This is a friends to more novel that brings a wide range of diversity to the game table. Shannon has never been in love. She's really focused on her work as a game designer- and her workplace is not really all that pleasant. When she needs a room mate, she picks Tyler, also a gamer. Their friends know these two are meant for each other sooner than they do (especially since Tyler starts dating someone else). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a quick read that will appeal to those who like spunky heroines with a twist.

The good:
I really liked the start of this story. I liked how Shannon wasn't afraid to be alone, and in fact was quite content in herself.
I enjoyed that the story examined a friendship outside of the trio of girls. It was really nice to see a new personality being explored, and Ryan was such a breath of fresh air. I also liked seeing Shannon's vast network of supporters, including her family.
I really enjoyed seeing Shannon take control of the awful work situation she was put in. I get where she was coming from in trying to protect Ryan, but ultimately Ryan stood up for himself and took away the leverage that was holding Shannon back – which should have been Ryan's decision to begin with!
Also, roommates trope. *sigh* It was so good!!
The bad:
Before we start, disclaimer: I don't know if the aro representation was relatable or realistic. I don't identify with being on the spectrum so I can't judge that.
The mean girls at work trope is way overdone. Going for the same promotion and working against each other, instead of supporting each other in a traditional 'mens' industry isn't my idea of a good time, and in fact is something I really dislike. Also, the antagonist here was comically overdone. Like, Dastardly Dick overdone.
I'm also not really down with love triangles and I don't think this one was done especially well. It just felt like a lot of plot points were pointing in a really similar way and instead of working together it just felt like too much was happening.
The recommendation:
Overall, I liked it – although not quite as much as the rest of the series. Again, I can't really comment on Shannon's rep, but I'm glad that there was at least some more diversity in this one. Also, the rating is probably a bit harsh. I was going to give it a 3.5, but it's probably just shy of that mark.

This book was an interesting and unique look at the friends to lovers trope. Shannon is a game designer who lives in an apartment in her Nanas house. When she needs a roommate, she reluctantly agrees to have her friend, Tyler move in. Her reluctance stems from the fact that Tyler had kissed her months earlier and Shannon didn’t reciprocate the feelings. Shannon is demisexual and has never fallen in love.
Add to the plot that Tyler is dating Shannon’s nemesis at work and it gets pretty interesting. As feelings change the outside relationships impact Shannon and Tyler’s possible HEA. In addition to a nice little plot there’s a lot of information about games in real life that sounds pretty fun. This is the third book in a series and it’s definitely readable on its own. Although I have to say, the earlier books are pretty good too.

Make Your Move is the third book in the Gamer Girls series by Laura Heffernan. I have read the second book in the series, but not the first. All of the books seem to stand up well on their own. There is significant character overlap so returning readers will get some bonuses from that aspect, but new readers will still be able to fully enjoy the story. This book is currently scheduled for release on December 17 2019.

At twenty-eight, Shannon has yet to fall in love. Which is fine, since she’d rather spend her evenings creating games than swiping right or going on awkward blind dates. Right now though, she has two little problems. First, she’s stuck for a new game idea. Second, the only candidate in her roommate search is Tyler, the gaming buddy who’s long had an unrequited crush on her. It should be awkward. But when Tyler moves in, the situation doesn’t go at all the way Shannon expected. Between helping her deal with coworkers and fixing the bugs in her latest game, Tyler’s proving to be damn near perfect. Except for the fact that he’s falling for someone else. Maybe Shannon has already forfeited her turn. Maybe she’s playing for nothing but heartache. But the best games have endings you can never predict.

Make Your Move is a romance that handles the friends to more trope beautifully and treats the spectrum of sexuality with honesty and respect. I really enjoyed getting to see Shannon's character as she struggled with so much all at once. The back stabbing and issues at work were sadly very realistic, and there were a couple times I had to walk away from the book for a minute because it was stressing me out. Similarly there were a couple moments that made me want to kick Tyler. Even though he is an extremely well written character, and one I would like to have in my circle of friends, there were moments that he really made me angry. Both characters were very concistand in their personalities, and their actions were on point throughout the story. I think my liking for both characters made the conflicts of the story that much harder to bear. I was completely engaged in the story right from the start, and really enjoy the group of characters that this series follows. I can think of a few secondary characters that I would love to read about next, and I will continue to read Hefferman's books.

