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Vernon High Chronicles #1
Any Way You Slice It
Penelope Spaulding just can't catch a break. Between long hours at the family pizza shop, piles of homework, and her dad’s new obsession—getting the restaurant on a new foodie reality show—it's hard to find a spare moment to breathe. But when she laces up her skates and steps on the ice, the world is hers to control and everything else slips away.
When the bad boy who lives down the street dares her to join the Rink Rats, the local misfit hockey team, she surprises herself and joins in silent defiance of her controlling parents.
The more she plays, the easier it is to keep lying, and soon Pen finds it impossible to come clean. She’s sneaking out to practice—and loving every minute of it. It doesn’t take long for her to fall in love with hockey…but she’s not entirely sure if it’s the game she’s falling for or the boy. Because it can’t last. As soon as her dad finds out, she’ll be benched. For good.
And the one thing she IS sure of...she can't stop playing.
When the bad boy who lives down the street dares her to join the Rink Rats, the local misfit hockey team, she surprises herself and joins in silent defiance of her controlling parents.
The more she plays, the easier it is to keep lying, and soon Pen finds it impossible to come clean. She’s sneaking out to practice—and loving every minute of it. It doesn’t take long for her to fall in love with hockey…but she’s not entirely sure if it’s the game she’s falling for or the boy. Because it can’t last. As soon as her dad finds out, she’ll be benched. For good.
And the one thing she IS sure of...she can't stop playing.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2015
3 people are currently reading
1090 people want to read
About the author
Kristine Carlson Asselin
32 books99 followersKristine Carlson Asselin's second YA novel FALLING FOR WONDER BOY is available now from Wicked Whale Publishing.
Asselin's debut YA novel ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT (originally published with Bloomsbury Spark, rereleased by Wicked Whale Publishing) is now available.
THE ART OF THE SWAP (Simon and Schuster), co-authored with Jen Malone, came out in spring 2018.
She has also published sixteen nonfiction books with both Capstone Press and Abdo Publishing for the school library market. She tweets at @KristineAsselin as well as her alter ego @QueryGodmother, where she tweets query tips and suggestions.
Find out more about Kristine at www.kristineasselin.com or www.krisasselin.blogspot.com.
Asselin's debut YA novel ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT (originally published with Bloomsbury Spark, rereleased by Wicked Whale Publishing) is now available.
THE ART OF THE SWAP (Simon and Schuster), co-authored with Jen Malone, came out in spring 2018.
She has also published sixteen nonfiction books with both Capstone Press and Abdo Publishing for the school library market. She tweets at @KristineAsselin as well as her alter ego @QueryGodmother, where she tweets query tips and suggestions.
Find out more about Kristine at www.kristineasselin.com or www.krisasselin.blogspot.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 24, 2015
This book has 'adorable' written all over it. I like that while it's cute and adorable it also deals with serious and important stuff. I love parents. I love that they have our best interest in their hearts. But as much as they love us- there are still some unavoidable agreements that bounds to happen.
So why am I saying this? Its because of our main character's situation. Her parents have a different idea for her when it comes to the career she'll be pursuing. It was amazing how much I relate to Penelope. Maybe because I've been in her situation but Kristine Asselin really wrote a believable teenager who is struggling to make her own dreams happen. I was touched by how much persistent she can be. Sure, there are a lot of lies and sneaking around that happened but it was great how she realized how bad that was. And as a teenager myself, I understand her. I'm sure you will too no matter what your age is.
The romance was simple and sweet. Not really my usual cuppa since I enjoy the NA/A Romance more but I still enjoyed it. The love interest has his own issues that needs to be dealt with and it was great that it was tackled accordingly. The characters are young and the level of their intimacy is just perfect!
I am impressed too and very much intrigued now with Hockey because of this book. I was not a fan back then but because of the glimpses that Kristen Asselin showed us when it comes to Hockey really caught my attention. The excitement was very much present. The urge to cheer for Pen cannot be ignored. And I was rooting for her the whole time. I can't help but feel like I was inside the book. Standing with the audience.
The family aspect was well done. I love how realistic Pen's relationship is to her family and even to her bestfriend who is so hilarious btw! I like the pizza place that they have and even their crew. Kristine just made me care for all of them.
I still don't know whether I should sing or crave for pizza whenever I read this title but one thing I know though is that I truly enjoyed reading it. It was funny and heartfelt. I recommend Pen's adventures for readers who wants to be encouraged to chase her own dreams. And if you're a parent? This is a MUST for your kids!
So why am I saying this? Its because of our main character's situation. Her parents have a different idea for her when it comes to the career she'll be pursuing. It was amazing how much I relate to Penelope. Maybe because I've been in her situation but Kristine Asselin really wrote a believable teenager who is struggling to make her own dreams happen. I was touched by how much persistent she can be. Sure, there are a lot of lies and sneaking around that happened but it was great how she realized how bad that was. And as a teenager myself, I understand her. I'm sure you will too no matter what your age is.
The romance was simple and sweet. Not really my usual cuppa since I enjoy the NA/A Romance more but I still enjoyed it. The love interest has his own issues that needs to be dealt with and it was great that it was tackled accordingly. The characters are young and the level of their intimacy is just perfect!
I am impressed too and very much intrigued now with Hockey because of this book. I was not a fan back then but because of the glimpses that Kristen Asselin showed us when it comes to Hockey really caught my attention. The excitement was very much present. The urge to cheer for Pen cannot be ignored. And I was rooting for her the whole time. I can't help but feel like I was inside the book. Standing with the audience.
The family aspect was well done. I love how realistic Pen's relationship is to her family and even to her bestfriend who is so hilarious btw! I like the pizza place that they have and even their crew. Kristine just made me care for all of them.
I still don't know whether I should sing or crave for pizza whenever I read this title but one thing I know though is that I truly enjoyed reading it. It was funny and heartfelt. I recommend Pen's adventures for readers who wants to be encouraged to chase her own dreams. And if you're a parent? This is a MUST for your kids!
November 1, 2017
What a perfect slice of pie or should I say pizza. Any way you slice it reads like a movie and I loved every minute of it.
•Underdog hockey team- check
•Romance-check
•Family with a perfect dynamic- check
•Misunderstood bad boy- check
•Warm and fuzzies- double check. This book ticked all the right boxes for me.
Penelope loves to Ice skate, but her overprotective father forbids her to entertain the idea of playing hockey. He believes it is too dangerous. Penelope's dad has his own sights set on her future and wants her to continue the family legacy. Slice is the best pizza house around and Penelope is already dedicated to helping out. She just needs a break. Something to call her own.
Cue the towns bad boy, Jake with a dare that involves holding a hockey stick and Penelope is hooked. She joins the Rink Rats, a misfit hockey team who haven't won a game in years. They need Pen even if she is a novice. Jake and Penelope used to be best friends until it all went wrong. Now Penelope is doubting everything she thought she knew about him and can't help swooning over his good lucks.
This book had so much to offer and I was hooked on every word. I loved the family relationships and extended family business relationships. The hockey and friendships were good. Pen and Jake were perfect for each other. The story was everything I look for in a good book. 5 stars out of 5.
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review* Awesome book!!
•Underdog hockey team- check
•Romance-check
•Family with a perfect dynamic- check
•Misunderstood bad boy- check
•Warm and fuzzies- double check. This book ticked all the right boxes for me.
