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Teammates to Lovers: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 16 Mar 27A professional hockey player falls headfirst into fanfiction—and ends up shipping himself with his captain—in this addictive friends-to-fanfiction-to-lovers romance.
When NHL star forward Will Burns gets sent a fic about him and his best friend (and team captain), he laughs it off. It’s a joke. It has to be. But one late-night scroll turns into another…and another—and suddenly Will’s a little too invested.
Because the fic gets a few things right.
Like how good Théo looks in the locker room. How steady he is under pressure. How he’s always been Will’s person, on and off the ice. And the more Will reads, the harder it is to ignore the maybe he’s not as straight as he thought. Maybe he never was. And maybe what he feels for Théo has never been just friendship.
So Will does what any normal person would he dives deeper. He tears through every fic he can find—then starts writing his own. Somewhere between late-night updates and comment threads, he strikes up a flirtatious back-and-forth with Étienne, his favorite Will/Théo author on AO3.
But when a line in Étienne’s latest fic mirrors a private moment Will knows only he and Théo shared, the fantasy stops feeling so fictional. And Will is forced to make a keep everything exactly as it is—safe, controlled, and unspoken—or risk his career, his friendship, and his heart for the one thing he wants most.
When NHL star forward Will Burns gets sent a fic about him and his best friend (and team captain), he laughs it off. It’s a joke. It has to be. But one late-night scroll turns into another…and another—and suddenly Will’s a little too invested.
Because the fic gets a few things right.
Like how good Théo looks in the locker room. How steady he is under pressure. How he’s always been Will’s person, on and off the ice. And the more Will reads, the harder it is to ignore the maybe he’s not as straight as he thought. Maybe he never was. And maybe what he feels for Théo has never been just friendship.
So Will does what any normal person would he dives deeper. He tears through every fic he can find—then starts writing his own. Somewhere between late-night updates and comment threads, he strikes up a flirtatious back-and-forth with Étienne, his favorite Will/Théo author on AO3.
But when a line in Étienne’s latest fic mirrors a private moment Will knows only he and Théo shared, the fantasy stops feeling so fictional. And Will is forced to make a keep everything exactly as it is—safe, controlled, and unspoken—or risk his career, his friendship, and his heart for the one thing he wants most.
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Expected publication March 16, 2027
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September 14, 2026✎ᝰ. pre-read: a hockey player discovers fanfic about him and his captain and gets a little too invested? yes please
💌 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
💌 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Have you ever thought “I couldn't be famous because I would 100% read fanfiction of me and complain out loud about inaccuracies?”. If the answer is yes, Teammates to Lovers was made for you!
Everyone that knows me even a little bit knows I grew up in fandom, and that means I made a home on ao3 and other fans became close friends who I'll cherish for life. My own best friend of 10 years I met on a fandom so it's ingrained in every part of my life, and very important to me.
From the second I saw the title of this novel I knew I HAD to read it, fanfic and hockey romance? Sign me tf up!! Two things I love so much and spend a lot of time reading. I went in with high expectations, I would accept nothing except a laugh out loud story, and I got that, but I also cried. There's a lot of heart in this story, but first let me tell you what it is about.
Teammates to Lovers is a book about a hockey player who freshly out of a break up with his girlfriend of many years discovers that many people on the internet think he's in a relationship with his best friend. And they write stories about it! What a crazy concept! He's curious, so of course he starts reading it, but what happens when it starts to make him feel things and see his real life a little differently?
The beginning was just really funny, I had to stop to laugh at almost every page and I was just having a great time, everything I signed up for. But then it got a little deeper. There's one scene with a younger teammate and you could hear my heart break into a million tiny pieces. It made me so sad I had to take a little break. Knowing this is probably the reality for real people didn't help my case, and after that moment there was always an underlying melancholy while I was reading. That is until the very end, when I could just focus on this happily ever after that is not as happy as it could be but it is the reality for them.
The yearning and pinning is top notch. It's the kind of thing you very rarely see done this well in romance books, this is not a fast burn they work for it and you can feel the desperation and the yearning for something Will thinks he doesn't get to have.
The ending leaves a few openings and I saw this listed as a series on Netgalley so it makes sense. I also caught a little mention of a certain popular(?) shipp at the very end and color me intrigued, I can only assume they will be the couple of the next book and I cannot wait.
Thank you Netgalley and Dell Romance for this ARC!
Everyone that knows me even a little bit knows I grew up in fandom, and that means I made a home on ao3 and other fans became close friends who I'll cherish for life. My own best friend of 10 years I met on a fandom so it's ingrained in every part of my life, and very important to me.
From the second I saw the title of this novel I knew I HAD to read it, fanfic and hockey romance? Sign me tf up!! Two things I love so much and spend a lot of time reading. I went in with high expectations, I would accept nothing except a laugh out loud story, and I got that, but I also cried. There's a lot of heart in this story, but first let me tell you what it is about.
Teammates to Lovers is a book about a hockey player who freshly out of a break up with his girlfriend of many years discovers that many people on the internet think he's in a relationship with his best friend. And they write stories about it! What a crazy concept! He's curious, so of course he starts reading it, but what happens when it starts to make him feel things and see his real life a little differently?
