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The Ice Queens of Fairview High #1
When She Thaws: Sprinting Towards The Cheerleader!
Meet Natalie Hudson, the undisputed queen of Fairview High. She rules the school with an iron fist and a flair for drama, striding down hallways in her Dior heels and signature Blair Waldorf-style headbands. She's the head cheerleader – blunt, unapologetically bitchy, and breathtakingly beautiful. But beneath her perfectly polished exterior lies a secret an emerging attraction to girls that she's desperate to ignore. Enter Ashley Bergstrom, and Natalie's world tilts on its axis.
Ashley Bergstrom isn't just any new girl. She's a sprinting prodigy with the poise of a supermodel and the aggression of a Viking shield maiden , aiming for Olympic glory. Uprooting her life to train with her godmother, a former sprinter, Ashley finds herself at Fairview High, where old family wounds resurface, and the stakes are higher than ever. But it's not just her past that haunts her; it's also Natalie Hudson, the school's "It" girl, who has sworn to crush Ashley's sprinting dreams and shatter her reputation.
From A. Goswami, author of bestselling Sapphic romance novels like 'In A World Of Our Own', 'Fated To Love You' and 'A Royal Runaway Road-Trip'
Ashley Bergstrom isn't just any new girl. She's a sprinting prodigy with the poise of a supermodel and the aggression of a Viking shield maiden , aiming for Olympic glory. Uprooting her life to train with her godmother, a former sprinter, Ashley finds herself at Fairview High, where old family wounds resurface, and the stakes are higher than ever. But it's not just her past that haunts her; it's also Natalie Hudson, the school's "It" girl, who has sworn to crush Ashley's sprinting dreams and shatter her reputation.
From A. Goswami, author of bestselling Sapphic romance novels like 'In A World Of Our Own', 'Fated To Love You' and 'A Royal Runaway Road-Trip'
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2023
196 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
A. Goswami
28 books113 followersI am your friendly neighborhood Sapphic romance writer, who has a knack for writing steamy romances, that also work as comfort reads. I know, a conundrum! But once you give my books a shot, you'll know what I mean!
I live in London, a few streets away from where Sherlock Holmes used to live, so... if I you find me taking too long to publish my next book, I am probably off with Mr. Holmes on an adventure.
I live in London, a few streets away from where Sherlock Holmes used to live, so... if I you find me taking too long to publish my next book, I am probably off with Mr. Holmes on an adventure.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
dnf
March 11, 2024No Star rating - DNF
I just couldn't get into it, so I decided to cut my losses and move on.
I just couldn't get into it, so I decided to cut my losses and move on.
November 13, 2024
I wasted my time reading this. The thing is that if I read 2-3 pages of a book then I have to read all of it. I commit to it. And that's the only reason why I finished this book. The writing was so childish. It was like a 15 year old teenager wrote this. The way all the characters in the book interact with each other is really stupid and cringe. Like 12y old kids try to communicate like adults. Also I refuse to believe that there are people in real life that talk to each other like this. There is no way you're ever gonna hear that kind of conversations in real life.
Now correct me if I'm wrong but I never got to understand how they managed to fall in love in this sort of time and without great interactions so that didn't feel real too. From one hand we have Natalie the sociopath, and from the other hand we have Ashley the girl with the "dream". But in reality Ashley doesn't seem to care for her goal to be the best and in the end of the book we see that she succeeded that goal without even trying.
Also I have to say that I love a book with a good tension between characters. The thing is that the author mentions that there is SOOO much tension and sexual frustration in the air in nearly every page of this book. You have to make us feel the tension between the characters. You have to write intense scenes not make us read the word again and again for no reason. I'm sorry to be this hard but I like to be honest.
Now correct me if I'm wrong but I never got to understand how they managed to fall in love in this sort of time and without great interactions so that didn't feel real too. From one hand we have Natalie the sociopath, and from the other hand we have Ashley the girl with the "dream". But in reality Ashley doesn't seem to care for her goal to be the best and in the end of the book we see that she succeeded that goal without even trying.
Also I have to say that I love a book with a good tension between characters. The thing is that the author mentions that there is SOOO much tension and sexual frustration in the air in nearly every page of this book. You have to make us feel the tension between the characters. You have to write intense scenes not make us read the word again and again for no reason. I'm sorry to be this hard but I like to be honest.
January 9, 2024
Unredeemed Characters
This book reads as a mess.