Penelope loves to Ice skate, but her overprotective father forbids her to entertain the idea of playing hockey. He believes it is too dangerous. Penelope's dad has his own sights set on her future and wants her to continue the family legacy. Slice is the best pizza house around and Penelope is already dedicated to helping out. She just needs a break. Something to call her own.
Cue the towns bad boy, Jake with a dare that involves holding a hockey stick and Penelope is hooked. She joins the Rink Rats, a misfit hockey team who haven't won a game in years. They need Pen even if she is a novice. Jake and Penelope used to be best friends until it all went wrong. Now Penelope is doubting everything she thought she knew about him and can't help swooning over his good lucks.
This book had so much to offer and I was hooked on every word. I loved the family relationships and extended family business relationships. The hockey and friendships were good. Pen and Jake were perfect for each other. The story was everything I look for in a good book. 5 stars out of 5.
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review* Awesome book!!
October 16, 2017
Readers of Any Way You Slice It...If you'd be interested in a deleted "first kiss" scene between Pen and Jake, register for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/rb4-f
November 1, 2017
Ice hockey. Cute romance. Pizza. What more could you want? Any Way You Slice It is the perfect light-hearted YA contemporary.
For Penelope, skating gives her a break from school and endlessly working at her family's pizza restaurant. When Jake, resident bad boy and her old friend turned we-don't-speak-anymore-because-of-that-6th-grade-incident enemy, asks Pen to join their recreational ice hockey team, Pen surprises herself by considering it. But she knows her father will never let her play hockey, especially now when he is solely focused on getting their restaurant on a (sure-to-be-humiliating) TV show. But Pen can't resist the game or Jake's company and soon she is wrapped up in a tangle of lies, which, if she doesn't manage a spectacular interception soon, is set to be revealed on national TV.
Every now and again I love sinking into a low-drama, high-fun novel, and Any Way You Slice It suited perfectly. And actually there is quite a bit of drama, but it's all light-hearted. Penelope spends the majority of the book lying to various family members and friends. She is stressed, I was stressed! That emotional tightrope of wanting something so badly combined with knowing if your family discovered your secret there would be no way they would let you continue, is captured so well in this book. Pen is a relatable character. She doesn't want to lie and that prevents this novel from becoming too melodramatic. She loves her family, even if she questions her father's overprotectiveness.
The romance is very sweet. Jake and Penelope were once friends and became sort-of enemies in middle-school. Both are older now and ready to look past mistakes and misunderstandings. They make a very cute couple, and there are not too many bumps in the road to their renewed friendship and romantic relationship, which I really enjoyed.
Of course, aside of pizza (which made me very hungry), light family drama, and cute romance, the main focus of this book is ice hockey. I've come to really enjoy sports books and Any Way You Slice It was no exception. In fact, I would have liked more scenes to be set at the team's practice or games. I loved the way Pen slowly becomes a part of the team, and how her fellow team members change how they view her. The ending was predictably awesome, which I loved!!
If you are looking for a fun, sport-centred, pizza-heavy YA contemporary, then Any Way You Slice It is the book for you.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library.
For Penelope, skating gives her a break from school and endlessly working at her family's pizza restaurant. When Jake, resident bad boy and her old friend turned we-don't-speak-anymore-because-of-that-6th-grade-incident enemy, asks Pen to join their recreational ice hockey team, Pen surprises herself by considering it. But she knows her father will never let her play hockey, especially now when he is solely focused on getting their restaurant on a (sure-to-be-humiliating) TV show. But Pen can't resist the game or Jake's company and soon she is wrapped up in a tangle of lies, which, if she doesn't manage a spectacular interception soon, is set to be revealed on national TV.
Every now and again I love sinking into a low-drama, high-fun novel, and Any Way You Slice It suited perfectly. And actually there is quite a bit of drama, but it's all light-hearted. Penelope spends the majority of the book lying to various family members and friends. She is stressed, I was stressed! That emotional tightrope of wanting something so badly combined with knowing if your family discovered your secret there would be no way they would let you continue, is captured so well in this book. Pen is a relatable character. She doesn't want to lie and that prevents this novel from becoming too melodramatic. She loves her family, even if she questions her father's overprotectiveness.
The romance is very sweet. Jake and Penelope were once friends and became sort-of enemies in middle-school. Both are older now and ready to look past mistakes and misunderstandings. They make a very cute couple, and there are not too many bumps in the road to their renewed friendship and romantic relationship, which I really enjoyed.
Of course, aside of pizza (which made me very hungry), light family drama, and cute romance, the main focus of this book is ice hockey. I've come to really enjoy sports books and Any Way You Slice It was no exception. In fact, I would have liked more scenes to be set at the team's practice or games. I loved the way Pen slowly becomes a part of the team, and how her fellow team members change how they view her. The ending was predictably awesome, which I loved!!
If you are looking for a fun, sport-centred, pizza-heavy YA contemporary, then Any Way You Slice It is the book for you.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library.
December 5, 2017
Reasons you should read this book:
- so much pizza
- underdog story
- cuteness overload
- girl rocking ice hockey
- family
- friendship/love
- so much pizza
- underdog story
- cuteness overload
- girl rocking ice hockey
- family
- friendship/love
December 31, 2017
3.5 stars
November 24, 2017
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Did someone say hockey, romance, and pizza? Count. Me. In. This book combine so many of my favorite elements, and produced a fun, feel-good read, with a lot of heart.
•Pro: I really loved Pen and I was cheering for her from page one. She was trying so hard to forge her own path, and it was heartwarming to see her find these new parts of herself. It saddened me that she had to keep these parts a secret from people who really mattered to her.
•Pro: This couple was easy to ship. From the first time Pen and Jake are on page together, there are sparks. There was also an ease between them, that could probably be attributed to their past friendship. It was fun watching them reconnect, and I loved getting blasts from their past.
•Pro: There was a lot of time spent in a pizza place, talking about pizza, and you know who loves pizza. This girl. I really enjoyed getting peeks at the family business, and I thought the Food Network involvement added to the fun.
•Pro: Because some much of this story revolves around the family business, we have a great family-centric story. Pen's mom, dad, and grandmother played an important role in the story. I found her grandmother to be my favorite (me and my soft spot for grandmas), but I was also very pleased with watching Pen and her dad work through some of their existing issues.
•Pro: There was a lot of hockey in this book. I didn't realize we would spend so much time on the ice, but we did, and it was really great getting to see Pen in action.
•Pro: Friendships were important in this story as well. Pen's best friend was one of her biggest supporters. Without her, Pen would never have attempted the things she did. In addition, Pen had the support of her teammates, which was a new and wonderful experience for her.
•Pro: There were a lot of beautiful ideas about honesty in this story, and the importance of telling the truth to the ones you love.
•Pro: This was a light and sweet, low drama tale of family, friendship, and romance, and these are among my favorite kind of stories.
•Pro: I adored the Rink Rats. This rag tag bunch of boys had so much heart and they ultimately supported each other. I was happy that Pen was able to find such a wonderful group to be a part of.
Seriously reminded me of this movie (Hockey Night).
Overall: A sweet and adorable romance, which was heartwarming and left me happily craving pizza.
*I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced reading copy.
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Did someone say hockey, romance, and pizza? Count. Me. In. This book combine so many of my favorite elements, and produced a fun, feel-good read, with a lot of heart.
