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The Signature Move
Two athletes, one shared rink, and a rivalry heating up on and off the ice.
LOGAN BECKETT has one final season to secure his pro or college hockey dreams. As the team captain of the Waybrook Winter Wolves, the USHL’s worst-performing team, Logan works tirelessly to transform his teammates from the league's laughingstock into the next Anderson Cup champions. With the upcoming season and some promising performances under his leadership, all eyes are on him to take the underdogs to victory.
But when a world champion figure skater moves into his small town, taking up rink time and snatching the spotlight away from the team’s efforts, Logan’s determined to hate her. Yet that becomes more of a challenge than he expected when facing off against a gentle, graceful skater like Ava.
AVERIE “AVA” LAURIER plans to spend her first independent season living with her coach in the small town of Waybrook, dreaming of a fresh start. Without her parents looming over her every decision, her hopes to reinvigorate her love of skating seem promising. For the first time in almost nineteen years of life, she has a chance to taste true freedom from the expectations befitting a former world champion and the darling of Team USA.
She doesn’t understand why Logan dislikes her so heavily, but she commits to ignoring him and scoring an all-gold season. However, Waybrook isn’t a big enough town to stop their paths from colliding.
When the gold-medalist skater and the underdog hockey captain clash, it’s only a matter of time before ice-cold hostility melts into passion.
LOGAN BECKETT has one final season to secure his pro or college hockey dreams. As the team captain of the Waybrook Winter Wolves, the USHL’s worst-performing team, Logan works tirelessly to transform his teammates from the league's laughingstock into the next Anderson Cup champions. With the upcoming season and some promising performances under his leadership, all eyes are on him to take the underdogs to victory.
But when a world champion figure skater moves into his small town, taking up rink time and snatching the spotlight away from the team’s efforts, Logan’s determined to hate her. Yet that becomes more of a challenge than he expected when facing off against a gentle, graceful skater like Ava.
AVERIE “AVA” LAURIER plans to spend her first independent season living with her coach in the small town of Waybrook, dreaming of a fresh start. Without her parents looming over her every decision, her hopes to reinvigorate her love of skating seem promising. For the first time in almost nineteen years of life, she has a chance to taste true freedom from the expectations befitting a former world champion and the darling of Team USA.
She doesn’t understand why Logan dislikes her so heavily, but she commits to ignoring him and scoring an all-gold season. However, Waybrook isn’t a big enough town to stop their paths from colliding.
When the gold-medalist skater and the underdog hockey captain clash, it’s only a matter of time before ice-cold hostility melts into passion.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 17, 2024
60 people are currently reading
4508 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Diviak
15 books83 followersBorn and raised in California, Cassandra Diviak loves stories more than life.
When her mother gifted her a Greek mythology atlas, her love of reading jumpstarted her interest in writing. As a child with severe ADHD, Diviak would consume a book a day and start to imagine stories of her own.
Between the schoolyard at recess and the quiet lunch table during the lunch hour, Diviak wrote stories starting at age 8. She had dreams of becoming the next big thing in writing.
For years, she honed her craft with plenty of practice. Everything she learned about writing came from reading and doing. Self-taught, she didn't take her first creative writing course until she was 19 and in college.
During the 2020 pandemic, a professor had convinced Diviak to try her hand at Nanowrimo with a set of characters she'd been holding on to for a while. After a successful draft, completed in 6 months, Diviak set out to become an indie author.
Since her debut novel, published in October 2021, Diviak has continued to write stories in several romance genres. Although she has lived many lives, writing remains a fixture in her world.
When she's not writing, Diviak is likely obtaining a college degree. She has a Bachelor's in Political Science with a minor in gender studies and is in the process of getting a JD from a Los Angeles-based law school.
When her mother gifted her a Greek mythology atlas, her love of reading jumpstarted her interest in writing. As a child with severe ADHD, Diviak would consume a book a day and start to imagine stories of her own.
Between the schoolyard at recess and the quiet lunch table during the lunch hour, Diviak wrote stories starting at age 8. She had dreams of becoming the next big thing in writing.
For years, she honed her craft with plenty of practice. Everything she learned about writing came from reading and doing. Self-taught, she didn't take her first creative writing course until she was 19 and in college.
During the 2020 pandemic, a professor had convinced Diviak to try her hand at Nanowrimo with a set of characters she'd been holding on to for a while. After a successful draft, completed in 6 months, Diviak set out to become an indie author.
Since her debut novel, published in October 2021, Diviak has continued to write stories in several romance genres. Although she has lived many lives, writing remains a fixture in her world.
When she's not writing, Diviak is likely obtaining a college degree. She has a Bachelor's in Political Science with a minor in gender studies and is in the process of getting a JD from a Los Angeles-based law school.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
April 22, 2024
3 Stars.
Hockey player and a world champion figure skater, enough said.
Hockey player and a world champion figure skater, enough said.
January 17, 2024
“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬.”
A small town romance, The Signature Move by Cassandra Diviak centers on the relationship between figure skater Averie Laurier and hockey captain Logan Beckett.
Since Ava gave off the impression that she was "too good for anyone," especially considering how much she was harming Logan's career, I won't lie and say that I liked her at first. However, as I went on, things did get a lot better, and I came to love Ava, Logan, and all of the side characters.
I loved Logan and his family. Isaac, his younger brother, was the sweetest kid ever. Honestly, I just thought that the entire found family aspect was really wholesome.
The hockey player x figure skater trope will always be interesting. I will ALWAYS eat this trope up.
It did get frustrating, though, because there were never any line breaks to indicate when a scene or time jump occurred. I had to keep going back and reading what had happened. Also, since they were still in their teens and, as far as I could tell, had been attending an ice rink at their school, I wasn't sure if they were in school or not. Much was simply left unspoken.
Overall, this was definitely a slow burn, but given how adorable Ava and Logan were, it was all worthwhile in the end.
*Thank you to the author, Cassandra Diviak, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*
A small town romance, The Signature Move by Cassandra Diviak centers on the relationship between figure skater Averie Laurier and hockey captain Logan Beckett.
Since Ava gave off the impression that she was "too good for anyone," especially considering how much she was harming Logan's career, I won't lie and say that I liked her at first. However, as I went on, things did get a lot better, and I came to love Ava, Logan, and all of the side characters.
I loved Logan and his family. Isaac, his younger brother, was the sweetest kid ever. Honestly, I just thought that the entire found family aspect was really wholesome.
The hockey player x figure skater trope will always be interesting. I will ALWAYS eat this trope up.
It did get frustrating, though, because there were never any line breaks to indicate when a scene or time jump occurred. I had to keep going back and reading what had happened. Also, since they were still in their teens and, as far as I could tell, had been attending an ice rink at their school, I wasn't sure if they were in school or not. Much was simply left unspoken.
Overall, this was definitely a slow burn, but given how adorable Ava and Logan were, it was all worthwhile in the end.
*Thank you to the author, Cassandra Diviak, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*
June 17, 2025
Fue PRECIOSO. Y bastante lento, pero valió la pena cada segundo de espera. Ava y Logan se ganaron mi corazón.
January 20, 2024
full rtc but i really appreciate when figure skating is written the way it works for real
January 24, 2024
this book was super cute and i loved both logan & ava, it wasn’t hard to fall in love with them and their personalitites. i also liked the storyline, however…
my issue here with this book is how slow their romance was yet when something finally happened, it was somehow super fast from that moment. i’d rather not have some scenes & parts in the story that were getting too boring (sorry june, you were truly an annoying character) and focued more on logan’s & ava’s relationship. the ending seemed too rushed for me as well and i wish it was done a lil better.
but overall very nice read<3
my issue here with this book is how slow their romance was yet when something finally happened, it was somehow super fast from that moment. i’d rather not have some scenes & parts in the story that were getting too boring (sorry june, you were truly an annoying character) and focued more on logan’s & ava’s relationship. the ending seemed too rushed for me as well and i wish it was done a lil better.
but overall very nice read<3
January 18, 2024
❥ ARC REVIEW ❥
if you want a cute sports romance with low spice, this is for you.