The beginning was just really funny, I had to stop to laugh at almost every page and I was just having a great time, everything I signed up for. But then it got a little deeper. There's one scene with a younger teammate and you could hear my heart break into a million tiny pieces. It made me so sad I had to take a little break. Knowing this is probably the reality for real people didn't help my case, and after that moment there was always an underlying melancholy while I was reading. That is until the very end, when I could just focus on this happily ever after that is not as happy as it could be but it is the reality for them.
The yearning and pinning is top notch. It's the kind of thing you very rarely see done this well in romance books, this is not a fast burn they work for it and you can feel the desperation and the yearning for something Will thinks he doesn't get to have.
The ending leaves a few openings and I saw this listed as a series on Netgalley so it makes sense. I also caught a little mention of a certain popular(?) shipp at the very end and color me intrigued, I can only assume they will be the couple of the next book and I cannot wait.
Thank you Netgalley and Dell Romance for this ARC!
September 7, 2026
*4.5 rounded up
Now someone write a fanfic about this book so we can have a full on inception.
The premise of this book is absolutely ridiculous and reads like fanfic but like that’s the whole point. If you’ve ever been in fandom spaces or are an enjoyer of fanfiction you will absolutely eat this one up.
Would any of this ever happen in real life? Probably not and that’s what makes it fun. I thought it was hilarious how sort of addicted Will got reading fanfic, and that fanfic being about himself mind you. The beginning did feel a bit repetitive at times as Will’s inner monologue was constantly thinking about the fact he was enjoying reading fic about him and his captain, but as the story progressed other plot beats started to take the forefront.
The fandom aspect of this was really well done, you can tell this author definitely has experience. There was exploration in how certain fans will over analyze everything from a look to conversations. In their eyes Will and Théo are together therefore they look at their interactions through this romantic lens. But perhaps what the fans see isn’t so far from the truth.
This is what I consider the perfect slow burn, keeping me engaged till the end hence why I devoured this in just two days. Also, major bonus points for this having one of my favorite tropes.
Thank you so much to Dell and Penguin Random House for providing me with this eARC.
Now someone write a fanfic about this book so we can have a full on inception.
The premise of this book is absolutely ridiculous and reads like fanfic but like that’s the whole point. If you’ve ever been in fandom spaces or are an enjoyer of fanfiction you will absolutely eat this one up.
Would any of this ever happen in real life? Probably not and that’s what makes it fun. I thought it was hilarious how sort of addicted Will got reading fanfic, and that fanfic being about himself mind you. The beginning did feel a bit repetitive at times as Will’s inner monologue was constantly thinking about the fact he was enjoying reading fic about him and his captain, but as the story progressed other plot beats started to take the forefront.
The fandom aspect of this was really well done, you can tell this author definitely has experience. There was exploration in how certain fans will over analyze everything from a look to conversations. In their eyes Will and Théo are together therefore they look at their interactions through this romantic lens. But perhaps what the fans see isn’t so far from the truth.
This is what I consider the perfect slow burn, keeping me engaged till the end hence why I devoured this in just two days. Also, major bonus points for this having one of my favorite tropes.
Thank you so much to Dell and Penguin Random House for providing me with this eARC.
Read
August 7, 2026hehehehe people are gonna eat this tf up
.....can't wait to get my grubby little hands on this
.....can't wait to get my grubby little hands on this
Want to Read
August 6, 2026i'm telling you i cannot WAIT to read this one!!!
September 6, 2026
I'll start with this: the premise of this book is bonkers. Will, a 21 professional hockey player, gets sent a hockey RPF (real person fiction) story shipping him and his teammate Théo. Will, who is straight (because obviously hockey players are straight, especially professional ones!), becomes deeply obsessed with reading stories about him and Théo, and even starts writing some smutty ones himself. As he writes, Will slowly starts to realize that, hey, maybe fantasizing about your teammate and reading/writing smutty gay fanfic about yourself is not actually normal straight guy behavior.
I went into this book with low expectations because of the wild premise, but wow, I loved it. Once you suspend your disbelief at the idea of a hockey player not only being literate but also a good writer, it turns into a lot of fun. I laughed so much, especially at the beginning, as Will is introduced to the idea of fanfiction and the common tropes and types of AU (alternate universe) - he complains about the hockey details being wrong, being mischaracterized, and the characters being oblivious idiots. But there are also many parts that felt deeply sad - Will is freshly dumped by the woman he was about to propose to, and he is hurt, lonely, and afraid he's going to be alone forever. As he starts to figure out his feelings for Théo, that only multiplies because all he can think about is the person he spends most of his time with but will never get to really be with.
Altogether, Will's self-discovery journey was very satisfying. Théo was a very sweet and thoughtful character, Will's sister Sadie was the real MVP, and Will's friends were charming and fun. I hope there's more of this world to come!
(I received a free advanced review copy from the publisher/NetGalley.)
I went into this book with low expectations because of the wild premise, but wow, I loved it. Once you suspend your disbelief at the idea of a hockey player not only being literate but also a good writer, it turns into a lot of fun. I laughed so much, especially at the beginning, as Will is introduced to the idea of fanfiction and the common tropes and types of AU (alternate universe) - he complains about the hockey details being wrong, being mischaracterized, and the characters being oblivious idiots. But there are also many parts that felt deeply sad - Will is freshly dumped by the woman he was about to propose to, and he is hurt, lonely, and afraid he's going to be alone forever. As he starts to figure out his feelings for Théo, that only multiplies because all he can think about is the person he spends most of his time with but will never get to really be with.
