Review Detail

The story:

Jesse Kerrigan has it all: good looks, charisma, and popularity. Even though he’s captain of a winless hockey team mired in last place, he’s the guy everyone loves… with the exception of Charlotte Morrison, a figure staking phenom determined not to stray from the path that leads to Olympic gold. Though their personalities seem incompatible on the surface, the two discover that they may need each other more than both realize.


What I loved:

Everything. It would have been so easy to make these characters unlikeable, given how teens that fit this mold are often portrayed in fiction as arrogant, entitled jerks. Getting the know Jesse and Charlotte, from their wildly different family dynamics to their strangely similar motivations – she wants, just once, to be part of something bigger, while he just wants, just once, to win – made for one delightful journey. Throw in supporting characters, not all of which are rote figures in YA fiction, and I was hooked from Chapter One.


What I didn’t love:

Um… that it ended?


My Final Verdict:

Given the huge body of work Michelle McQueen has created in the past few years, spanning multiple genres and tastes, it’s no surprise that Jesse and The Ice Princess is a winner. It’s sweet and fun and funny and heartwarming. And who doesn’t love a good underdog story?