I haven't written a review of this book on my blog because I DNFed it only a couple of chapters in, and I don't like to write about a book if I haven't actually finished it because I don't think that's fair. But this book was weird. I thought it would be a cute geeky romance, but it was anything but. I didn't connect to the characters and I didn't really care for the fact that they were stuck in the mall at all, with all this weird completely overdramatic stuff happening that didn't make any sense. It's all side-plots with no concentration on the main plot itself. So I got bored and gave up.

Dear Zach,

You possibly get the girl by talking to the girl and getting to know her. You do not by ignoring her and complain to yourself that she is talking to your friend. You don’t get the girl by seeing girl and staking claim. She is not yours to claim. You also don’t get the girl by insulting because you can’t wrap your head around her interests in playing video games or reading comics. Zach it is 2019 girls play video games. Girls have played video games since video games came out. I was one of them. We also read comic books.

Sincerely,
Me
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Zach’s reaction to a girl walking into a game store is reminiscent of any Big Bang Theory episode that showed a girl walking into the comic book shop and all the men stopping what they are doing and staring. It’s annoying please stop this!

There wasn’t anything really gamer about this book other than that is their choice of pastime. It also got somewhat preachy in one of chapters when Zach and Cooper were defending all their screen time against the negative media surrounding the topic.

I also don’t get the relationship between Zach and Samara. They don’t interact and when they do he is unintentially (in his mind anyway) insulting her. There is zero show of interest between them. I thought she was more about Cooper but apparently I was wrong.

The ending was rushed and wrapped up everything in a pretty little bow. Also it kind of felt like Zach should be walking around with a halo. This kid knew everything, helped with everything, saved a life, and just basically fixed all problems!

The following are parts of the book that made me talk to the book while I was reading…

1. How Zach responds to Samara when she is talking about the Hulk.
“You read the comics? I ask incredulously
“Again- is that a problem? You seem pretty hung up on me being into this stuff.”
She then gets up and leaves because she doesn’t understand his problem… but we are supposed to believe they are falling for one another?

2. Zach becomes upset that Samara didn’t tell him her parents aren’t together anymore… she knows you for a minute Zach… her personal life is not really your business.

3. How Zach talks to Samara when she wants to go help
“I can go down there,” Samara offers quickly.
“Are you crazy? You need to stay up here with the group,” I say more forcefully than I mean to.
“Why should you tell me what to do?” Samara says. “You think I can’t handle myself?”

So much attraction going on here!

4. The fight between Cooper and Zach was like she was someone’s property.
“Do you really think I’d try to steal your girl from you?” – Cooper
What makes her Zach’s? Did he pee and mark his territory? He ignored her the whole book!

This book just wasn’t what I was expecting based off the title. It was less about a nerdy romance and more a group of people surviving a storm trapped in a mall while a kid makes assumptions on a relationship he spends no time trying to cultivate.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn publishers for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book but I quickly grew to enjoy it.

I did have issues with some of the formatting on the digital copy. There were quite a few pages where the sentences were only a word or two on each line which made for a choppy reading in my opinion.

But the plot was great. I loved seeing Zach grow to understand Samara and figure out how to act around her. I loved seeing him step up to play the part of a hero, and how he would equate it to one of the heroes in a video game. His friendship with Cooper was also fun to see.

Overall, it was a quick and easy read but also very engaging! I very much enjoyed it.

Excellent story of Zach and Cooper, 2 gaming mates who find themselves stuck in a mall at the end of late night trading just as a huge storm hits. Together with Samara, a beautiful girl that Zach is crushing on, they have to contend with not only the storm but looters and drug addicts as well as George the main security guard having a heart attack. Great book about ordinary people believing in themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Will definitely purchase for my students as very suspenseful and keeps you reading wondering what will happen next.