The Sprinter MC, Ashley is ok. Sort of. She talks a big game but doesn’t seem to have much follow through. Every thing is ‘I want to be the fastest woman alive’ but in the book she is missing training and whatever else all the time, making drama, and tempting fate by behaving recklessly and stupid.
Natalie the cheerleader MC is a sociopath. She is manipulative, destructive, abusive, pretty much a cocktail of the worst traits imaginable for someone with no morals but plenty of power. She bribes the police, uses others to verbally assault others, and uses her authority to hurt other students.
The only real bright spot of the entire story’s ensemble is Summer, Natalie’s younger sister. Who seems to be not only the smartest, but the most mature of the characters in the book. Granted, she doesn’t ever hold her sister accountable for the awful person she is.
Hopefully book 2 takes the story further and does some redeeming. That said, there’s very little here that seems particularly redeemable about the characters. Until the last 3% of the book where Natalie actually sacrifices a little and tries to rectify her own past mistakes the rest of the book is her being abusive and manipulative and Ashley following after a pretty girl and letting her do whatever she wants because she is pretty.
This book reads as a mess.
The Sprinter MC, Ashley is ok. Sort of. She talks a big game but doesn’t seem to have much follow through. Every thing is ‘I want to be the fastest woman alive’ but in the book she is missing training and whatever else all the time, making drama, and tempting fate by behaving recklessly and stupid.
Natalie the cheerleader MC is a sociopath. She is manipulative, destructive, abusive, pretty much a cocktail of the worst traits imaginable for someone with no morals but plenty of power. She bribes the police, uses others to verbally assault others, and uses her authority to hurt other students.
The only real bright spot of the entire story’s ensemble is Summer, Natalie’s younger sister. Who seems to be not only the smartest, but the most mature of the characters in the book. Granted, she doesn’t ever hold her sister accountable for the awful person she is.
Hopefully book 2 takes the story further and does some redeeming. That said, there’s very little here that seems particularly redeemable about the characters. Until the last 3% of the book where Natalie actually sacrifices a little and tries to rectify her own past mistakes the rest of the book is her being abusive and manipulative and Ashley following after a pretty girl and letting her do whatever she wants because she is pretty.
dnf
December 18, 2024DNF at 42 pages
I have a very real problem with explicit sex scenes in supposed YA books.
In addition to that, neither MC was great - Regina George wannabe and Amanda Bynes from She's the Man sporty spice.
The dialogue was SO CRINGY.
I have a very real problem with explicit sex scenes in supposed YA books.
In addition to that, neither MC was great - Regina George wannabe and Amanda Bynes from She's the Man sporty spice.
The dialogue was SO CRINGY.
January 28, 2024
Not really a four but a three would be just a little too insulting
Problem number one: in the United States we call it a trunk not a boot, and they are football players, not footballers. I've come to expect this from British riders, and you have to admit it's probably difficult to pick up on all the vernacular. I'm sure writers from the United States screw things up when they write about the British Isles. So, no points off for that.
Problem number two: a spoiled rotten rich girl reeks havoc on everybody and gets away with it. A hard-working girl trying to make something of her life makes one teeny mistake and gets in trouble. I have a problem with this.
Third problem (and this is a big one for me): the vandalism done to Ashley's car with what was actually written on it is a felony. With conviction it would come with a mandatory five year sentence without the possibility of parole. There is no way an incident like this would've been handled by a school principal. I don't know how they do it in England. But over here the police the courts and lawyers would've been involved. And, most likely this being in the United States, a lawsuit would've been filed. Then, to have the person who actually perpetrated the crime get away with it is insulting. Unfortunately, getting away with things like this does happen in the real world.
Having said all these things, the story was good. The difficulty coming out when you're in high school is never something that is easy to overcome. It's been almost 40 years since I was in high school, but I still remember what it was like.
Like the title says. This isn't really a four star book. But, I think it deserves better than a three star. That's my two cents if anybody actually reads this review. I mean, how many people actually read these reviews?
Problem number one: in the United States we call it a trunk not a boot, and they are football players, not footballers. I've come to expect this from British riders, and you have to admit it's probably difficult to pick up on all the vernacular. I'm sure writers from the United States screw things up when they write about the British Isles. So, no points off for that.
Problem number two: a spoiled rotten rich girl reeks havoc on everybody and gets away with it. A hard-working girl trying to make something of her life makes one teeny mistake and gets in trouble. I have a problem with this.
