This is without doubt the most adorable book I've ever read.

From the very start I couldn't help smiling at this book. It's just so cute and wonderful in its entirety and made me feel cozy and warm all the way through!

And the best thing is: the characters feel it too! Dovid is absolutely smitten with Sam from the very beginning and the feeling becomes mutual very soon. The way their relationship develops is calm and natural and I loved following its progress.

I was particularly looking forward to the online aspect of their relationship and how that would be handled. Dovid lives in the US and Sam in Ireland, and for a very long time their interaction is solely over social media/messages. At no point is there any conflict about it, no questions about whether their relationship is "real" or not, which I loved! Way too many books featuring online relationships use that as a main point of drama, and then it's also mostly just handled really badly, so I appreciated that it just didn't come up here at all!

Another focus of the book is both Dovid and Sam's separate careers on youtube. Dovid is a very successful youtuber and has been making his living via his channel for years, while Sam just does it a bit in his free time and has barely any followers at the beginning of the book.
We see both of them recording and watching videos, and there are some conversations about the organisation and background aspect of being a youtuber, but not too in depth. Usually this is the part of the review were I complain about how I wanted more details, but..... not here. The amount of details provided was exactly right, I didn't feel like anything was missing and I was entirely satisfied with the scenes we got, rather than feeling like I needed more as I often do. Which is perfect!!! Great job, Play It Again!

Equally great is the various rep in the book. Dovid is jewish, bisexual and blind, his sister is sex-repulsed aro ace. Sam has social anxiety, self-esteem issues and trauma from abusive parents - his personal story arc centers on overcoming some of these things.
I loved how Dovid and Sam negotiate intimacy later on, with wonderful conversations about consent and Sam figuring out his (a-)sexuality.

While the book was mostly a feel-good read to me, it definitely has some quite heavy parts due to Sam's trauma and another thing that happens close to the middle of the book that some readers might find jarring due to its suddenness. I included this in the content warnings below.

Content warnings include: character gets hit by a car; mentions of bullying, ableism, homophobia and abusive parents.

Oof. This was something I requested on a whim and when I started reading it, I was SO excited! Holy representation! A gay blind boy and a homoromantic asexual? I mean, come on! The author did an amazing job with that, but unfortunately that's where my love ended. I was honestly so thrilled about this at the beginning, I could no stop talking about it at work, I was super hyped about it and then it just fell short for me. The endless text convos, which mostly centered around YouTube, really took away from something that could've been great. I feel like the author focused so much on YouTube and failed to really develop the relationship between the two main characters. That being said, I'm not upset that I read it. It's an easy, wholesome read with great representation and honestly, we need that right now.

Play It Again was a very entertaining (shall I say, adorable?) read where a famous blind youtuber and a not-so-famous anxiety-ridden gamer connect through the magic of the internet and fall in love. I loved Dovid and Rachel's relationship didn't change when Sam came into the picture. I also loved that Dovid and Sam didn't rush themselves once they fell in love; they had no need to move to another country for someone they just met and while they loved each other and wanted to be together, they knew they were needed in their respective places for the time being.
This book was a soft and quiet HEA that was a truly good read.

Play it Again was really heartwarming and a lovely read. There was very little conflict or plot but it was so much fun!! All the characters were so precious and there was a lot of representation in terms of sexuality and disability.

A fun read if you're looking for something light.

Audiobook review.

Overall: 3
Performance: 5
Story: 3

Play It Again is the first book I've read by Aidan Wayne. While I enjoyed it, a lot of that was due to Sean Crisden's excellent performance of the audiobook. I actually received a copy of the ebook from NetGalley but when I saw that the audiobook was available on Hoopla I decided to listen to it instead of read it. I'm glad that I made that choice. I've listened to several books performed by Sean Crisden but this is the first time I've heard him do an Irish accent; I liked it!

While I found the story entertaining, it moved awfully slowly. I could sympathize with Sam's insecurities but reading about them over and over got a bit tiresome. I loved Dovid and Rachel and all of the stuff about their You Tube channel and I found the restaurant reviews highly entertaining.