Tropes:
⛸️ enemies to lovers
⛸️ secret relationship
⛸️ forced proximity
⛸️ small town
⛸️ hockey player x figure skater
Logan is a sunshine boy with a dream and he fights for what he wants. Loved his relationship with his mom and his little brother.
Ava comes from a different world to Logan. She used to the spotlight and she always shines.
They both need to be at their best and seeing them achieve all these things together makes me happy.
There’s a quote I don’t think I’ll ever forget, specially as I’m a Disney girlie:
“We're not Rapunzel and her prince."
"Maybe not, but I hope you always stay my happy ending."
Like????? Logan is a softie and I loved watching him fall in love with Ava and seeing how he protected her.
The first 30% were a bit slow for me, there were a lot of descriptive moments about hockey practice and her routines, I don’t think that level of details are necessary. Otherwise, the last 15% went very quickly.
The epilogue was perfect, it made me so happy to see what my babies Ava&Logan have achieved.
Overall, I liked this book and I would recommend it, there are a lot of cute moments between Ava and Logan, but I wish we could see more 🫶🏻
I want to thank Cassandra Diviak the opportunity to read this ARC.
if you want a cute sports romance with low spice, this is for you.
Tropes:
⛸️ enemies to lovers
⛸️ secret relationship
⛸️ forced proximity
⛸️ small town
⛸️ hockey player x figure skater
Logan is a sunshine boy with a dream and he fights for what he wants. Loved his relationship with his mom and his little brother.
Ava comes from a different world to Logan. She used to the spotlight and she always shines.
They both need to be at their best and seeing them achieve all these things together makes me happy.
There’s a quote I don’t think I’ll ever forget, specially as I’m a Disney girlie:
“We're not Rapunzel and her prince."
"Maybe not, but I hope you always stay my happy ending."
Like????? Logan is a softie and I loved watching him fall in love with Ava and seeing how he protected her.
The first 30% were a bit slow for me, there were a lot of descriptive moments about hockey practice and her routines, I don’t think that level of details are necessary. Otherwise, the last 15% went very quickly.
The epilogue was perfect, it made me so happy to see what my babies Ava&Logan have achieved.
Overall, I liked this book and I would recommend it, there are a lot of cute moments between Ava and Logan, but I wish we could see more 🫶🏻
I want to thank Cassandra Diviak the opportunity to read this ARC.
January 16, 2024
Esta es mi primera vez leyendo a esta autora y me gustó mucho su pluma, es muy ligera, linda y divertida.
Tropes:
⛸️patinadora x jugador de hockey
🏒ciudad pequeña
⛸️rivales a amantes
🏒found family
Es una historia muy bonita y ligera que no se pueden perder. Nuestros protagonistas no empiezan con un buen pie pero ya sabemos que del odio al amor solo hay un paso.
Ava es una patinadora muy reconocida y amada por muchos, es una persona frágil que lucha por complacer a sus padres y al mismo tiempo ser libre de ellos y simplemente alcanzar sus sueños. Me gustó mucho el desarrollo que fue teniendo a lo largo del libro, aunque tengo una queja que es meramente opinión personal para algunas personas puede resultar algo muy simple pero para mí no y fue que no se dio mucha profundización en sus problemas de alimentación porque al inicio se le hacía mucho enfasis a qué ella evitaba la comida y por el final ya comía cualquier cosa. Fuera de ello amé mucho a Ava y se merece todo lo bonito del mundo.
Logan es un chico muy bonito y amable, al principio era muy grosero con Ava pero era porque tenía celos jajaja cuando se hicieron amigos fue todo muy lindo y me gustó lo mucho que la cuidaba y se preocupaba por ella.
Los otros personajes me encantaron y definitivamente sumaron muchos puntos a esta historia porque eran divertidos y la familia perfecta para Ava.
En fin, es una historia muy bonita y ligera que no se pueden perder, a demás es de patinaje y hockey, nunca decepcionan este tipo de libros.
Thanks to Cassandra for this arc I really loved everything💙
review in english
This is my first time reading this author, and I really enjoyed her writing style—it's light, lovely, and fun.
Tropes:
⛸️skater x hockey player
🏒small town
⛸️rivals to lovers
🏒found family
It's a very beautiful and light story that you shouldn't miss. Our protagonists don't start off on the right foot, but we know that from hate to love, there's only one step.
Ava is a highly recognized skater, loved by many. She's a fragile person striving to please her parents while also seeking freedom and pursuing her dreams. I enjoyed her character development throughout the book, though I have a complaint purely a personal opinion. For some, it might seem too simple, but for me, the lack of depth in addressing her eating issues was noticeable. At the beginning, emphasis was placed on her avoiding food, but by the end, she seemed to eat anything. Despite that, I loved Ava and she deserves all the beauty in the world.
Logan is a very nice and kind guy. Initially rude to Ava, it turns out he was just jealous. When they became friends, it was adorable to see how much he cared for her.
I loved the other characters; they added a lot to the story with their humor and being the perfect family for Ava.
In conclusion, it's a very beautiful and light story that you shouldn't miss plus, it involves skating and hockey. These types of books never disappoint.
Thanks to Cassandra for this ARC; I really loved everything! 💙
Tropes:
⛸️patinadora x jugador de hockey
🏒ciudad pequeña
⛸️rivales a amantes
🏒found family
Es una historia muy bonita y ligera que no se pueden perder. Nuestros protagonistas no empiezan con un buen pie pero ya sabemos que del odio al amor solo hay un paso.
Ava es una patinadora muy reconocida y amada por muchos, es una persona frágil que lucha por complacer a sus padres y al mismo tiempo ser libre de ellos y simplemente alcanzar sus sueños. Me gustó mucho el desarrollo que fue teniendo a lo largo del libro, aunque tengo una queja que es meramente opinión personal para algunas personas puede resultar algo muy simple pero para mí no y fue que no se dio mucha profundización en sus problemas de alimentación porque al inicio se le hacía mucho enfasis a qué ella evitaba la comida y por el final ya comía cualquier cosa. Fuera de ello amé mucho a Ava y se merece todo lo bonito del mundo.
Logan es un chico muy bonito y amable, al principio era muy grosero con Ava pero era porque tenía celos jajaja cuando se hicieron amigos fue todo muy lindo y me gustó lo mucho que la cuidaba y se preocupaba por ella.
Los otros personajes me encantaron y definitivamente sumaron muchos puntos a esta historia porque eran divertidos y la familia perfecta para Ava.
En fin, es una historia muy bonita y ligera que no se pueden perder, a demás es de patinaje y hockey, nunca decepcionan este tipo de libros.
Thanks to Cassandra for this arc I really loved everything💙
review in english
This is my first time reading this author, and I really enjoyed her writing style—it's light, lovely, and fun.
Tropes:
⛸️skater x hockey player
🏒small town
⛸️rivals to lovers
🏒found family
It's a very beautiful and light story that you shouldn't miss. Our protagonists don't start off on the right foot, but we know that from hate to love, there's only one step.
Ava is a highly recognized skater, loved by many. She's a fragile person striving to please her parents while also seeking freedom and pursuing her dreams. I enjoyed her character development throughout the book, though I have a complaint purely a personal opinion. For some, it might seem too simple, but for me, the lack of depth in addressing her eating issues was noticeable. At the beginning, emphasis was placed on her avoiding food, but by the end, she seemed to eat anything. Despite that, I loved Ava and she deserves all the beauty in the world.
Logan is a very nice and kind guy. Initially rude to Ava, it turns out he was just jealous. When they became friends, it was adorable to see how much he cared for her.
I loved the other characters; they added a lot to the story with their humor and being the perfect family for Ava.
In conclusion, it's a very beautiful and light story that you shouldn't miss plus, it involves skating and hockey. These types of books never disappoint.