Third problem (and this is a big one for me): the vandalism done to Ashley's car with what was actually written on it is a felony. With conviction it would come with a mandatory five year sentence without the possibility of parole. There is no way an incident like this would've been handled by a school principal. I don't know how they do it in England. But over here the police the courts and lawyers would've been involved. And, most likely this being in the United States, a lawsuit would've been filed. Then, to have the person who actually perpetrated the crime get away with it is insulting. Unfortunately, getting away with things like this does happen in the real world.
Having said all these things, the story was good. The difficulty coming out when you're in high school is never something that is easy to overcome. It's been almost 40 years since I was in high school, but I still remember what it was like.
Like the title says. This isn't really a four star book. But, I think it deserves better than a three star. That's my two cents if anybody actually reads this review. I mean, how many people actually read these reviews?
Read
July 12, 2024It was a fast easy read. Rivals to lovers romance that kind of reminded me of the vibes of loathing you by Amina khan which I loved!
January 22, 2024
Hace tiempo que no me atrapaba tanto un Y/A
Honestamente me encantó y me urge el segundo libro! Tiene temas fuertes pero los trata muy ad hoc a la edad de los personajes. He leído algunas reseñas y me parece que se olvidan de que final son adolescentes, a esa edad llegamos a ser irreverentes, impulsivos, egocéntricos y la lista sigue.
Creo que Natalie tiene un excelente desarrollo de personaje y siento que se verá aún más reflejado en el siguiente libro. Mi personaje fav sin duda!
Realmente lo disfruté muchísimo, amé el sarcasmo, las referencias, todo. A decir verdad soy una persona que le cuesta dejarse sentir emociones y me encantan los libros que me atrapan de esta forma precisamente porque me hace sentir absolutamente lo que están siento los personajes, y este es uno de ellos.
Ay no wow, porfa léanlo! Adiós bye.
Honestamente me encantó y me urge el segundo libro! Tiene temas fuertes pero los trata muy ad hoc a la edad de los personajes. He leído algunas reseñas y me parece que se olvidan de que final son adolescentes, a esa edad llegamos a ser irreverentes, impulsivos, egocéntricos y la lista sigue.
Creo que Natalie tiene un excelente desarrollo de personaje y siento que se verá aún más reflejado en el siguiente libro. Mi personaje fav sin duda!
Realmente lo disfruté muchísimo, amé el sarcasmo, las referencias, todo. A decir verdad soy una persona que le cuesta dejarse sentir emociones y me encantan los libros que me atrapan de esta forma precisamente porque me hace sentir absolutamente lo que están siento los personajes, y este es uno de ellos.
Ay no wow, porfa léanlo! Adiós bye.
June 21, 2024
the constant pop culture references were annoying and probably ill make the book feel dated pretty soon.
i personally couldn’t understand many of the character’s decisions, the lack of seriousness with the car incident, which btw was a felony, and also the bets seemed a little implausible.
Also natalie’s ex boyfriend that started the whole bullying simply vanishing of the story when he wasn’t needed anymore…
the fact the we had many sex scenes with the main characters but never between them?
the book wasn’t terrible. it was actually kinda fun sometimes but maybe the writing style was too juvenile for me and i didn’t feel like de characters had any real development just drastic change of behavior without actual change and time to grow.
i personally couldn’t understand many of the character’s decisions, the lack of seriousness with the car incident, which btw was a felony, and also the bets seemed a little implausible.
Also natalie’s ex boyfriend that started the whole bullying simply vanishing of the story when he wasn’t needed anymore…
the fact the we had many sex scenes with the main characters but never between them?
the book wasn’t terrible. it was actually kinda fun sometimes but maybe the writing style was too juvenile for me and i didn’t feel like de characters had any real development just drastic change of behavior without actual change and time to grow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2024
Storyline is a cute idea, but the details are so wildly unrealistic in a lot of the scenes. I don’t think it’s well-written, but I also didn’t dislike it.
April 24, 2024
besides the fact that this was pretty much a meh story of 2 territorial teenagers fighting then somehow making up, it was entertaining just enough
September 28, 2024
This felt like I was reading a Disney rendition of Riverdale meets Euphoria but they forgot to erase the smut scenes.