Do you ever go into a book thinking, hey this will be a cute and fluffy, possibly humorous read that I'm happy to spend my time with and then come out of it wondering what the heck you were just tricked into reading and why you didn't DNF on chapter two? Well, that's how I feel about The Gamer's Guide to Getting the Girl by Kristine Scarrow. I think it's fair of me to say that I had some expectations going into this novel based solely on its title and forgive me now or stop reading if you'd like because I don't think I can write this review without spoilers. I was expecting an adorable little nerd romance that actually spent some time getting to know the characters who were in the damn ship, but instead what I got was an incredibly dull and boring book about a group of people trapped inside a mall during a storm. Where was the nerd romance? Replaced by a somewhat bratty kid trying to look like a hero for a girl by...helping everyone else but her while his best friend spends all his time with her off page and yet...somehow...the feelings develop between the two who almost never talk? I already can't even with this book and that's not even the worst part of it.

So, our story begins with two nerdy friends, Zach and Cooper, in a game store playing demos that they don't have the money to buy. Cue pretty girl, Samara, walking by and our narrator, Zach, gets all excited, basically blows his introduction with her, and then everyone leaves because the mall is closing. Next thing you know they can't leave because suddenly the underground parking garage has flooded from something breaking during the storm and so the security guards all try to keep the small group of late mall-goers in the mall until the storm dies down, I guess? Meanwhile there are a bunch of side plots that aren't given the page time to keep your interest, but basically, someone's wife is having a baby, mum with the baby runs out of diapers, and there's an attempted jewelry store robbery. And I'm not saying that none of these things should be less important than "the gamer getting the girl," but since when was this story supposed to be about everything else but the gamer getting the girl? That's not why I picked this book up and that's not the story I was looking to read.

But fine, here we are with a boring book that follows a nerdy boy doing everything but talking to the girl he supposedly likes and then grumping about to himself when he thinks that she likes his best friend because his best friend is actually paying attention to her. And I just can't believe we're meant to like the narrator when he spends all of his time acting all grouchy about helping the people he's helping because he's not getting to spend time with this girl he just met but who is apparently the girl of his dreams. But let's move on.

The end of the book is a disaster, complete with a rather ridiculous side plot for Samara's apparently drug-addicted mother with a nasty boyfriend whom she is apparently trying to run away from and then the insanely unrealistic and rushed cookie-cutter resolution to the problem, a rather dumb hero moment that results in an injury, and, you guessed it, the gamer getting the girl. Honestly, I just can't. This wasn't the book I wanted and, frankly, the writing really just wasn't great. I could potentially see this as a good book to get non-readers reading, but other than that? I'll pass.

This was a cute story. I'm from Oklahoma and was very interested in seeing how the tornado stuff went down. Ultimately it wasnt bad, but it wasnt game changing either.

The story is very basic. The hero is good at everything, and theres only a little emotional conflict within. I think this makes it perfect for the younger side of the young adult audience, an area that is lacking. I would recommend for that age group specifically. The writing is easy to follow and exciting, but with a juvenile voice. I think the book does fill a gap in that area and I would recommend it for anyone as young as seventh grade and up through high school.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **
I’m a bit conflicted about this book. I live in tornado alley. I was interested in seeing how a “romance” might begin in the midst of an emergency.
Zach seems like a sweet guy. He seems to know a little about a lot of things. The problem is that he is the hero of damn near everything. He steps in with a baby, a robbery, a medical emergency, a penicillin attack, and several other situations.
Samara seems to be a plot device instead of a person. She’s the love interest but also a potential problem between friends . The family drama was a bit much for the time frame.
Cooper is just the standard side kick. He’s sweet but doesn’t really have anything to add to the story.
It is not a terrible story. The chapter headings are interesting.
For me, this book is meh. I don’t think I’ll remember much about it but I can see others might like it.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn for this e-arc of The Gamer’s Guide to Getting the Girl.

What drew me to this book was the title. My husband and young son are gamers. I dabble slightly in gaming when my son needs someone to game with. So I requested this book because I thought the story of this gamer boy trying to get a girl would be cute and funny.

The story is well written, there are no problems there, but I felt there was a lack of connection between Zach, our gamer, and Samara, the girl he’s trying to get. The references to video games I knew was fun and made me smile. The author took Zach’s love of gaming and put him into a real life challenging situation, to test his real life skills.

