I received 'Don't Read the Comments' from NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.

'Don't Read the Comments' was a very amusing and emotional story about the online gaming community. The characters Divya and Aaron live their lives as young adults trying to make life better for their families while playing their favorite game Reclaim the Sun. Diverse representation was also proudly featured in this story, having the main characters be people of color.

'Don't Read the Comments' describes the harassment women face within the gaming community in explicit detail. It was truly heartbreaking reading about Divya's dilemma as online trolls threaten her very livelihood, and that of her close friends. The story also details the apathy many people carry around when it comes to the safety of children playing online games. These are different times, where many social experiences are communicated online.

The overall themes expressed in this story are friendship and trust. Divya and Aaron live in separate regions, yet they learn to communicate without reservation from the moment they're placed together by circumstance. It was sweet reading each interaction as they learn more about each other's lives!

'Don't Read the Comments' is a heartfelt book that features the power of community within the gaming world. I highly recommend it!


Cathleen (Woven From Words)
https://wovenfromwords.com

This was the first book that I have read by this author and it was a quick and fun read. I used to play a lot of video games, but then I got back into reading and haven’t changed since. Lol

I loved the message that is behind the book and the fact that it was about two gaming kids intrigued me.

Divya has her own streaming channel on Glitch and being a woman of colour there are some assholes that leave hate comments because she becomes the target of this online bullying group. Aaron and Divya meet by chance when they were gaming, they became instant friends an in doing so it may cost him his dreams of being a game developer.

Aaron is the complete opposite from Divya because she plays games so that she can get sponsorship to get money for rent and help her mom get her medical degree. Aaron on the other hand loves to develop games instead of being a doctor like his mom’s dream.

One of the things that I loved about this book was how the author was able to write such a compelling story about the gaming world that is starting to take the teens by storm and what its like when you get bullied online. I think that this is one of those books that they should give out in schools so that kids can read it and maybe learn something from it.

I received this book from the publisher HQN books in exchange for an honest review

**Review will be posted to my blog on Jan. 27, 2020**

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Don’t Read the Comments hit home for me because my son, he’s 7, wants to be a YouTuber, gamer, streamer – and I’m trying to learn the lingo. Can you tell? 😂 My hubby is a PC Gamer and my son is already following in his footsteps so the fact that this story is about the gaming world – is awesome.

Divya is an online gamer and she streams herself playing this one popular game. She’s built a big enough following that gaming companies send her product to advertise, which is helpful because she sells it to help pay the bills. Yes she’s a teenager, but her dad left and it’s just her and her mom.

Aaron Jericho loves gaming too but he’s not a pro like Divya, in fact he wants to work in the video game industry writing stories and scripts for the game itself! Of course his parents want him to be a doctor, sounds about right!

These two teens have a moment where their online worlds collide and maybe, just maybe they can actually have a relationship in real life. But first Divya has to help her mom and deal with these trolls trying to ruin her life.

What I Liked:

*Just this being about the gaming industry was interesting to me because my son and hubby are gamers. I own a Nintendo Switch lite so I’m not big on it – but it’s eye opening to see the problems that are present in the gaming world with the trolls bothering Divya and ruining her reputation to seeing the process of Aaron and his friends creating a game. I like how we see two sides to the gaming industry.

*Diversity is a given in this book and I like that.

*This book shined a light on girl gamers in this masculine world – it’s amazing what they have to put up with in the online world and the real world. Some real world problems that arose in the book was connected not only to Divya but her best friend, Rebekah, who was assaulted by a group of boys at her college. The fear is there in Divya and Rebekah and I’m glad the story didn’t shy away from what they felt. The story also brought up issues like bullying, trolling and doxing.

*Divya and Aaron’s relationship is a slow burn and they don’t meet in real life until late in the book. But their relationship is cute because it starts off as friendship. I enjoyed watching the two of them get to know each other.

*Love that no matter how hard it got for Divya, with those trolls harassing her – she kept fighting back. Even though she was scared, she fought back. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

*Aaron’s family dynamics seems like what most parent/teen relationship would be like when said teen wants a career in gaming. Already I have talks with my son trying to point out that games are made and created, someone takes the time to illustrate the graphics, the story line, the big companies that make them, etc…and he’s 7!! I relate to Aaron’s mom wanting the best for your child and a steady path, a steady career…you know – with benefits and a retirement package. 😂

Things That Made Me Go Hmmm:

*I was interested in this book because I have gamers in my life. For people not into gaming, I don’t know how much this story would interest them. There is a lot that takes place in a virtual world, the online game that Divya plays. I found it fun and interesting, but I don’t know if that is everyone’s cup of tea.

