Unfortunately This was a DNF for me. I appreciated the main character Sierra’s love of gaming and all things quirky. I just didn’t like how low her self esteem was (and stayed) and Tristan was too obviously wrong I just didn’t care to read anymore.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Boo ks and Lorelei Parker for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Geeky girl gamera and a romantic comedy in one, what could be better? I recently got totally sucked into Good Trouble and the main character in this, Sierra, reminded me of Mariana who is also a female in the male dominated engineering world. As someone who has passed out giving speeches not once, not twice, but three times, I totally related to Sierra’s anxiety and the struggles she faced because of it. The process of tackling anxiety is not a quick one so I appreciated a realistic look at life with anxiety! is one of the more unique character’s I’ve read and she was such a breath of fresh air. I love a book that I can picture as a movie and I would love to see this one on the big screen! I really think this one is going to be big in 2020!

First of all it was refreshing to read about a main character who works in STEM. Sierra was refreshing and unique without needing to say 'I am not like other girls'. The idea of reading old diary entries publically created a lot of moments for humour in the book. Although as someone who kept a journal for 8 years it does fill me with dread. Overall, I really enjoyed this book it was somehow both comforting and refreshing.

This book started out fairly strong. A good story and good characters. The first half of the book has a good pace and sets up the story nicely. About halfway through the book stalls and then declines rapidly.

The main characters (Sierra, Tristan, and Alfi) all took the same Communications class in college and now, 10 years later, all meet up by chance in the same local bar....ummmm...not likely, but okay. I can move on and accept that. The real problem here isn't the implausibility of this set up, it's that all three of these characters are so hung up on a situation that happened 10 years ago. They are now in their 30's and two of them are business owners. And they are still completely bent out of shape over a one-time mishap in college?

From the build up we get for entire story I assumed the "incident" that impacted all of them would be something pretty significant. Spoiler: It's not. It's kind of a minor prank gone wrong that, at worst, could be described as kind of embarrassing. But these characters act as if they might never recover, emotionally.

Oddly, as the story continues and we learn more about these characters they become exponentially LESS likable. And by the end I didn't care what happened to any of them. I almost stopped reading when there was only 15% left because at that point I was completely apathetic. They are all immature, petty, and mean.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

What’s worse than reading your old diary about your college crush to a room full of strangers? What if said crush was in there too? Sierra is mortified she just recalled her 10 year old crush, to Tristen himself. But maybe 10 years later was what they needs to reconnect, for real this time. Or maybe, past crushes are crushes for a reason, and putting your eggs back in that basket won’t make them fit this time.

A really cute story about being yourself and finding yourself in order to find true love. Well written with its nerdy antidotes intertwined throughout the text. Makes you want to open your eyes and be sure you really see people.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Sierra. I found she was almost a bit too much. Everything that can go wrong always did, it was a bit of the exaggerated clumsy nerd stereotype. But the male characters were good and likeable (enough for some).

I picked up this book to buddy read with a few romance reading friends and because of the pretty yellow cover. I was looking forward to an easy, breezy summer rom-com and that's exactly what I got.

This story follows Sierra, a video game developer, as she tries to regain her public speaking confidence after a presentation mishap in college ten years prior. She participates in an open mic contest hosted at a bar owned by a former classmate and comes face-to-face with the person who caused has caused her self-doubt for years. What happens next is nothing short of the hilarious re-telling of differing perspectives of a semester in college.