So Zach sees a girl, Samara, in the video game store and is stunned that she’s beautiful and is a gamer as well. It’s insta-love, but he just doesn’t seem to know how to approach her and connect to her, he sort of tries. Then a storm locks them and a few others in the mall. The rest of the story deals with keeping people safe, fed, happy and under control. Zach steps up to the plate and helps with all of this – he is a great guy, but does Samara notice him? It’s easy to say from all of Zach’s actions in this book he’s an all around good guy. He cares about people, he wants to save lives, he’s level-headed and smart.

It’s a crazy time to fall in love – during a storm and tornado watch! I really didn’t see how Samara was secretly crushing on him at all during the whole event. She was always upset and walking off after talking with Zach. And I don’t think Zach was doing much to get the girl at all. He was infatuated with her, for sure, but doing enough to get to know her? I didn’t feel it until much later in the book. Like his friend Cooper pointed out, Zach was busy helping everyone else. Cooper knew her much better than Zach did!

It was a fast read, with good writing and a great cast of secondary characters. I just wish there was a bit more build up to the romance and seeing Zach put more effort into really getting the girl.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. If you're looking for a quick super cute contemporary then this is the book for you. This is one of the first contemporary books I’ve read about a natural disaster going on. I thought the idea of this book was super interesting but it does have some issues. But they aren’t too hard to over look. Zach is an adorable character who just wants to impress the only girl he’s meet who’s into video games. Warning this book has some insta love.

I loved the survival aspect of this book and how the reader is kept on the edge of their seats. Wondering if they will survive through the tornado and flooding.

I’m not for sure how accurate the science is in this book dealing with the tornado and rain but I feel like the author did a good job with coming up with realistic stuff that people probably wouldn’t think about. Like the toilets overflowing with well you know…

The author does a good job making you connect with all the characters, you end up caring for them and worrying about their safety.

I just had an issue with the romance but that was about it. It wasn’t my favorite book but it wasn’t bad. It would make a great quick read.

I loved the way this book is organized. You think it's going to be like a how to book, and each chapter is a tip on how to get the girl. But it really is just a "post-apocalyptic" style story (but not really cuz it's just a storm, the world isn't ending...or is it?)

It really felt like I was watching someone play a video game and I appreciated the references as well as the explanation for those I didn't have an idea about. It never talks down to you but is also an easy read for both adults and teens.

I love books about community and how they start. This one is kind of in that genre, where a group of people come together to solve a problem. In this case, surviving the storm, among other things.

I was given a copy of this book in advance of release for review purposes.

I enjoyed the book and really liked it. Waiting to hear more from the author. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

I enjoyed this book but it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. I loved the secondary characters like George, Valerie, Ira, Peter and Mildred but found Zach the main character unbearable at times. I enjoyed his interaction with the secondary characters I just mentioned but when it comes to his main love interest, Samara, and his best friend Cooper his jealousy was honestly annoying to read about. I loved the gaming references and wish there were more. I also enjoyed the survival plot line and waiting out the tornado. Overall, it was an enjoyable read but I did have a few things I didn’t care for.

I picked this book because I was looking for something easy to read for my 12-year old son. When I started to read it I just couldn’t stop until I finished it. The story was cute and fast paste with some good advices for the boys how to get a girl attention. Of course, my son is a gamer too, so he really liked that connection with the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love survival stories and even more so those of the innocent YA variety. That being said, this book was a bit shallow in characterization and everything happened a bit too quickly. It could have been fleshed out a bit more. If a teenager is looking for a quick read they would probably like this book, just not for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

1.5/5 Stars

To start this review, I want to clarify that I didn’t hate this book. For the most part, I enjoyed reading and found it a quick book to get through. However, my enjoyment of the book ends there. I do believe that a lot of people could enjoy this book. It just so happens that I am not one of them.

The premise is one I was actually really excited for. I was happy to read about a geeky guy trying to win the affections of a girl while in this wacky mall scenario. Unfortunately, that was overshadowed by the storm. The major plot point of this novel is that a tornado is in town and leaves a group of misfits trapped in a mall. In the novel, the tornado sends everything into chaos, and I think that chaos is mirrored in the plot and writing.