*Triggers: memories of assault, harassment, online trolling/bullying

Final Thoughts:

Like I said earlier, this one hit close to home for me and it made me learn a lot of things I didn’t know about the gaming world. I loved how it show cases the gamer and the game creator. Most importantly it brought up the issues of the toxic online culture that is present in the gaming world and social media and it talks about boundaries too. I enjoyed this one and it was a super quick read for me. I look forward to reading more books from this author!

This was the perfect book to start my reading year off with! I wasn't sure what my thoughts would be, as its plot is about gaming and I'm not into that AT ALL, but I found the world and characters so relatable. I can relate to having a passion and geeking out over it and making friends in New and weird ways because of it.

I loved the look this book gives into the world of games and how beautiful it can be while also at times being ugly. The ultimate message of the book is so empowering, though, and Divya and Beks are strong young women who will be role models to so many.

Also Aaron is a precious dweeb, loved him.

The relationships between characters are so fleshed out and the arcs are full. The different cities in which is set truly pop and feel alive as you read.

Cannot recommend this book enough!

Great! I’m not a gamer at all, but that didn’t matter. I liked the characters and the story equally.

Was not intrigued with this book.

The format for the kindle wasn’t very clear so the dialogue was hard to keep up with.

I go in blind sided and this one I should of read what it was about. Did not make sense at first and I DNF this within the first couple chapters.

This was such a fun read! There was a lot of video game speak that went over my head quite a bit (and I play a decent amount of video games) but overall this was an enjoyable story. The flirty “romance” between the two main characters was so cute and fun. What made this book really stand out though was it’s stance on online bullying, especially for women gamers. I personally don’t stream, but I follow a lot of female streamers and I see some of the things they have to deal with. I loved how the writer wrote Divya’s character and it was great how she handled the struggles. Definitely recommend this book to anyone.

There was a lot of promise here in terms of gamergate and doxxing, and how the world of online gaming is not fair to women. That part misses a little, especially at the end. Vox Populii doesn't go too far, which they would have done in the real world.

But the relationship between Divya and Rebekah, how they built their online presence and tried to protect Rebekah when she was assaulted was really well drawn, as was the relationship that grows between Divya and Aaron. Aaron's "job" trying to write a plot for another game, and how that turns out, could be object lessons for teens interested in similar careers. And Aaron's father and sister? Loved them.

eARC provided by publisher.

I'm always a little iffy on books that focus on fan culture and fandom -- sometimes they're delightful and deeply relatable and like someone has taken that huge part of my life and written a love story to it, but sometimes it can also seem like an author is writing about a community they haven't really been a part of. Don't Read the Comments is certainly the former.

The book has a dual POV, switching between main characters Divya, a Glitch (read Twitch) streamer, and Aaron, a gamer who also writes scripts for a mobile game developer. The two meet in the online world of their favorite game, but tensions rise as a group of trolls begin targeting and harassing Divya, both online and irl. Both teens grapple with issues with their family and friends, all while developing a relationship that takes place almost exclusively online.

Smith clearly, clearly, is deeply entrenched in fan culture. From an obvious understanding of how the system works to shoutouts for bookstagram, I always felt like he was having as much fun writing about his nerdiness as I was in reveling in it. I also loved that the characters of this book play pretty much only one game: Reclaim the Sun. It sounds insanely cool, one of those in book creations that you just want to experience for yourself (like Daisy Jones' Aurora album).

My only criticism is that this book had a lot going on. Each character had several subplots going, and not all of them really felt fully developed. We get the sense that Divya's mother disapproves of her streaming, but the pair never really have an actual discussion about it (or actually any conversations at all). Aaron and Divya's friend Rebekah clash on several occasions about his privilege, and he gives some pretty textbook bad answers to her callouts, but again, this is never actually addressed. I kind of wish that some of these little plot points had been sacrificed for more gameplay or more time devoted to the more important issues at hand.

All in all, if you liked other fandom/video game type books like Slay or Radio Silence, Don't Read the Comments would be an excellent addition to your bookshelf.

Don't Read The Comments is a YA gaming centered novel. Most teens online game in some way or another, and they will relate to both the fun and hassles involved navigating both online friendships and harassment. I liked both Divya and Aaron and loved the dynamics that each of them had with their families.