•Pro: I really loved Pen and I was cheering for her from page one. She was trying so hard to forge her own path, and it was heartwarming to see her find these new parts of herself. It saddened me that she had to keep these parts a secret from people who really mattered to her.
•Pro: This couple was easy to ship. From the first time Pen and Jake are on page together, there are sparks. There was also an ease between them, that could probably be attributed to their past friendship. It was fun watching them reconnect, and I loved getting blasts from their past.
•Pro: There was a lot of time spent in a pizza place, talking about pizza, and you know who loves pizza. This girl. I really enjoyed getting peeks at the family business, and I thought the Food Network involvement added to the fun.
•Pro: Because some much of this story revolves around the family business, we have a great family-centric story. Pen's mom, dad, and grandmother played an important role in the story. I found her grandmother to be my favorite (me and my soft spot for grandmas), but I was also very pleased with watching Pen and her dad work through some of their existing issues.
•Pro: There was a lot of hockey in this book. I didn't realize we would spend so much time on the ice, but we did, and it was really great getting to see Pen in action.
•Pro: Friendships were important in this story as well. Pen's best friend was one of her biggest supporters. Without her, Pen would never have attempted the things she did. In addition, Pen had the support of her teammates, which was a new and wonderful experience for her.
•Pro: There were a lot of beautiful ideas about honesty in this story, and the importance of telling the truth to the ones you love.
•Pro: This was a light and sweet, low drama tale of family, friendship, and romance, and these are among my favorite kind of stories.
•Pro: I adored the Rink Rats. This rag tag bunch of boys had so much heart and they ultimately supported each other. I was happy that Pen was able to find such a wonderful group to be a part of.
Seriously reminded me of this movie (Hockey Night).
Overall: A sweet and adorable romance, which was heartwarming and left me happily craving pizza.
*I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced reading copy.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
April 16, 2015
Cute, sweet story about a high school junior, trying to navigate her way through cute boys, hockey sticks, and a pizza-obsessed family. I read it with a smile across my face the whole time, loving the small town vibe, the crappy hockey team, and the throw-downs between pizza parlors. It really did bring me back to the good ol' days of the brat pack movies . . . which I now am dying to watch once again.
MOLLY RINGWALD WHERE ARE YOU?
MOLLY RINGWALD WHERE ARE YOU?
January 15, 2018
Overall, Any Way You Slice It was a fun read but it didn't have any deep concepts and the plot was not very unique. There were also a lot of bizarre or unrealistic pieces to the story. The way Penelope acted like she was sure her father would say no if she asked him if she could play hockey, even though she never even tried asking, was definitely weird to me. Also, I feel like the author wanted the reader's sympathy for Penelope even when she was in the wrong. To me, Penelope wasn't really a likable character which would have been ok if she was at least realistic but she really seemed too fake to me. Also, I feel like the forbidden aspect of Penelope playing hockey was just to create unnecessary drama event though there wasn't even a good enough reason for why she was forbidden to play. Another piece of the story that bothered me was that the Rink Rats, the team Penelope played for, were supposed to be underdogs who had never won a game but the minute Penelope joined the team, they started winning games instantly even though in the description of the games, she really doesn't do anything to help the team. I did enjoy the read, as it was something light and easy, but looking back, if I had known about how cliche and underdeveloped it was, I probably wouldn't have picked it up.
April 4, 2020
This book was so cute! This book focuses on Ice Hockey and Pizza which i loved, pizza is one of my favourite foods and i love ice skating so Ice Hockey was really interesting to read about. What i liked about this book was how centered it was around a female doing a male sport and showed its readers that either sex can do anything if they stick to it. I loved the charcters. Penelope was a dedicated and works really hard to keep her parents happy however when she was on the ice it allows her to escape and then shes given a chance to have a go at ice hockey and a chance to be on the Rink Rats team (a losing team). Jake is the love interest whos so caring and a completley different character to how most people thing he is. I liked how supportive he is and the link to their childhood that was revealed. The relationship between the two were so cute and one i could have read for ages. I also loved the friendships we saw in the book and how true they were, everyone backs each other up. Also the family dinamic - How penelopes dad has issues from his past which stops him from letting his daughter be fully happy.
I gave this book 5 stars - it was so cute and fluffy. I wish there was more.
I gave this book 5 stars - it was so cute and fluffy. I wish there was more.
March 8, 2020
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Penelope spends most of her free time either helping out at her family's pizza restaurant, Slice, or skating. Both things are a passion of hers, but hockey has always been a hobby that her dad has been against. All that he's focused on is trying to get a reality show to come to Slice, and when childhood friend, turned 'bad boy' Jake dares Pen to join the Rink Rats, a local hockey team, she defies her family to join, and the more she's lying and sneaking out to practice, the more she loves it, and she doesn't know if she'll be able to be the person her parents want her to be, and always be behind the counter at Slice, when out on the ice is the place for her.
This book was definitely an enjoyable read. Okay, it wasn't spectacular or anything that would win major awards, but I liked it, and loved how much Pen loved hockey, and was taking a stand for herself. She loved her family, and knew it was wrong to sneak around and defy them, but she knew who she was, and what she wanted, and wasn't going to let her parents stop her. The romance in the book was cute too, with the chemistry and banter between Jake and Pen being perfect for this story. I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series!
Penelope spends most of her free time either helping out at her family's pizza restaurant, Slice, or skating. Both things are a passion of hers, but hockey has always been a hobby that her dad has been against. All that he's focused on is trying to get a reality show to come to Slice, and when childhood friend, turned 'bad boy' Jake dares Pen to join the Rink Rats, a local hockey team, she defies her family to join, and the more she's lying and sneaking out to practice, the more she loves it, and she doesn't know if she'll be able to be the person her parents want her to be, and always be behind the counter at Slice, when out on the ice is the place for her.
This book was definitely an enjoyable read. Okay, it wasn't spectacular or anything that would win major awards, but I liked it, and loved how much Pen loved hockey, and was taking a stand for herself. She loved her family, and knew it was wrong to sneak around and defy them, but she knew who she was, and what she wanted, and wasn't going to let her parents stop her. The romance in the book was cute too, with the chemistry and banter between Jake and Pen being perfect for this story. I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series!
April 19, 2015
Tiffany's Review:
Cute, cute story!!! Great book for teens. Penelope works for her dad at their family pizza restaurant. She loves to ice skate during her free time at the local rink. When the rec hockey team notices her one of the players decides she needs to be on their team.
The only problem is her dad has forbidden her to play hockey! And the player that asked her to join the team is her childhood friend that has turned into quite the cute teenager!
How will Pen tell her parents?! Will they let her follow her heart to play hockey?! I give this book 4 stars!
http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.bl...
Cute, cute story!!! Great book for teens. Penelope works for her dad at their family pizza restaurant. She loves to ice skate during her free time at the local rink. When the rec hockey team notices her one of the players decides she needs to be on their team.
The only problem is her dad has forbidden her to play hockey! And the player that asked her to join the team is her childhood friend that has turned into quite the cute teenager!
How will Pen tell her parents?! Will they let her follow her heart to play hockey?! I give this book 4 stars!
http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.bl...
June 21, 2015
For her first published foray into Teen Fiction arena Kristine Asselin really packs a punch. This is a well thought out, nicely paced romance. It doesn't really require you to love hockey either, the characters are believable and worth your time. My favorite character was Grandma. Quiet, but extremely supportive of Pen and her choices. Pen and Jake are meant for each other, but life always has a way of keeping the best couples apart. There's a lot in this book for any reader. Give it a go!
