I closed Icebreaker and just sat there for a minute. Then I did the thing everyone does after a book like that: opened a new tab and typed “books like Icebreaker” into Google.
I wasn’t looking for another hockey romance I was looking for another book that made me care about the characters the same way.
If you’re reading this, you probably did the same thing. Hannah Grace wrote something that’s hard to replace. It’s not just the hockey setting or the enemies to lovers setup; it’s how slow everything moves, how long you wait for Anna and Nate to actually get somewhere.
Most books either rush that part or drag it out for no reason. This one gets the pacing right. I spent a few weeks after finishing it just picking up random sports romances, hoping one would scratch the same itch. Some got close. Most didn’t.
Quick note before the list: if you’re curious how far things go between Anna and Nate, I broke that down separately in our icebreaker spicy chapters post.
Here’s what I’d actually recommend if you’re still thinking about this book.
Last Updated: 19 July 2026
CONTENT WARNING: Some books on this list include explicit sexual content, strong language, and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised.
11 Books Like Icebreaker to Read After Finishing It
1. The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Sports Romance / College Romance
Publication Date: February 24, 2015
Pages: 360
Goodreads Rating: ~4.22/5
Spice Level: 4/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
If you’re working through a list of books like Icebreaker, The Deal deserves a spot near the top. Hannah Wells needs a fake boyfriend to impress her ex.
Garrett Graham, the college hockey team’s captain, needs a tutor to keep his grades up and stay on the team. So they strike a deal: she’ll pretend to date him, he’ll let her help him pass his classes. Simple enough, until it isn’t.
What makes this one click is the banter. Garrett is cocky in a way that’s actually funny, not annoying, and Hannah gives it right back to him instead of melting the second he shows interest. Neither of them takes the other too seriously, at least not at first.
It’s got the same college sports backdrop as Icebreaker, the same slow shift from fake to real, and characters who feel like actual people instead of tropes wearing jerseys. If that combination worked for you once, it’ll work again here.
Off-Campus Series
- The Deal
- The Mistake
- The Score
- The Goal
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
The closest comparison. College hockey romance, funny banter, fake dating/tutoring setup, emotionally guarded hero, confident heroine, found family among teammates, lots of chemistry and spice. If you loved Nate and Anastasia’s dynamic, you’ll probably love Garrett and Hannah.
2. Collide by Bal Khabra
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Sports Romance / College Romance
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Pages: 400
Goodreads Rating: ~3.95/5
Spice Level: 4/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
I read Icebreaker, then Wildfire, then sat there wondering what was left. Collide by Bal Khabra turned out to be the answer, and it might be the closest match I’ve found on any books like Icebreaker list.
The setup follows Summer Preston, a psychology student who wants nothing to do with hockey after watching the sport take her father away from their family.
Her professor forces her hand anyway, assigning her a research project on the team, which means working closely with team captain Aiden Crawford.
He’s confident- easygoing, everything Summer isn’t, and their early clashes turn into something neither of them planned for.
What makes this one work is the balance. It’s funny without losing its emotional weight, and Summer’s walls don’t come down overnight; they build slowly, the way real trust does.
Aiden matches her energy the whole way through without ever feeling like a stretch. If Icebreaker left a gap, this book comes close to filling it.
Off the Ice Series
- Collide
- Spiral
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
College sports romance with a hockey player and an academic heroine. Similar mix of emotional vulnerability, humor, strong supporting cast, and gradual relationship development. The sports atmosphere feels very much like Icebreaker.
3. Wildfire by Hannah Grace
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Sports Romance
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
Pages: 400
Goodreads Rating: ~4.16/5
Spice Level: 4/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Wildfire is Hannah Grace’s follow-up to Icebreaker, and it moves away from the rink into something warmer, a whole summer at camp.
This one follows Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts, two Maple Hills students who share a one-night stand at an end-of-year party, then part ways before either learns the other’s last name.
Neither expects to see the other again. Then they both show up as camp counselors for the summer, stuck working side by side in a place they’d each hoped would be an escape from their complicated home lives.
What stands out here is how different the pacing feels from Icebreaker. This isn’t a slow burn; it moves fast, then settles into something steadier as Russ and Aurora figure out what they actually want from each other.
Familiar faces from the first book show up too, which makes it feel like catching up with old friends.