Thanks to Cassandra for this ARC; I really loved everything! 💙
dnf
November 13, 2024dnf @ 5%
I have no strong opinion either way on anything else, I just personally am not in a place to read content around eating disorders.
I have no strong opinion either way on anything else, I just personally am not in a place to read content around eating disorders.
December 8, 2023
First of all, I would like to start with a big thank you to the author for sending me the oarc of this book. I am very grateful for that, especially since this is my very first arc ever so you can imagine my excitement when the notification of an email saying "You have been picked" arrived. So as a woman of my word here is my honest review.
In the very first chapter we meet both of our main characters which I was very thankful for. We have Logan, who has a hockey stick so far up his ass not even entirety of his hockey team can pull it up, and then we have Ava, who deserves everything good in life and I will personally fight anyone who says otherwise (especially her mother).
To be quite honest the beginning was slow and a bit boring for my taste, but I am the kind of reader who loves action, tragedy and angst from the very first page (a drama queen to my core tbh). First 1/4 of the book is on the slower side, of course we are being introduced to something new. We get to see Logan absolutely despising this sunshine on skates and truth be told he IS insanely annoying. (I made this very clear to the author and she reassured me that yes, he is a grouch). My main reason for disliking Logan at first was his teeny tiny victim complex. He has been through rougher patch and life has not been the nicest to him, yes I'll admit that, but he treated Ava with little to no empathy when she has been nothing but nice to him. Even though she didn't have to be nice and could've succumbed to letting her pride and ego get in the way for being the World Champion. Yet she never did and that's why I genuinely liked her. She was a humble and thankful character, just like a lot of real life girls (this is girls rooting for girls space).
Around the first 1/4 of the book the plotline started going and I found myself reaching for the book on my way home from work, during cooking and even spending time when I was supposed to be already sleeping. The plot is fast paced and even something predictable, but it's very easy to read and get dragged in to the story.
Since I promised complete honesty here are some points I might have disliked or simply weren't "it" for me personally:
While the storyline is quite fast pased I found some parts quite bland, unnecessary and could've been filled out in a better way. We are introduced to more than handful of characters and while the book is focused on Ava and Logan, I would've preferred some more parts of Logan with the team, Marc and Kenna, the Larson twins, Ava with June or her trainer's family, than spend some pages reading about them bickering or basically explaining what happened in the past couple months into a detail.
A lot of the chapters ended up in a way I was not the fondest of, the story was progressing with one key plotline, but stopped all of the sudden at the point where, I assume, author considered the important key element to be done. While it did provide the information we needed or the moment that was important for the storyline I found myself often wanting more of that moment, but was met with new chapter that was happening days, sometimes week, after that very moment.
Last point of my critique goes to some of the conversation - some parts of the dialogue, whether it was between the main characters or not, seemed a little too scripted for me. It made me stop and be like "no one talks like this". It was not necessarily wrong or makes somehow big problem, but I did come to a halt from time to time. It lacked more of casual undertone if that makes sense.
To not feel like I am being rude or mean I do have to say it is very light read that helped me through my reading slump. I don't like comparing books and authors, but all I can say is that if you like Tessa Bailey's light romances then you would definitely enjoy this little piece as well.
When it comes to character development we do appreciate Logan coming to his senses and groveling and damn Ava is a little minx so we cannot blame Logan for falling for her charm.
Last few chapters were tiny bit rushed, but I absolutely didn't mind that considering it was pulling me more and more into the story making me want to know how it's gonna end.
The epilogue completely warmed up my heart and I loved to see the ending, it was spectacular climax of the story just the way it was supposed to be. The last couple chapters with the epilogue fit the story like the last puyyle piece you've been looking for for months.
In the very first chapter we meet both of our main characters which I was very thankful for. We have Logan, who has a hockey stick so far up his ass not even entirety of his hockey team can pull it up, and then we have Ava, who deserves everything good in life and I will personally fight anyone who says otherwise (especially her mother).
To be quite honest the beginning was slow and a bit boring for my taste, but I am the kind of reader who loves action, tragedy and angst from the very first page (a drama queen to my core tbh). First 1/4 of the book is on the slower side, of course we are being introduced to something new. We get to see Logan absolutely despising this sunshine on skates and truth be told he IS insanely annoying. (I made this very clear to the author and she reassured me that yes, he is a grouch). My main reason for disliking Logan at first was his teeny tiny victim complex. He has been through rougher patch and life has not been the nicest to him, yes I'll admit that, but he treated Ava with little to no empathy when she has been nothing but nice to him. Even though she didn't have to be nice and could've succumbed to letting her pride and ego get in the way for being the World Champion. Yet she never did and that's why I genuinely liked her. She was a humble and thankful character, just like a lot of real life girls (this is girls rooting for girls space).
Around the first 1/4 of the book the plotline started going and I found myself reaching for the book on my way home from work, during cooking and even spending time when I was supposed to be already sleeping. The plot is fast paced and even something predictable, but it's very easy to read and get dragged in to the story.
Since I promised complete honesty here are some points I might have disliked or simply weren't "it" for me personally:
While the storyline is quite fast pased I found some parts quite bland, unnecessary and could've been filled out in a better way. We are introduced to more than handful of characters and while the book is focused on Ava and Logan, I would've preferred some more parts of Logan with the team, Marc and Kenna, the Larson twins, Ava with June or her trainer's family, than spend some pages reading about them bickering or basically explaining what happened in the past couple months into a detail.
A lot of the chapters ended up in a way I was not the fondest of, the story was progressing with one key plotline, but stopped all of the sudden at the point where, I assume, author considered the important key element to be done. While it did provide the information we needed or the moment that was important for the storyline I found myself often wanting more of that moment, but was met with new chapter that was happening days, sometimes week, after that very moment.
Last point of my critique goes to some of the conversation - some parts of the dialogue, whether it was between the main characters or not, seemed a little too scripted for me. It made me stop and be like "no one talks like this". It was not necessarily wrong or makes somehow big problem, but I did come to a halt from time to time. It lacked more of casual undertone if that makes sense.
To not feel like I am being rude or mean I do have to say it is very light read that helped me through my reading slump. I don't like comparing books and authors, but all I can say is that if you like Tessa Bailey's light romances then you would definitely enjoy this little piece as well.
When it comes to character development we do appreciate Logan coming to his senses and groveling and damn Ava is a little minx so we cannot blame Logan for falling for her charm.
Last few chapters were tiny bit rushed, but I absolutely didn't mind that considering it was pulling me more and more into the story making me want to know how it's gonna end.
The epilogue completely warmed up my heart and I loved to see the ending, it was spectacular climax of the story just the way it was supposed to be. The last couple chapters with the epilogue fit the story like the last puyyle piece you've been looking for for months.
December 15, 2023
I’m so grateful I got an eARC of this book!!
This was my first hockey romance book so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Yes, hockey is a large part of it (as well as figure skating), but it was more than that. ⛸️
It was a beautiful story of overcoming trauma, supportive family and friends (and found family 💕), colourful characters (love June in particular), and just a really sweet heartwarming story.
Also really appreciated the CW up front so I knew what to look out for.
This was my first hockey romance book so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Yes, hockey is a large part of it (as well as figure skating), but it was more than that. ⛸️
It was a beautiful story of overcoming trauma, supportive family and friends (and found family 💕), colourful characters (love June in particular), and just a really sweet heartwarming story.
Also really appreciated the CW up front so I knew what to look out for.
January 2, 2024
⭐️ 3 stars
📖 Received as an eARC
“After all, what was a last name when it could be so easily changed?”
❄️🏒💜⛸️🦋🐑🩵
First of all, thank you to the author for the eARC of this book! Overall, I enjoyed reading The Signature Move, and very much liked the concept.