Barely any plot
No characterization
Pacing was horrible
Characters were one dimensional
Dialogue was insanely bad
Writing was mid
This entire book happened in the space of a month but we get no character development or background for their hatred towards one another. We have one interaction and homegirl was calling new girl her "arch nemesis". The characters would act like they've been to war together and then we would never see it. None of the characters were flushed out, the plot made no sense - I felt like I was reading the first draft of the book. The words spoken by these characters were unreal. We literally had a high schooler say "I'm establishing my supremacy not just in Fairview but in the country". Like ma'am what???
Let's also not forgot that we were having this big spicy scenes WITH HIGH SCHOOLERS!!!!!
Also this book was published in 2023 and we had a character say - with her WHOLE chest - that kissing girls in parties is cool but being gay isn't.
A literal crime was committed in this book and the solution was to have the victim work with the perpetrator so they learn to "play nice"
Wtf - I'll never have these hours back.
Barely any plot
No characterization
Pacing was horrible
Characters were one dimensional
Dialogue was insanely bad
Writing was mid
This entire book happened in the space of a month but we get no character development or background for their hatred towards one another. We have one interaction and homegirl was calling new girl her "arch nemesis". The characters would act like they've been to war together and then we would never see it. None of the characters were flushed out, the plot made no sense - I felt like I was reading the first draft of the book. The words spoken by these characters were unreal. We literally had a high schooler say "I'm establishing my supremacy not just in Fairview but in the country". Like ma'am what???
Let's also not forgot that we were having this big spicy scenes WITH HIGH SCHOOLERS!!!!!
Also this book was published in 2023 and we had a character say - with her WHOLE chest - that kissing girls in parties is cool but being gay isn't.
A literal crime was committed in this book and the solution was to have the victim work with the perpetrator so they learn to "play nice"
Wtf - I'll never have these hours back.
July 16, 2024
At first I thought this was going to be just another cheerleader-athlete FF romance - not that there is anything wrong in cheerleader-athlete FF romance, people want to read them and they fulfill a demand but as you read your realize the author has a subtext of some pretty heavy issues, suicide, alcoholism, bullying and divorce to name a few. Let me pause a minute to put down this British-American English bullshit, I am from the deep South and I know when I am caked to put something in a boot it is not an item of footwear in fact after watching British TV I understand Brits better than folks from New York (it's a BUGGY not a shopping cart!) and I have yet to meet a Brit who cannot understand US English
Natalie and Ashley are a great couple but be warned some scenes are very hot
The book is a page turner and as soon as I finished I bought the sequel on Amazon.
I highly recommend this book just watch out for the triggers
Natalie and Ashley are a great couple but be warned some scenes are very hot
The book is a page turner and as soon as I finished I bought the sequel on Amazon.
I highly recommend this book just watch out for the triggers
September 17, 2024
This had so much potential but oh my god, I couldn’t cope with the main characters. I’d never experienced a character more irritating than little miss rich girl (Natalie) she’s the definition of a spoilt brat who thinks she owns the bloody school. “Even the weather should know not to mess with me.” Ok don’t get your diamond panties in a twist. We get it, Natalie is rich and popular and the sun clearly shines out of her back side, but did the author really need to make it a point in every single chapter to mention just how rich and popular she is? “I stepped out of my mansion” 🙄 and the amount of metaphors that were used!!!! This isn’t an English exam, one or two will suffice but not in every other sentence. I’ve never rolled my eyes so much. And the storyline was just so unrealistic. Challenging the jock to push ups? What are you 12???? The only saving grace of the whole book was Summer. Hopefully book 2 is better.
April 25, 2024
I really found this book hard going. I wanted to get to the end of it, but never really wanted to read more than a chapter or two at a time. Though, I think this was more to do with me than the quality of the book. It wasn’t a bad book, the story was pretty good and the characters were pretty well fleshed out. But there were a couple of things that annoyed me a little. Neither of the main characters were particularly likeable. Ashley came across as arrogant a lot of the time, and Natalie was a spoiled bully who suffered no consequences for her actions. There was a sex scene where, I’m pretty sure, Ashley was naked without there being any description that it had happened. There were a few times, especially towards the end of the book, where descriptive text started and ended with the exact same phases. The biggest problem I had with it though, was that it was obviously the start of a series. So by the end, nothing really got resolved but there also wasn’t a big cliffhanger that would make me rush out to get the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2024
A girl named Natalie is the Queen Bee of the school. Ashley is a girl who is an excellent sprinter. Natalie is from a rich family and has an ego the size of a planet. Then throw in a major bully, Natalie's sister, fighting parents, a father who is an alcoholic and a boy who races cars.