Altogether, Will's self-discovery journey was very satisfying. Théo was a very sweet and thoughtful character, Will's sister Sadie was the real MVP, and Will's friends were charming and fun. I hope there's more of this world to come!
(I received a free advanced review copy from the publisher/NetGalley.)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
𑣲. Will & Théo need shirts that say "I'm yearning for yearner" & "I'm yearner" because oh dear lord how they were piningggg for each other🩵
ᝰ.ᐟ what it's about
AHL star forward Will Burns gets sent a fic about him and Théo Claveau—his best friend (and team captain), which he laughs off as a joke. But temptation and curiosity get the best of him when he opens and decides to just read a few words. A few words turns into thousands of words and the one fic turns into many. What started as one late-night scroll turns into another... and another and just like that Will gets a little too invested. Because the fic gets some things right. Like all the little things that Will had noticed about Théo but hadn't thought much of. Especially how Théo has always been Will's person. The more Will reads, the harder it is to ignore the truth: he might not be as straight as he thought he was. It's possible he never was to begin with. And maybe what Will feels for Théo has never just been friendship.
With spiraling thoughts, Will does what any normal person would do: he dives even deeper. He reads every fic he can get his hands on—and even writes his own. Between late-night updates and comment threads, he finds solace with Étienne, his favorite Will/Théo fanfic author online. But when a line in Étienne's latest fic is word for word, exactly like a private moment Will knows only he and Théo shared, the fantasy stops feeling so fictional. Will is forced to make a choice: keep everything as it is—safe and unspoken—or risk his career, friendship, and heart for the one thing he wants most.
⁀➴ my thoughts - 4.5⭐️
This had it all. Self discovery, angst, yearning, healing, the sweetest love, and such a good sense of humor. I was giggling, kicking my feet, sighing through the gut wrenching moments, and just going along the ride with Will & Théo. This feels like a classic late night fanfic that will completely engross you and ruin your sleep schedule (but there are absolutely no regrets), which is essentially the point. Here's the timeline of how reading this went. Got approved for the arc (6 pm yesterday), immediately sent it to my kindle, spent the whole night reading it (what a night it was), and finished it by 3 pm today. This one had me going through a rollercoaster of emotions. I was so unbelievably saddened one second and incredibly giddy the next. This took me back to my late night fanfic reading days—where the air was crisp and there were no worries at all.
The premise was so outlandish and the execution was absolute perfection. Seeing Will get introduced to all the various types of fanfiction AU's and his interpretation of it with his own Will/Théo twist was so fun. The pacing was great and the story developed quite seamlessly. The various moments where clear yearning/pinning comments or actions were done by either Will or Théo were so obvious and I love how oblivious the two of them were. Also, Théo speaking French, oh my gosh. The found family aspect with Sadie—Will's sister and their friends was something I absolutely loved, having that support system is so incredibly important and I love seeing those healthy relationships. The fics written in this story felt like love letters, so incredibly sweet and getting to that ending felt so full circle. I just wanted to give Will & Théo the biggest, warmest hug. Also, I hope we get more stories in this universe because there were some sparks that I can totally see a story blooming from. This was such a great read, with such a fresh plot, and whew I had a timeeee⋆˚꩜｡
Teammates to Lovers in tropes:
🏒sports romance
📝hockey player turned AO3 author
🩵slow burn
📖the yearner 3000
🏳️🌈self-discovery
💌friends-to-lovers
❤️found family
Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine | Dell, and Jenny Linsky for this ARC of Teammates to Lovers in exchange for an honest review˙⋆✮
Release date: March 16, 2027!
ᝰ.ᐟ what it's about
AHL star forward Will Burns gets sent a fic about him and Théo Claveau—his best friend (and team captain), which he laughs off as a joke. But temptation and curiosity get the best of him when he opens and decides to just read a few words. A few words turns into thousands of words and the one fic turns into many. What started as one late-night scroll turns into another... and another and just like that Will gets a little too invested. Because the fic gets some things right. Like all the little things that Will had noticed about Théo but hadn't thought much of. Especially how Théo has always been Will's person. The more Will reads, the harder it is to ignore the truth: he might not be as straight as he thought he was. It's possible he never was to begin with. And maybe what Will feels for Théo has never just been friendship.
With spiraling thoughts, Will does what any normal person would do: he dives even deeper. He reads every fic he can get his hands on—and even writes his own. Between late-night updates and comment threads, he finds solace with Étienne, his favorite Will/Théo fanfic author online. But when a line in Étienne's latest fic is word for word, exactly like a private moment Will knows only he and Théo shared, the fantasy stops feeling so fictional. Will is forced to make a choice: keep everything as it is—safe and unspoken—or risk his career, friendship, and heart for the one thing he wants most.
⁀➴ my thoughts - 4.5⭐️
This had it all. Self discovery, angst, yearning, healing, the sweetest love, and such a good sense of humor. I was giggling, kicking my feet, sighing through the gut wrenching moments, and just going along the ride with Will & Théo. This feels like a classic late night fanfic that will completely engross you and ruin your sleep schedule (but there are absolutely no regrets), which is essentially the point. Here's the timeline of how reading this went. Got approved for the arc (6 pm yesterday), immediately sent it to my kindle, spent the whole night reading it (what a night it was), and finished it by 3 pm today. This one had me going through a rollercoaster of emotions. I was so unbelievably saddened one second and incredibly giddy the next. This took me back to my late night fanfic reading days—where the air was crisp and there were no worries at all.