Starting off on a positive note, I liked how the characters were introduced and how each one had a strong sense of identity, in particular the main characters of course. Aesthetics and personality were well established in Averie and Logan’s characters, and I was able to truly get a sense of who they were, feeling like they were real people. I also enjoyed how the author wrote about different events, such as hockey matches and figure skating competitions - often with sports romance books, this is skipped over, which is a shame really as isn’t this one of the biggest parts of the characters identity? In general these events were well written and structured, allowing to be able to picture exactly what’s happening, despite not knowing a thing about hockey. The story and writing was was easy to follow, and I never found myself getting confused or bored. There was always something going on, and was usually well written and engaging. As a figure skater (and FS fan), I really appreciated the thought and effort put into this book and resonated with Averie at times.
However, there were some things in this book that could be improved upon and perhaps elaborated on. I felt like the first 50% of the book was honestly just a bit too long for the sake of it - not much happened other than the introduction of characters and relationships, and most of this half was just things happening over and over again, with Ava and Logan hating each other for the same reasons/events. I would have loved to see more dynamic into their relationship, with moments of them getting along, getting to know each other more and slowly realising that they didn’t actually hate each other. Instead, we just kind of got a bit of a surface level thing, and they suddenly realised their feelings all at once. Additionally, I know that other reviewers disagree with this, however I honestly do agree with Logan’s hatred and don’t think he has a victim complex. He has valid reasoning - Ava took the spotlight off him (whether intentional or not) and sometimes purposefully did things early on in their rivalry just to spite him - like crash his solo interview, knowing that the reporter would be more interested in her champion story, then acted surprised when Logan told her what she did was wrong? That part made me scream in frustration, not at the author, but at Ava. Other than that, I did like Ava’s character, but a lot of times her privilege was just very unchecked. Going back to the romantic confession, I knew that it was coming, but it really surprised when their relationship developed *extremely* quickly. Like, I’m talking about how they were saying they love each other 1 or 2 months after. I usually don’t mind this, however considering they were bitter enemies until very recently, I expected a bit more warming up and getting to know each other as partners. Additionally I’d like to note that I felt the addition of Brian, an abusive ex, to be unnecessary. He only showed up 3 times and didn’t stay for long, which didn’t create an impact and just felt like a plot device to move along Ava and Logan’s relationship. I would have loved to see this time used to portray Ava’s strained relationship with her parents instead, showing a constant struggle, building up to the resolution of the book. One final thing, there were some technical issues with this book. Sometimes, there were problems with continuity - saying one thing but then down the page another thing is said that contradicts the other. And as a figure skater, there were some wrong things said about the sport (such as saying that Ava had a quad flip in the short program - quads are prohibited in the women’s short program), however I was able to overlook these considering that this is a work of fiction, and fictionalised other things as well, such as the name of the US president.
Overall, I do recommend reading The Signature Move! Especially if you are looking for a book similar to Icebreaker, just with less smut. This is an easy and fun read, but has some serious topics, both mentioned in passing and written in detail. I was able to finish the book quickly and in just a few days, despite being rather busy.
❄️🏒💜⛸️🦋🐑🩵
❕TW/CWs to be aware of if you decide to read:
- Violence
- Talk about unhealthy/disordered eating habits
- Domestic violence
- Child neglect
- One smut scene
📖 Received as an eARC
“After all, what was a last name when it could be so easily changed?”
❄️🏒💜⛸️🦋🐑🩵
First of all, thank you to the author for the eARC of this book! Overall, I enjoyed reading The Signature Move, and very much liked the concept.
Starting off on a positive note, I liked how the characters were introduced and how each one had a strong sense of identity, in particular the main characters of course. Aesthetics and personality were well established in Averie and Logan’s characters, and I was able to truly get a sense of who they were, feeling like they were real people. I also enjoyed how the author wrote about different events, such as hockey matches and figure skating competitions - often with sports romance books, this is skipped over, which is a shame really as isn’t this one of the biggest parts of the characters identity? In general these events were well written and structured, allowing to be able to picture exactly what’s happening, despite not knowing a thing about hockey. The story and writing was was easy to follow, and I never found myself getting confused or bored. There was always something going on, and was usually well written and engaging. As a figure skater (and FS fan), I really appreciated the thought and effort put into this book and resonated with Averie at times.
However, there were some things in this book that could be improved upon and perhaps elaborated on. I felt like the first 50% of the book was honestly just a bit too long for the sake of it - not much happened other than the introduction of characters and relationships, and most of this half was just things happening over and over again, with Ava and Logan hating each other for the same reasons/events. I would have loved to see more dynamic into their relationship, with moments of them getting along, getting to know each other more and slowly realising that they didn’t actually hate each other. Instead, we just kind of got a bit of a surface level thing, and they suddenly realised their feelings all at once. Additionally, I know that other reviewers disagree with this, however I honestly do agree with Logan’s hatred and don’t think he has a victim complex. He has valid reasoning - Ava took the spotlight off him (whether intentional or not) and sometimes purposefully did things early on in their rivalry just to spite him - like crash his solo interview, knowing that the reporter would be more interested in her champion story, then acted surprised when Logan told her what she did was wrong? That part made me scream in frustration, not at the author, but at Ava. Other than that, I did like Ava’s character, but a lot of times her privilege was just very unchecked. Going back to the romantic confession, I knew that it was coming, but it really surprised when their relationship developed *extremely* quickly. Like, I’m talking about how they were saying they love each other 1 or 2 months after. I usually don’t mind this, however considering they were bitter enemies until very recently, I expected a bit more warming up and getting to know each other as partners. Additionally I’d like to note that I felt the addition of Brian, an abusive ex, to be unnecessary. He only showed up 3 times and didn’t stay for long, which didn’t create an impact and just felt like a plot device to move along Ava and Logan’s relationship. I would have loved to see this time used to portray Ava’s strained relationship with her parents instead, showing a constant struggle, building up to the resolution of the book. One final thing, there were some technical issues with this book. Sometimes, there were problems with continuity - saying one thing but then down the page another thing is said that contradicts the other. And as a figure skater, there were some wrong things said about the sport (such as saying that Ava had a quad flip in the short program - quads are prohibited in the women’s short program), however I was able to overlook these considering that this is a work of fiction, and fictionalised other things as well, such as the name of the US president.
Overall, I do recommend reading The Signature Move! Especially if you are looking for a book similar to Icebreaker, just with less smut. This is an easy and fun read, but has some serious topics, both mentioned in passing and written in detail. I was able to finish the book quickly and in just a few days, despite being rather busy.
❄️🏒💜⛸️🦋🐑🩵
❕TW/CWs to be aware of if you decide to read:
- Violence
- Talk about unhealthy/disordered eating habits
- Domestic violence
- Child neglect
- One smut scene
January 17, 2024
Hey Opinionated Bookworms! 🌟 Today, I'm sharing the scoop on "The Signature Move" by the amazing Cassandra Diviak! 🎉 Buckle up, because this one's a rollercoaster of emotions! 😅 I'm handing out a solid 3 stars, and here's the lowdown!
I'd like to thank Cassandra Diviak for sending me the eARC and letting me express my opinion.
🌍 Let's kick things off with the world Cassandra has woven – it's like stepping into a literary wonderland! The cityscapes are alive, the cafes cozy, and each setting is described with such vivid detail that you'll swear you can smell the coffee ☕️
🌈 Ava and Logan! Despite their initial fireworks, these two share more than they'd like to admit. Ava, the go-getter with dreams as big as the city skyline, and Logan, the underdog hustling for his slice of success. The character development is on point, making them feel like old friends. However, I couldn't shake off the feeling that Ava's ambition sometimes overshadowed the needs of those around her 😬
📖 Ava's got the spotlight, leaving Logan in the shadows despite his equal merits. The story unfolds with gripping tension, but Ava's relentless pursuit of success made me question her moral compass. The romantic angle felt like a whirlwind – I secretly rooted for a slower, more authentic connection between them. The pacing and unexpected twists kept me hooked, but the sudden shift from rivals to lovers left me yearning for a more gradual buildup 🌺
🚀 "The Signature Move" is a whirlwind of dreams, ambition, and unexpected connections! While the world-building and character depth are praiseworthy, the rushed romance and Ava's unyielding ambition may leave you with mixed feelings. Still, it's a solid read with enough twists to keep you on your toes!
