I was really excited about the premise of this book - nerd romance in a survivalist setting where experience of video games translates to real life. Really, it is my dream plot. However, I don't think this book is what I expected.

The characters aren't particularly engaging. We're told what Zach is like -- a nerd who is supposed to be socially awkward because of an unconvincing back-story to do with basketball. But we're never actually shown him being socially awkward. We're told that Cooper fits in with everyone and is outgoing, but never shown. Samara says a few things about Zelda and is suddenly the love of Zach's life with no proper character build-up of either party. On the whole it feels a little unconvincing for a teen novel.

I like that kindness is considered a virtue throughout, but it also never really feels like anything is at stake. And for a story that's set during a tornado, that's kind of a let-down.

I do think the main issue could simply be that this is not a Teen/YA book. It feels like it belongs more in the 9-12 section along with titles like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I think if I had read it under that category it would have got a couple more stars. I don't think the issues addressed and characters are challenging enough for teen readers, but this might be a good bridge between children's and teen. Tween we could say.

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 <i>The Gamer's Guide to Getting the Girl</i> 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 <b>spoilers</b>. I was expecting an adorable little nerd romance that actually spent some time getting to know the characters who were <i>in</i> 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 <em>but</em> 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.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

ARC provided through netgalley

Overall rating- 3

I loved the gamer references and lingo used in this story. Overall it was an enjoyable read but I felt like the story was rushed and we got that instalove. Im all for nerdy gamer love stories but this one fell a bit short for me. However, this is still something I'd consider an enjoyable read!

This was a very easy to read book; easy to get caught up in the story and easy to finish. But, it felt more like a children’s novel. Maybe for tweens? Definitely not for high schoolers; my older junior high nieces and nephews might enjoy the story, but would also find it a bit too easy.

I should mention that I love nerd books and nerd romances, but this one didn’t really feel that nerdy; it was more a “I can do more than I thought I could” take where they just happens to throw in some token video game stuff. Not real nerd or gamer stuff.

Real Rating: 3.75 ⭐
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Short Summary:
Zack, a gamer, and his best friend, Cooper, are stuck in the mall after a tornado blows through their city and knocks down a bridge. Before that happens however, Zack sees the prettiest girl he's ever laid eyes on insert sappy music here . Obviously, he needs to chase after her, so he makes a fool out of himself by making a few misogynistic comments. Samara being the strong and independent young woman she is, rejects him. The rest of the book is basically how Zach "gets" the girl while playing hero to save the rest of the people in the mall during the tornado.

Opinion:
Being a gamer myself, I really enjoyed the subtle references to several games including Zelda!
Anyways, the cute, slightly-geeky romance between Zach and Samara was sweet, but it seemed all rushed. While it was wonderful, it was slightly over-the-top when Zach sees this girl he's met for the first time, and instantly falls in love. Maybe I'm just a pessimist. I don't know. The characters like Cooper could have been developed a bit better, in my opinion. The structure was nice, with the chapters being different rules. It honestly gave me major Allie Finkle's Rules For Girls vibes.

Congratulations to the author on the innovative topic and the praise of kindness! 'The Gamer's Guide to Getting the Girl' is a book about love and friendship but finally it's completely different than so many other books capturing the same topic. Here a bunch of strangers is trapped in a shopping mall during a tornado. Zach as one of main characters meets Samara a girl of his dreams just minutes before one of the greatest natural disasters hits the mall. While trying to stay safe people deal with fear, injuries. basic survival needs but most of all human relations. People are all different but when we care and when we act together with are capable of great things. Zach not only finds a girl, he also realises that he wants to be a doctor in the future, and that his friend Cooper is one of the best people he knows. Nothing gets people closer together than very dangerous circumstances. I highly recommend!

I found the book really easy to read, and really easy to get into to. After short time I was caught up in the story and didn't want to stop reading. I liked the plot and the characters was pretty good developed. Small parts of the book wasn't really living up to the rest, I found the small flashbacks Zach tells about irrelevant and it felt a bit like it was written just to take up some space.
However I thought the story was cute, and it did made me both smile and made me worry so I guess the author succeeded.

I found this book to be a very enjoyable and quick read. As a gamer myself, I found the game references to be amusing and relatable. As a Youth Service Librarian, I can see a lot of my Teens appreciating this book and connecting with it. This book is a fun look at a gamer using skills and tactics learned through various video games to survive the storm of a lifetime and get the girl of his dream.

I will be honest and say that I did not finish this one. The story was so unbelievable that I felt it should have been more fantasy than contemporary. The characters weren't bad but things kept getting added that made no sense to the situation or the story. Sorry! I really wanted to like this one.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a contemporary romance about a gamer meeting a cute girl at the mall started off ok but just kept getting worse. The premise of being trapped in a mall during a storm was plausible but the author kept adding more to the story that made it very far fetched. I didn't make it to the final chapter. This one was not for me.