“I'm…kinda meeting myself for the first time ever. It's weird, but it turns out, I don't really know me.”

Assigned to the AHL affiliate for the New York Islanders after having just missed the cut out of training camp, 23-year-old Ryan Baylor finds himself in uncharted territory: sharing an apartment with the much older (and gorgeous) divorced cousin of his athletic trainer.

Realizing things have shifted, he struggles to navigate what his life has suddenly become: being the small fish in a big pond for the first time ever, his desire to have a meaningful relationship when all he's ever known are one-night stands, his tumultuous relationship with his new teammate, and his crippling panic attacks.

His story is far from perfect; it's real, it's raw, it's angsty, and it's a downright mess at times.

But how do you fix yourself and figure out who you're meant to be without first breaking through the shell of who you were?

***

If youre interested in a not-so-typical hockey romance, youve found it. Written in third-person omniscient point of view and packed with realistic dialogue, witty banter, and multi-faceted characters who youll love to hate at times, it captures what we all know to be true: real love looks NOTHING like it does in books and movies. And sometimes, the happily ever after we get isnt necessarily the one we expected.