I'd like to thank Cassandra Diviak for sending me the eARC and letting me express my opinion.
🌍 Let's kick things off with the world Cassandra has woven – it's like stepping into a literary wonderland! The cityscapes are alive, the cafes cozy, and each setting is described with such vivid detail that you'll swear you can smell the coffee ☕️
🌈 Ava and Logan! Despite their initial fireworks, these two share more than they'd like to admit. Ava, the go-getter with dreams as big as the city skyline, and Logan, the underdog hustling for his slice of success. The character development is on point, making them feel like old friends. However, I couldn't shake off the feeling that Ava's ambition sometimes overshadowed the needs of those around her 😬
📖 Ava's got the spotlight, leaving Logan in the shadows despite his equal merits. The story unfolds with gripping tension, but Ava's relentless pursuit of success made me question her moral compass. The romantic angle felt like a whirlwind – I secretly rooted for a slower, more authentic connection between them. The pacing and unexpected twists kept me hooked, but the sudden shift from rivals to lovers left me yearning for a more gradual buildup 🌺
🚀 "The Signature Move" is a whirlwind of dreams, ambition, and unexpected connections! While the world-building and character depth are praiseworthy, the rushed romance and Ava's unyielding ambition may leave you with mixed feelings. Still, it's a solid read with enough twists to keep you on your toes!
January 2, 2024
First read of 2024! I was lucky enough to receive an arc for this book & im so excited for the rest of the world to read this. The Signature Move was extremely well-written and while I do have a few critiques overall, I really did enjoy this.
Character wise, Cassandra Diviak did such an amazing job in writing everyone, I connected to everyone so well and adored the relationships amongst everyone. Logan Beckett, adorable angel I loved him even when he was resentful towards Ava & I loved him when he wasn’t. He’s such a realistic character with big goals but such a big heart <333. Ava Laurier, such a sweetheart, I loved the way she was written and I felt like I was experiencing things alongside her while reading. All the side characters, June, Marc, Issac, & the hockey team were so incredible I loved their little moments and how they all came together to support eachother when necessary it was just so feel-good.
Ava & Logan, I adore. However, my biggest critique is the slow-burn… The two don’t necessarily interact much until 40% into the book and although it isn’t a long book I wasn’t expecting the slow burn therefore I was a bit thrown off. After the two began interacting more I felt like the book really kicked off but I would’ve liked more interactions between the two even when they didn’t like each other. However, I must say I’m just not big on slow burns if the two aren’t constantly together. Anyways, I loved when Logan would take care of Ava I think they’re both so perfect and both understood each other so well.
Regarding the story itself, I think the first 40% was a bit boring. Whether this was due to the slowburn im not sure but the book didn’t feel like it had much substance to it. However, the characters were so amazing that it wasn’t horrible at all. Just a slow beginning. Once the story truly began with AvaLogan I definitely saw a change and it felt like more was happening for the two individually.
Overall, I had so much fun reading and this was such a feel-good book. In addition, I love Michigan so the location made me happy.
Character wise, Cassandra Diviak did such an amazing job in writing everyone, I connected to everyone so well and adored the relationships amongst everyone. Logan Beckett, adorable angel I loved him even when he was resentful towards Ava & I loved him when he wasn’t. He’s such a realistic character with big goals but such a big heart <333. Ava Laurier, such a sweetheart, I loved the way she was written and I felt like I was experiencing things alongside her while reading. All the side characters, June, Marc, Issac, & the hockey team were so incredible I loved their little moments and how they all came together to support eachother when necessary it was just so feel-good.
Ava & Logan, I adore. However, my biggest critique is the slow-burn… The two don’t necessarily interact much until 40% into the book and although it isn’t a long book I wasn’t expecting the slow burn therefore I was a bit thrown off. After the two began interacting more I felt like the book really kicked off but I would’ve liked more interactions between the two even when they didn’t like each other. However, I must say I’m just not big on slow burns if the two aren’t constantly together. Anyways, I loved when Logan would take care of Ava I think they’re both so perfect and both understood each other so well.
Regarding the story itself, I think the first 40% was a bit boring. Whether this was due to the slowburn im not sure but the book didn’t feel like it had much substance to it. However, the characters were so amazing that it wasn’t horrible at all. Just a slow beginning. Once the story truly began with AvaLogan I definitely saw a change and it felt like more was happening for the two individually.
Overall, I had so much fun reading and this was such a feel-good book. In addition, I love Michigan so the location made me happy.
January 22, 2024
Thank you to the author for an ARC of The Signature Move, my review and opinions will remain honest.
Another hockey romance under my buckle, and oh boy am I not complaining! This book has been on my radar for a bit, as I saw the beautiful cover revealed on the artist's instagram. If you aren’t already, do yourself and follow the artist @lenikauffman, they are amazing!
I was so excited to read another hockey player x figure skater, as I am a total sap for the trope and need more of it in the world.
I absolutely loved our characters, Logan and Ava. Logan really stole my heart in this book. He is such a sweetheart who has had a streak of terrible luck handed to him. But, he is determined to turn that luck around. He has so much on his plate, between his hockey career and trying to help raise his younger brother. Throw in a world champion figure skater stealing the spotlight, and he may have reached his breaking point.
Then we have sweet Ava. Our gold medalist who has stolen the public’s hearts and attention away from their hockey team. She is unapologetically feminine which I quite frankly love, yet she also wants to be taken seriously and with maturity as she deserves. Ava’s life shows us the dark side to being a champion. The pressure from family and herself, the struggles that come with competitions and being in the public eye.
Perhaps both of our main characters have more to them than meets the eye. And these enemies soon learn that of each other, and begin to soften around each other, for each other. As they thaw each other’s hearts, I felt my own melting with their interactions. Logan’s silent protection of Ava, how Ava supports his family and team. It all just gives me warm and fuzzy feelings.
I fell in love with their love story, truly head over skates for these characters.
Another hockey romance under my buckle, and oh boy am I not complaining! This book has been on my radar for a bit, as I saw the beautiful cover revealed on the artist's instagram. If you aren’t already, do yourself and follow the artist @lenikauffman, they are amazing!
I was so excited to read another hockey player x figure skater, as I am a total sap for the trope and need more of it in the world.
I absolutely loved our characters, Logan and Ava. Logan really stole my heart in this book. He is such a sweetheart who has had a streak of terrible luck handed to him. But, he is determined to turn that luck around. He has so much on his plate, between his hockey career and trying to help raise his younger brother. Throw in a world champion figure skater stealing the spotlight, and he may have reached his breaking point.
Then we have sweet Ava. Our gold medalist who has stolen the public’s hearts and attention away from their hockey team. She is unapologetically feminine which I quite frankly love, yet she also wants to be taken seriously and with maturity as she deserves. Ava’s life shows us the dark side to being a champion. The pressure from family and herself, the struggles that come with competitions and being in the public eye.
Perhaps both of our main characters have more to them than meets the eye. And these enemies soon learn that of each other, and begin to soften around each other, for each other. As they thaw each other’s hearts, I felt my own melting with their interactions. Logan’s silent protection of Ava, how Ava supports his family and team. It all just gives me warm and fuzzy feelings.
I fell in love with their love story, truly head over skates for these characters.
December 16, 2024
3.5
Oli pari kohtaa jotka oli vähä cringe mut muuten söpö
Oli pari kohtaa jotka oli vähä cringe mut muuten söpö
January 17, 2024
ARC REVIEW :
Thank you so much for an ARC!
Rating :
4/5⭐️
1.5/5🌶 (close door modification)
Review :
I enjoyed this book!
First of all, I have to express my admiration for the writing in this book. The way things were described made me feel like I was right there with the characters, and I loved that aspect.
It was a slow burn, and I'm a fan of slow burns. However, they still need to burn a little, you know?
