This novel reminded me of many of the romance novels I read in my first year of this hobby, in the first year of COVID. I enjoyed them more then, than now, when they had a novelty factor.

This is about a young woman who's in love with, or infatuated with? a hockey player whom she has known since she was a child. I forget how she comes to live with him and she longs for something to develop. He regards her as a kid - or he does his best too - since he considers her off limits.

And so the gist of the novel is how they navigate the hurdles on their way to realising love. Their lack of communication, bruised egos, misplaced chivalry, lack of any ability to romance each other, and so on, hamper both of them. Basically, neither of them have any experience in relationships, and they only seem to learn anything by a kind friend or two dropping advice.

Haven't read anything by Odette Stone before and I'm prepared to try another.

Home Game is narrated by the distinctive voice of Alex Kidd as Ryan, and I think his droll tone kinda works for this kinda novel.

Second narrator is Madeleine Dauer as Zoey, and unfortunately she has a whiney part to play.

This is described as a sports romance, but there is so little sport, or even sports related stuff in Ryan's portrayal, that I would disagree. Now it is me who is whining but this hockey novel can't be compared with Rachel Reid's Game Changer series, can it?!@#$! ( )

This is def a new adult romance favorite. I am not the biggest of fan of sports romance but the main characters and also the side characters captured my heart, I also loved the slow burn elements in this read, I thought that because of the situations between the main character the slow burn made the most sense. I also loved the caretaking that happen in this book. This is one of the few romances that i not only understood the third act breakup but it killed me! I will def check out the other books in this series!! ( )

This is def a new adult romance favorite. I am not the biggest of fan of sports romance but the main characters and also the side characters captured my heart, I also loved the slow burn elements in this read, I thought that because of the situations between the main character the slow burn made the most sense. I also loved the caretaking that happen in this book. This is one of the few romances that i not only understood the third act breakup but it killed me! I will def check out the other books in this series!! ( )

I loved the first 75% of this book. It was such a sweet and organic love story. I loved how even thought it didn't make sense, Zoey and Ryan were so right for each other and just what the other needed. It was such a satisfying slow burn. Until it wasn't. Then an entirely unnecessary obstacle came between them and I couldn't even enjoy the book after that point. It left me disappointed and let down. It's like the end didn't really connect with the first part of the book. 4 stars for the first 75%, 2.5 stars for the rest. ( )

What an absolute delight! The depth and complexity of characters and their relationship is such a rarity in this genre (that I love, don't get me wrong). From the meet-cute onward, this story is unique and surprising, and the author has a gentle deftness at handling complex situations. With the added healthy dose of hockey to the mix, this is everything I want in a romance. All the stars, all the hearts! ( )