Review: Skate It Til You Make It by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Thank you Macmillan Audio for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
Tis the season for Winter Olympic Romances! I was really excited to see a hockey romance with a female hockey player and I had a great time reading this book. I liked the audio production and it was the perfect book to have playing while the 2026 Winter Olympics got under way.
Overall, I really liked it. It’s a book that takes it’s time and doesn’t rush through anything, making it a perfect book to read via audio.
Synopsis:
“Ari Shumba never expected to make it to the Winter Games, let alone be the one to lead Great Britain’s
women’s ice hockey team through the most important competition of their lives. When her teammate's
unexpected injury catapults her to the role of captain, Ari reluctantly shoulders the responsibility while
trying to navigate family drama and dodge her toxic ex.
Drew Dlamini has always feared taking risks. After breaking up with his girlfriend and dropping out of
college to handle a family crisis, he’s desperate for a fresh start. When he finds himself in London for the
holidays, he rekindles his dream of becoming a professional photographer.
When Ari and Drew meet at a New Year’s Eve party, neither of them is looking for love. Though their
chemistry is instant, they live on opposite sides of the Atlantic, so they spend the night revealing their
glaring red flags, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But when they unexpectedly cross paths in
the snowy Swiss Alps two months later, their feelings for each other rise to the surface.
As the competition heats up, the combination of complicated exes, overinvolved families, and stress-
inducing teammates convinces them that the perfect solution to their problems is to fake-date their way
through the Games. After all, there’s no risk of falling in love if it is doomed from the start . . . right?” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Setting—The Olympic Village is such a fun place to set a book. There’s drama, intrigue, and constant tension.
The Tropes—Fake Dating! Such a great trope in the context of a sports romance. And there was so much at risk when it came to their fake relationship as well.
The Stakes—Fake dating your sister’s hockey rival and the person responsible for a huge injury? DRAMA.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The Pacing—The first couple chapters took a long time to get the story started. They were important, but I wish they could have been condescended a bit more to get the action of the story moving.
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3.75/5
Content Warnings:
Emotional abuse, toxic relationship (past), dementia, sexism