I read romance with all different heat levels so the lack of any steamy scenes in this story didn't really bother me. I was more bothered by the fact that Dovid and Sam didn't really seem to have much romantic chemistry between them.

While this book didn't really do it for me personally, I liked the writing and wouldn't mind reading another book by Aidan Wayne.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

Honestly, this one was too cute not to like. I loved Dovid from the time he and his sister explained to the YouTube world how to pronounce his name. Which, by the way, was a very clever intro, because even with the assistance, I still found myself stumbling over the pronunciation more than a quarter of the way through the book. It also made me smile when Sam was nervous about making sure he got it right, so he wouldn’t insult Dovid. 🙂

Sam was the kind of guy you just wanted to hug. He lacked self-confidence, which wasn’t entirely his fault. When everything you lack is drummed into you from a very early age by people who should always build you up, it’s hard to see the good in yourself.

Fair warning, there’s an awful lot of info about YouTube-ing in Play it Again. There’s also like zero sexual romance. That doesn’t stop this story from being a sweet romance though, just not heated. Which is okay, but kind of left me wondering, or maybe hoping that things really work out for these two… you’ll understand why once you read Play it Again. Love has a way of working things out though, so I do have hope for Sam and Dovid.

On a side note, I’m really not a fan of YouTube “play” videos. That’s probably because I’m not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination and my grandkids could literally watch them for hours… and I just don’t get it. Maybe if I could find someone like Sam to watch…?

This isn’t my first Aidan Wayne book and I’ve got to say, I’m always pleasantly surprised when I pick up one of their books. I always walk away learning something… (Loud and Clear, Counter Balance) and that’s a good thing 😉

Play It Again was written by Aidan Wayne. The blurb on Netgalley piqued my interest, so I sent out a request. This is a m/m romance novel, but it’s slightly different than most of the other books in the genre.

Dovid Rosenstein is an American YouTube sensation. He and his twin sister Rachel produce Don’t Look Now, and they’ve amassed a substantial following; Dovid is blind, so he his reviews usually offer a unique perspective on accessibility.

Sam is an average guy living in Ireland. He has a very small YouTube following for his videogame playthroughs. When Dovid mentions Sam’s show on Don’t Look Now, Sam’s follower count immediately sees a dramatic increase.

Sam thanks Dovid for the shoutout, and this leads to a series of messages and phone calls between the two young men. There’s clearly a connection, but they live halfway around the world from each other. That doesn’t stop them from developing a very strong friendship with some adorable hints of flirtation.

While the increase in popularity is terrifying at first, Sam quickly gains the confidence to handle his newfound internet fame. Of course, it helps that he has the support of his new friend Dovid.

As I mentioned, Dovid and Sam live in separate countries, so they are apart for most of the book. This places an emphasis on the development of their emotional relationship, but even when they do meet up, Sam is asexual, and Dovid respects his boundaries. There’s not very much contact beyond hugging and cuddling, which works well for these two.

I would recommend Play It Again. In terms of genre, I would place it between older Young Adult and New Adult. Dovid and Sam are absolutely adorable together, and it was so sweet to see their relationship shift from strangers to friendship to something more. This is my first experience reading one of Wayne’s books, but I’ll definitely seek out more from them in the future.






I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I really really wanted to love this book but when I reread it, it felt a lot like a how-to for social media and less like a romance. I did kind of like it, but not as much as I have hoped I would.

First up, yay, thank you for allowing me to read this book, I was definitely hyped about this one. LGBT? Blind Character? Youtube? Um, yes please.
Sadly, with some difficulty I managed to get to 10%. And this is after 3 tries. One in May, 2 in April. The story is just too much details. Everything the characters do and say and think is laid out which just makes it all very boring and annoying. It is more like a how-to guide rather than a fun fiction book. The characters? Rachel is very one-dimensional, and Dovid is just barely two-dimensional. Can't give a big thought on Sam as I gave up halfway through his chapter, or wait, I can then. He was just so bland. He needs more salt and pepper to spice him up and bring him to life.
So yeah, I struggled and that is only 10%. I am really sad, I was looking forward to a cute new LGBT novel especially one with Youtube elements. :( Also that cover! *sighs*