July 8, 2014
Lucky CP here- so excited to have a first peek at this and can't wait for the rest of the world to discover it!
April 30, 2015
I absolutely LOVED THIS! Hockey + reality tv + a bit of romance = AWESOMENESS!! Seriously, isn't it every girl's dream to be asked to play on a hockey team of underdogs who play with enough heart to fill the Stanley Cup? Well, it's mine, so darn it, this book made me all sorts of happy! Full review to come!
Update 4/30/15 Review originally posted on Michelle's Minions
Penelope Spaulding is never more at peace than when she's on the ice. As she speeds past everyone, she can clear her mind and forget about things for a while. These days it seems like she does nothing but fight with her father anymore. He wants her to go to culinary school and eventually run the family restaurant, Slice Pizza, where she already works (more than a teenager should). It's not that she doesn't love her father or the family business, it's just that she's got things she wants to do, even if she's not quite sure yet what they are. That's the problem, she isn't given a chance to figure out what she wants to do. One day, a collision at the rink with Jake Gomes, her former friend and the star of the Rink Rats, leads to an invitation to play for this local misfit hockey team. Jake dares her to play and she accepts in a simple act of defiance that just might change her life.
The Rink Rats aren't a good team, but they play with heart and know the true meaning of teamwork. They've never won a game, but they'll never stop trying. When Pen plays with them, she feels like she's finally found a place where she belongs. She loves playing hockey. Life would be great, if only she didn't have to hide that she's playing from her father. He would never allow it for so many reasons. Not only does he expect her to fulfill her responsibilities at Slice and to apply to culinary school, but he has a personal reason for keeping her away from hockey. Years ago, he used to play, but he was injured badly and quit because of it. His brush with death made him fear the sport, and if he found out his daughter was playing, who knows how he'd react.
Now, Pen is playing hockey, going to school, working in the restaurant and lying to her father. She's also beginning to fall for Jake. The more time she spends with him, the more she's beginning to see the real him. Jake is known for causing trouble, but Pen is discovering that most of it is just rumors and Jake is actually a great guy. And, as if her life isn't complicated enough, her father has a reality tv show from The Restaurant Network coming to do a feature on Slice, and with all of the cameras around it's getting harder to hide her secret hockey life. Will Pen be able to keep it together, or will she lose an edge and wipe out?
My Thoughts
I absolutely LOVED this! Hockey + reality tv + a bit of romance = AWESOMENESS!! Seriously, isn't it every girl's dream to be asked to play on a hockey team of underdogs who play with enough heart to fill the Stanley Cup? Well, it's mine, so darn it, this book made me all sorts of happy! It's a sweet and fun contemporary with great characters who you'll be rooting for the entire time. Any Way You Slice It deals with all kinds of relationships. Family, friendship and romance all come into play, but it's also about being true to yourself and knowing where your loyalties lie.
And it's about hockey. Don't forget the hockey.
If you love sweet, cute and fun contemporary romance, you should read this. If you like girls who are tough yet still have a little something to learn about balancing life, love and sports, you should read this. If you like hockey, you REALLY should read this.
Update 4/30/15 Review originally posted on Michelle's Minions
Penelope Spaulding is never more at peace than when she's on the ice. As she speeds past everyone, she can clear her mind and forget about things for a while. These days it seems like she does nothing but fight with her father anymore. He wants her to go to culinary school and eventually run the family restaurant, Slice Pizza, where she already works (more than a teenager should). It's not that she doesn't love her father or the family business, it's just that she's got things she wants to do, even if she's not quite sure yet what they are. That's the problem, she isn't given a chance to figure out what she wants to do. One day, a collision at the rink with Jake Gomes, her former friend and the star of the Rink Rats, leads to an invitation to play for this local misfit hockey team. Jake dares her to play and she accepts in a simple act of defiance that just might change her life.
The Rink Rats aren't a good team, but they play with heart and know the true meaning of teamwork. They've never won a game, but they'll never stop trying. When Pen plays with them, she feels like she's finally found a place where she belongs. She loves playing hockey. Life would be great, if only she didn't have to hide that she's playing from her father. He would never allow it for so many reasons. Not only does he expect her to fulfill her responsibilities at Slice and to apply to culinary school, but he has a personal reason for keeping her away from hockey. Years ago, he used to play, but he was injured badly and quit because of it. His brush with death made him fear the sport, and if he found out his daughter was playing, who knows how he'd react.
Now, Pen is playing hockey, going to school, working in the restaurant and lying to her father. She's also beginning to fall for Jake. The more time she spends with him, the more she's beginning to see the real him. Jake is known for causing trouble, but Pen is discovering that most of it is just rumors and Jake is actually a great guy. And, as if her life isn't complicated enough, her father has a reality tv show from The Restaurant Network coming to do a feature on Slice, and with all of the cameras around it's getting harder to hide her secret hockey life. Will Pen be able to keep it together, or will she lose an edge and wipe out?
My Thoughts
I absolutely LOVED this! Hockey + reality tv + a bit of romance = AWESOMENESS!! Seriously, isn't it every girl's dream to be asked to play on a hockey team of underdogs who play with enough heart to fill the Stanley Cup? Well, it's mine, so darn it, this book made me all sorts of happy! It's a sweet and fun contemporary with great characters who you'll be rooting for the entire time. Any Way You Slice It deals with all kinds of relationships. Family, friendship and romance all come into play, but it's also about being true to yourself and knowing where your loyalties lie.
And it's about hockey. Don't forget the hockey.
If you love sweet, cute and fun contemporary romance, you should read this. If you like girls who are tough yet still have a little something to learn about balancing life, love and sports, you should read this. If you like hockey, you REALLY should read this.
September 24, 2015
Requesting Any Way You Slice It was a whim for me. I actually saw this book when Netgalley advertised it on Twitter, and impulsively requested it, like a twitchy finger on the trigger. I think what made me interested, initially, was the idea of a girl aching to play hockey. Don’t get me wrong, in no way at all am I an athletic girl. I was never one to join a team sport. I was far too busy with my nose in a book to actually take time out to play anything. What I am, however, is a girl who loves to read sporty fictional books. I love sporty books, and sporty movies… I may not be a team player, but I definitely love reading about them. While I read this I kept thinking of Connie from Mighty Ducks, one of my favs!
The book itself was pretty cute too. It was a fast read, really light and fluffy. There was a very small amount of angst, practically none actually. There were all these questions, like why was Pen so angry with Jake? What big secret ruined their friendship? How would Pen’s family feel when they found out she was sneaking around to play Hockey? Why did Pen’s father stop playing Hockey himself? At any point the author could have taken Any Way You Slice It to a place that was darker, but she didn’t. She kept it light and teenage appropriate.
All was as it should be. Sometimes teenage drama isn’t actually deep and life altering, sometimes it’s all just forgivable. Most of the time, probably.
So, while I couldn’t give it more than 3 stars because there wasn’t much to the story, those stars aren’t disappointed in the book at all. Each star would mention this book to anyone who is looking for a fast read that doesn’t take too much brain power. They are three very contented happy little stars.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Spark and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See this review, and others, at Badass Book Reviews!