"Don't Read the Comments" by Eric Smith just wasn't really a book for me since I'm not that into video games. I didn't quite realize how central understanding video games would be in this book and found myself skipping a number of sections where the characters were literally just playing video games and I didn't really get what was going on. Luckily, these scenes weren't super important to the overall plot except for where the characters were talking to each other inside the game.
Because of this barrier, it did take me a while to get into this book but it got better once the two love interests met online. For me, their romance was what got me through the book and I thought their interactions were very cute.
The issue the book dealt with of women being harassed in the online gamer world was a good and important one. There were moments where it felt a little trite and preachy and maybe even melodramatic, like the events were there more to make a statement than to be part of a story. It's a fine line to walk, including issues like this in a novel, and there were scenes where it was written better than others. It is an important topic, though, and maybe it will help someone.
Overall, I think this could be a great book for a gamer, in particular a female one. That's just not who I am, so this book didn't really hit the mark with me.

I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember, so I wholeheartedly support any books with gamers or gaming as a focus.

Divya is a well-known streamer on Glitch—and of course, being a girl (especially of colour) online comes with misogynistic, racist (mostly) male assholes hiding behind faceless avatars and untraceable accounts. I really loved the exploration of that part of the gaming world—of girls who don't feel safe in a gaming space, or who try building a safe space for themselves online. I absolutely loved Divya's friendship with Rebekah, who helps Divya with her streams.

Divya and Aaron were great opposites: she's streaming and getting sponsorships because she can sell the free items and use the money to pay for rent and let her mom finish her degree, while Aaron wants to write video games instead of fulfilling his mom's dream of becoming a doctor. They stood independently as characters and their individual storylines developed separately, before Divya and Aaron finally meet online and become friends. It was interesting seeing their friendship grow online vs. in person.

I think this book's strength was in the relationships. Aaron and Divya have messy but believable issues with their respective families. I appreciated Divya and Rebekah's friendship, and really liked how Rebekah's own issues with anonymity were handled in light of a traumatic event she previously experienced. I also liked Aaron's friendship with Ryan and other members of a budding video game developer, and how they struggle to make it big but have to also draw boundaries to avoid being exploited.

This book is also easy to get into even if you don't play or care for video games; the descriptions of the game are straightforward. Overall, a solid read!

The characters in this STOLE. MY. HEART.

Gosh I loved this book so so much.
The quirks, the family love, all of it.

Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith—In this world where more and more people are spending time in virtual reality, this is a timely and believable story. While books like Ready Player One are set in the future with tech we can only dream of, this book is more realistic for our here and now technology with a game that has tech that is within our grasps.
D1V is a well-known live-streaming gamer in the hottest new game called Reclaim the Sun. She is the leader of an ever-growing fan base who follow her all over the vast virtual reality universe of Reclaim the Sun. Online, she is royalty; in real-life she is struggling to make ends meet, helping her mom pay the bills, and hoping to be able to save something for college. The more famous she becomes, the more sponsors she gets and (hopefully) the more money she makes. Unfortunately, her fame is attracting trolls, hateful gamers who don’t think girls or minorities should be in the gaming world making money. They start by taking her down in a very public way...during one of her largest live-streams ever. Attacking her online is one thing, but soon, despite her care to keep her identity and whereabouts secret, she she starts receiving threats via email which show they know where she lives. The attacks become more and more aggressive and personal. She has to decide: quit the game for her and her mother’s safety, or stand her ground and face the bullies. Oh yeah, and there’s this boy she’s met through the game, so sweet, so kind. But can she trust he’s not one of them?
This was an entertaining read that hits beyond just an action video gaming book. It explores the taunting and bullying that often goes on online. People get bold when they are behind the screen. These trolls unite to come out of the screen and into real life. That is scary.
#DontReadtheComments #EricSmith #NetGalley

This was stressful at times, but I loved it! I think it might've been a little heavy on the specific game references for my taste, but this was wonderful.

I love that Divya's mom and Aaron's parents were so present through the story. That's something I've seen commented on RE young adult fiction, that the parents are often not mentioned at all, absent, or dead, and it was great to see those relationships and to see how they influenced and were influenced by the plot.

I love Divya and Aaron and how they fight back against the Vox Populi, ultimately together.

Adding content warnings for: harassment, assault, stalking, racism directed at Divya and Aaron.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t Read the Comments is a new young-adult novel by Eric Smith revolving around modern video game culture, the realities of online bullies / trolls with a hint of romance!

I admit that I don’t believe that I am the target audience for this as an adult who doesn’t participate in online gaming culture and watch/participate in streams that people do these days but I can certainly appreciate how this caters to those who do.