Curious how far things go between them? Our wildfire spicy chapters post covers that separately.
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Same author and same universe. Features Russ and Aurora from the Maple Hills series. Similar writing style, witty dialogue, emotional growth, friend group, and heartfelt romance. Slightly more mature emotionally than Icebreaker.
4. Consider Me by Becka Mack
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Hockey Romance
Publication Date: September 3, 2024 (Slowburn edition)
Pages: 480
Goodreads Rating: ~4.28/5
Spice Level: 5/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Consider Me was the book that got me into Becka Mack’s writing, and it’s easily one of the books similar to Icebreaker that actually holds up.
Carter Beckett is the Vancouver Vipers’ captain, cocky, charming, and used to getting whatever he wants both on and off the ice.
Olivia Parker is a schoolteacher who wants nothing to do with him. He decides to change her mind anyway, and what starts as persistence turns into something Carter didn’t expect to feel.
What sets this one apart is how much depth sits underneath the humor. Carter isn’t just a playboy learning to behave; there’s real vulnerability behind his confidence, and Olivia’s guardedness comes from somewhere real too.
The banter is sharp, the side characters are just as fun, and the slow build toward trust feels earned instead of rushed.
If you loved the hockey world and the tension in Icebreaker, this one delivers the same pull.
Playing for Keeps Series
- Consider Me
- Play with Me
- Unravel Me
- Fall with Me
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Hockey romance with a charismatic golden-retriever hero who falls hard. Lots of flirting, humor, supportive teammates, emotional depth beneath the comedy, and high spice. Similar feel-good energy.
5. The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy
Genre: Contemporary Romance / College Romance / Sports Romance
Publication Date: May 14, 2024
Pages: 512
Goodreads Rating: ~4.14/5
Spice Level: 4/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Elle Kennedy knows how to write hockey romance, and The Dixon Rule might be her funniest one yet.
Diana Dixon is a cheer captain at Briar University with her hands full, two jobs: a ballroom dance competition, and an ex who won’t take the hint.
Then Shane Lindley, a hockey player with a reputation for hooking up with anyone on her squad, moves into her building. She sets rules. He breaks them one by one, on purpose.
What I liked most is how this book balances its tone. The banter is sharp and genuinely funny, but Kennedy doesn’t shy away from heavier moments either; both Diana and Shane are dealing with real struggles underneath the humor, and that mix gives the romance more weight than a typical enemies-to-lovers setup.
If you want that same sports romance energy with a Briar University twist, this one belongs on your shelf.
Campus Diaries Series
- The Graham Effect
- The Dixon Rule
- The Charlie Method
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
College hockey romance in the Campus Diaries series. Features college life, teammates, funny friendships, emotional tension, slow-building romance, and strong chemistry. Similar balance of humor and feelings.
6. Daydream by Hannah Grace
Genre: Contemporary Romance / College Romance
Publication Date: August 27, 2024
Pages: 448
Goodreads Rating: ~4.12/5
Spice Level: 2.5/5🌶️🌶️
Daydream rounds out the Maple Hills series, and it might be the most emotionally grounded book of the three.
This one follows Henry Turner, the hockey team’s new captain who never wanted the title, and Halle Jacobs, a fellow student he meets by accident when he crashes her book club.
Henry’s drowning under academic pressure and responsibilities he didn’t ask for. Halle is quietly dealing with her own past and the weight of being the person everyone else leans on. What starts as a tutoring arrangement turns into something that helps them both.
This book slows things down compared to Icebreaker and Wildfire. It’s softer, more about emotional healing than fast chemistry, and that shift works because you already know this world by the time you get here.
Honestly, if you’ve only read one book from the Maple Hills series, you’re missing half the picture. Read all three; they build on each other in a way that makes the whole series worth it.
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Another Maple Hills novel. College romance with cozy vibes, lovable characters, emotional healing, and Hannah Grace’s signature warm writing style. Less sports-focused but similar emotional comfort.
7. Mile High by Liz Tomforde
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Sports Romance
Publication Date: June 4, 2024 (Bloom Books edition)
Pages: 624
Goodreads Rating: ~4.19/5
Spice Level: 4/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Mile High is the sports romance I recommend when someone wants Icebreaker energy but with a hockey team’s private jet instead of a rink.
