming loss, I liked the side cast and I like the dislike between Tyler and Adam. I like that it wasn’t instant attraction from Tyler, and that it came later, that felt like a nice change.
And then, it fizzled out for me. First, all the typos, weird tenses and ambiguous sentence phrasing started to be a bit too frequent. Then, women started to appear and the way each of them (except Tyler’s mom and the goalie’s girlfriend) were portrayed TERRIBLY. Banner, the sweet guy who was introduced as this smart, open-minded boy who Tyler felt safe enough to open up to just… disappeared, replaced by an oblivious, distant acquaintance obsessed with his girlfriend. That was a shame, I felt like their friendship was really good and a nice addition to the story. Tyler tries to date someone else, and I hate how that was described, really just a set up to push Tyler and Adam together and it felt weird, I wish it had been more genuine, it would have been interesting. The pacing and the steps of the relationship were weird, it was hard to follow what the boys were feeling and why. Some time Tyler was into Adam but Adam was distant and then the opposite and then something else. The conflict at the end felt weirdly rushed. We completely forget about grief when the story gears towards the romance.
Anyway, it started off really well but too many things just did not work and left me pretty disappointed.
And then, it fizzled out for me. First, all the typos, weird tenses and ambiguous sentence phrasing started to be a bit too frequent. Then, women started to appear and the way each of them (except Tyler’s mom and the goalie’s girlfriend) were portrayed TERRIBLY. Banner, the sweet guy who was introduced as this smart, open-minded boy who Tyler felt safe enough to open up to just… disappeared, replaced by an oblivious, distant acquaintance obsessed with his girlfriend. That was a shame, I felt like their friendship was really good and a nice addition to the story. Tyler tries to date someone else, and I hate how that was described, really just a set up to push Tyler and Adam together and it felt weird, I wish it had been more genuine, it would have been interesting. The pacing and the steps of the relationship were weird, it was hard to follow what the boys were feeling and why. Some time Tyler was into Adam but Adam was distant and then the opposite and then something else. The conflict at the end felt weirdly rushed. We completely forget about grief when the story gears towards the romance.
Anyway, it started off really well but too many things just did not work and left me pretty disappointed.
June 14, 2023
i really enjoyed this book!
Tyler is a collegiate hockey player freshly grieving the death of his hockey-infamous father. I feel that lots of emotions were explored well, at least for the majority of the book. We see great friendships between the boys on the hockey team.
I didn’t love that once Banner, Tyler’s best friend, got a girlfriend, he was significantly less heard from or seen.
This book did fairly well with an enemies to lovers trope, and Wetzy, a character originally cold and often downright mean, became an enjoyable and sweet character. I really enjoyed Adam and Ty’s relationship, and appreciated the epilogue sharing about how the two’s relationship continues to unfold even after Adam leaves.
I will say that the book definitely needs more editing. Sometimes wrong names were used that caused confusion, other times it was just casual mistakes. Additionally, I feel the pacing needs work. Everything goes at a regular, if not sometimes slow pace until 90% through the book, when Ty’s accident occurs and then at around 94% when Adam decides to leave school (which personally felt strange to me, if not just out of the blue. What happened to vet sciences?) and break up with Ty. The end felt a bit rushed, although the epilogue helped tie everything together and answer all the smaller details.
Tyler is a collegiate hockey player freshly grieving the death of his hockey-infamous father. I feel that lots of emotions were explored well, at least for the majority of the book. We see great friendships between the boys on the hockey team.
I didn’t love that once Banner, Tyler’s best friend, got a girlfriend, he was significantly less heard from or seen.
This book did fairly well with an enemies to lovers trope, and Wetzy, a character originally cold and often downright mean, became an enjoyable and sweet character. I really enjoyed Adam and Ty’s relationship, and appreciated the epilogue sharing about how the two’s relationship continues to unfold even after Adam leaves.
I will say that the book definitely needs more editing. Sometimes wrong names were used that caused confusion, other times it was just casual mistakes. Additionally, I feel the pacing needs work. Everything goes at a regular, if not sometimes slow pace until 90% through the book, when Ty’s accident occurs and then at around 94% when Adam decides to leave school (which personally felt strange to me, if not just out of the blue. What happened to vet sciences?) and break up with Ty. The end felt a bit rushed, although the epilogue helped tie everything together and answer all the smaller details.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2023
So, this is a pretty bog-standard college hockey romance: we’ve got the buddies who are together through thick and thin, the closeted athletes, the endless practices, the diner meals, the supportive parents, the unsupportive parents. There are the bad injuries, the long hockey scenes, the epilogue scenes where hockey players win the Cup.
The wrinkle is that Tyler’s dad, who was a hockey phenom, dies just before the book. But honestly, that’s it. Otherwise, the hockey players live at a communal house, they have loud drunken parties, our hero isn’t very comfortable being social, etc. there are also a bunch of typos and odd capitalization errors (which, honestly, are ones I struggle with too: summer isn’t capitalized, for example, but Hockey House would be).