In the initial 30% of the book, I don't recall the characters having a single interaction. While I appreciated the author setting the mood for a deeper understanding of the characters and their lifestyle, I do believe some parts of the beginning could have been trimmed.
But when I reached the 50% mark, where the action truly began… OH. MY. GOD.
Logan (the male main character) was incredibly sweet! His initial disdain for Ava transformed into an adorable obsession, and I couldn't help but love it. He was ADORABLE!
I also loved Ava! Although I felt she was a bit naive in some parts, I still found her endearing.
The side characters were just as lovable! This book unquestionably embraced the theme of found family, and I loved that aspect.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. However, due to the slow start, I decided to give it a 4⭐️ rating.
I would recommend it to those who enjoy Mariana Zapata's books!
check TW!
Thank you so much for an ARC!
Rating :
4/5⭐️
1.5/5🌶 (close door modification)
Review :
I enjoyed this book!
First of all, I have to express my admiration for the writing in this book. The way things were described made me feel like I was right there with the characters, and I loved that aspect.
It was a slow burn, and I'm a fan of slow burns. However, they still need to burn a little, you know?
In the initial 30% of the book, I don't recall the characters having a single interaction. While I appreciated the author setting the mood for a deeper understanding of the characters and their lifestyle, I do believe some parts of the beginning could have been trimmed.
But when I reached the 50% mark, where the action truly began… OH. MY. GOD.
Logan (the male main character) was incredibly sweet! His initial disdain for Ava transformed into an adorable obsession, and I couldn't help but love it. He was ADORABLE!
I also loved Ava! Although I felt she was a bit naive in some parts, I still found her endearing.
The side characters were just as lovable! This book unquestionably embraced the theme of found family, and I loved that aspect.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. However, due to the slow start, I decided to give it a 4⭐️ rating.
I would recommend it to those who enjoy Mariana Zapata's books!
check TW!
December 23, 2023
[I received an ARC from the author a month before public release] - Slight thematic spoilers, no specifics ahead.
I'll start this with positives: I loved the characters, the plot, and aspects of the conflict.
I struggled to like this book because Logan spends 50% of the book HATING Ava just because he's jealous of her spotlight. And then they're suddenly in love. He skips over crushing on her completely. This first half of the book just dragged on for me to the point where it felt ridiculous. The tension felt forced or nonexistent. There was no chemistry before they decided to be in love.
There are also a million side characters that you will not care about and yet take up so much of the book. For example, you follow June, a waitress with dreams of designing fashion, and she is autistic. I love autistic representation as someone on the spectrum who also knows a lot of people in the community. June is written like someone googled what an autistic person looks like without ever spending time with someone on the spectrum. It hurt to read.
Also, the conflict with the abusive parents? Solved in a handful of words.
These are all things I don't mind in reading (to an extent), but the book also had immature writing with no nuance or natural flow to it. "She glanced at Korin and Chase, who exchanged the kind of lovestruck looks she associated with love" (p.385). Duh. Duh!! It's just... very tell not show. I wanted more from it. The singular smut scene also felt out of place to me, as if the author felt pressured to include it due to current genre standards. There wasn't any foreplay and it just read awkwardly because the rest of the relationship was protrayed so innocently. There was no mention of anything sexual until they were suddenly having sex. Hopefully it sees another round of edits before being released publicly to review wording choices and make cuts of unnecessary dialogue and subplots.
I will say I was worried about this feeling like a knockoff "Icebreaker," and in some aspects it did (mostly due to the nature of the respective sports and this genre of books), but it very much stood on its own.
These characters have so much potential and I think that, with some critical editorial eyes on it, could be really good.
I'll start this with positives: I loved the characters, the plot, and aspects of the conflict.
I struggled to like this book because Logan spends 50% of the book HATING Ava just because he's jealous of her spotlight. And then they're suddenly in love. He skips over crushing on her completely. This first half of the book just dragged on for me to the point where it felt ridiculous. The tension felt forced or nonexistent. There was no chemistry before they decided to be in love.
There are also a million side characters that you will not care about and yet take up so much of the book. For example, you follow June, a waitress with dreams of designing fashion, and she is autistic. I love autistic representation as someone on the spectrum who also knows a lot of people in the community. June is written like someone googled what an autistic person looks like without ever spending time with someone on the spectrum. It hurt to read.
Also, the conflict with the abusive parents? Solved in a handful of words.
These are all things I don't mind in reading (to an extent), but the book also had immature writing with no nuance or natural flow to it. "She glanced at Korin and Chase, who exchanged the kind of lovestruck looks she associated with love" (p.385). Duh. Duh!! It's just... very tell not show. I wanted more from it. The singular smut scene also felt out of place to me, as if the author felt pressured to include it due to current genre standards. There wasn't any foreplay and it just read awkwardly because the rest of the relationship was protrayed so innocently. There was no mention of anything sexual until they were suddenly having sex. Hopefully it sees another round of edits before being released publicly to review wording choices and make cuts of unnecessary dialogue and subplots.
I will say I was worried about this feeling like a knockoff "Icebreaker," and in some aspects it did (mostly due to the nature of the respective sports and this genre of books), but it very much stood on its own.
These characters have so much potential and I think that, with some critical editorial eyes on it, could be really good.
January 5, 2024
First, I would like to congratulate Cassandra Diviak with the publishing of her book and would like to thank her and her team for receiving and arc.
Hereby my honest review of the book:
The book follows well-known figure skater Ava and ice hockey player Logan. After Ava comes to Logan's town with her coach and his family, she meets Logan at the place where she practices and after a difficult start, the two soon become rivals.
Throughout the story, you see how Ava escapes difficulties and practices for her games and you see Logan living with the difficulties such as being a second father to his little brother, turning his ice hockey team from one of the bad teams to winners and the jealousy he has at the fame and endearment Ava is experiencing since she moved to Waybrook.
Personally, I love ice hockey books and the genre is among one of my most well-read genres but I did not like this one very much.
Surely the reason why I didn't like it for me had to do with how overdetailed the first few chapters were, the book is completely written in 3 pov, how the switch played out too quickly of Logan and Ava being rivals that their suddenly in a relationship and how much was showed about June’s relationship.
In my honest opinion, it felt more like a trauma bond because they had both been mistreated by a parent/parents. The speed of their relationship made it seem so unnatural. I can understand that it's hard to make it seem as natural as possible in a book but this felt like too much with too little time in between.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and hope this doesn't stop others from reading it. It was definitely a good book if you like the founding family trope and like romance between a ice hockey player and figure skater.
Hereby my honest review of the book:
The book follows well-known figure skater Ava and ice hockey player Logan. After Ava comes to Logan's town with her coach and his family, she meets Logan at the place where she practices and after a difficult start, the two soon become rivals.
Throughout the story, you see how Ava escapes difficulties and practices for her games and you see Logan living with the difficulties such as being a second father to his little brother, turning his ice hockey team from one of the bad teams to winners and the jealousy he has at the fame and endearment Ava is experiencing since she moved to Waybrook.
Personally, I love ice hockey books and the genre is among one of my most well-read genres but I did not like this one very much.
Surely the reason why I didn't like it for me had to do with how overdetailed the first few chapters were, the book is completely written in 3 pov, how the switch played out too quickly of Logan and Ava being rivals that their suddenly in a relationship and how much was showed about June’s relationship.
In my honest opinion, it felt more like a trauma bond because they had both been mistreated by a parent/parents. The speed of their relationship made it seem so unnatural. I can understand that it's hard to make it seem as natural as possible in a book but this felt like too much with too little time in between.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and hope this doesn't stop others from reading it. It was definitely a good book if you like the founding family trope and like romance between a ice hockey player and figure skater.
dnf
January 29, 2024It’s in 3rd person and I am weak.
Read
December 22, 2023Hey all,
Thank you for taking a chance on The Signature Move. TSM is my seventh release and is one of my favorite stories ever. Logan and Ava were written to be characters with depth and significant challenges facing them at their young ages.