Evan Zanders is the Chicago Raptors’ resident bad boy, known more for his time in the penalty box and his revolving door of women than anything else.
Stevie Shay is the team’s new flight attendant, unimpressed by his reputation and not interested in becoming his next headline.
Forced into close quarters on every road trip, their constant back and forth slowly turns into something neither one saw coming.
What makes this one stand out is the balance between banter and depth. Zanders isn’t just a player with a bad reputation; there’s real weight behind why he acts the way he does, and Stevie has her own guard up for reasons that unfold slowly.
It’s the first book in the Windy City series, and it sets up a world readers keep coming back to.
- Mile High
- The Right Move
- Caught Up
- Play Along
- Rewind It Back
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Professional hockey instead of college. Grumpy athlete × independent heroine, emotional healing, excellent banter, found family, lots of character development, and steamy romance. More mature than Icebreaker.
8. Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
Genre: New Adult Romance / Sports Romance
Publication Date: May 24, 2023 (Bloom Books edition)
Pages: 736
Goodreads Rating: ~4.43/5
Spice Level: 3/5🌶️🌶️🌶️
Binding 13 is a different kind of read compared to the others on this list: less sports romance banter, more raw coming-of-age story.
Set in a small town in Ireland, it follows Shannon Lynch and Johnny Kavanagh, two teenagers at very different points in life.
Shannon has been bullied for years and just wants to get through school unnoticed. Johnny is the school’s star rugby player, carrying pressure and secrets of his own.
When Shannon transfers to Johnny’s school, their paths cross, and what starts as an unlikely connection turns into something neither of them planned for.
This one leans heavier than most books on this list. Chloe Walsh doesn’t shy away from difficult topics like abuse and trauma, and the story earns its emotional weight because of that.
It’s the first book in the Boys of Tommen series, and readers tend to fall hard for this world fast. Worth a heads-up: this one deals with heavier themes than a typical sports romance, so it’s worth checking content warnings before jumping in.
Boys of Tommen series
- Binding 13
- Keeping 13
- Saving 6
- Redeeming 6
- Taming 7
- Feeling 12
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Rugby instead of hockey, but similar emotional core. College-aged characters, protective athlete hero, sweet slow burn, strong friendships, trauma healing, and deep emotional investment. Much heavier emotionally than Icebreaker.
9. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Contemporary Romance / STEM Romance
Publication Date: September 14, 2021
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: ~4.13/5
Spice Level: 3/5🌶️🌶️🌶️
I first picked this one up thinking it would be a light campus rom-com, and it is, but it’s also smarter than most books in that lane.
If you’re looking for books like Icebreaker with the same fake dating setup and slow-burn tension, The Love Hypothesis fits right in.
Olive Smith is a PhD candidate who kisses a stranger to convince her friend she’s moved on from an ex, and that stranger turns out to be Adam Carlsen, the most feared professor in her department.
What starts as a favor to save face turns into a fake relationship neither of them expected to take seriously.
Ali Hazelwood writes academia in a way that feels lived-in, since she’s actually spent years in STEM herself, and it shows in the details.
Olive is sharp and a little awkward; Adam is blunt and unreadable until he isn’t, and their slow shift from pretend to real feels earned.
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Similar witty banter, fake dating, STEM/academic setting instead of sports, emotionally awkward hero, smart heroine, slow burn, and satisfying payoff. If you enjoyed the relationship development more than the hockey, this is a great match.
10. The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Sports Romance
Publication Date: June 4, 2024 (Bloom Books edition)
Pages: 592
Goodreads Rating: ~4.37/5
Spice Level: 4/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The Right Move picks up in the same Windy City world as Mile High, this time trading hockey for basketball.
Ryan Shay just became captain of Chicago’s NBA team, and his life runs on strict routine, no distractions, no exceptions.
Then his twin sister’s best friend, Indy Ivers, moves into his apartment after a rough breakup, and everything about his controlled world starts to shift. To help his public image and to give Indy a date for an upcoming wedding, they agree to fake date.
Living under one roof makes it hard to keep the lines as clean as they planned. What makes this one work is the contrast. Ryan is guarded and disciplined, Indy is open and a little chaotic, and watching them meet in the middle feels genuine instead of forced.