Make Your Move is a fantastic read that had me emotional enough that I had to close the book a few times.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but the opinions are my own.
Oh this was so sweet. I loved Tyler and I loved Shannon! Their romance was a really great buildup and I adored the lgbtq+ reference and explanation. I am so glad to see a sister finding love 💕. This was a good book! I definitely like this series!!

I had a tough time with this book. While I enjoyed the gaming aspects, the romantic plot just didn't engage me because I didn't care about either of the main characters. Also, I felt each of the characters was there to "check off a box" -- black male, white bitchy female, trans male, demi female, etc. I don't think this diversity added to the story; it just bogged it down for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Shannon was hard for me to like I did like her nana a lot I also did like the video game aspect of a female and video games it’s not just a guy thing this was slow for me to read but the would recommend to anyone who loves video games and a funny nana

Adequate Wrap Up To Otherwise Awesome Series. I *love* that Heffernan has been courageous enough in this series to give us several things we don't usually see in romance books, be it the gaming focus generally, girl gamers specifically, the various sexualities and atypical romances at play, etc etc etc. And this book continues that work of showing those various elements and giving several of them payoffs that at least work to close out a trilogy.

There are two primary issues with this book. The first is that the "bad guys" - IIRC, a first in this series - are barely cogent enough to even qualify as strawmen. And indeed one of them in particular seems to exist just so Heffernan can paint all "cishet straight white men" (as she would call us) as absolute bastards. Heffernan even makes this pretty explicit when she has our lead female outright state at one point "Who will fight for the other non-cishet white dudes? The people of color, the queers, the women?". ... Because "cishet straight white dudes" are pure evil and absolutely prejudiced against anyone not exactly like them? Is this attitude not prejudicial against those people? The second issue - and it too is fairly big, particularly for what is seemingly a series finale - is that the ending is quite abrupt and seemingly comes out of left field. (Indeed, it would have been more courageous for Heffernan to have left the epilogue out - while possibly not satisfying everyone, ending it that way would have felt more coherent with the rest of this tale.)

This was a story I was very much looking forward to, it simply isn't quite up to par with the first two books in the series, and that is quite a shame. Still, recommended if only to see how Shannon's story does wind up playing itself out and to get a bit of closure with Holly and Gwen.

Shannon needs a room mate and Tyler needs a place to live. Complicated because he used to have a thing for her and now he is dating one of her co-workers. She is starting to fall for him, but now he doesn't want to hear it.

Not sure I liked how he treated her.

This is Shannon and Tyler book, Shannon creates video games and at 28 she has yet to fall in love! Which in her eyes is just fine since she’d rather spend her time creating video games then going on awkward blind dates! But right now she has a couple little problems first she stuck for a new game idea and second her new need for a roommate is top priority! But the only candidate for her roommate is Tyler a gaming buddy who’s long had a unrequited crush on her! As Taylor moves in things don’t go the way Shannon expected yes he’s helped her deal with her coworkers and fixing the bugs in her latest game, Tyler is proving to be almost near perfect except for the fact he’s falling for someone else! This book was OK I did like it a little better than the book before it but it still is not my type of read. It seems maybe a little young for me? Or it’s that I just am not into the whole gaming thing and don’t understand it LOL thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Heat Factor: Sealed with a kiss
Character Chemistry: Nothing special, though our hero is extremely respectful
Plot: I am developing a crush on my roommate! Also, my job is toxic.
Overall: A nice enough read

The bad news: Shannon needs a new roommate, and everyone she meets via her Craigslist ad is certifiably cuckoo-bananas.
The good news: Her friend Travis needs a place to stay.
The bad news: He asked her out a few months ago; Shannon turned him down.
The good news: He has a girlfriend now! No awkward feelings there. Phew!
The bad news: The new girlfriend is a psycho bitch.
The worse news: Who works with Shannon.
The worst news: And is trying to sabotage her job.