I like how it brings in the element of online culture now a days with the online bullying and shows just how far people can go. It brings in a lesson and leaves the reader with online safety in the back of their mind (well it did for me at least!).

It also brings up the coming of age struggle of funding for college, butting heads with parents about what to major in in postsecondary education and following your dreams.

Would recommend this book to all the gamers and streamers out there looking to find themselves in a novel and getting sucked into the Reclaim the Sun world.

**Review on blog closer to the release date **

Title: Don't Read the Comments
Author: Eric Smith
Release date: 01.28.2020
Review date: 12.22.2019
Review on Goodreads


I was provided a complementary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Divya Sharma-better known as D1V to her subscribers-spends her days playing the hottest game of the year Reclaim the Sun. She uses her sponsorships to help support her mother after her father leaves them. Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho's life. His mother wants him to follow in her footsteps and become a doctor but he just wants to design art for video games. They meet within the world of Reclaim the Sun and become friends. On the outside of the game though their lives are much different. Trolls are threatening Divya and her mother and someone Aaron trusts is trying to take advantage of his work. But they aren't going down without a fight.

I liked this one pretty good. I liked the characters. I'm not a serious gamer myself, but I did enjoy that most of the book was taking place within the video game. I really liked the side character of her best friend who was a book nerd and bookstagramer (like myself). And of course #angstarmada was something I would totally join simply for the name. I did feel like the end wrapped up too quickly though. Overall a good contemporary. Would recommend.

Don't Read the Comments is a story that tugs at your heartstrings the whole time that you are reading it. From Divya wanting the best for her mother to Aaron's parents wanting the best for him and everything in between, you'll be laughing and crying with these characters. I enjoyed the complexity of race, social class, and gender in the gaming world and how that impacts Divya and Aaron's relationship with each other and those around them.

The action scenes were written with a lot of heart and were what made me want to read more. I felt for Divya as she was harassed in the gaming world because she is a female and I laughed as Aaron first tried to come in as her savior. I loved the development of both characters as they grew with each other and come to their realizations about what this world means to them. It all reminds me of my mixed feelings of entering the gaming world and how I feel about being surrounded by men in that world.

Something else that I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that it was written in both Divya and Aaron's perspectives. Because of this you got to see both of their lives apart from each other and it was nice to see where their lives collided. I liked being able to hear Aaron's thoughts on everything going on and how he was experiencing things and then go to the next chapter and see Divya live through it all.

I thought this was such a great book. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I loved Divya and Aaron as main characters. Divya is a young woman trying to make ends meet and help her mom get through her last semester of grad school after her dad left them. To help with the bills she uses her platform on a streaming game called Reclaim the Sun to extra cash since she got a lot of followers and different people wanted to sponsor her. Aaron is a soon to be high school senior who wants to write video games for a living, but his mom wants him to be a doctor and work in the office for the summer. During his spare time he also plays Reclaim the Sun and meets Divya when they explored a planet. But in real life things are becoming serious. Online trolls try to threaten Divya and her friend because they think she is not a true gamer and things become serious when they attack her not just online, but in the real world. One of the topics that is talked about through out the book is how people who are way into gaming think that certain people should not play, but how female players are not really welcomed. How females are not true gamers. Which is a great debate to have because it is not fair to females who work just as hard and can play just as good as boys they are told they are not good enough. Playing games should be fun. Also a trigger warning for assault because it is mentioned and shown a little bit in the book. Overall I think Eric Smith did a great job on this and I can not wait to read from him in the future.

Don’t Read the Comments is such a nerdy, meaningful book for me, and it is one of my most anticipated reads for 2020. The story follows two different video gamers, Divya and Aaron. Divya is what would be comparable to a Twitch streamer, and Aaron is a casual video gamer. They both play a game called Reclaim the Sun. Divya receives sponsorships and has a pretty big following, but with popularity often comes internet trolls. With that in mind, Divya has one rule she lives by: don’t read the comments. Despite being a casual gamer, Aaron is trying to become a video game developer. His parents want him to become a doctor, but his passion is in video games.
The story is such a cute and dorky romance. It also focuses on the discrimination that is often associated with girls who play video games avidly. Being a video gamer myself, I’ve been in Divya’s shoes to a degree with the negative commentary on how well I play video games because I’m a girl, or how I shouldn’t be playing video games at all because they’re for boys. This book is accurate in portraying the disappointing treatment of women in the video game industry. Divya’s character is also amazing because of how she chooses to react to the negativity and trolling. Everything about this book, from the gaming community to the adorkable romance/friendship between Aaron and Divya has me recommending this book to any gamer that I know.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.