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persephonexxvi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rhi_xo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
enjoyed the first half but wasn’t quite understanding the hype. the second half really started to make the whole book come together for me & made this a five star read. the characters & their dynamics felt very real & the story was just so well done. I get it now lol
kay_west_reads's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to love this book. I love gaming and storytelling and like the theme. However the character of Sam is confusing - he's depicted as both shy but also the energetic face of a company. His friendships seem toxic and codependent. No spoilers, his last conversation with Sadie made me actually hate him. But I'm not sure that was the authors intention
oliviadbourne's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
the freight should indeed be proportioned to the groove
alexangraf's review against another edition
4.0
So I actually ended up really liking this book! In the beginning I thought it was a little slow and I feel like I didn’t understand fully because I really don’t know much about video games but once things picked up I really enjoyed the story and the messages the book gave. Was also frustrated reading at times because was just wanting things to work out for Sadie and Sam but I guess in life things always dont go the way you want them too and life happens and you never know what tomorrow brings
kennethhill0729's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sunny_not's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book had a huge potential. It was very enjoyable until a sudden event which was super unneeded and didn't contribute much to the story. Overall I hated Don and his whole relationship with Sadie. Marx was lovely, Sam was complicated and Sadie was just meh, I think the author didn't explore her much which made her seem very 1D. The whole story could've been planned and executed better in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Suicide, Death, and Drug use
astrriskqqq's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
isabellahsieh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I think considering all the hype, this disappointed me. Ignoring all the hype, it was a solid and enjoyable book. I have my gripes, but I also appreciate the depiction of disability and the chronic pain that comes with it. I don’t know that I’ve read a book so far that does talks about that. If I did, it clearly wasn’t a memorable representation. I also really enjoyed the conversations surrounding death. The game death vs real death comparisons/metaphors, for example, were fascinating perspectives that I didn’t really think about. Makes the topic of games in this book feel more than just a thing the characters do and are connected by. Makes it much more intentional. It didn’t suffer from what Ready Player One did in that the game references/descriptions weren’t big focal points- more like context/setting. When Sadie and Marx got together, I was like “okay so Marx is gonna die because they wouldn’t separate them for Sam and Sadie unless he dies. And boom- what do you know? He dies. I did enjoy his focus chapters as he was dying. It made me a little emotional because Marx is a lovable character. As a dying person myself, I was like OOP. I was very glad that Sam and Sadie didn’t end up together romantically because that would’ve pissed me off. I was slightly annoyed that post-Marx, they never rekindled their friendship because that made the end of the book drag on. In retrospect though, I understand why. It was more realistic that way. And the true ending was a good callback that insinuated they’re friendship is everlasting despite everything (distance, life, responsibilities). It showed they’ll work together again in the way they always have. I think the ending just could’ve been slightly more condensed because there was essentially no character interaction between Sam and Sadie. All in all, I probably could’ve given this a 4.5 or maybe even higher. However, idk if that’s just me trying to believe in the hype or if my 4.25 is me reacting to the hype.
arielthealien's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25