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amy_in_the_city's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book so much! Introverts finding the one person that doesn't drain them is literally my dream! It was funny at times, heartbreaking at others. I liked that it didn't romanticize small towns and acknowledged small towns aren't a good fit for everyone. It also had some LGBTQIA+ representation, with a biromantic demisexual main character. The scene where Maggie tears into Aiden's biphobic relatives was one of the most satisfying things I've ever read, as was seeing Aiden stand up for himself.
As someone on the ace spectrum, I appreciated that this book had a main character, especially an older character, discovering that they were demisexual. However, the book got some things wrong about asexuality. At one point, Maggie explains that "Ace is also called 'graysexual.'" A quick Google search would have confirmed that those two terms don't mean the same thing and that "graysexual" is actually just one of many different types of asexuality. It's clear from other terms used in explaining asexuality that the author did research various terminology. It just seems like she got confused at some point with a couple of terms, but I wish there had been a sensitivity reader or an editor that could have caught this before it made it into the final book. I also thought Aiden seemed pretty clearly demiromantic as well, but this was never brought up and his demiromantic traits were lumped in with his demisexual traits. Terminology issues aside, I thought the demisexuality was represented well, and Aiden felt authentically demi in how he experienced the world and in how he reacted to learning there was a word for how he was.
Overall, this was a cute romance, and I had a great time reading it!
As someone on the ace spectrum, I appreciated that this book had a main character, especially an older character, discovering that they were demisexual. However, the book got some things wrong about asexuality. At one point, Maggie explains that "Ace is also called 'graysexual.'" A quick Google search would have confirmed that those two terms don't mean the same thing and that "graysexual" is actually just one of many different types of asexuality. It's clear from other terms used in explaining asexuality that the author did research various terminology. It just seems like she got confused at some point with a couple of terms, but I wish there had been a sensitivity reader or an editor that could have caught this before it made it into the final book. I also thought Aiden seemed pretty clearly demiromantic as well, but this was never brought up and his demiromantic traits were lumped in with his demisexual traits. Terminology issues aside, I thought the demisexuality was represented well, and Aiden felt authentically demi in how he experienced the world and in how he reacted to learning there was a word for how he was.
Overall, this was a cute romance, and I had a great time reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Biphobia, Outing, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Infidelity, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Drug abuse, and Grief
coffee_and_wool's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Outing
londibie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is an extremely slow burn romance with really great bi and demi representation. I've read quite a few hetero romances that mention one of the characters is bi and has had same-gender partners in the past, but it's always a very brief mention and has no bearing on the plot of the book, making it feel like a token nod to diversity. This book however, does such a good job of actually writing one of the characters bi in a meaningful way that didn't make it feel like an afterthought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Outing
ravenk28's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Who knew a story about two people finding each other through their love of video games would be so sweet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Outing, and Homophobia
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Racism, Cancer, and Death of parent
gondorgirl's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Outing, Sexism, Sexual content, Infidelity, Misogyny, Cursing, Dementia, Mental illness, and Homophobia
ta2dlibrarian's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The perfect, inclusive romance for gamers doesn't exi . . . *record scratch*
Calling all MMORPG fans! This is the romance you've been waiting for. The author has done their gamer research and it shows!
My only gripe is the quick resolution between the protagonists and their toxic past, which is anything but realistic.
Calling all MMORPG fans! This is the romance you've been waiting for. The author has done their gamer research and it shows!
My only gripe is the quick resolution between the protagonists and their toxic past, which is anything but realistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Outing, and Sexual content
hopeamarsu's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, and Outing
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
the_vegan_bookworm's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A charming, fun read! It was a fresh take on an enjoyable premise with characters who don't need to change to be loved. I love a prickly FMC who stays prickly and is appreciated for who she is!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Biphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Outing, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism
chelseazhao's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
5.0
This had so many things that I loved!
- Older characters (48 and 50)
- Geeky Gamers
- Bi/Demisexual rep
- friends to lovers
- hilarious mix-up (she thought he was 20, he thought she was 80)
- teens who felt like teens
Keep in mind that we do have some harder topics: biphobia, homophobia, mentioned death of a parent, talk of end-of-life care
I seriously loved these characters and their relationship so much. I loved how snarky and funny that they could be. And I loved the demisexual representation!
- Older characters (48 and 50)
- Geeky Gamers
- Bi/Demisexual rep
- friends to lovers
- hilarious mix-up (she thought he was 20, he thought she was 80)
- teens who felt like teens
Keep in mind that we do have some harder topics: biphobia, homophobia, mentioned death of a parent, talk of end-of-life care
I seriously loved these characters and their relationship so much. I loved how snarky and funny that they could be. And I loved the demisexual representation!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Biphobia, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Pregnancy and Death of parent