Dovid (Duh-vid) Rosenstein is a popular YouTuber who, along with his sister, Rachel, runs “Don’t Look Now.” When he becomes obsessed with an adorable let’s player named Sam, he plugs Sam on his channel, wanting him to get more views. Sam, a shy gamer from Ireland, is baffled when his channel is suddenly flooded with new viewers and subscribers. When he thanks Dovid on his channel, it leads to a series of DMs between the two men, which leads to texting, which leads to phone calls, which leads…

They may be in two different countries, but soon Dovid and Sam find themselves becoming more and more attracted to one another. But can a long-distance relationship between two people who’ve never met in person really work?

This was a very cute book and a sweet read. I liked both characters, but Sam was definitely my favorite. I found his anxiety and shyness to be very real. Not that Dovid wasn’t real, too! They were both realistic and well-written. I liked seeing their relationship grow from a one-sided admiration, to mutual admiration, to attraction, and eventually to love.

As cute as it was, the writing style didn’t work as well for me. All the YouTube bits seems stilted and unnatural. I’m not sure if it was simply the nature of trying to translate a visual medium to text or if the writer just didn’t convey it well enough. I also found the plot to be a little simplistic. There wasn’t much conflict or tension. It was a sweet slice of life, but it was a lot of Sam and Dovid just talking or thinking about how much they liked each other. Sam had a lot of problems with his job and his family, but we don’t see it; we’re just told about it when he talks to Dovid. It might have been interesting to see some of those conversation and really get a feeling of how horrible his family way. I don’t know. It just seemed all too easy, when it came down to it.

Overall, while I liked this book, I found it a little boring because of the lack of tension and conflict. If you’re looking for an easy, sweet book without much conflict, than this definitely is the book to pick up.

This is pure perfection!
An amazing representation of finding love in the modern world.
I was never bored, and I really want to see what happens next - a sequel would not be discouraged!

Play It Again can be summed up in three words:

An Absolute Delight.

The word adorable could have been used but that would have been a bit too on the nose 😋

I jumped into this book and didn’t emerge until I was finished. To say that I was emotionally involved would be an understatement, because I was in love by Chapter three.

The characters of the novel are amazing and Aidan Wayne should be commended, or the very least be given free range to publish whatever they want, because despite some incredible differences, I found all of their characters so relatable. I loved Dovid for all his exuberance and humility, and Sam for his adorableness 😉

It may seem like I am going a bit over the top but really Play It Again was just so effortless. I picked it up, started reading, and fell in love with the characters and their story. The inclusiveness, the tentative flirting, the unabashed acceptance of each other and everyone was just so amazing to read. Effortless enjoyment.

One their website, the author states that:

‘they primarily write character-driven stories with happy endings. Because, dammit, queer people deserve happy endings too.’
Taken from https://aidanwayne.com/wp/index.php/about/
And damned does Play it Again deliver.

Best Bits:

*Angry Blind Kid– There were a couple of times Play It Again was very relatable to me, and the Angry Blind Kid video hit pretty close to home. So my real name isn’t too hard to pronounce, it’s not common but its also not uncommon, but the amount of times it is mispronounced drives me nuts. Not just with random people but with staff that I have been working with for years. The angry rant about how his name isn’t too hard to pronounce was quite a nice moment for me 😅

*Sam – Okay so I work in a industry where I have to work with a lot of the public, a lot of the time. And it is exhausting. Having to be very personable all day takes an emotional toll and I related so hard with Sam. Coming home and just needing to read a book or play a game to recharge is how I make it through the week.

Recommendations: Play it Again is for anyone who wants to read a fun romance full of love, acceptance, and YouTube. I really enjoyed Play It Again and would really recommend this book for anyone looking for an easy read they can sit back a smile down into.

Please note: I received a copy of Play It Again from NetGalley.

First off, I'll confess that I skipped most of the actual video content narrations in the book.

