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authoralliesarah's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a cute read! I’ll be honest- I totally thought that Daniel and LostAxis were the same person going into the book. This was a really great twist on the online/real life tripe. I couldn’t put the book down! (Literally. I was up until 3:40am.) The characters are great, especially Daniel, Samaya, and Cass. (I’m so happy how Cass’ story ended)
emmreadsbooks's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Cute baking and video game YA contemporary? It's like Emm bait. But it truly was adorable and SUCH. a quick read. (Literally the palate cleanser I needed so I could actually fall asleep after the horror book I finished previously)
Farah Heron knows how to write fake dating and slow burn romances, it's an art. I loved the various plot arcs, from the Lady Whistledown style gossip instagram to the game development club. It was busy, but so is high school. Samaya comes into her own in this book as she discovers that life DOES exist outside of videogames and high school clout. Daniel is, of course, the sweetest bumbleberry pie hockey himbo and a fabulous foil to Sam. It was also such fun seeing Tahira being a doting older sister and chasing her fashion dreams. Overall just a precious book for when you need something HAPPY to read.
*Thank you to Skyscape and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
Farah Heron knows how to write fake dating and slow burn romances, it's an art. I loved the various plot arcs, from the Lady Whistledown style gossip instagram to the game development club. It was busy, but so is high school. Samaya comes into her own in this book as she discovers that life DOES exist outside of videogames and high school clout. Daniel is, of course, the sweetest bumbleberry pie hockey himbo and a fabulous foil to Sam. It was also such fun seeing Tahira being a doting older sister and chasing her fashion dreams. Overall just a precious book for when you need something HAPPY to read.
*Thank you to Skyscape and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
sammytvo's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I love the diverse characters with different cultures and life experiences. I love all the baked goods like I was craving lemon squares (and i’ve never had a lemon square). I love the premise of the book with a math-genius gamer girl teaming up with a sunshine, hockey player who loves to bake, to form a fake relationship. However, I personally felt like the execution wasn’t the best.
The book starts off with so much information being told to the reader all at once. I’m sure the information was important towards the main character’s thought progress and story but it just felt like too much background! Like I didn’t need to know that the main character went to math class and took an exam. It felt like I experienced a whole school day with her in the first few chapters (how exhausting)
I understand building a foundation for the plot but it felt so chaotic with so much going on for the main character! I lowkey had headaches trying to keep up! like there's an anonymous gossip account that for some reason is obsessed with the main character's love life. there’s a mystery surrounding the identity of her gaming partner. the question of who took the picture of Daniel at the shelter. With all this happening, there's also the main(?) plot of Samaya fake dating to convince everyone she's over her ex while trying to build a gaming app!!
The book had an overwhelming beginning along with a tedious pacing. So, once the real plot actually began (20% in), I was already getting bored!
Throughout the book, Samaya is too focused trying to navigate through all these problems, that the book ended up being about said problems! I couldn’t really connect with Samaya because of this and that there wasn’t much depth to her character. I love Daniel’s character tho! He felt like a nice reprieve from everything! Honestly I wish we got more of him or his pov! Sam and Daniel were cute too! I would’ve liked to see more of their romance/relationship!
I feel like some of the dialogue between some characters felt inserted instead of genuine conversation. Like the author wrote in dialogue for the purpose to create a “connection” between characters and move the story along. I feel like the author should build more on the relationships between the characters instead all the different conflicts going on.
Also, at times, it felt like the transition to one scene to the next felt abrupt! For example, there would be dialogue still being spoken and then it would skip to a different scene.
Honestly I was expecting a cute romance but this book just gave me stress from mentally trying to keep with all the things
I love the diverse characters with different cultures and life experiences. I love all the baked goods like I was craving lemon squares (and i’ve never had a lemon square). I love the premise of the book with a math-genius gamer girl teaming up with a sunshine, hockey player who loves to bake, to form a fake relationship. However, I personally felt like the execution wasn’t the best.
The book starts off with so much information being told to the reader all at once. I’m sure the information was important towards the main character’s thought progress and story but it just felt like too much background! Like I didn’t need to know that the main character went to math class and took an exam. It felt like I experienced a whole school day with her in the first few chapters (how exhausting)
I understand building a foundation for the plot but it felt so chaotic with so much going on for the main character! I lowkey had headaches trying to keep up! like there's an anonymous gossip account that for some reason is obsessed with the main character's love life. there’s a mystery surrounding the identity of her gaming partner. the question of who took the picture of Daniel at the shelter. With all this happening, there's also the main(?) plot of Samaya fake dating to convince everyone she's over her ex while trying to build a gaming app!!
The book had an overwhelming beginning along with a tedious pacing. So, once the real plot actually began (20% in), I was already getting bored!
Throughout the book, Samaya is too focused trying to navigate through all these problems, that the book ended up being about said problems! I couldn’t really connect with Samaya because of this and that there wasn’t much depth to her character. I love Daniel’s character tho! He felt like a nice reprieve from everything! Honestly I wish we got more of him or his pov! Sam and Daniel were cute too! I would’ve liked to see more of their romance/relationship!
I feel like some of the dialogue between some characters felt inserted instead of genuine conversation. Like the author wrote in dialogue for the purpose to create a “connection” between characters and move the story along. I feel like the author should build more on the relationships between the characters instead all the different conflicts going on.
Also, at times, it felt like the transition to one scene to the next felt abrupt! For example, there would be dialogue still being spoken and then it would skip to a different scene.
Honestly I was expecting a cute romance but this book just gave me stress from mentally trying to keep with all the things
sydneyd05's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was super cute and I enjoyed watching Samaya's growth. Daniel was so cute and such a good person who loves her so much. I loved seeing them bake together and develop their relationship. I understand why she was trying to stay friends with her ex's friends but I wish she would have dropped them sooner.
I received an arc through netgalley.
I received an arc through netgalley.
domi_is_reading's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
reemareads's review
4.0
You know what, that was actually really good! When you've got a likeable main character, fake dating, good friends, baking and gaming, what is not to like??? I loved the South Asian rep but would not class this book with accurate Muslim rep.
meganh10's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
aquariusqueen's review
fast-paced
4.25
Thank you Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
4.25/5 ⭐️
This was really cute. Samaya and Daniel got along so well together and they respected each other so much. The fake dating was really well paced and made sense. Most 3rd act breakups I’m not a big fan of but this one I understood.
I also really liked how Samaya came into being herself not some extension of her boyfriend and friends. The thoughtful discussions of being different classes was pretty thought out as well.
Overall, if you like fake dating and sunshine love interests I definitely recommend this book!
brandylyons's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Have I mentioned that I love grumpy sunshine? I freaking love it!! And when the grumpy is the girl? This is my jam!! Everything about this book was lovely!
Samaya is such a brilliant, thoughtful character. She is still healing from the pain of a breakup while her pain is being broadcast across the school.
Enter Daniel. Le sigh. I love him. That's all I have to say about that.
Overall, this was a wonderful book and I absolutely loved the best friend calling Sam out about her crap. And the growth!! I'm here for the growth!!
Samaya is such a brilliant, thoughtful character. She is still healing from the pain of a breakup while her pain is being broadcast across the school.
Enter Daniel. Le sigh. I love him. That's all I have to say about that.
Overall, this was a wonderful book and I absolutely loved the best friend calling Sam out about her crap. And the growth!! I'm here for the growth!!
zanzouneh3's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0