By Riley Dauber
Lifestyle Editor
2023 saw the emergence of a few different book subgenres thanks to video sharing platform TikTok. One community of the app, BookTok, provides readers with an opportunity to recommend favorite books to other users and share their love of specific titles.
For example, social media sites like TikTok and Instagram helped popularize the new subgenre “romantasy” — a portmanteau of “romance” and “fantasy” — in 2023. According to prior Elm coverage, more and more “romantasy” books are being released thanks to the genre’s popularity.
“Romantasy” was not the only trend that made it out of 2023 alive: hockey romance, a subgenre of contemporary sports romances, is also growing in popularity.
One of the earliest examples of this subgenre is Elle Kennedy’s 2015 book “The Deal,” the first in a four-part series about a group of hockey players. Each book in the series focuses on one member of the team and their love story.
While the original series ended back in 2016, Kennedy’s recent releases — “The Legacy” and “The Graham Effect” — exist in the same world, reigniting conversations about her books and the hockey romance genre.
Hannah Grace’s “Icebreaker” is another popular and more recent book from the genre. Grace originally self-published in 2022, but the book was picked up by major publisher Simon & Schuster thanks to its popularity, according to The New York Times.
“Icebreaker” follows the captain of a college hockey team and a figure skater as they are forced to practice on the same rink. Thanks to the close proximity, the two quickly fall in love. According to The Washington Post, one reason why hockey romance books are so popular is because authors are able to create a series, with each book focusing on a different member of the team. Both Kennedy and Grace did just that; in fact, Grace’s second book “Wildfire” came out in October 2023, and the third book “Daydream” is set for a summer 2024 release.
The Washington Post also points to the genre’s popularity — specifically the focus on hockey instead of other sports — because of the juxtaposition between the game’s violence and the male hero’s sensitivity.
“The books show their softer side as they fall head over heels,” Rachel Kurzius wrote for The Washington Post.
The genre’s popularity is evident on TikTok, where many creators share their favorite titles and even post fan edits of real-life players.
According to The Washington Post, “When it comes to posts about this particular category of romance novels, quotes from books will appear on top of video edits of real NHL players, sometimes doing suggestive groin exercises on the ice.”
The subgenre’s popularity also led many readers to attend real-life games, according to The New York Times.
This connection between the fictional books and the actual hockey games may have increased ticket sales, but it also encouraged some readers to sexualize the players.
Many romance novels are written and designed as a form of escapism. Readers can easily pick up one of the titles and immerse themselves in a fictional world. A first-person point-of-view may also make it easier for readers to imagine themselves as the main character.
While escapism and guilty pleasure books are harmless in nature, some readers took it a bit too far, according to The New York Times.
“A segment of these posts are sexually explicit, and some fans have posted explicit comments on players’ personal social media accounts,” Amanda Holpuch wrote for The New York Times.
By associating a real hockey player’s likeness with a fictional character, many fans may find themselves imagining the real people as the characters.
One player from the Seattle Krakens, Alex Wennberg, was frequently featured in these fan videos. The team’s official TikTok account played along and also included Alex Wennberg in their own content.
Alex Wennberg’s increased screen time in both the fan videos and the team’s videos caused many readers to react explicitly at games, like yelling “krak my back,” according to The New York Times.
Finally, Wennberg’s wife, Felicia, responded to the videos by posting a story on her Instagram in July of 2023, calling the videos “predatory and exploiting,” according to The Washington Post.
Then, in a statement posted to his social media, Alex Wennberg said, “We can all take a joke and funny comments but when it turns personal and into something bigger that affects our family, we need to tell you that we’ve had enough. Enough of sexual harassment, and harassment of our character and our relationship.”
While the controversy reminded many readers to separate the fictional books and characters from the real-life players, the hockey romance genre is still successful, whether fans are reaching for physical books at Barnes and Noble or borrowing e-books on Kindle Unlimited.
In order for the trend to continue, however, readers should strive to focus on the fictional, escapist qualities of the books. Involving real-life players clearly leads to uncomfortable situations and sexualization, and it is crucial to remember that these people are people, not the swooning protagonists in a romance novel.
Photo by Riley Dauber.
Photo Caption: Hannah Grace’s 2022 book “Icebreaker” spent 48 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list.