The premise was so outlandish and the execution was absolute perfection. Seeing Will get introduced to all the various types of fanfiction AU's and his interpretation of it with his own Will/Théo twist was so fun. The pacing was great and the story developed quite seamlessly. The various moments where clear yearning/pinning comments or actions were done by either Will or Théo were so obvious and I love how oblivious the two of them were. Also, Théo speaking French, oh my gosh. The found family aspect with Sadie—Will's sister and their friends was something I absolutely loved, having that support system is so incredibly important and I love seeing those healthy relationships. The fics written in this story felt like love letters, so incredibly sweet and getting to that ending felt so full circle. I just wanted to give Will & Théo the biggest, warmest hug. Also, I hope we get more stories in this universe because there were some sparks that I can totally see a story blooming from. This was such a great read, with such a fresh plot, and whew I had a timeeee⋆˚꩜｡
Teammates to Lovers in tropes:
🏒sports romance
📝hockey player turned AO3 author
🩵slow burn
📖the yearner 3000
🏳️🌈self-discovery
💌friends-to-lovers
❤️found family
Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine | Dell, and Jenny Linsky for this ARC of Teammates to Lovers in exchange for an honest review˙⋆✮
Release date: March 16, 2027!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 rounded up!!!
be still my heart i LOVED these idiots.
reading this book brought me the giddy feeling of being 13 and staying up until 4 am reading fic again and i loved every second of it. the entire idea of this story felt so unique and never in a million years would i have thought i needed a ~fictional~ rpf story where one of the rp in question would get so obsessed with the ship between him and his captain he starts writing it himself but here we are and man oh man did i!!!
while this book at times can feel quite silly (complimentary) there is a kind of really sad emotional depth i did NOT expect to find, but loved all the same. my heart broke for will over and over again through out this book. in the start of this book he is freshly broken up with by the person he was so close to proposing to and then is almost immediately thrust into gay panic which leads to him feeling like he may never be able to be out and happy with someone he loves bc of his career. theres just SO MANY EMOTIONS i just wanted to give him a hug every other chapter 😭
the yearning in this book is just insane — this is a total idiots to lovers story where we know these two are oblivious to the others feelings and you just wanna bang their heads together but holy fuck did it make for the most intense yearning i have read in a hot minute. every club/bar scene had me in fight or flight feeling so sad for will 😭
the only reason this isnt a full five stars was because i wanted just a tad more development in a few different areas, but overall this was a fabulous read, i couldnt for the life of me put it down once i started and i cannot wait to get my hands on the audiobook when this comes out next year!
be still my heart i LOVED these idiots.
reading this book brought me the giddy feeling of being 13 and staying up until 4 am reading fic again and i loved every second of it. the entire idea of this story felt so unique and never in a million years would i have thought i needed a ~fictional~ rpf story where one of the rp in question would get so obsessed with the ship between him and his captain he starts writing it himself but here we are and man oh man did i!!!
while this book at times can feel quite silly (complimentary) there is a kind of really sad emotional depth i did NOT expect to find, but loved all the same. my heart broke for will over and over again through out this book. in the start of this book he is freshly broken up with by the person he was so close to proposing to and then is almost immediately thrust into gay panic which leads to him feeling like he may never be able to be out and happy with someone he loves bc of his career. theres just SO MANY EMOTIONS i just wanted to give him a hug every other chapter 😭
the yearning in this book is just insane — this is a total idiots to lovers story where we know these two are oblivious to the others feelings and you just wanna bang their heads together but holy fuck did it make for the most intense yearning i have read in a hot minute. every club/bar scene had me in fight or flight feeling so sad for will 😭
the only reason this isnt a full five stars was because i wanted just a tad more development in a few different areas, but overall this was a fabulous read, i couldnt for the life of me put it down once i started and i cannot wait to get my hands on the audiobook when this comes out next year!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was way more of a slow burn than i was expecting but the pay off was SO SO worth it omg 🥹
I loved Will so much. His character was really for the daydreamers and scenarioholics (iykyk).
The concept of this book was really so much fun. Falling in love over fanfics? it seems so out of left field but the way it happened was perfect. From the way Will got completely wrapped up in it to the point where it was affecting his real life relationships to the real emotions it brought on. The longing, the angst over feeling like him and Theo would never happen, hit me right in the gut.
I love so much how this all played out. I don’t want to give anything away but it was honestly so perfect. There were a lot of things that I thought would happen but didn’t, and honestly, i’m glad because they were so cliche in my head. I loved Will’s sister Sadie. Her whole situation kind of provided insight that would’ve probably happened with Will too that would’ve been repetitive but i’m glad it didn’t turn out that way. I’m really glad Will and Sadie had each other. They were the definition of sibling goals.
Also, I can’t express enough how much i loved the realization of commonality between these two. (trying to be as vague as possible). From the second they started quoting each other, my insides were screaming. I love that them getting together wasn’t a huge ordeal publicly, but also i’d love to read more about how they adapt in the NAHL overall and over the next few years.
