e-ALC, 09:26:57
Narrated by: Katie Schorr
Release Date: January 13, 2026
Published by: HarperCollins
Read from: January 16-17, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Body Shaming, Eating Disorder, Sexual Content
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary Romance, Audio, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, SportsShe’s chasing gold. He’s chasing forgiveness. The Winter Olympics heat up as two comeback stories collide.
Quinn Albright was America’s figure skating darling until a humiliating Olympic performance splashed her across every headline. Now she’s back, stronger than ever, ready to claim the gold medal on her own terms—no PR fluff, no perfect princess act, just the real, unapologetic Quinn.
But the one distraction she didn’t train for? Bennett Martino. Once the golden boy of speed skating, Bennett’s reputation took a hit he’s still paying for. The chance to host a sporty news magazine show is the perfect redemption arc, and nothing would boost his ratings more than an inside look at Quinn’s comeback. There’s just one issue—she’s the last person who wants him around.
As this year’s Olympic Games commence, past mistakes, shared secrets, and unrelenting chemistry collide. With cameras rolling and the ice melting under their skates, Quinn and Bennett must figure out if they can rewrite their stories—or crash and burn.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This obviously made it’s way to my TBR because of the winter Olympics. I will admit, with all my love for sports, the Winter Olympics aren’t my favorite. But I thought if anything could change my mind…. It’d be a book.
Unfortunately it wasn’t this book. This one was a little basic. They really hit every single trope during the course of this book. And they had almost every stereotype too. And even with all of that, it was still pretty basic. They didn’t really have anything to make me say “OMG this is so cool!” It was mostly just let me finish this so I can add it to my read list. I just didn’t see anything that made this special.
One thing that annoyed me tho was the no backstory. I know this doesn’t always make a big deal, but it is for me. I hate when it seems like the story started right in the middle of nowhere. And this one does that exactly. Like they just randomly mention an eating disorder, but it’s like in an off handed comment about why she doesn’t want to see her. It just made me feel weird because if you’re going to add something this serious, why not tell about everything? It just felt like a plot hole that fell into the story that was already open. And then when it was time for them to talk to her parents about it, she basically came out with her agent and made jokes about it at the end. And that just felt disingenuous.
I guess for the most part this book had a bad habit of telling and not showing. And for this to be a romance book, I essentially felt nothing when I read this. I didn’t get attached to any of the characters and I wanted to know more about somethings and when I didn’t get it I was disappointed. I think I would have gotten more emotional had I been watching the documentary on her that she did in the story.
The romance was what made me keep this in my hands. Not because I liked it, but I was interested. There’s an age gap, but I can’t remember by how much. Idr if they even said. I was just being nosey. But Bennett was actually pretty ok, but Quinn was insufferable. She only started to be ok when she was with Bennett. And I HATE having to type that. But here we are. It was ok, but I think it could have been way better.
In reality this could have been so much better. But I do see the appeal and I do see why some people will pick this up and eat this up when it’s time for the Olympics in a few days. I think I just wasn’t the right person for this book. Although it had all the things I would love, it just didn’t work for me. And that’s ok. I know so many more people who might like it instead.
Overall, I give this