My stories aim to be inclusive, rich, and fleshed-out. The burn might be slow, but it's worth the wait to see these two go from at each other's throats and stepping on each other's toes over the ice to madly in love.
Please enjoy and be mindful of the following content warnings: sexual content (on the mild side but still), disordered eating, mentions of intimate partner violence in a past relationship, mild to moderate violence, parental neglect and abuse, and child abandonment
-Cassandra
Thank you for taking a chance on The Signature Move. TSM is my seventh release and is one of my favorite stories ever. Logan and Ava were written to be characters with depth and significant challenges facing them at their young ages.
My stories aim to be inclusive, rich, and fleshed-out. The burn might be slow, but it's worth the wait to see these two go from at each other's throats and stepping on each other's toes over the ice to madly in love.
Please enjoy and be mindful of the following content warnings: sexual content (on the mild side but still), disordered eating, mentions of intimate partner violence in a past relationship, mild to moderate violence, parental neglect and abuse, and child abandonment
-Cassandra
June 4, 2024
this book was kinda all over the place. i didn’t completely hate it, but i didn’t love it. to start out, i really enjoyed the 2 main characters and i liked hearing about their life. the main character is named ava so that was very good. i think logan and ava had a few cute moments and i think they would make a good couple if they had more moments in the story. i think the main problem is that more than half of the book is just explaining in too much detail what is happening in their separate lives. we hardly got any interaction between the main characters which is strange. i’m not kidding, at more than half way through, logan just hates ava for not even a good reason. then, they decide to become friends which was good but then it changed to lovers. this was a weird change because we didn’t get a lot of moments to have this relationship develop. i honestly don’t even understand how we are supposed to believe that they have fallen for each other when we saw no sparks for the relationship. i also want to mention how isolated this book feels. for example, logan is the hockey captain, but the friend group isn’t that prevalent. i feel like most of the story was revolved around the 2 characters being isolated. reading this book made me feel isolated and quite bored. i do feel bad saying all negative things about this book, but it just felt odd to me. however, i gave it 3 stars because i think the characters were cute, my name was in it, and the cover was adorable. it also was told in third person which i kinda hated. i honestly feel kinda sad that i couldn’t love this book because i think it had good vibes but was poorly written. i will say that the main character’s friend june was adorable and i liked her. overall, this book had potential but didn’t deliver and would be better with major improvements.
this book in emojis: ❄️🌨️🏒⛸️🎧🏆💐🥇🧸🎀💜
this book in emojis: ❄️🌨️🏒⛸️🎧🏆💐🥇🧸🎀💜
January 17, 2024
thank you sm for this eARC, and early congrats to the author for publishing tomorrow🤍 what I enjoyed the most about tsm is the scenes between logan & ava. especially after they initially stopped hating each other. though I did wish we got more of them, not just at the end. as for the cover, I’m so obsessed with how it looks, I want it on my bookshelf!!
it was a VERY slow burn book, but what kind of threw me off was the overly descriptive lines and explanations. it took me a little while to stay interested because I did start questioning things and how they were happening. I couldn’t exactly relate or find things real. once I got to them having a relationship, I was a little confused as well. as I said, this is a slow burn, but they got together in the fastest way possible, if that makes sense. I think there should have at least been a build-up between having a romantic relationship with one another. don’t let this review throw you off from reading though because I can see how it can be someone’s favorite☺️
it was a VERY slow burn book, but what kind of threw me off was the overly descriptive lines and explanations. it took me a little while to stay interested because I did start questioning things and how they were happening. I couldn’t exactly relate or find things real. once I got to them having a relationship, I was a little confused as well. as I said, this is a slow burn, but they got together in the fastest way possible, if that makes sense. I think there should have at least been a build-up between having a romantic relationship with one another. don’t let this review throw you off from reading though because I can see how it can be someone’s favorite☺️
January 3, 2024
came for the leni kauffman cover, stayed for the story! this was so cute! <33
January 14, 2024
Thank you so much to Cassandra Diviak for the ARC of The Signature Move in exchange for an honest review!
I was so excited when I saw this book pop up on my instagram feed, so getting an ARC was amazing. I’ve taken a bit of time to sit with this book and let my feelings digest. First and foremost, I want to thank and commend the author, Cassandra Diviak, for the care she’s put into the content warnings not only in the book, but in the email that was sent with the ARC file. I went into this book knowing that there were topics that I’m sensitive to, and the way she went about making sure ARC readers knew we should honor our feelings above all was so kind. It was one of the most genuine emails I’ve received with an ARC. The content warnings at the beginning of the book reiterated her stance that not triggering yourself comes before reading and reviewing, and not only listed what content would be in the book that could be potentially upsetting, but also the chapters they were in and how detailed their appearance in the book would be. It was incredibly helpful to keep myself in the right mindset and be prepared once those topics came up.
As for the book, this was such an easy five star read for me. I’m a former figure skater myself and a lot of what Ava has gone through hit home for me. Figure Skating is a vain sport and it can knock you down, but watching Ava triumph through was incredible.
Logan was a bit prickly at first but I think it was very true to his character to be wary and standoffish toward Ava, especially when he’d worked himself up in the beginning just to get through his interview, and was dropped for the shiny twirl girl and her entourage touring the facility. I think he could have thawed out a little bit sooner but all in all, his character was fleshed out in a way that his animosity toward Ava didn’t feel overdone.
The Signature Move is a slow-burn, small town romance but it works. These characters have depth, they have things they struggle with outside of the relationship, and I think overall it was a wonderful book. I tend to prefer a more fast-paced book but I found that I wasn’t put off by this being slower paced and kept thinking about it at times I wasn’t reading it, and wanting to pick it up in every spare moment I had.
As for spice, I’d rate it a 2/5, so if you’re looking for relationship development over on-page spice, this might be the book for you.
I was so excited when I saw this book pop up on my instagram feed, so getting an ARC was amazing. I’ve taken a bit of time to sit with this book and let my feelings digest. First and foremost, I want to thank and commend the author, Cassandra Diviak, for the care she’s put into the content warnings not only in the book, but in the email that was sent with the ARC file. I went into this book knowing that there were topics that I’m sensitive to, and the way she went about making sure ARC readers knew we should honor our feelings above all was so kind. It was one of the most genuine emails I’ve received with an ARC. The content warnings at the beginning of the book reiterated her stance that not triggering yourself comes before reading and reviewing, and not only listed what content would be in the book that could be potentially upsetting, but also the chapters they were in and how detailed their appearance in the book would be. It was incredibly helpful to keep myself in the right mindset and be prepared once those topics came up.
As for the book, this was such an easy five star read for me. I’m a former figure skater myself and a lot of what Ava has gone through hit home for me. Figure Skating is a vain sport and it can knock you down, but watching Ava triumph through was incredible.
Logan was a bit prickly at first but I think it was very true to his character to be wary and standoffish toward Ava, especially when he’d worked himself up in the beginning just to get through his interview, and was dropped for the shiny twirl girl and her entourage touring the facility. I think he could have thawed out a little bit sooner but all in all, his character was fleshed out in a way that his animosity toward Ava didn’t feel overdone.
The Signature Move is a slow-burn, small town romance but it works. These characters have depth, they have things they struggle with outside of the relationship, and I think overall it was a wonderful book. I tend to prefer a more fast-paced book but I found that I wasn’t put off by this being slower paced and kept thinking about it at times I wasn’t reading it, and wanting to pick it up in every spare moment I had.
As for spice, I’d rate it a 2/5, so if you’re looking for relationship development over on-page spice, this might be the book for you.
January 15, 2024
ARC REVIEW
First of all, I’m so thankful to the author for sending me an e-ARC of her book, I will never take an opportunity like that for granted. I got the ARC in exchange for an honest review, so here are MY opinions and thoughts on The signature move.
Only bc I didn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean you’re not going to! So if you feel like you would like it you should give it a go!