I’m going to be thinking about Will and Theo for such a long time. This was such a unique yet relatable story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine for the ARC.
I loved Will so much. His character was really for the daydreamers and scenarioholics (iykyk).
The concept of this book was really so much fun. Falling in love over fanfics? it seems so out of left field but the way it happened was perfect. From the way Will got completely wrapped up in it to the point where it was affecting his real life relationships to the real emotions it brought on. The longing, the angst over feeling like him and Theo would never happen, hit me right in the gut.
I love so much how this all played out. I don’t want to give anything away but it was honestly so perfect. There were a lot of things that I thought would happen but didn’t, and honestly, i’m glad because they were so cliche in my head. I loved Will’s sister Sadie. Her whole situation kind of provided insight that would’ve probably happened with Will too that would’ve been repetitive but i’m glad it didn’t turn out that way. I’m really glad Will and Sadie had each other. They were the definition of sibling goals.
Also, I can’t express enough how much i loved the realization of commonality between these two. (trying to be as vague as possible). From the second they started quoting each other, my insides were screaming. I love that them getting together wasn’t a huge ordeal publicly, but also i’d love to read more about how they adapt in the NAHL overall and over the next few years.
I’m going to be thinking about Will and Theo for such a long time. This was such a unique yet relatable story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The yearning in this book was palpable. Jenny Linsky did such a great job with Teammates to Lovers - I was laughing, giddy, and anxious for the longing to pay off! The ending proved that to be true because the steam and heat were definitely there!
Théo and Will are teammates on a hockey team and best friends. They do everything together, except maybe reading fanfic about the two of them ending up with each other… Will starts reading a fanfic about him and Théo when another friend sends it over, and the storyline makes him question a huge part of his life.
I loved reading Will and Theo’s story - a slow-burn, friends/teammates-to-lovers dream! The subtle shift that happens from friends to lovers always melts my heart. Jenny Linsky did such a great job with that subtle shift in her book, as well as the moment everything changes for the two male main characters. I really appreciated the vulnerability the author included in this book for her characters by tackling difficult situations, while also strengthening different character arcs. I loved their love story and yearning so much that it was hard to put the book down!
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it for those looking for a cute, hockey romance that is a quick and delightful read! It’s got the spice, the yearning, and the sports - what’s not to love!?
Thank you so much to Jenny Linsky, Dell, and NetGalley for an eARC of Teammates to Lovers! I’m always a fan of a cute hockey romance and this book was no exception!
Théo and Will are teammates on a hockey team and best friends. They do everything together, except maybe reading fanfic about the two of them ending up with each other… Will starts reading a fanfic about him and Théo when another friend sends it over, and the storyline makes him question a huge part of his life.
I loved reading Will and Theo’s story - a slow-burn, friends/teammates-to-lovers dream! The subtle shift that happens from friends to lovers always melts my heart. Jenny Linsky did such a great job with that subtle shift in her book, as well as the moment everything changes for the two male main characters. I really appreciated the vulnerability the author included in this book for her characters by tackling difficult situations, while also strengthening different character arcs. I loved their love story and yearning so much that it was hard to put the book down!
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it for those looking for a cute, hockey romance that is a quick and delightful read! It’s got the spice, the yearning, and the sports - what’s not to love!?
Thank you so much to Jenny Linsky, Dell, and NetGalley for an eARC of Teammates to Lovers! I’m always a fan of a cute hockey romance and this book was no exception!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I ate this up; this was a sweet love letter to fan fiction and I couldn’t stop reading.
This was heavvvyyyyyy in the angst and yearning I thought it was really well written and you can tell the author is very familiar with the making of fan fiction. I loved Will and Theo’s interactions you could scoop the yearning straight off the page. Will’s gay awakening happens in a very logical and natural progression which I was actually really impressed by. This was just addictive and fun in the best way.
Some side characters and sub plot lines exist but are there more in the background and maybe could have just used a wee bit more screen time. The teammates/Will’s friends I couldn’t really pick out of a line up if I needed to.
This is really centered around fan fiction; reading it, writing it, tropes, tags, etc etc so if you would be put off by that I doubt you would enjoy this because Will’s deep dive into the world of fan fiction about himself is a good majority of the plot.
This is pretty light on the sports aspect, which I was 100% ok with. You could have traded the hockey for any sport and not missed a beat. I’m not here for the hockey though haha but I know some people might be! The hockey is just kind of mentioned as being played but I preferred the focus on the relationship.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was heavvvyyyyyy in the angst and yearning I thought it was really well written and you can tell the author is very familiar with the making of fan fiction. I loved Will and Theo’s interactions you could scoop the yearning straight off the page. Will’s gay awakening happens in a very logical and natural progression which I was actually really impressed by. This was just addictive and fun in the best way.
Some side characters and sub plot lines exist but are there more in the background and maybe could have just used a wee bit more screen time. The teammates/Will’s friends I couldn’t really pick out of a line up if I needed to.
This is really centered around fan fiction; reading it, writing it, tropes, tags, etc etc so if you would be put off by that I doubt you would enjoy this because Will’s deep dive into the world of fan fiction about himself is a good majority of the plot.
This is pretty light on the sports aspect, which I was 100% ok with. You could have traded the hockey for any sport and not missed a beat. I’m not here for the hockey though haha but I know some people might be! The hockey is just kind of mentioned as being played but I preferred the focus on the relationship.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Oh my sweet god. Oh my lord. Oh my heart!