The overall flow of this book is comfortable and I kept hoping it’d jump out of the tropes. But it really didn’t, and that’s a shame.
The wrinkle is that Tyler’s dad, who was a hockey phenom, dies just before the book. But honestly, that’s it. Otherwise, the hockey players live at a communal house, they have loud drunken parties, our hero isn’t very comfortable being social, etc. there are also a bunch of typos and odd capitalization errors (which, honestly, are ones I struggle with too: summer isn’t capitalized, for example, but Hockey House would be).
The overall flow of this book is comfortable and I kept hoping it’d jump out of the tropes. But it really didn’t, and that’s a shame.
March 9, 2023
amazing. this book was in my amazon recommended and i almost never buy books but i bought this one. DO NOT REGret it AT ALL. if you’re reading this READ THIS BOOK.
it was so sweet, and so well written for a self published author. it was so emotionally complex, and navigated grief in a natural, authentic way. it had me CRYING. not too much angst or unnecessary drama (which is my BIGGEST PET PEEVE) this book seriously might be one of my favorite reads of 2023.
i’ve been in a bit of a book slump recently, re reading old favs, but this is going on my all time favorites list.
my only qualms were that there are some typos or parts where i don’t understand who she’s talking about (using unclear antecedents) but it’s so minor and really had no impact on my reading of this book.
seriously AMAZING 10/10.
it was so sweet, and so well written for a self published author. it was so emotionally complex, and navigated grief in a natural, authentic way. it had me CRYING. not too much angst or unnecessary drama (which is my BIGGEST PET PEEVE) this book seriously might be one of my favorite reads of 2023.
i’ve been in a bit of a book slump recently, re reading old favs, but this is going on my all time favorites list.
my only qualms were that there are some typos or parts where i don’t understand who she’s talking about (using unclear antecedents) but it’s so minor and really had no impact on my reading of this book.
seriously AMAZING 10/10.
July 14, 2024
I understand why this book didn't ger higher ratings. It could use at least some beta readers if not an editor. The tenses are all over the place, a lot of sentences missig subjects or objects.
And I still gave it 4 stars (with less errors it would have been five). The author depicts grief in a heart breakingly realistic way. The relationship between the boys is handled perfectly. Their story reads more like a young adult novel, but they are only 18, so I think this can be expected.
There is a lot of growing up, self-reflection, dealing with grief going on. There is also a lot of hockey and action. And the very slow burn of the boys' love is just the sweetest.
I would only recomnend this, if you can look past the editing errors. But if you can, and you are in need of a story that makes you cry but ends up lifting you up, this is the one.
And I still gave it 4 stars (with less errors it would have been five). The author depicts grief in a heart breakingly realistic way. The relationship between the boys is handled perfectly. Their story reads more like a young adult novel, but they are only 18, so I think this can be expected.
There is a lot of growing up, self-reflection, dealing with grief going on. There is also a lot of hockey and action. And the very slow burn of the boys' love is just the sweetest.
I would only recomnend this, if you can look past the editing errors. But if you can, and you are in need of a story that makes you cry but ends up lifting you up, this is the one.
March 26, 2023
Very sorry to give 2 stars because the story had a lot of promise. It seemed just like the sweet type of light (but not too light) read that I was after, HOWEVER, this book needs another edit. Just a few chapters in I had spotted multiple typos. Black jeans were "back" jeans, the word "they" missing from a sentence etc. and then the writer started getting mixed up with present / past tense changing from one to the other in every chapter and even mid sentence if I remember correctly. At that point, sadly, I had to stop.
I can't comment on the overall story line or depth of characters as I didn't get far enough to evaluate those reliably, but I saw enough good things that I really wanted to make a point of reviewing in the hopes that the writer will take note and edit again.
I can't comment on the overall story line or depth of characters as I didn't get far enough to evaluate those reliably, but I saw enough good things that I really wanted to make a point of reviewing in the hopes that the writer will take note and edit again.
June 1, 2023
Frustrating
Had to force myself to finish. The first quarter was alright, and then the wheels came off. Poor writing, poor editing. Typos, weird tenses, unclear dialogue and POV. The story and characters are good, though I strongly suspect they started life as fanfic (no shade). It's just so frustrating to see the lack of attention to the actual art of writing. The characters and story deserve better.
Had to force myself to finish. The first quarter was alright, and then the wheels came off. Poor writing, poor editing. Typos, weird tenses, unclear dialogue and POV. The story and characters are good, though I strongly suspect they started life as fanfic (no shade). It's just so frustrating to see the lack of attention to the actual art of writing. The characters and story deserve better.
May 21, 2023
Good story, poorly edited
I finished this book for the storyline, but it was a STRUGGLE. I have never encountered so many typos, or parts where characters names are wrong, or switching between past and present tense in the same sentence. It’s a decent story but honestly, there are similar ones out there that are better. Read one of those.
I finished this book for the storyline, but it was a STRUGGLE. I have never encountered so many typos, or parts where characters names are wrong, or switching between past and present tense in the same sentence. It’s a decent story but honestly, there are similar ones out there that are better. Read one of those.