The book itself was pretty cute too. It was a fast read, really light and fluffy. There was a very small amount of angst, practically none actually. There were all these questions, like why was Pen so angry with Jake? What big secret ruined their friendship? How would Pen’s family feel when they found out she was sneaking around to play Hockey? Why did Pen’s father stop playing Hockey himself? At any point the author could have taken Any Way You Slice It to a place that was darker, but she didn’t. She kept it light and teenage appropriate.
All was as it should be. Sometimes teenage drama isn’t actually deep and life altering, sometimes it’s all just forgivable. Most of the time, probably.
So, while I couldn’t give it more than 3 stars because there wasn’t much to the story, those stars aren’t disappointed in the book at all. Each star would mention this book to anyone who is looking for a fast read that doesn’t take too much brain power. They are three very contented happy little stars.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Spark and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See this review, and others, at Badass Book Reviews!
August 4, 2022
That was so nice!!!!
OK, it's not going to be a masterpiece but it's a quick and funny reading. And it's about pizza and hockey, what more do I want?
The main character is sixteen-year-old Penelope. She goes to school and she works crazy hours at her family's pizza place, her dad would also like her attending a culinary school. One day, after a discussion with her dad about her future, she ends up at the skating rink, where she meets her old nemesis Jake who dares her to shot the puck inside the net. It turns out that Penelope is a natural hockey player.
I really like her as a character but I was ready to strangle her as she was digging her grave with all her lies. She's lucky because she's a fantastic Grams, one of the best character in the book. She also has a great friend, who's always ready to drive her around. Jake's an interesting male interest. He's bad, but not that bad, and in the end it turns out that he's really not that bad. Sorry, but it's a relief reading about normal characters every now and then. It sure beats reading about people who have had more than tragic childhoods.
The hockey part was really interesting. I love the part where Penelope needs help to get properly dressed for her first match. But I do love hockey, since my first crush told me that hockey was his favorite sport. Thanks, Ryan ♥!
The pizza part... well, I'm Italian, I always feel like eating pizza! And I have to be honest here: one of the best pizza I've ever eaten was a huge New York pizza. Almost as good as the one I make ^__^! I had pizza in Japan once, not by my choice, and it was soooo expensive and sooo disgusting!!!
The part about the TV show... I'm not a big fan of the genre and I couldn't see the use of it. In the end, however, it all make sense. And it's quite funny!!
I do recommend this book: it's not that long, it's nice, it's funny and it has a tender love story.
OK, it's not going to be a masterpiece but it's a quick and funny reading. And it's about pizza and hockey, what more do I want?
The main character is sixteen-year-old Penelope. She goes to school and she works crazy hours at her family's pizza place, her dad would also like her attending a culinary school. One day, after a discussion with her dad about her future, she ends up at the skating rink, where she meets her old nemesis Jake who dares her to shot the puck inside the net. It turns out that Penelope is a natural hockey player.
I really like her as a character but I was ready to strangle her as she was digging her grave with all her lies. She's lucky because she's a fantastic Grams, one of the best character in the book. She also has a great friend, who's always ready to drive her around. Jake's an interesting male interest. He's bad, but not that bad, and in the end it turns out that he's really not that bad. Sorry, but it's a relief reading about normal characters every now and then. It sure beats reading about people who have had more than tragic childhoods.
The hockey part was really interesting. I love the part where Penelope needs help to get properly dressed for her first match. But I do love hockey, since my first crush told me that hockey was his favorite sport. Thanks, Ryan ♥!
The pizza part... well, I'm Italian, I always feel like eating pizza! And I have to be honest here: one of the best pizza I've ever eaten was a huge New York pizza. Almost as good as the one I make ^__^! I had pizza in Japan once, not by my choice, and it was soooo expensive and sooo disgusting!!!
The part about the TV show... I'm not a big fan of the genre and I couldn't see the use of it. In the end, however, it all make sense. And it's quite funny!!
I do recommend this book: it's not that long, it's nice, it's funny and it has a tender love story.
November 15, 2017
This slightly missed the mark for me.
Penelope Spauldings' family run a pizza restaurant, the best pizza restaurant in her small town, called the Slice. She feels weighed down by her father's ambitions, which are for her to go to culinary school and then help him set up a pizza empire, heck she already works 30 hours a week at the restaurant as well as go to school. Her only me time is when she skates at the local rink in free skate time, but her father would kill her if she ever played hockey.
Penelope used to be best friends with Jake, until 'the incident' when they were eight years old, now they never speak and Jake is most definitely a bad boy. One day whilst skating alone Penelope in knocked into the side of the rink by Jake to stop her from running over a small child, he then goads her into trying to score a goal and invites her to play for his ice-hockey team, the Rink Rats.
Meantime, Penelope's dad has got them a slot on a reality TV show called Local Flavor which specialises in filming small local outlets and allowing viewers to tweet live comments on the show.
Add in the Varsity hockey team led by (boo hiss) Warren, Jake's arch nemesis and you have a whole cocktail of teen angst reminiscent of a classic John Hughes movie. Only it never quite happens. The emphasis is strongly on the hockey, but even then we don't really get many matches, its mainly training. The reality TV section is a bit of a one-hit wonder, even Penelope's confrontation with her father over playing hockey is fairly short and muted.
Perhaps my complaints are because I'm an adult woman reading a YA book and maybe a 14 year old would find this entirely the right length and level of detail.
Anyway, this was a sweet YA sports romance.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Penelope Spauldings' family run a pizza restaurant, the best pizza restaurant in her small town, called the Slice. She feels weighed down by her father's ambitions, which are for her to go to culinary school and then help him set up a pizza empire, heck she already works 30 hours a week at the restaurant as well as go to school. Her only me time is when she skates at the local rink in free skate time, but her father would kill her if she ever played hockey.
Penelope used to be best friends with Jake, until 'the incident' when they were eight years old, now they never speak and Jake is most definitely a bad boy. One day whilst skating alone Penelope in knocked into the side of the rink by Jake to stop her from running over a small child, he then goads her into trying to score a goal and invites her to play for his ice-hockey team, the Rink Rats.
Meantime, Penelope's dad has got them a slot on a reality TV show called Local Flavor which specialises in filming small local outlets and allowing viewers to tweet live comments on the show.
Add in the Varsity hockey team led by (boo hiss) Warren, Jake's arch nemesis and you have a whole cocktail of teen angst reminiscent of a classic John Hughes movie. Only it never quite happens. The emphasis is strongly on the hockey, but even then we don't really get many matches, its mainly training. The reality TV section is a bit of a one-hit wonder, even Penelope's confrontation with her father over playing hockey is fairly short and muted.
Perhaps my complaints are because I'm an adult woman reading a YA book and maybe a 14 year old would find this entirely the right length and level of detail.
Anyway, this was a sweet YA sports romance.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
November 2, 2017
My heart has been SLICED up into mush with this adorable, gooey contemporary romance.
(See what I did there? c;)
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I received an eARC of this book from Weaponry Co-Op through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Any Way You Slice It is a cutesy debut novel that you can absolutely GLIDE through (AGAIN WITH THE PUNS, I NEED AN INTERVENTION) about a girl who loves to skate - but she's forbidden. Following an accident when he was a teenager, her Dad can't think of anything worse than his precious-sixteen-year-old daughter being part of a Hockey team. So she lies. And sneaks around.
But how long can she manage before she gets caught?
This book is the 'Ice Princess' mashed with a-more-PG 'Gossip Girl', that collides skating and High School drama.
