By Erin Fletcher

“Everyone loves hockey superstar Pierce Miller. Everyone except Lia Bailey. When the two are forced to teach a skating class to save the rink, Lia’s not sure she’ll survive the pressure of Nationals and Pierce’s ego. Not only can’t he remember her name, he signed her bottle of water like she was one of his groupies. Ugh. But if there’s one thing Lia knows better than figure skating, it’s hockey. Hoping to take his ego down a notch—or seven—she logs into his team website under an anonymous name to give him pointers on his less-than-stellar playing. Turns out, Pierce isn’t arrogant at all. And they have a lot in common. Too bad he’s falling for the anonymous girl online. No matter how much fun they’re starting to have in real life, she’s afraid he’s going to choose fake-Lia over the real one…” (Goodreads).

Another cute plane read for me! I checked this one out on Kindle hoping for a sweet little high school romance with low spice and it delivered on every level. Simple, cute, and not too much heartbreak when the inevitable Hallmark misunderstanding came around.

I know next to nothing about hockey or figure skating, so this novel was a fun jump into a different world of realistic fiction for me. I liked how Lia and Pierce both had their own goals in their respective sports and supported each other to reach for each of them, rather than the guy being the sports star while the girl cheers from the sidelines. The tension between the two main characters and the problems they faced in their daily lives immediately drew me in. Lia and Pierce have lives outside of the main romance that add to the realism and develop their characters so well. The plot is not super complex or hard to follow, which makes it a really nice low-energy read but also a little too simple if you’re looking for something more involved. Every plot point in their story felt purposeful and fit seamlessly together – the author never had to force a meeting or conversation. I was rooting for the pair the whole way along! I do wish some of the sub-plots had been better wrapped up – the local rink’s risk of closure, for example – but most of the sub plots actually found solutions alongside the couple getting together, which I thought was really creative.

If you’ve read my other reviews, you know I love dual POVs (as long as the author can keep the voices consistent). Fletcher did a great job of distinguishing the voices of Lia and Pierce and exploring their lives and problems outside of the main romance. The writing style was simple and well-paced, perfect for the genre. I wasn’t sure about the choice of having Pierce interact a lot online with Lia’s alter-ego. It seemed weird to me that Pierce would randomly reach out to one of his fans on a random hockey forum or that they would immediately start flirting. He’s dealt with fame and social media, he should probably know better than that. Otherwise, the dual POVs added to the dramatic irony and helped the reader to get to know both characters on a deeper level.

Other than being a little too perfect, both characters were really realistic teenagers. They both had big goals but were still learning how to reach for them. Lia was working through a lack of self confidence that Pierce helped her to get past, and Pierce was working through high pressure and stress, which Lia helped him to manage. They complemented each other really well. I did think it was funny how quickly the readers realize that Pierce actually had no ego at all – he’s the stereotypical “big tough hockey guy” who turns out to take good care of his little brother and have a sensitive side. Lia just keeps thinking of him as arrogant even after it’s been shown that he isn’t, but it fits her stubborn character.

The side characters also brought a lot to the story, which is rare – sometimes they’re more plot devices in these Hallmark books than anything else. The character’s parents guided them through tough decisions and shaped their characters, the “dead dad” trope was represented well, and the character’s siblings had their own problems and arcs on top of the main story.

I appreciated the relationship between Lia and her best friend. The last few realistic fiction novels I’ve read recently have included some kind of fallout between the main character and her best friend, usually because the best friend feels neglected with everything the main character is going through. It makes the main character seem really selfish and not a great friend – and usually they become friends again just because the main character says sorry. That didn’t happen in Laced Up – Lia and Embry remained supportive and interested in each other even as Lia’s relationship with Pierce grew.

3.5 stars for a cute, simple, feel-good read. Pierce and Lia worked well together and it was fun to watch their romance unfold. The realistic and well-written side plots and side characters added a lot of interest outside of the main story line. If you’re looking for a wholesome high school realistic fiction romance, I would definitely recommend!