It also helps that familiar faces from Mile High show up throughout, making the world feel connected without needing to read the books in order.
Windy City Series
- Mile High
- The Right Move
- Caught Up
- Play Along
- Rewind It Back
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Professional basketball romance with roommates-to-lovers. Similar healthy relationship, emotional maturity, supportive friends, excellent banter, and slow burn. Less comedy than Icebreaker but equally heartwarming.
11. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Friends-to-Lovers
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
Pages: 364
Goodreads Rating: ~3.95/5
Spice Level: 3/5🌶️🌶️🌶️
People We Meet on Vacation is the book I recommend to anyone who wants Emily Henry’s signature mix of banter and heartbreak in one story.
Poppy and Alex are opposites who somehow became best friends in college, and for a decade after, they’ve taken one big trip together every summer, no matter how far apart their regular lives keep them.
Then one trip goes wrong, and they stop speaking entirely. Two years later, Poppy convinces Alex to try one more vacation, hoping it’ll fix what broke between them.
The story moves back and forth between past summers and the present trip, and that structure does a lot of the heavy lifting.
You watch their friendship build over the years at the same time you’re waiting to find out what actually happened in Croatia. It’s funny, it’s a little sad in places, and the tension between them never really lets up.
Why it’s similar to Icebreaker:
Not a sports romance, but similar because of the emotional slow burn, playful banter, friends-to-lovers relationship, and deep character growth. Much lower spice and more focused on emotional intimacy.
Related: Top 11 Friends to Lovers Books You Shouldn’t Miss
Which Should You Read First?
With this many options on the list, picking a starting point can feel overwhelming. Here’s how to match the book to the mood you’re chasing:
- Want more of the same world? Start with Wildfire, then Daydream. Both stay in Maple Hills and bring back familiar faces.
- Want another hockey romance but a new cast? Collide or The Dixon Rule are the best bets, same sport, same tension, different characters.
- Want basketball instead of hockey? Go with The Right Move.
- Want banter without the sports element? The Love Hypothesis nails that fake-dating, slow-burn feel.
- Want something emotional and a little different? Binding 13 hits harder and goes deeper into trauma and healing.
- Want a summer trip instead of a locker room? People We Meet on Vacation is the pick.
Conclusion
That’s the full list of books like Icebreaker worth adding to your shelf. Some lean into hockey and sports romance, others move into slow burns and fake dating, but each one carries that same pull, banter that hits, characters worth rooting for, and a slow build that pays off.
If Icebreaker left you wanting more, any of these will fill that gap. Some are lighter, some go deeper, but none of them feel like a downgrade.
Already read one from this list? Drop a comment and tell us which pairing you had hooked the fastest.
FAQs
Q.1 Are there other hockey romance books like Icebreaker?
Ans. Yes! If you loved Icebreaker, try The Deal, Collide, Consider Me, The Dixon Rule, and The Graham Effect for the same mix of hockey, romance, banter, and spice.
Q.2 Is Icebreaker part of a series?
Yes. Icebreaker is the first book in Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills series, followed by Wildfire and Daydream.
Q.3 Who should read Icebreaker?
Ans. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy college romance, hockey players, slow-burn relationships, found family, witty banter, and plenty of spice.
Q.4 Are there books like Icebreaker with strong female athletes?
Ans. Yes. Icebreaker is known for featuring a competitive figure skater, and Collide and The Graham Effect also feature ambitious heroines balancing academics, athletics, and romance.
Q.5. Is Icebreaker a spicy book?
Ans. Yes, it has explicit scenes, though they’re woven into the story rather than being the main focus. Most books on this list follow a similar approach.
Hi, I’m Nik — a passionate reader with a soft spot for romance and a deep love for fantasy. I started this journey to connect with fellow book lovers and help readers discover magical worlds, epic adventures, and hidden gems that deserve more attention. Whether it’s a slow-burn romance, a best-friends-to-lovers story, or an epic fantasy with rich lore, I’m here to guide you to your next favorite read. My content is all about sharing honest book reviews (I am not a pro), thoughtful reading guides, and diving deep into the fantasy and romance genres. If you’re looking for real opinions, underrated book recommendations, or just a place to celebrate the joy of reading, you’re in the right place. Let’s explore powerful love stories and unforgettable worlds—one book at a time.