Sam was exceptionally nice but there was no way was I reading through actual paragraphs of a "Let's Play" YouTube channel especially for a game I don't follow. Now, if it was for a "Plant Vs Zombies 2" Let's Play, I would've been ALL over it but as it wasn't, I skimmed those parts.Additionally, although Dovid's content was more interesting, I ended up skipping a lot of those as well. There were no hard feelings though as those were just not for me.

Also, I felt like those portions could've been summarised or just referred to without the author placing a word by word transcript of their YouTube channel uploads on page.It was too much for me.

Honestly, I was more interested in the MCs and not the whole business of getting Social media monetised and all of that. I just wanted some Sam and Dovid. Simple as that.

Speaking of Sam and Dovid, both men were very sweet, thoughtful, kind and very open about themselves. It was refreshing that even when Sam had family and self esteem issues, it wasn't forced to become unnecessary drama to "push" the story forward.

I must add that there were no sexy times as one of our MCs was asexual but I didn't feel it negatively affected the story. It actually kept the focus on the budding relationship and was good for the overall feel of the book I think.

To conclude, I'll say this was a good story that got waylaid by all the Youtube stuff and definitely had the capacity to be much much better.

Dovid and his sister Rachel have a YouTube Channel called Don’t Look Now which is their full-time job. After Rachel shows Dovid a video of this guy named Sam, Dovid immediately falls in love with Sam’s voice and ends up watching all of his videos and giving him a shoutout through one of his own videos. Sam wakes up the next day to thousands of comments, new followers, Twitter blowing up and has no idea why until he gets a DM from Dovid, and that’s where it all beginnings.

It was really interesting to read a book with a blind main character (even if it’s fiction). Dovid’s character was really cool and seemed like a really fun, laid-back person. Because he is blind, most of the things he likes he finds through touch or sound, so when he first hears Sam’s voice in one of his videos, he thinks he’s adorable. I think that’s really cool because Dovid has no idea what Sam actually looks like except how Sam has described himself to Dovid, but he loves him anyway because of who Sam is.
Sam’s character is really shy and insecure so when his YouTube Channel blew up he had no clue as to why. Sam grew up always being put down, so he never thought his channel would ever be anything big, just some silly videogame walkthroughs. I think I like Sam’s character so much because he never thought of Dovid’s blindness as a set back in their relationship.
I also really liked Rachel’s character because she’s really weird and funny. I love that she’s always there for Dovid and is there to help him with anything but also knows how independent he is. I liked how supportive she was of Dovid and Sam but I also liked how much she playfully teased them both.
All in all, this was a pretty good book, definitely a quick read. The writing was done well. Everything is broken up so it’s not confusing like when Sam and Dovid are DMing it’s easy to tell where the messages start and end and switch back and forth and then go back to the story. This is a cute little story of a long distance relationship with the potential to become more (you’ll have to read it and see). I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and simple YA romance read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Carina Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 Stars
Dovid Rosenstein is a blind YouTuber from Seattle with over 6 million subscribers. He and his sister, Rachel, upload videos that keep viewers entertained and coming back for more. When Rachel shows Dovid Sam’s video game channel, Dovid is instantly captivated by the Irishman’s voice and can’t understand why Sam has only 400 subscribers. That changes when Dovid gives Sam’s channel a shout out and Sam gets tens of thousands of new subscribers.

Sam is overwhelmed, but grateful, and when he dedicates his next episode to Dovid, it initiates a round of messages between the men that have both of their hearts racing. Dovid is immediately captivated by the man who sounds adorable and Dovid knows that even if Sam is on the other side of the world, he’s definitely falling in love. The men want to explore what they feel between them, but the distance and their insecurities doesn’t make it easy.

Dovid and Sam were both perfectly likable characters, but this book was not the one for me. Dovid is a highly successful YouTuber and that is how he and his sister make their living. We are told they have over 6 million subscribers, but their videos lacked any kind of excitement for me and although Dovid and Rachel are twins and the best of friends, they lacked chemistry between them on the videos as well.