There's not much I can say specifically about the plot without spoiling the whole thing for you, but I can see it's pretty much your stereotypical contemporary, combining an adorable romance, a forbidden love (which isn't actually the boy in this one), a reality TV show and about a thousand other things.
The writing was so easy to get into, and the whole book had such a gentle, calming flow that I really enjoyed picking this one up.
And we had a happy ending!
It's like a Disney Princess movie.
Warm, gooey and full of adorable scenes that I can't help but squeal at.
Need a book that will give you a little bit of happiness and hope in your life?
I'd definitely recommend picking this one up!
-SilverWolfReads, howling her opinions online.
(See what I did there? c;)
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I received an eARC of this book from Weaponry Co-Op through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Any Way You Slice It is a cutesy debut novel that you can absolutely GLIDE through (AGAIN WITH THE PUNS, I NEED AN INTERVENTION) about a girl who loves to skate - but she's forbidden. Following an accident when he was a teenager, her Dad can't think of anything worse than his precious-sixteen-year-old daughter being part of a Hockey team. So she lies. And sneaks around.
But how long can she manage before she gets caught?
This book is the 'Ice Princess' mashed with a-more-PG 'Gossip Girl', that collides skating and High School drama.
There's not much I can say specifically about the plot without spoiling the whole thing for you, but I can see it's pretty much your stereotypical contemporary, combining an adorable romance, a forbidden love (which isn't actually the boy in this one), a reality TV show and about a thousand other things.
The writing was so easy to get into, and the whole book had such a gentle, calming flow that I really enjoyed picking this one up.
And we had a happy ending!
It's like a Disney Princess movie.
Warm, gooey and full of adorable scenes that I can't help but squeal at.
Need a book that will give you a little bit of happiness and hope in your life?
I'd definitely recommend picking this one up!
-SilverWolfReads, howling her opinions online.
April 6, 2015
Adorable sweet romance about a girl balancing family life, sports, and a boyfriend! Tweens and up will enjoy this cute story. The story was well-written with lots of emotion and tension. I loved the relationship Pen (Penelope) had with Slice, the family restaurant. Lots of depth and great backstory to back up what the characters were experiencing.
Highly recommend!
Thanks for the earc from Net Galley!
Highly recommend!
Thanks for the earc from Net Galley!
April 21, 2015
Love, love, love this book about a sporty girl finding a new love, on and off the ice! Add in a reality TV show and family drama, and this sweet YA contemporary is a perfect read!
Read
May 3, 2015Adorable.
January 1, 2018
review to come
November 13, 2017
Hockey? Childhood friends to enemies to more than friends? Sounds good to me! I gobbled up this sweet and adorable book in an afternoon.
Pen was a wonderful character. I loved the descriptions of how she felt while skating, of how the rest of the world just fell away for her. It made her determination to pursue hockey against her father's wishes make more sense. And even though she repeatedly lies to her family, it's also obvious how much she loves and respects her parents, and to some extent understand why her father is the way he is. Pen may not want to follow in her father's footsteps and run the restaurant, but she loves it all the same.
I also loved her sweetly paced romance with Jake. Walking Pen home from the restaurant? So cute! But, honestly, though, while I loved Pen, I thought most of the secondary characters were underdeveloped, even Jake. I found the explanation of (and resolution to) his bad boy status a bit too pat. Lori, Pen's best friend, was another character that felt like she was just there to chauffeur Pen around and allow her to talk about her feelings of Jake. Strong female friendships are serious book catnip to me, especially in YA books, so this felt like a missed opportunity.
Best of all, this young adult book is mostly teen-angst-free (hooray!). I understand that it's pretty normal for teens to feel that way, but I much prefer characters like Pen who just put on their big girl panties and make their dreams happen rather than continuously dwelling on the unfairness of it all. Yes, there is conflict, but most of it is resolved without slammed doors and screaming. I especially liked the resolution of Pen's dad's feelings about hockey.
Overall, this is such a sweet young adult novel. It's light and fluffy, but still thoroughly enjoyable.
Pen was a wonderful character. I loved the descriptions of how she felt while skating, of how the rest of the world just fell away for her. It made her determination to pursue hockey against her father's wishes make more sense. And even though she repeatedly lies to her family, it's also obvious how much she loves and respects her parents, and to some extent understand why her father is the way he is. Pen may not want to follow in her father's footsteps and run the restaurant, but she loves it all the same.
I also loved her sweetly paced romance with Jake. Walking Pen home from the restaurant? So cute! But, honestly, though, while I loved Pen, I thought most of the secondary characters were underdeveloped, even Jake. I found the explanation of (and resolution to) his bad boy status a bit too pat. Lori, Pen's best friend, was another character that felt like she was just there to chauffeur Pen around and allow her to talk about her feelings of Jake. Strong female friendships are serious book catnip to me, especially in YA books, so this felt like a missed opportunity.
Best of all, this young adult book is mostly teen-angst-free (hooray!). I understand that it's pretty normal for teens to feel that way, but I much prefer characters like Pen who just put on their big girl panties and make their dreams happen rather than continuously dwelling on the unfairness of it all. Yes, there is conflict, but most of it is resolved without slammed doors and screaming. I especially liked the resolution of Pen's dad's feelings about hockey.
Overall, this is such a sweet young adult novel. It's light and fluffy, but still thoroughly enjoyable.
November 21, 2017
I love underdog stories, particularly when sports are involved. There's nothing more tried-and-true than the story of a ragtag bunch of "losers" who band together to overcome great odds to beat the odds-on favorites who are, let's face it, jerks. I identify with these kinds of stories, and I love them every time, whether it be The Bad News Bears or Dodgeball.
Penelope "Pen" Spaulding, known around her town as the "Pizza Princess" due to the fact that her family owns and runs the local pizza hot spot, discovers much to her amazement that she loves hockey. However, when her demanding father makes no secret of his disapproval of her taking up the sport, she goes behind his back to join the Rink Rats, the aforementioned ragtag team of "losers", while her father has to contend with getting their restaurant on a famous reality TV show.
This story is absolutely adorable. Outside the hockey drama is a sweet little romance that brews between Pen and Jake, a childhood friend who has grown apart from her. There is true chemistry between them, which you love to see in books like this.
I would recommend this story to anyone 12 and up who loves a good romance, underdog story, or just a good read.
Penelope "Pen" Spaulding, known around her town as the "Pizza Princess" due to the fact that her family owns and runs the local pizza hot spot, discovers much to her amazement that she loves hockey. However, when her demanding father makes no secret of his disapproval of her taking up the sport, she goes behind his back to join the Rink Rats, the aforementioned ragtag team of "losers", while her father has to contend with getting their restaurant on a famous reality TV show.
This story is absolutely adorable. Outside the hockey drama is a sweet little romance that brews between Pen and Jake, a childhood friend who has grown apart from her. There is true chemistry between them, which you love to see in books like this.
I would recommend this story to anyone 12 and up who loves a good romance, underdog story, or just a good read.
January 14, 2018
Reviewed for YA Books Central
A wonderful, sweet sweet romance.
The story:
Penelope loves to skate and has a talent that doesn't go unnoticed by the star of the rec league hockey team who also happens to be Penelope's once best friend Jake. The problem? Penelope's family has expectations. Dubbed the town's "Pizza Princess" she has to follow the lead of her father in his quest for reality stardom.
But all she wants is to hold a stick in her hand and feel her skates glide through the smooth ice. With maybe a few kisses from the town bad boy.