Okay, here is the review!
I was so sure I was going to like this bc the tropes are right up my alley and the cover is by Leni Kaufman- my absolute favorite cover designer- which is why I’m so sad I didn’t like it at all:(
Logan was just pissing me off all the time, I never found him anything else than annoying. He started unnecessary fights all the time when he could just have, at least, tried to talk first! The ONLY thing I liked about him was how he treated his mother and little brother
Ava wasn’t that bad, I didn’t exactly like her that much but I disliked her less than I did Logan.
The reason to Logan’s hate toward Ava felt flat, like sure I can understand that he’s a bit upset but it didn’t feel that much of a reason. They had like five interactions in the first 50% and then it just went from total hatred to “I’m so in love with you” in two seconds. The whole romance part just felt like it lacked a lot of build up.
It’s supposed to be a slow burn but imo it’s slow but without burn. I found it so slow in the beginning, I usually have to read at least 10% to enjoy a book, but when I started to get to the 33% mark and it still hadn’t picked up I was a bit bored to say the least.
I found it really predictable too, which most romances are, but since I didn’t like the other aspects in this that part just feels like another reason to why I’m not liking it.
I didn’t feel any butterflies or happiness or any feeling at all except for boredom while reading:(
I had to force myself to finish it which is not the way I want to finish a book
What I actually did like about this was Korin and Chase<3
First of all, I’m so thankful to the author for sending me an e-ARC of her book, I will never take an opportunity like that for granted. I got the ARC in exchange for an honest review, so here are MY opinions and thoughts on The signature move.
Only bc I didn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean you’re not going to! So if you feel like you would like it you should give it a go!
Okay, here is the review!
I was so sure I was going to like this bc the tropes are right up my alley and the cover is by Leni Kaufman- my absolute favorite cover designer- which is why I’m so sad I didn’t like it at all:(
Logan was just pissing me off all the time, I never found him anything else than annoying. He started unnecessary fights all the time when he could just have, at least, tried to talk first! The ONLY thing I liked about him was how he treated his mother and little brother
Ava wasn’t that bad, I didn’t exactly like her that much but I disliked her less than I did Logan.
The reason to Logan’s hate toward Ava felt flat, like sure I can understand that he’s a bit upset but it didn’t feel that much of a reason. They had like five interactions in the first 50% and then it just went from total hatred to “I’m so in love with you” in two seconds. The whole romance part just felt like it lacked a lot of build up.
It’s supposed to be a slow burn but imo it’s slow but without burn. I found it so slow in the beginning, I usually have to read at least 10% to enjoy a book, but when I started to get to the 33% mark and it still hadn’t picked up I was a bit bored to say the least.
I found it really predictable too, which most romances are, but since I didn’t like the other aspects in this that part just feels like another reason to why I’m not liking it.
I didn’t feel any butterflies or happiness or any feeling at all except for boredom while reading:(
I had to force myself to finish it which is not the way I want to finish a book
What I actually did like about this was Korin and Chase<3
December 11, 2023
ARC READER REVIEW
First, I would like to thank Cassandra for choosing me as an arc reader for this beautiful book that caught my attention the first time I heard about it.
Secondly, the review:
This book was a 5-star read for me. So beautifully written and easy to read, which is great for hockey fans and figure skating lovers, who do not have English as a native language. The book itself has some triggers which Cassandra mentions in a note at the start of the book, so it may not be suitable for everyone (please check said triggers before reading.)
The plot itself is a bit cliché, but don't let that stop you from reading this amazing piece of literature. We have two dreamers, many challenges and amazing enemies-to-lovers, so what could be better than that?
I won't spoil this read at all, but I really hope this review can help you fall in love with Ava and Logan, as I did!
Once again an enormous thank you to Cassandra Diviak, the author of TSM, for choosing me as an arc reader for this romance.
First, I would like to thank Cassandra for choosing me as an arc reader for this beautiful book that caught my attention the first time I heard about it.
Secondly, the review:
This book was a 5-star read for me. So beautifully written and easy to read, which is great for hockey fans and figure skating lovers, who do not have English as a native language. The book itself has some triggers which Cassandra mentions in a note at the start of the book, so it may not be suitable for everyone (please check said triggers before reading.)
The plot itself is a bit cliché, but don't let that stop you from reading this amazing piece of literature. We have two dreamers, many challenges and amazing enemies-to-lovers, so what could be better than that?
I won't spoil this read at all, but I really hope this review can help you fall in love with Ava and Logan, as I did!
Once again an enormous thank you to Cassandra Diviak, the author of TSM, for choosing me as an arc reader for this romance.
December 31, 2023
True Rating: 3.5/5
Thank you to the author for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Signature Move is a cute romance set in a small town between two young athletes. While this is my first time reading any sort of sports romance, this book guaranteed it won’t be the last! The story was great and the moments between Ava and Logan were fantastic!
Which leads me to where I docked the stars…I wished there was MORE of Ava and Logan together. The first 120 or so pages of the book dragged for me, pacing-wise, because while I liked getting to know the main characters’ respective backgrounds, it felt like too much. Everything was narrated in detail, down to every movement or how long they spent on a specific task. We were introduced to minor characters and subplots that ended up not really playing into the main story of Ava and Logan. There was also a big focus on Ava’s competitions in the first half of the book. Because of this, our two main characters didn’t even really start interacting frequently until more than halfway through the book.
Once the romance started, I couldn’t get enough, but there was a part of me left wanting more (more tension, more build-up, more interaction) that would have made the story even more swoon-worthy!
Thank you to the author for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Signature Move is a cute romance set in a small town between two young athletes. While this is my first time reading any sort of sports romance, this book guaranteed it won’t be the last! The story was great and the moments between Ava and Logan were fantastic!
Which leads me to where I docked the stars…I wished there was MORE of Ava and Logan together. The first 120 or so pages of the book dragged for me, pacing-wise, because while I liked getting to know the main characters’ respective backgrounds, it felt like too much. Everything was narrated in detail, down to every movement or how long they spent on a specific task. We were introduced to minor characters and subplots that ended up not really playing into the main story of Ava and Logan. There was also a big focus on Ava’s competitions in the first half of the book. Because of this, our two main characters didn’t even really start interacting frequently until more than halfway through the book.
Once the romance started, I couldn’t get enough, but there was a part of me left wanting more (more tension, more build-up, more interaction) that would have made the story even more swoon-worthy!
January 16, 2024
Thank you to the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thankful for the opportunity to have been chosen for an arc.
This book honestly took me a while to get through. It had a lot of potential to be great and maybe even could be great as a YA read??
This book wasn’t so much of an enemies to lovers but more of a jealousy to understanding type vibe. Logan and Ava skated in circles around each other for like the first 45% of the book and when they did interact, it was just Logan projecting his jealousy for Ava the whole time. I did enjoy Ava’s character way more than I did Logan’s though.
What I liked:
-Hockey player x figure skater
-Found Family
What I didn’t like:
-The time jumps. I feel like they didn’t flow well into the story
-Extra descriptive writing about hockey and figure skating practices (I felt like a couple would’ve been fine but it kind of felt like I was bombarded with it)
-Long beginning that kind of loses your attention
-Diversity & inclusion felt forced into the story
This book honestly took me a while to get through. It had a lot of potential to be great and maybe even could be great as a YA read??
This book wasn’t so much of an enemies to lovers but more of a jealousy to understanding type vibe. Logan and Ava skated in circles around each other for like the first 45% of the book and when they did interact, it was just Logan projecting his jealousy for Ava the whole time. I did enjoy Ava’s character way more than I did Logan’s though.
What I liked:
-Hockey player x figure skater
-Found Family
What I didn’t like:
-The time jumps. I feel like they didn’t flow well into the story
-Extra descriptive writing about hockey and figure skating practices (I felt like a couple would’ve been fine but it kind of felt like I was bombarded with it)
-Long beginning that kind of loses your attention
-Diversity & inclusion felt forced into the story
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