+ Idiots to lovers
+ friends to lovers
+ meta ao3
+ slow burn
A big thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine/Dell and author Jenny Linsky for an ARC of Teammates to Lovers. AAAAAA my heart!!!
Ok. Remember being a closeted baby queer, and falling in love with your best friend, and reading into every glance and hug and sentence uttered? And then, just maybe, ok maybe it was only me, making angsty art or poems or comics about this all consuming closeted crush? And in your daydreams, you imagine a reality where just maybe, you will be together forever?
(Apologies to my high school crushes, thank you for still being my friends now that we are 40, despite my pining art all those years ago)
Teammates to Lovers is one of the most delicious, most meta, most yearning, most lovely books I have ever read. I know it's not out until March 2027, and I feel SO FRUSTRATED that I cannot yet buy multiple copies of it to give to everyone under the sun to read. Though a knowledge of AO3/fanfic/tumblr is not required to enjoy this book, if you are into any of those things you will be SWOONING. Prepare your fainting couch! Prepare your heart!
#TeammatestoLovers #NetGalley
+ Idiots to lovers
+ friends to lovers
+ meta ao3
+ slow burn
A big thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine/Dell and author Jenny Linsky for an ARC of Teammates to Lovers. AAAAAA my heart!!!
Ok. Remember being a closeted baby queer, and falling in love with your best friend, and reading into every glance and hug and sentence uttered? And then, just maybe, ok maybe it was only me, making angsty art or poems or comics about this all consuming closeted crush? And in your daydreams, you imagine a reality where just maybe, you will be together forever?
(Apologies to my high school crushes, thank you for still being my friends now that we are 40, despite my pining art all those years ago)
Teammates to Lovers is one of the most delicious, most meta, most yearning, most lovely books I have ever read. I know it's not out until March 2027, and I feel SO FRUSTRATED that I cannot yet buy multiple copies of it to give to everyone under the sun to read. Though a knowledge of AO3/fanfic/tumblr is not required to enjoy this book, if you are into any of those things you will be SWOONING. Prepare your fainting couch! Prepare your heart!
#TeammatestoLovers #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
i couldn’t stop thinking about this book since it’s announcement and after reading it in under a day, i still cannot stop thinking about it.
thank you to the publisher for the eARC via netgalley.
let me be honest - i’ve never been part of the fanfic community, but this book had such an interesting premise that i knew i needed to read it. so even if you’re not into fic, i think this can still be an enjoyable read.
there is so much pining and longing and love in this book! the friendships and family moments are real and raw and have their own life outside of the romance. both of their families have their own unique troubles, but they have each other (best friends!!) as support through it all.
overall really enjoyed it and genuinely binged it. like stayed up late and woke up at 6am to finish it before work binged it. i kept needing more and more, and the slow burn truly got me. it was so interesting to live in their romance in the fic before getting to the actual romance. it almost felt like multiple storylines that all culminated in one big thing: their love.
there were a couple things i wished were more developed, but a solid 4.5/5 stars (rounded up).
thank you to the publisher for the eARC via netgalley.
let me be honest - i’ve never been part of the fanfic community, but this book had such an interesting premise that i knew i needed to read it. so even if you’re not into fic, i think this can still be an enjoyable read.
there is so much pining and longing and love in this book! the friendships and family moments are real and raw and have their own life outside of the romance. both of their families have their own unique troubles, but they have each other (best friends!!) as support through it all.
overall really enjoyed it and genuinely binged it. like stayed up late and woke up at 6am to finish it before work binged it. i kept needing more and more, and the slow burn truly got me. it was so interesting to live in their romance in the fic before getting to the actual romance. it almost felt like multiple storylines that all culminated in one big thing: their love.
there were a couple things i wished were more developed, but a solid 4.5/5 stars (rounded up).
September 11, 2026
ARC reviewer: 4.5 rounded up!
I cannot even begin to tell you how long I have been waiting for a book with these tropes to come out! This book made me want to start writing fan fiction and I love how it portrayed the community in retrospect to the toxicity of the hockey community. This book definitely goes over much needed topics—including homophobia to hockey players. Also I just LOVE how much yearning was going on! I definitely feel like Will is such a relatable character and ugh! I love him so much! Also the writing style wasn’t bad…but it also wasn’t super good—but it read oddly easy for me?
The ending is what got me—I love these two to death and I cannot wait for this book to become mainstream and get to read some fan fiction about them! (Maybe I could write them myself…who knows)
And omg, I LOVE the hidden identity trope, I feel like more books need it or they just never do it right…this book definitely did it right.
I would totally recommend this book. I literally couldn’t put it down…I don’t think I’ll ever get over this book.
Safe to say my Kudos was left here.
I cannot even begin to tell you how long I have been waiting for a book with these tropes to come out! This book made me want to start writing fan fiction and I love how it portrayed the community in retrospect to the toxicity of the hockey community. This book definitely goes over much needed topics—including homophobia to hockey players. Also I just LOVE how much yearning was going on! I definitely feel like Will is such a relatable character and ugh! I love him so much! Also the writing style wasn’t bad…but it also wasn’t super good—but it read oddly easy for me?