What I loved:
Everyone in this story is just so incredibly likable. From the teen girl who wants her father to accept what she loves to do and what she wants in life to the misunderstood bad boy. Even the overbearing father has his endearing moments.
They're people you'd want in your life. I found myself cracking up at some of the hockey moments from the inept team and smiling from ear to ear.
What was just okay:
Some of the issues could have been solved with good old conversation - but I guess I don't know many teenagers who jump to that conclusion.
Final Verdict:
A lighthearted romp full of humor, endearing characters, and enough family moments to warm you up even in those cold hockey arenas.
A wonderful, sweet sweet romance.
The story:
Penelope loves to skate and has a talent that doesn't go unnoticed by the star of the rec league hockey team who also happens to be Penelope's once best friend Jake. The problem? Penelope's family has expectations. Dubbed the town's "Pizza Princess" she has to follow the lead of her father in his quest for reality stardom.
But all she wants is to hold a stick in her hand and feel her skates glide through the smooth ice. With maybe a few kisses from the town bad boy.
What I loved:
Everyone in this story is just so incredibly likable. From the teen girl who wants her father to accept what she loves to do and what she wants in life to the misunderstood bad boy. Even the overbearing father has his endearing moments.
They're people you'd want in your life. I found myself cracking up at some of the hockey moments from the inept team and smiling from ear to ear.
What was just okay:
Some of the issues could have been solved with good old conversation - but I guess I don't know many teenagers who jump to that conclusion.
Final Verdict:
A lighthearted romp full of humor, endearing characters, and enough family moments to warm you up even in those cold hockey arenas.
July 19, 2015
I’ve had more “Dive into the Amazon Recommends pool and see what I can come up with recently (basically, cheap ebooks and I can binge buy books now!) and I’ve been buying spates of the cute, fluffy YA romances. And sometimes, I just need cute, fluffy YA with just a little bit of meat on the side to chew on.
One of the things that I did enjoy about Any Way You Slice It is that while there’s certainly some plot-related exaggeration to Pen’s relationship with her parents (mainly, her father’s insistence on Pen entering culinary school and refusing to acknowledge the idea that she has any other future interest aside from taking over the family business), I do like that there’s a realistic element to it—that her father is worried about Pen badly injuring herself, that her family is under stress of being small business owners and how that affects Pen’s day-to-day life. And I liked that although she’s frustrated with her lack of a social life in order to help out at the family pizza place, Pen doesn’t constantly begrudge her parents for making her work there, or even her father’s decision to take over the business to begin with. (Although now that I think on it, the whole culinary school angle doesn’t entirely work for me? Neither Pen or her father work the kitchen, and even though it’s mentioned early on that Pen does try to come up with new menu items, I would think business school would be more appropriate? I don’t know.) I do think that there’s a lot here that could have gone cartoonishly, especially Pen’s relationship with her father, but I do think that there’s a little more nuance to how it’s portrayed rather than going the standard “OMG you don’t know anything about me!”
(It’s also due to small touches like Pen’s dad figuring out that Pen used her savings to secretly fund the Rink Rats, because “Your account’s linked to mine, I’m going to notice there’s $3,000 missing.” It’s a realistic small touch—even if he completely misses the real reason why Pen funded the team—that I did like seeing.)
It’s also worth noting that I like Pen’s development as a player and that although Jake deems her a “natural” on skates and at hockey, Pen suddenly doesn’t become the team’s new best player or that she’s so hopeless that Jake needs to carry her through everything. I liked that we do see both Pen and the Rink Rats improve throughout the book, and that said improvement also manages to work well in during the 90s Disney Sports Kids Movie final game with the “evil” high school varsity team. (The whole ending game was completely out of a 90s sports movie for kids, let’s be honest, right down to the blatant cheating and the stakes have suddenly gotten SO. MUCH. HIGHER. Actually, this whole book could probably be a template for a Disney Channel Original Movie. I’m not calling this a bad book—I really did like it—but I could see this as a made-for-TV movie in that vein.
Also, although nobody in this book bats an eye at Pen joining an amateur team and even mentions that coed teams are frequent in this circuit, I couldn’t help but think of the Simpsons’ peewee football episode joke- “That’s right, a GIRL wants to play!” “Oh, sure, you can join our four other girl players.”)
Pen’s growing relationship with Jake was fine—not that they didn’t like chemistry, but I wasn’t sitting there going “Now kiss!” every five seconds. I did like that despite their distance, Jake was willing to mend bridges and kept encouraging Pen throughout the book, even when the relationship drama kicked in. (I really did like that even though their relationship problems put a wedge between them emotionally, Jake didn’t become a petty teammate and sabotage Pen on the ice because of said relationship drama.) The only thing that I’m not happy about their relationship is that the “incident” that drove Pen and Jake apart in middle school is revealed that Jake wanted to cut off a few strands of Pen’s hair and accidentally snipped off her ponytail instead. At NO point is it acknowledged that even with Jake’s age at the time, that is still an incredibly creepy thing to do. If it had been acknowledged that “I didn’t mean it and I realize now that it’s incredibly creepy and not romantic and I’m sorry,” it wouldn’t bother me so much, but instead, there’s this underlying intention that we’re supposed to think “Aww, how sweet.”
(As for the Local Flavor subplot with Guy Fieri-lite, I liked that it was less annoying than I was dreading and played more into both Pen’s father’s stress and Pen’s feelings of “Well, just because I don’t want to take over the family business doesn’t mean I want to see it crash and burn.” And I did like the acknowledgement that even though Slice is supposed to be the best pizza joint in town, it is a money pit that Pen’s family has to constantly up-keep. Plus the fact that the Guy Fieri-lite producers aren’t evil Hollywood executives who are going to run this business into the ground until the Power of the Small-Town changes their minds (aside from filming the fender bender that Pen gets into and doing nothing about it because…reasons).)
It’s a cute enough book—it’s not anything particularly mind-blowing, but think there’s enough in here that adds a little bit more to the story than just being a by-the-numbers romance. I did like it (it killed a few hours at work for me), and I would read another book by Kristine Carlson Asselin in the future.
One of the things that I did enjoy about Any Way You Slice It is that while there’s certainly some plot-related exaggeration to Pen’s relationship with her parents (mainly, her father’s insistence on Pen entering culinary school and refusing to acknowledge the idea that she has any other future interest aside from taking over the family business), I do like that there’s a realistic element to it—that her father is worried about Pen badly injuring herself, that her family is under stress of being small business owners and how that affects Pen’s day-to-day life. And I liked that although she’s frustrated with her lack of a social life in order to help out at the family pizza place, Pen doesn’t constantly begrudge her parents for making her work there, or even her father’s decision to take over the business to begin with. (Although now that I think on it, the whole culinary school angle doesn’t entirely work for me? Neither Pen or her father work the kitchen, and even though it’s mentioned early on that Pen does try to come up with new menu items, I would think business school would be more appropriate? I don’t know.) I do think that there’s a lot here that could have gone cartoonishly, especially Pen’s relationship with her father, but I do think that there’s a little more nuance to how it’s portrayed rather than going the standard “OMG you don’t know anything about me!”
(It’s also due to small touches like Pen’s dad figuring out that Pen used her savings to secretly fund the Rink Rats, because “Your account’s linked to mine, I’m going to notice there’s $3,000 missing.” It’s a realistic small touch—even if he completely misses the real reason why Pen funded the team—that I did like seeing.)