Opposites attract, though, and the relationship between Natalie and Ashley grows.
There's more bullying with horrible graffiti on a car, a sister that has to use an inhalor, another girl who wants to be a runner and who wants vengeance against her competition and a complicated story gets more complicated.
Still, it works out, it remains interesting throughout and the two main characters are very well done.
Opposites attract, though, and the relationship between Natalie and Ashley grows.
There's more bullying with horrible graffiti on a car, a sister that has to use an inhalor, another girl who wants to be a runner and who wants vengeance against her competition and a complicated story gets more complicated.
Still, it works out, it remains interesting throughout and the two main characters are very well done.
dnf
December 28, 2024WTF is this. Omg, please do not read this especially if you are a ya reader. At first, the bad writing was funny but then it just got progressively more insane. I DNFed this. I don’t even want it on my shelf. Scenes were unnecessarily descriptive for a book marked YA. The writing was also generally terrible, and the characters were one dimensional. It was just really really bad. Zero star.
PS this is coming from somebody who reads books a lot. I promise there are so many other books you can read that are a lot better than this .
Hope this helps.
PS this is coming from somebody who reads books a lot. I promise there are so many other books you can read that are a lot better than this .
Hope this helps.
December 31, 2023
I’m Looking Forward To Book Two
A teenage story of enemies to lovers, of coming out, of facing your own truth rather than fearing it, and ultimately a story of desire, finding purpose, and of young love, this book faces a lot of issues that young LGBTQ people have to face.
And if this book one, I can’t wait to read book two.
A teenage story of enemies to lovers, of coming out, of facing your own truth rather than fearing it, and ultimately a story of desire, finding purpose, and of young love, this book faces a lot of issues that young LGBTQ people have to face.
And if this book one, I can’t wait to read book two.
January 5, 2024
Wonderful Romance
My usual taste in books is a lesbian-written, lesbian-centered mystery, cops n docs, thriller or intrigue. " In When She Thaws" I found a perfect recess from my usual fare. Well developed characters, good writing, the raw side of student life in a privileged high school, and even some adrenaline rushes thrown in. I highly recommend reading it.
My usual taste in books is a lesbian-written, lesbian-centered mystery, cops n docs, thriller or intrigue. " In When She Thaws" I found a perfect recess from my usual fare. Well developed characters, good writing, the raw side of student life in a privileged high school, and even some adrenaline rushes thrown in. I highly recommend reading it.
February 7, 2024
good book
It’s a good book. A classic romance. Something I’d like, but not something I’ll pick up again. However, it was a really good read just not the best I’ve ever picked up. However, I highly recommend it.
It’s a good book. A classic romance. Something I’d like, but not something I’ll pick up again. However, it was a really good read just not the best I’ve ever picked up. However, I highly recommend it.
July 13, 2024
When She Thaws
This was like an appetizer to the next book. Natalie and Ashley are steamy together. There's enough rivalry, angst, chemistry, etc. to get you through the story... but now I wanna jump right into the next book! Clever writing 😉
This was like an appetizer to the next book. Natalie and Ashley are steamy together. There's enough rivalry, angst, chemistry, etc. to get you through the story... but now I wanna jump right into the next book! Clever writing 😉
September 28, 2024
There are too many pointless conflicts and characters in this book to make me care about any of it. The only solid part of the book was the date. Also, I'm just going to say this to get it out: Carl and Samara are the most useless characters ever and don't need to exist!!!
April 18, 2024
DNF at 23%.
The dialogue was ridiculous, the characters were bland, and the plot was sophomoric.
The dialogue was ridiculous, the characters were bland, and the plot was sophomoric.
April 24, 2024
Head empty for a good portion of this book but still had fun.
June 1, 2024
should’ve just dnf’ed after 3 chapters when i knew i’d hate this. i don’t want to say the writing was bad but the dialogue was.. definitely questionable. hated the characters too
July 22, 2024
Medio boludo el libro pero es para pasar el rato
September 14, 2024
transforming
From start to finish the story pulls you in and accelerates, a beautiful exciting and challenging ride That never lets up.
From start to finish the story pulls you in and accelerates, a beautiful exciting and challenging ride That never lets up.
October 5, 2024
i have a serious headache bc of this book, thank you very much
March 17, 2025
Unlikable characters, sudden personality changes, not much of a story.
May 28, 2025
enjoyed
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews