ARC Review: "Spiral" by Bal Khabra (Off the Ice #2) ★★★★

ARC Review: Spiral by Bal Khabra (Off the Ice #2)

A really cute slowburn sports romance with my favourite tropes of fake dating and found family! 💜

She hugs me. She hugs me like she needs me, and it’s more than I could ever ask for. The embrace is a wave of bliss, a flood that momentarily helps drown out the knowledge that we’ll be apart soon. In this instant, all that matters is the warmth of her presence and the reassurance that she’s here with me.
“Let’s go home,” she whispers into the crook of my neck.
I nod, but she doesn’t know that I’m already there.

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
To misquote “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne: He was an ice hockey player, she did ballet. What more can I say?

Sage Beaumont is a ballet dancer, who dreams of being a star like Misty Copeland. Her parents abandoned her and her diabetic younger brother Sean. Circumstances have meant she has stacks of bills for her brother, and her job as a ballet teacher is barely getting her by. She auditions for the lead role of the swan queen for Swan Lake at the NBT (Nova Ballet Theatre) but unfortunately, they are only interested in hiring people with a large social media following.

Elias “Eli” Westbrook is a rookie ice hockey player for Toronto Thunder in the NHL (National Hockey League) who has yet to score his first career goal though constantly assists wins. His charming nature and newness to the team put him at the center of public scrutiny in the media, currently dubbed as the “golden boy turned playboy” with crazy fangirls trying to flaunt themselves at him at every opportunity.

The yearly fundraiser for charity occurs, and Sage is invited last minute by her uncle Marcus Smith-Beaumont to stand in for a dancer. Bids are being placed for a date with Eli, and his friend Aiden Crawford begs Sage to outbid a fangirl and he will cover the costs. Reluctantly she does so, which leads to more than what either of them bargains for.

After their date, gossip magazines release a photo of them with rumours circulating that Sage is Eli’s girlfriend. They decide this idea can work to their advantage and decide to fake date: Sage will get all the followers she needs to attract the attention of the NBT and secure the role; Eli will get less negative coverage in the media.

The only problem with this? The more time they spend together, the more the line between what is real and what isn’t becomes blurred. And there are obstacles in the way including her ex, Owen (who happens to be the new right-winger of Toronto Thunder) and Sage’s uncle Marcus (who happens to be the general manager of Toronto Thunder). And Eli has a few of his own secrets.

Elias Westbrook is the most gentle man I’ve ever known, but if he wanted to, he could tear my heart to pieces.

This is told from the first-person present-tense POV of Sage and Eli.

OVERALL OPINIONS
Okay but… why are men in these things always 6ft 4? Unrealistic standards. Like, my 5ft nothing self would break my neck looking up at this man! “What’s up, girl?” You, apparently! Get down from there! Anyway.

First of all, I am in love with the book’s dedication. Let’s start there:

You are a light in this world,
don't waste it on those who can't see it.
Find the people who can.

This is book 2 in the Off the Ice series, after Collide about Summer and Aiden. They are both in this book continuing their long-distance relationship but they also have roles to play here: Sage does not have any friends of her own and she forms a great bond with Summer; Aiden gives Eli some relationship advice and is the reason for Sage and Eli meeting. Bless!

Truth be told, I have not had the opportunity to read Collide (I know!) but I will do and I look forward to more. The good news is if you’re like me and have not read the first book either, this can be read as a standalone so nothing will be confusing.

Spiral is an excellent title choice for this one because there is the phrase “spiral out of control”, which is accurate for their relationship – they try to restrain themselves but they lose control and are mad for each other. There is also the idea of “going into a spiral” which the two of them do often because of past traumas. This is used in Chapter 31 wherein Sage feels she has been “tossed into a downward spiral almost as complicated as our fake relationship”.

Indeed there are beautiful parallels between Sage and Eli: they both perform well when they are together/supporting each other, they want to prove people wrong (Sage wants to show the artistic director Aubrey Zimmerman that she has come a long way since he laughed at her and her audition; Eli wants to show general manager of the team Marcus that he will do better and he will achieve his first goal and wants to show the media he is more than a playboy), they both get injured doing the sport they love, they have trouble sleeping.

The thing that personally stuck with me was this quote, when Sage talks to Eli about her ex:

“He saw me as a wind-up ballerina, ready to perform whenever he twisted the key.”

I hate Owen so much, but this is such an incredible way of using fitting imagery to show rather than tell that he was a controlling man. I audibly gasped at this! I would also argue this is the most poetic description in the whole book.

<< Positives >>
🠚The cover is super adorable! I love the colours!
🠚The dedication!
🠚Didn’t want to put it down!
🠚The relationship of Eli and Sage is so lovely, I was ooh-ing and aww-ing throughout! I especially loved the parallels. The spice was also good.
🠚The story emphasised the important message that long distance can work and isn’t a be-all-end-all, through the examples of both Summer and Aiden and Sage and Eli.
🠚The side plot about Marcus and Amy was sweet, wish it had been covered a little more.
🠚There were some great descriptions. For example: “Irritation flares in my gut as I watch his retreating figure. His bald head and straight-set shoulders burn into my memory. At least I’ll have a new silhouette for my sleep paralysis demon.” – hilarious. And this: “she looks at me like she’s mapping an entire constellation with her eyes.” – utterly beautiful.
🠚Summer and Aiden are back.
🠚The found family trope is so lovely, it is heartwarming to see Sage go from having only her brother Sean and uncle Marcus to both finding friends who essentially become her family, as well as adopting so she has a family of her own.
🠚Healthy vs toxic families are explored through Eli’s adoptive parents and his biological father.
🠚The issues of being a sibling forced to grow up too soon, step into their parents’ shoes and take care of the family is explored very well through Sage.
🠚Khabra covers the realistic issue of ballet dancers who are self-conscious of their bodies, especially because of remarks ballet directors have said. This is ashame, and it is nice that Sage has got to the point where such things don’t affect her the same “It’s been hard keeping them out, but I try”.

<< Negatives >>
🠚I thought there would be more to do with Lana, the crazy fangirl at the start, especially because we are given her name.
🠚Some sections were very rushed, particularly 3/4s in and I expected them to either take up more of the book or have more of an impact. The main thing is Eli’s father threatening to reveal stuff from the past. The 3rd act breakup/angst was rather quick (not perhaps a bad thing, as I dislike this). The ballet sabotage at the end too, it comes out of nowhere.
🠚Other moments felt repetitive: the main one that comes to mind is their making out session and then Eli withdraws. The same thing happens the next night except in a different location in the house. If it had had a different outcome, it would’ve been fine.
🠚There could have been more of a relationship built between Sage and Nina. I think Sage should have adopted Nina during the main text, rather than a “by the way, this happened” in the Epilogue. It’s so sweet, but it had a lot of wasted potential.
🠚Mason and Marcus initially confused me name-wise as they are quite similar.
🠚Owen essentially disappears just after halfway. There was an opportunity for him to be made aware of some of his inappropriate behaviour and apologise about how he treated her or something.
🠚Sage and Eli’s age aren’t explicitly revealed. We know the brother Sean is 15, but I feel like because Sage has her birthday, we should know how old she has become. I believe they are around 22 because Eli mentions being “eighteen when we won the world juniors… except that night we celebrated, and it got out of hand” – which we know is around 4 years ago because that is the last time he hooked up with anyone.
🠚The moment where Sage and Eli are pretending to be strangers and flirt, and he doesn’t care about asking if she is single and she says “Oh, you should, my boyfriend is huge. We need to make this quick.” to which he responds “Your boyfriend can wait.” – this struck me as odd! Like, yes they’re just pretending, yes Eli is the boyfriend therefore she is referring to him, but it also sounds like cheating? Was this meant to be hot? See if this was done differently, like she could say “He is an amazing boyfriend” and he smiles or smirks and says “Is that so?”, there’d be far more chemistry with that.
🠚Sage’s favourite thing is to make Eli uncomfortable??? That’s such an odd thing to say too, I don’t know about that!
🠚Eli taking a picture of Sage when she is sleeping and posting it on the internet, though to some extent is sweet, is contradictory – you’d have thought because he had a girl who, while he was sleeping, took a photo of him and frame him for taking drugs Eli wouldn’t be keen on taking pictures while someone is unaware.
🠚In Chapter 27, Sage says if Eli liked her, he would have kissed her by now. He literally did, though. Was she not aware of what happened in Chapter 17?

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Sage꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Poor Sage, such a people pleaser who takes care of others and doesn’t let others take care of her. I find her relatable to some extent. It is good of her to look after her brother but it is unrealistic that she can’t cook to save her life (I feel circumstances would have forced her to learn to cook for her and her brother). She is such a strong woman, it is admirable.
🠚I like her little “Note to Self”s through the book. Personal favourite is “When one door closes, smash the window.”
🠚She did annoy me a few times, I won’t lie. Especially her stubbornness when her apartment burns down. She has nowhere to go and is like “This is no big deal” – it literally is. I was just as mad as Eli in that moment. At least she’s self-aware she’s stubborn, I’ll give her that.

“If this is your way to sabotage me, it won’t work. Even if I break my damn leg out there, I’ll still perform. You can’t take this away from me.”

-ˋˏ ꒰ Eli꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ This man is an angel from above! He goes out of his way so many times to do things for her in so many different lovely ways. (I wish Sage had done more things for him in return!)
🠚My 2 most favourite things that he does for her are firstly, bringing the glue and extra crystals for her because he remembers her telling him about “that one time they came off before you even got onstage and how upset you were. I didn’t want that happening again”. Literally, stop it!! Secondly, when he takes her out to watch her favourite movie at a drive-in cinema to watch her favourite film Dirty Dancing and bakes her a cake.
🠚He was literally such a gentleman, his mother raised him well, bless her heart.
🠚He is very dominating which is insanely attractive.
🠚The only time I was annoyed with him was when Sage says she loves him and he instantly freaks out and pushes her away. I get it but I was like oh come onnn!

“From the moment I saw you, I couldn’t look away. And it had nothing to do with your body or face. It was just you. Your energy, your determination, your strength. That’s all that I could see. It was blinding.”

FAV QUOTES
• When he pushes back the damp hair that was sticking to his forehead, I find myself mapping the contours of his face. His brown eyes, straight nose, and a bottom lip plumper than the top one blend together effortlessly. He’s impossible not to stare at. It’s a shame they make hockey players wear helmets that obstruct the fans’ view of their faces. Maybe I should start a petition.
• when I’m running toward the water, feeling the rough sand beneath my feet, I’m no longer thinking about the tabloids. I’m thinking about the laughter coming from the girl who just ran into Lake Ontario.
• I have the urge to float around untethered. Something I used to do in high school. But now, there’s a split second where I want Elias to hold me tighter, to make me not feel so free—like there’s something to anchor me. Something that *wants* to anchor me.
• Suddenly, Sage’s laugh sounds fresh in my ears, and the way she bursts with energy is so contagious that it was impossible not to feel it too. Carefree and happy.
• With hockey, it’s easy to tell the difference between the players who worked hard and those who eat and breathe hockey like it’s a part of their soul. That’s what I see when I watch Sage. Dancing is a part of her soul.
• What chaos is trapped in that beautiful head of his?
• Lusting over your fake boyfriend should come with an advisory notice. Not that I would heed it anyway.
• The hand rubbing my back deflates the weight that’s been sitting on my shoulders this entire week as I fall into his chest. For once in my life, I feel like I’m allowed to cry outside the shower and in front of someone who won’t crumble if I do.
• “Why do you buy me flowers?” | He answers after a beat. “Because I like seeing you light up, even if you say you don’t like flowers.”
• “Wouldn’t want us breaking any other rules,” I say half joking. But there’s one I’d love to break. Especially right now as he wraps me in the cloak of his warmth. There’s something about this connection. A transfer of something created in our own bodies that we’re willing to share. It’s small, minuscule even, but it sets my heart alight. I steal the warmth of Elias like it’s mine to have, and he gives it to me like that’s true.
• I can’t remember the last time I felt this way. Desperate, needy, fucking *insane*. There’s too much I want to say, and too much I want to do. With Sage’s gaze lifted up to mine, it feels like a challenge. Like I need to wipe that smirk right off her face, and give her a better use for those perfect lips.
• This girl who carries everyone’s pain and problems is earnestly asking me to give her more. To give her my problems because she would rather carry them than see me crumple under the weight. Sage is beautiful and strong, a ray of light in a field of darkness.
• “You don’t have to pretend that you’re okay, but I’ll never let you doubt yourself. There’s nothing that can dim your light, and if you think there is, I’d crush it before it ever touched you.”
• I’ve waited my whole life for someone to tell me I’m worth it. Worth choosing, worth staying, worth loving. To tell me my dreams are attainable, and I wouldn’t be another fallen star with no way back. Elias has said that every step of the way, but it never truly clicked until this moment. Until *I* decided that I’m worth it.
• I was certain that whoever ended up with Sage Beaumont would never be bored. The girl is a star, and as much as I denied it then, I wanted to be the one she shone down on—the one she broke out of the sky for, and the one that caught her.
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I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Bal Khabra, Bloomsbury Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“Spiral” is out January 28th!