When Rachel is looking for a gaming channel, she stumbles upon Sam, who has a small following. Although Dovid is not a gamer, he is captivated by Sam’s voice and presentation and gives him a shout out. What happens next is a series of hesitant messages between the two of them as Dovid helps Sam manage the influx of subscribers to his channel. The pace of this was incredibly slow for me and not a lot happens. The guys are so unsure of how to communicate with each other and they are constantly apologizing for every little thing. It’s never stated specifically how old they are, but early to mid 20s seemed reasonable for where they were in life. However, their interactions with each other came off as much younger, more like they how early teens would interact.

Dovid has been blind since he was a child. We are only given glimpses of how he navigates the world. We know he uses earbuds to hear his messages, but when he is cooking or doing other tasks, we are never shown any conveniences he uses as a blind man and that would have given his character another layer. We are only told lost his vision at a child, and while a specific age was not given, it seemed to be very early in his life. Yet, Dovid is able to visualize when Sam tells him that he has red hair and freckles and blushes often. It’s never made clear what, if anything, Dovid can remember from when he had sight as a child, and it was inconsistent.

Sam is a quiet, loner type of guy with an overachieving brother and Sam’s relationship with his parents is strained and they don’t treat him well. Sam is also too passive in his relationship with Dovid and went along with everything Dovid said. As Sam’s relationship with Dovid grows, Sam is also figuring out where he falls on the asexual spectrum. Dovid is a more physical and sexual person and while Dovid respects Sam’s needs, it’s never really clear if this relationship will fulfill both of their needs in the long run. The guys also spend most of their time apart as they live in different countries.

A good portion of this book read like an introductory tutorial on how to be a YouTuber and how to set up a Patreon and it all had a dry feel to it. There was nothing to draw me in here and the book was too long for the story that was there.

This book is probably one of the most adorable that I've ever read. If you've ever needed a metaphorical palate cleanser then this is the story for you. Dovid and Sam are both very kind hearted men that don't let negativity get them down. Their romance is slowly developed over the course of months through messages and calls. That made their courtship seem very realistic, especially because it is long distance. I also loved the way social media is portrayed, which was very realistic.

This would probably is classified as a sweet or clean romance, which would make it great for a YA audience. Many aspects of the LGBTQIA spectrum are portrayed which is refreshing to see. The way disabilities are depicted is also realistic and respectful. All in all, this was a fantastic book that I highly recommend for people looking for a light contemporary story.

This book has a lot of good ideas but lacks execution.
Let's start with the characters. In general, I liked them, they were solid protagonists - but Wayne made them seem stiff and boring. We barely went skin deep when it came to their habits and fears and any interesting relationships (e.g. Sam with his parents and brother, Dovid and Rachel) were brushed over with the romance. Which was also a letdown. I was not feeling it at all and not even them meeting in person helped with that. There was little nuance in any interactions, it was all straight forward and to the point, not the way real people talk. I wanted to see more into the day-to-day of siblings who do Youtube together, to dive deeper into their lives and actually connect.
Instead, the book only touches the surface of its characters which in turn makes me care very little about them or their romance. (Sam's problems are mentioned but first did not affect me at all and second, did not do anything for the story.)

Which brings me to the plot. Again, I think the idea isn't bad but the way it all played out was not exciting to read about. This reads more like a How-To-Guide for Youtube than a novel. So many times was information just dropped on you without it weaving into the storyline. At least 50% of Sam and Dovid's conversations were about YT advice - which made their romance appear lacklustre. I cannot really find a story arc or conflict the plot revolves around, it's more like a fluffy novella you would expect after a full novel.

This is all underlined by the writing. It's very telling; instead of experiencing Sam's anxiety or their romantic interest in one another, I was just told about it. Clearly, the writing did not do it for me at all. And I was hoping with this being about people who make videos, the author might try out some different writing styles and such to incorporate it more but sadly, no. All the conversation are stilted and awkward, none of the protagonists can commit to saying something without immediately backtracking. And this might be weird to say but there were no misunderstanding

But to be entirely honest, the main reason I wanted to pick this up was the fact that it has asexual representation. And I think it's done okay? While Sam is first introduced to those terms, there is no real tension, good or bad. I feel (as with any other topic) the conversation surrounding it felt very stiff.