Despite being labeled as young adult, I’d say it falls more into the middle grade category. The plot is loosely held together by far too convenient plot devices, the characters are far too self-conscious, the writing is telling and not showing, and the title is very misleading.

Zach, the main character, is a teenager who spends the whole book helping other people and whining that a girl isn’t giving him attention when he barely even talks to her. Never mind the fact that all of the other characters treat him like a savior who is far more competent than the several adults in the group.

Sure, Zach’s story arc falls in line with a basic zero to hero stereotype, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. He never has much character development. He spends the whole novel helping others and yet learns nothing from the situation. People tell him to jump and he jumps, not stopping to think why - that is unless it will give him a personal gain.

Getting back to the plot, there is a difference between an engaging plot that plants intriguing solutions verse taking the easy way out of a situation. For example, having a surf shop at a mall in a landlocked location. Of course sometimes you can get backed into a corner while writing, but the interesting and best parts of the story are the round-about ways to resolve the situation. In this novel, the solutions were more often than not far too convenient and disinteresting.

Overall, the writing in general was my biggest issue with this novel. I felt like there were so many interesting things that could have happened, but instead everything ended in the most boring, cheesy way possible. There was insta-love, no character development, and little to no plot.

Honestly, if I was handed this novel and asked to read it blind I would have thought it was a poorly written fan fiction by a twelve year old. I really do wish I liked this book, but I had more fun laughing and making fun of it than I actually did reading it. It may be a far too cheesy and fluffy read for me, but I’m sure this book will be loved by others.

I personally felt that the plot was lacking in parts and no character was truly developed. However, I enjoyed the idea of the book and I was kept intrigued throughout the novel all the same.
The first thing that grabbed me about this novel was its title as I am very interested in video games. My expectation was that it would be very gaming based. The plot of the novel is somewhat like a video game as it is a survival mode. It is set in a Canadian town where mall shoppers are trapped inside the mall after a storm and power outage. Zach, who is the main character is in a video game store where he spots a girl which we are told is a very rare occurrence and he instantly falls in love with her as though he is under a spell. This for me was just a bit unrealistic and quick as it happened pretty much as soon as I began to read. The characters must learn to survive a power outage, flooding and looters.
The name of the novel would suggest that the “guide” would include specific tips for just gamers. However, this was more of just a guide to getting a girl. Therefore, I was disappointed by this. Overall it just felt a bit rushed for me. Overall, I enjoyed the novel and would recommend as a nerdy gamer love story if you are looking for a quick read.
Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC

i was interested in this book because I loved the idea of a novel told in survival gam mode. It's set in a Canadian town where mall stragglers are locked in the mall during a tornado and have to figure out how to survive possible flooding, plumbing issues and rogue victims. Zach, the male mc, immediately falls in love (and by immediately I mean IMMEDIATELY) with a girl he sees at a video game store him and his friend frequent.

The idea of a the story was interested but I felt that it wasn't properly executed in a way that would live up to the title and the book description. Yes, the novel is about a gamer getting the girl but a lot of the "tips" didn't relate to gaming much. Zach was your typical boy gamer, completely amazed that girls game too, which was quickly shut down by the love interest, Samara.

I would have enjoyed this book a little more if the main character didn't spend so much time lamenting a love lost that wasn't his love in the first place and if the mall situation felt more realistic.

It started as a cute story but with time turns so dull, I didn't feel connected to any character. A disappointing read.

I knew I picked a good book, just based on the title. Any one who games would love the book, mostly because you have to be able to recognize the titles of video games. I would love to buy the actual book, my ereader kept saying that some of the pages numbers were invalid, so I had a hard time reading it. But I love the plot, the characters are real and so are bad storms.

I loved this book from the very first page until the very last sentence. The protagonist Zach, was an amazing character all the way around. I loved the storyline and the fact I felt my heart breaking with theirs or being put back together with theirs. I felt as if I was with the characters every step of the way. That’s when you know a novel has been written to someone’s best ability! I one hundred percent recommend this book to anybody of any age.