Here’s the thing. The workplace drama that Shannon faces takes up way more space and is also more engaging than the developing connection between her and Travis. I was a lot more invested in the question of how Shannon was going to deal with Dennis the Creep (seriously, where is HR?) and Megan the Meanie than in whether she was going to pursue Travis after all.

Make Your Move kept my attention - I breezed right through it - but because the focus was primarily on Shannon’s promotion bid, I wasn’t that invested in the romantic relationship. Furthermore, the story in the first person from Shannon’s perspective, so we don’t get a lot of insight into Travis’s thought processes. When the Big Romantic Gesture happens, my reaction was: Well, that’s very sweet, but no butterflies.


I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I am a huge fan of Laura Heffernan! When I saw this series I could not wait to read it!! Make your move is the third book in the Gamer Girl series. I am really hoping that we get one more book letting us know what the future holds for the three main characters!!

This book revolves around Shannon. She is 28, single and dedicated to her job. She is currently trying to find a new roommate but she’d rather spend her evenings creating games. Right now though, she has two little problems. First, she’s stuck for a new game idea. Second, the only candidate in her roommate search is Tyler, the gaming buddy who’s long had an unrequited crush on her.

When Tyler moves in, the situation doesn’t go at all the way Shannon expected. Between helping her deal with coworkers and fixing the bugs in her latest game, Tyler’s proving to be near perfect. Except for the fact that he’s falling for someone else. Does Shannon feel more than feelings of friendship for Tyler?

This is a fantastic series and I highly recommend it!!

Oh my goodness, I’ve waited what feels like forever for this book. Thankfully I managed to not nag Laura too much. This certainly hasn’t disappointed.
It has taken me less than two hours to read this absolutely gorgeous book. I’ve giggled and I’ve cried all at once. Laura has a way of making you feel the emotions of the characters in her books.
The developing relationship between Shannon and Tyler has been magical. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good friends to lovers tale. This has the added drama of Tyler dating Shannon’s bosses daughter- who is a complete spoiled brat.

Laura has told an absolutely superb story in not only this book, but the entire trilogy and I have absolutely adored each instalment. I feel extremely invested in these characters, so much that I hope there is another instalment (Gamer Girls Settle Down maybe).
I wish I could give this book a rating of hundreds of stars, five stars really doesn’t portray the magic of the story or show just how much I have loved this. Laura is an extremely talented writer and I can’t wait to read more.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Best of the trilogy.

This one....I liked it much better than the other two in the set. It had a stronger character development and more of a slow burn, as well as a good non-romance plot. Loved the heroine's feisty grandma and the whole story was just a nice ribbon to tie up the trilogy.

This was unfortunately, a total disconnect for me.

Not only was I plunged into a world with a bewildering array of characters at the very start which made it difficult to navigate the whole setup, there was also the certain issue I took with Shannon who kept insisting that she didn't want to encourage Tyler's crush on her. Only after they become roommates does she suddenly, with the speed of a lightning strike, discover that she actually is crushing on him.

The long explanations of her demi-sexuality and the lack of focus and build-up added to the source of frustration, more so since for the most of the book, Tyler spends his time with a new girlfriend, who also happens to be a bitchy rival of the heroine.

Personally, it was hard to get invested in them at all, given the circumstances surrounding Shannon's work and the focus on gaming, when I wanted to see an equal amount of time spent developing a pairing that barely did much together, thanks to poor timing. But when I started skimming throughout most of the story, it became clear this wasn't for me at all.

Again with a win!! I love all these books!! I can never put them down and always finish them in a day. I am always excited when a new one shows up!!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a bit of an awkward romance where the heroine doesn't want to have the hero as a roommate because he used to have a crush on her but then she ends up having a crush on him and he is no longer interested. Both were incredibly bland and lacked chemistry and sexual tension. Ending was rushed and unbelievable, he only returns her feelings after he finds out the chick he was dating was dishonest. Just plain brutal to read.

3 stars
A cute story, but a little slow for me. Shannon was an old 28. I loved her nana. She was a highlight of the book for me.

This was a cute book. I did enjoy the gaming aspect. Shannon was an interesting character. I thought there could have been more emotion showed from the author, and TBH the secondary characters didn’t do anything for me. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.