July 25, 2023
I really just enjoyed the emotion and the characters in this novel. The biggest problem which may bother some people is this book is clearly NOT edited. There are many spelling mistakes and the wrong words being used. It reads like someone has typed this up on their phone and spell check went ham autocorrecting wrongly.
September 28, 2023
Editor Wanted
This book is so desperately in need of an editor. It appears to be self published and it is clear that nobody with an editor's eye even glanced at it. It is full of misspellings, awkwardly phrased sentences that require rereading to make sense of, and even getting character names wrong.
This book is so desperately in need of an editor. It appears to be self published and it is clear that nobody with an editor's eye even glanced at it. It is full of misspellings, awkwardly phrased sentences that require rereading to make sense of, and even getting character names wrong.
March 20, 2023
Cute! It ended up being a real fluffer. It made me happy, we love a good HEA.
Some major editing mistakes in the Kindle version (mixed up names, bad grammar, use of entirely incorrect words due to misspelling)
Some major editing mistakes in the Kindle version (mixed up names, bad grammar, use of entirely incorrect words due to misspelling)
May 9, 2023
Great first book
I really felt connected to this team and I was sad to see the end of this book. Lots of emotions happening as both of the MCs are struggling with their own stuff. Loved the ending.
I really felt connected to this team and I was sad to see the end of this book. Lots of emotions happening as both of the MCs are struggling with their own stuff. Loved the ending.
May 18, 2023
I loved this book
The two main characters are extremely appealing, and the entire cast is lovable. The love story develops slowly, which ultimately makes it satisfying. Hockey remains front and center. The games are entertaining and believable. I look forward to reading more from this author.
The two main characters are extremely appealing, and the entire cast is lovable. The love story develops slowly, which ultimately makes it satisfying. Hockey remains front and center. The games are entertaining and believable. I look forward to reading more from this author.
June 21, 2023
I agree with other reviewers that the lack of editing made this hard to read. I liked the general vibe of the main pairing, but it felt like a lot of the development and reasons they liked each other happened off page. I felt the potential, though!
September 14, 2023
5 ✨
What a beautiful story of loss, finding strength in people and trusting yourself.
This story touched me it made me feel. Love the ML and MC. Love the team especially the Captain Welly.
I recommend this book.
The ending was the cherry on the top 💋
What a beautiful story of loss, finding strength in people and trusting yourself.
This story touched me it made me feel. Love the ML and MC. Love the team especially the Captain Welly.
I recommend this book.
The ending was the cherry on the top 💋
October 3, 2023
Sure, typo generation is one of my major skills. But this is a published book; how can there be typos that are so obvious? 🤦🏽♀️
May I interest you in:
🏒 MM sports romance
🏒 college romance
🏒 enemies-to-lovers
🏒 gay/bi
🏒 zero steam.
May I interest you in:
🏒 MM sports romance
🏒 college romance
🏒 enemies-to-lovers
🏒 gay/bi
🏒 zero steam.
May 18, 2023
nice nice
May 31, 2023
It’s a good book but it just needs more editing there were quite a few spots with the wrong words or names but other than that it’s a cute book
January 9, 2024
The story was sweet. There were way too many errors. Maybe a reliance on Google translate?
Read
September 27, 2025Very YA, no spice, fluffy but lots of editing errors!
June 7, 2023
3,5 stars
Tyler was in a bad place at the beginning of the book and as it is narrated by an omniscient narrator from Tyler's POV, the tone is heavy from the start. His loss is extremely heartfelt and impactful on his life, and we can see it.
At some point he gets better at dealing with it by talking to Banner and his mom and all. The issue for me is that we don't really get to know Tyler aside from the fact that he lost his father. Facts are put in the pages, but the interactions he has in lighter moments seem out of place, when the biggest part of his in-depth feelings we had access to were so sad.
Besides, there are various typing and grammar errors, some of which actually make the reading experience cofusing. The ending was a bit rushed as well, as the main conflit is solved by a couple sentences Adam and Tyler share at the party.
I really liked the tone though, as it made the story stand out from its counterparts.
Tyler was in a bad place at the beginning of the book and as it is narrated by an omniscient narrator from Tyler's POV, the tone is heavy from the start. His loss is extremely heartfelt and impactful on his life, and we can see it.
At some point he gets better at dealing with it by talking to Banner and his mom and all. The issue for me is that we don't really get to know Tyler aside from the fact that he lost his father. Facts are put in the pages, but the interactions he has in lighter moments seem out of place, when the biggest part of his in-depth feelings we had access to were so sad.
Besides, there are various typing and grammar errors, some of which actually make the reading experience cofusing. The ending was a bit rushed as well, as the main conflit is solved by a couple sentences Adam and Tyler share at the party.
I really liked the tone though, as it made the story stand out from its counterparts.
February 15, 2024
Overall, not bad. The way of writing really threw me off and the transition from the MCs being enemies to friends was also so awkward to me. But it was a sweet story nonetheless.
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