The ending is what got me—I love these two to death and I cannot wait for this book to become mainstream and get to read some fan fiction about them! (Maybe I could write them myself…who knows)
And omg, I LOVE the hidden identity trope, I feel like more books need it or they just never do it right…this book definitely did it right.
I would totally recommend this book. I literally couldn’t put it down…I don’t think I’ll ever get over this book.
Safe to say my Kudos was left here.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book 💙🏒⛸️👨❤️👨
»»——— ᢉ𐭩 ———««
Oh god what a slowburn this was for me will was yearner boy and man did he yearn? 80% of the book is him dying to kiss theo, wanting to be with him, quiet literally realising he is gay and his boring relationship and then it dying was just him being closeted more like not even realising he was gay !!!
But a hockey player literally getting to read a fic about him and his captain, quiet literally being a foc writter and then finding a friend there that wrote fics about them and rooted of them and is gay to?
AND IT BEING THEO HIMSELF? I LITERALLY WAS BUZZING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHTING WHEN THEY FOUND OUR WHO THEY WERE AND THEIR A03 ACCOUNTS AND HOW WILL SHUT AIDEN HOMOPHOBIC ASS UP TO, LITERALLY I JUMPED AND WAS SO MAD AT AIDEN !!!
but the concept of them writting the last fic at the end was so cute ahhhh.
This was such a worth it read, i enjoyed it 💙💙💙💙💙
»»——— ᢉ𐭩 ———««
Oh god what a slowburn this was for me will was yearner boy and man did he yearn? 80% of the book is him dying to kiss theo, wanting to be with him, quiet literally realising he is gay and his boring relationship and then it dying was just him being closeted more like not even realising he was gay !!!
But a hockey player literally getting to read a fic about him and his captain, quiet literally being a foc writter and then finding a friend there that wrote fics about them and rooted of them and is gay to?
AND IT BEING THEO HIMSELF? I LITERALLY WAS BUZZING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHTING WHEN THEY FOUND OUR WHO THEY WERE AND THEIR A03 ACCOUNTS AND HOW WILL SHUT AIDEN HOMOPHOBIC ASS UP TO, LITERALLY I JUMPED AND WAS SO MAD AT AIDEN !!!
but the concept of them writting the last fic at the end was so cute ahhhh.
This was such a worth it read, i enjoyed it 💙💙💙💙💙
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
started this because rpf in published books intrigued me and ngl i was thinking it would be rewritten fanfic slop. HOWEVER i was pleasantly surprised it was not only really cutesie and interesting but very ao3 accurate. the author is very clearly respectful and knowledgeable of fandom spaces LOVE.
my only thing is i'm not very pro rpf. i think this ONLY is cute because it goes both ways. like if it wasn't obvious (from not just the blurb of the book but from the very start) that theo also was into the fanfic, this would literally be a horror movie and will is scary. even though this didn't happen, its hard to not at least acknowledge before the "reveal". thankfully i think its easy to suspend disbelief because of how in love they are once it is both ways but the rpf waters are still murky.
thanks to edelweiss & netgalley for the arc ❤️
my only thing is i'm not very pro rpf. i think this ONLY is cute because it goes both ways. like if it wasn't obvious (from not just the blurb of the book but from the very start) that theo also was into the fanfic, this would literally be a horror movie and will is scary. even though this didn't happen, its hard to not at least acknowledge before the "reveal". thankfully i think its easy to suspend disbelief because of how in love they are once it is both ways but the rpf waters are still murky.
thanks to edelweiss & netgalley for the arc ❤️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
what a JOY this was to read!!!!! such a fun premise, such a flawless execution. i saw the deal announcement for this book when it first dropped and proceeded to check netgalley religiously for it (thank you, Dell, for the ARC)! it lived up to all of my hopes!
the characters were three dimensional, will and théo’s friendship was so believable, and the reflections on identity were lovely. and the yearning. the nuclear-grade, titanic YEARNING! simply exquisite.
you know a book was good when you disregard sleep and/or professional responsibilities to binge it. in this instance, i did both. Teammates to Lovers is an easy addition to my comfort rereads list. i can’t wait to grab a physical copy upon release!
the characters were three dimensional, will and théo’s friendship was so believable, and the reflections on identity were lovely. and the yearning. the nuclear-grade, titanic YEARNING! simply exquisite.
you know a book was good when you disregard sleep and/or professional responsibilities to binge it. in this instance, i did both. Teammates to Lovers is an easy addition to my comfort rereads list. i can’t wait to grab a physical copy upon release!
September 11, 2026
Have you ever read a book and the entire time you feel like you’re in a fever dream because this topic is just so niche that there’s no way someone actually wrote about it and it has to be made up in your head?
Well that’s exactly how I felt reading this. It was pretty good. The main characters do get infuriating in regards to making a move but you’re supposed to feel that way so kudos to the author.
My only gripe is I wish we got more real relationship? Like the fanfic relationship was cool but I wanted more real relationship between them.
But if you love fanfic and hockey and hockey fanfic then this is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Well that’s exactly how I felt reading this. It was pretty good. The main characters do get infuriating in regards to making a move but you’re supposed to feel that way so kudos to the author.
My only gripe is I wish we got more real relationship? Like the fanfic relationship was cool but I wanted more real relationship between them.