It’s also worth noting that I like Pen’s development as a player and that although Jake deems her a “natural” on skates and at hockey, Pen suddenly doesn’t become the team’s new best player or that she’s so hopeless that Jake needs to carry her through everything. I liked that we do see both Pen and the Rink Rats improve throughout the book, and that said improvement also manages to work well in during the 90s Disney Sports Kids Movie final game with the “evil” high school varsity team. (The whole ending game was completely out of a 90s sports movie for kids, let’s be honest, right down to the blatant cheating and the stakes have suddenly gotten SO. MUCH. HIGHER. Actually, this whole book could probably be a template for a Disney Channel Original Movie. I’m not calling this a bad book—I really did like it—but I could see this as a made-for-TV movie in that vein.
Also, although nobody in this book bats an eye at Pen joining an amateur team and even mentions that coed teams are frequent in this circuit, I couldn’t help but think of the Simpsons’ peewee football episode joke- “That’s right, a GIRL wants to play!” “Oh, sure, you can join our four other girl players.”)
Pen’s growing relationship with Jake was fine—not that they didn’t like chemistry, but I wasn’t sitting there going “Now kiss!” every five seconds. I did like that despite their distance, Jake was willing to mend bridges and kept encouraging Pen throughout the book, even when the relationship drama kicked in. (I really did like that even though their relationship problems put a wedge between them emotionally, Jake didn’t become a petty teammate and sabotage Pen on the ice because of said relationship drama.) The only thing that I’m not happy about their relationship is that the “incident” that drove Pen and Jake apart in middle school is revealed that Jake wanted to cut off a few strands of Pen’s hair and accidentally snipped off her ponytail instead. At NO point is it acknowledged that even with Jake’s age at the time, that is still an incredibly creepy thing to do. If it had been acknowledged that “I didn’t mean it and I realize now that it’s incredibly creepy and not romantic and I’m sorry,” it wouldn’t bother me so much, but instead, there’s this underlying intention that we’re supposed to think “Aww, how sweet.”
(As for the Local Flavor subplot with Guy Fieri-lite, I liked that it was less annoying than I was dreading and played more into both Pen’s father’s stress and Pen’s feelings of “Well, just because I don’t want to take over the family business doesn’t mean I want to see it crash and burn.” And I did like the acknowledgement that even though Slice is supposed to be the best pizza joint in town, it is a money pit that Pen’s family has to constantly up-keep. Plus the fact that the Guy Fieri-lite producers aren’t evil Hollywood executives who are going to run this business into the ground until the Power of the Small-Town changes their minds (aside from filming the fender bender that Pen gets into and doing nothing about it because…reasons).)
It’s a cute enough book—it’s not anything particularly mind-blowing, but think there’s enough in here that adds a little bit more to the story than just being a by-the-numbers romance. I did like it (it killed a few hours at work for me), and I would read another book by Kristine Carlson Asselin in the future.
July 24, 2017
I really enjoyed this story! It was very entertaining and well written, and I read through it in three days. It's only available on e-book, and depending on which way you read it, it's either 250 pages, or 373 pages. Anyway, it's a really good book! Set it a small town in New Hampshire, Penelope, often called Pen, is a junior who loves to skate. Her parents own the best pizza store in the state, and she spends a lot of time working there, which sometimes annoys her. When Jake, her ex-best friend, dares her to play hockey, she accepts, and begins to fall in love with the game- and Jake. (Every time she tells someone of herself she doesn't like Jake and doesn't plan on dating him she's clearly lying to herself. She really likes Jake, Jake really likes her, and they really should have started dating years ago.) The only problem is that her dad has forbidden her from ever playing hockey, because he got hurt when he played in high school. Penelope, though, can't stop playing, and relies heavily on her best friend Lori to drive her to the rink and drive her home, to help her get into her hockey gear, and just help her out, period. At the same time all of this is going on, her and her father are fighting about college, and her father gets the restaurant, Slice, on a TV show, Local Flavor , which Penelope is none too thrilled about. She also has to deal with bullies from the high school varsity hockey team. The reason I gave this book four stars is because there was quite a bit of inappropriate language. I recommend this for mature eighth graders and high school, because of the language, and that Penelope and Jake kiss and their romance is a lot of the story.
November 22, 2017
Full review also on my blog: https://nextbookaroundthecorner.wordp...
The cover has cute written all over it, and that is pretty much how you can sum this up: the story is just very adorable. It is nicely written, a bit predictable, but a very happy and light read.
Penelope is an average girl, juggling to get by at school and her work at the family restaurant. As a teenager, she wants to have more in life than school and work. And therefore she joins the local ice hockey team, as an act of rebellion. Because her father is adamant against her playing ice hockey.
Jake didn't expect Penelope to take the bait in joining the Rink Rats. The team has been losing - like forever - and their local sponsor is the rival pizza place. But Penelope agrees to join and after a few training sessions it is clear that Penelope has inherited her father's qualities on the ice.
The story unfolds as Penelope gets buried deeper into the lies she told her family. And the attraction between Jake and Penelope grows.
In all, a bit predictable, but cute. If you like an easy read with a happy ending, please read this one. Preferably while enjoying a slice of pizza. Bon appetit!
The cover has cute written all over it, and that is pretty much how you can sum this up: the story is just very adorable. It is nicely written, a bit predictable, but a very happy and light read.
Penelope is an average girl, juggling to get by at school and her work at the family restaurant. As a teenager, she wants to have more in life than school and work. And therefore she joins the local ice hockey team, as an act of rebellion. Because her father is adamant against her playing ice hockey.
Jake didn't expect Penelope to take the bait in joining the Rink Rats. The team has been losing - like forever - and their local sponsor is the rival pizza place. But Penelope agrees to join and after a few training sessions it is clear that Penelope has inherited her father's qualities on the ice.
The story unfolds as Penelope gets buried deeper into the lies she told her family. And the attraction between Jake and Penelope grows.
In all, a bit predictable, but cute. If you like an easy read with a happy ending, please read this one. Preferably while enjoying a slice of pizza. Bon appetit!
January 1, 2018
This book is adorable from start to finish and it manages to remain so, despite covering some topics on the more serious side, along the way. The author managed to write such a believable teenager, which I find to be a rare thing in this genre. Penelope makes mistakes and learns from them, she has her struggles but she keeps pushing through. She’ll be a very relatable character for many people, my younger self included.
The romance is sweet and perfectly written. Jake is your typical misunderstood bad boy, who I couldn’t help but love. His and Pen’s dynamic was really fun to read, their chemistry was practically pouring from the pages, it was very easy to root for them. There wasn’t too much relationship drama (apart from the initial enemies-to-friends trope) or obstacles in their way which was refreshing, sometimes non-stop teenage angst gets tiring to read.
I think there’s a lot to get out of this book so if you’re looking for a sport-centred, cutesy and interesting read, definitely pick this one up!
The romance is sweet and perfectly written. Jake is your typical misunderstood bad boy, who I couldn’t help but love. His and Pen’s dynamic was really fun to read, their chemistry was practically pouring from the pages, it was very easy to root for them. There wasn’t too much relationship drama (apart from the initial enemies-to-friends trope) or obstacles in their way which was refreshing, sometimes non-stop teenage angst gets tiring to read.
I think there’s a lot to get out of this book so if you’re looking for a sport-centred, cutesy and interesting read, definitely pick this one up!
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