The cuteness!

This book is so cute from beginning to end that I just felt so good while reading it. If you’re ever looking for a comfort read, this is it. Don’t expect me to be very coherent about this because it’s so fluffy I can’t believe it.
I can’t recommend reading it when you have to stop in the middle of it and, say, work, but other than that, GO FOR IT!

I know a lot of people have criticized there isn’t going on much in this book and while it is rather slow and not in your face about it, there are so many important scenes that I love. I love all characters, I love the author’s writing style, I love the relationship and I finally get a cute long-distance romance with an ace love interest? Oh yes please. I’m judging every last one of the reviews which are criticizing the “missing sexiness” btw.

I don’t know a lot about the YouTube or the let’s play scene but it was so interesting to read about and I never felt lost once. Aside from the lovely romance I love how Aidan Wayne manages to subtly but not subtle hint at the ways society keeps people with disabilities from living life the way they want to. I might have an invested interest in this both because of private life as well as work life so I was very pleased about that.
Last Words: All the fluff!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

This is my first book by Aidan Wayne, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a story that was super sweet with zero heat.

Dovid (pronounced duh-vid) is a YouTuber who makes a living posting videos about his life as a blind man. When he runs across the videos made by Irishman Sam, who films and narrates his game plays and uploads them for fun, he can’t resist plugging them in his own YouTube channel. From there, he and Sam strike up a long-distance friendship, which develops into deeper feelings for both of them.

The word adorable gets thrown around a lot in this book, and it’s very much the proper word to describe Dovid, Sam, and their romance. Both guys are sweethearts. Sam is in need of some extra care and attention, having been raised by emotionally abusive parents, and Dovid is there to give it to him. There are a lot of sweet conversations between the two of them, as well as kisses and cuddling when they finally meet.

The book has zero heat, though. Partly that’s because Sam and Dovid are separated for most of the story, but Sam is also asexual. He expresses a willingness to experiment with Dovid, but Dovid is respectful of Sam’s sexuality and doesn’t push his boundaries. He’s happy to take Sam as he comes, and really, isn’t that what a relationship should be? Again, super sweet!

One thing to note--there is a LOT of discussion of making YouTube videos, monetizing channels, using Patreon to generate income, etc. If readers aren’t interested in that kind of thing, they might get bogged down in the story. I was interested, and even I thought there was too much of it in relation to the romance.

I don’t think this book is for everyone, but readers who are looking for a sweet romance with ace rep should give it a try.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a really sweet read with close to zero angst and plenty of long-distance dating and pining!

It did have a lot of elements on how to deal with being a successful Youtuber, how to set up Patreon, and how to deal with sudden popularity, but I didn’t mind reading about all of that. This might be my own bias talking, but I spend a lot of my free time watching Let’s Players on Youtube and it gave me more of an inside look into how much work they’re putting in for the viewers.

Dovid is a blind bisexual Youtuber, who had lost his eyes because of a rare illness. He’s a critic and rates restaurants on their accessibility and food quality. His twin sister, Rachel, is a sex-repulsed aroace who loves gaming and recording with her brother but does not like being seen on camera. I personally would have loved to see more of her and her interests in the story, but this was focused on the relationship between Dovid and Sam. Both Dovid and Rachel are Jewish.

Sam is a homoromantic asexual who works in IT and relaxes by playing video games. He is a very small Let’s Player with a loyal fanbase, but with a plug from Dovid he soon becomes very popular. This opens us communication between the two main characters as he starts asking Dovid how to deal with the sudden influx of followers and slowly gains confidence throughout the book. I wasn’t expecting Sam to be asexual, but it was a really nice aspect. I’m asexual myself, so I can relate to the relief he felt when he learned there was a word that described him and his experiences.

I loved the long-distance aspect of this story! I don’t read many about it and this was a nice take on the struggles. As for representation, I would have liked to see more about Dovid’s blindness and I tried to look for ownvoice reviews concerning how accurate the rep is, but I could not find any.

The only struggle in this book is Sam’s parents. They’re never proud of his work, comparing him to his doctor brother, and do not approve of him being gay.