But if you love fanfic and hockey and hockey fanfic then this is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I loved every second of this. The concept already won me over, like queer hockey and fanfiction??? Yes, please, sign me tf up. I audibly gasped (at work) when I got access to the ARC. And then it was executed perfectly, literally no notes. I loved Will and Théo both individually and together, in a totally not codependent way, of course. I really liked that the whole story was told solely in Will’s POV. I feel like we got to know him so well by the end. The yestheowill reveal was everything and dual/alternating POV would’ve robbed us of it. The slow burn was well worth the wait and I thought the ending fic summary page was so cute. Also love that we got to read Théo’s fic!!
A gigantic thank you to the publisher for the ARC!! I’m so excited to see what Jenny Linsky writes next!
A gigantic thank you to the publisher for the ARC!! I’m so excited to see what Jenny Linsky writes next!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
So I’ve (on my darling love, Laura’s recommendation) read some of Jenny linskys hockey rpf fics and because of that I was so excited to see that she had a trad pub debut coming out. This books was such an immense joy to read. It felt like all of the best things about reading fic, the longing, the slow burn, the smut. What I loved so much about this book was that it was kind of satirical (playfully making fun of ao3 and the way that fandoms operate), genuinely funny (like I was giggling and laughing aloud), and a love letter to fan fiction. As someone who holds immense love for all of those things, I couldn’t have imagined this book done in a more respectful, loving, and fun way. To be loved is to be seen and linsky loves her ao3 community.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really loved the idea for this book, the description immediately made me want to read it. I love a good mm hockey romance, and this one was so unique with the fanfic aspect to it. This was a slow burn, not super spicy, teammates and best friends to lovers romance, and I really loved Will and Théo's relationship. I wish we had gotten to see more of their relationship once they finally got together or some from Théo's pov. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I especially liked the fanfic they wrote together at the end.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
September 15, 2026I love hockey romances and MM romances, and the topics/tropes were super interesting and I was really looking forward to this book!! But sadly, it just wasn’t for me!!
I really struggled with the text messages being mid paragraphs and not formatted like a text message? It was hard to follow! Which led me to skimming a lot of the paragraphs to just find dialogue.
And I truly believe if this book was in Wills POV and not 3rd person, it would have been so much better!!
I wish I was able to enjoy this book but it was just a miss for me!!
I really struggled with the text messages being mid paragraphs and not formatted like a text message? It was hard to follow! Which led me to skimming a lot of the paragraphs to just find dialogue.
And I truly believe if this book was in Wills POV and not 3rd person, it would have been so much better!!
I wish I was able to enjoy this book but it was just a miss for me!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
RATING: 4.75/5 STARS
A MUST READ for HEATED RIVALRY fans and AO3 addicts!! Two hockey players secretly writing about each other <3 I was obsessed with the premise from the start and it was executed incredibly well. Just trust, you will not be disappointed! The tension was so delicious it gave fanfic level butterflies. Will and Théo were the cutest. There was a little hint at the end for a possible next couple and I really hope we’ll get their book!
A MUST READ for HEATED RIVALRY fans and AO3 addicts!! Two hockey players secretly writing about each other <3 I was obsessed with the premise from the start and it was executed incredibly well. Just trust, you will not be disappointed! The tension was so delicious it gave fanfic level butterflies. Will and Théo were the cutest. There was a little hint at the end for a possible next couple and I really hope we’ll get their book!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
thank you netgalley for the ARC!
hey so this was actually incredible. if you’re looking for yearning and pining, this is the book to read. i’m obsessed with will and théo and will be for awhile. thank you so much jenny linsky for writing this incredible novel. please keep writing more so i can eat it up!
hey so this was actually incredible. if you’re looking for yearning and pining, this is the book to read. i’m obsessed with will and théo and will be for awhile. thank you so much jenny linsky for writing this incredible novel. please keep writing more so i can eat it up!
September 14, 2026
Firstly, I am very grateful to have been granted an ARC through NetGalley; however, that will not affect my honest review.
There’s no way something like this would ever happen in real life, but that’s what I loved about it. It was every fan girl’s dream. I appreciated that it was relatively lighthearted without being shallow. It was perfect, honestly.
There’s no way something like this would ever happen in real life, but that’s what I loved about it. It was every fan girl’s dream. I appreciated that it was relatively lighthearted without being shallow. It was perfect, honestly.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
WOW!! Such a fun premise executed in the best way! I absolutely adored Will and Theo’s pining for one another through fics it was too stinkin cute!!
10/10 recommend this book!
WOW!! Such a fun premise executed in the best way! I absolutely adored Will and Theo’s pining for one another through fics it was too stinkin cute!!
10/10 recommend this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2026
The yearning! The slloooooow burn. The fanfic.
If you like that this book is definitely for you!
For me though I wanted it to live a little less in the fanfic and a little more in reality.
Worth the read for sure!
3.5 stars
1.5 chili peppers
If you like that this book is definitely for you!
For me though I wanted it to live a little less in the fanfic and a little more in reality.
Worth the read for sure!
3.5 stars
1.5 chili peppers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Damn, this was cute!
Review TK.
Review TK.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for the arc!
This was so much fun! Rtc
This was so much fun! Rtc
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
omg this book
I couldn’t stop reading
and smiling
and giggling
and kicking my feet
I couldn’t stop reading
and smiling
and giggling
and kicking my feet
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