I loved how I felt like I could relate to Sierra and her struggles. Listening to her share what she was feeling in those moments all those years ago brought me to similar feelings of crushing on a cute boy, but also the uncertainty, joy, confidence, and embarrassment that comes with it. The author did an amazing job of keeping the story fresh with two potential suitors, one you couldn't help but fall for alongside Sierra.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to read a story of personal redemption, while possibly tying up some loose ends in your own past.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Do. Not. Judge. A. Book. By. Its. Cover.
⠀
From the cover, I imagined this to be one of those fluffy romance books with a high maintenance socialite as the main character. Nope.
⠀
Our main character is Sierra, a video game developer with a serious fear of public speaking after a catastrophic presentation in college. The cause of catastrophe - Tristan, her college crush. Sierra is vying for the chance to present the company’s newest game at a big conference in Germany. To get over her fears of public speaking, her best friend and the other co-founder of their video game company, encourages her to join a local bar’s contest of essentially “Who can embarrass themselves the most?” She ends up in a “love triangle” between Tristan, who shows up at the contest, and with Alfie, the bar owner who also went to college with her and Tristan.
⠀
Alfie Jordan might be my favorite book boyfriend of all time. He and Sierra together are absolutely dreamy. I devoured this book in less than a day. I couldn’t put it down even when my tired eyes were begging me too. Even though I knew Alfie would end up being her Mario kart rival, it was still one of my favorite pieces in the book.

Crushing it is seriously a redemption story for the ages! This story was so much more than romance!

Our amazing heroine Sierra is seriously one the coolest characters I have ever read! She’s a boss in every sense of the word! Her one hang up....public speaking! After a horrific event 10 years prior Sierra just can’t do it but she needs to conquer her fear and fast but not only her figure depends on it but the future of her company!

As the story progresses we see that Sierra has to navigate old feelings and new ones from two men of her past! Tristan and Alfie! As true character is shown and old woulda turn into fresh pain Sierra has to reconcile what she thought she new to reality!

I absolutely loved the hilarious laugh out loud moments and the way that Parker showcases friendship and growing! There’s so much packed into this story and so much to learn! I was instantly hooked and I didn’t want it to end!

As a gamer and person petrified of public speaking, I was thrilled to see a book where I might find myself on the page. While I was right to a certain degree, it didn’t go quite the way I was expecting.

Crushing It is a fun, light-hearted read that would make for the perfect beach or road trip book. It comes out on June 30, just in time for the peak of summer!

TROPES

Love Triangle

I actually enjoy a good love triangle. In my circle, that makes me weird, but I stand by it. That being said, I wouldn’t call this a “good” love triangle. It was lopsided to the point of ridiculous in a couple of cases, and Sierra didn’t have any of the back and forth that makes a love triangle intriguing. It seemed like she knew where she was going to land from the moment the second man became an option.

Second Chance Romance

On the flip side, second chance romances are often not my favorite, but I really liked those elements in this story. Either man could have fulfilled the second chance, but Sierra only knew that about one of them. This made it so fun to read and experience through her eyes.

CHARACTERS

Our central triangle takes up a lot of emotional bandwidth in this one, so I’m not going to elaborate much beyond them. But you should know it has an amazing supporting cast. They are so colorful, and I hope the future brings us more books, so we can learn more about them.

Sierra

In college, she experienced a traumatic event while presenting a final project for a class, and it caused her to have serious confidence issues going forward. The whole premise of this book is her working to overcome that. Love isn’t on her radar at all - she’s a hookup queen, and while she entertains the idea of something bigger than that, it’s not a priority. She’s focused on improving herself to advance in her career. I loved that. So often, it’s the woman who is pushing for commitment, and to see a female MC not coming from that direction in a romance novel is so refreshing. My only real complaint about her is that her self talk was a little weird. There were instances where it was very negative or overly sexual. She does get more confident as it goes on, but it happened enough at the beginning that it got to be grating. I’ve also never seen the founder of a company painted as such a pushover. She didn’t read as the heroine of her own story.

Tristan

Tristan is the whiniest, whitest, most entitled, least deserving person I’ve read in a hot minute. He’s really hard to discuss without spoiling much, so I’m not going to say a ton. But I will leave you with this nugget of irritation: he spends much of his dialogue angling for a job where Sierra works, because he apparently loves the company so much, but he hasn’t done enough research to know that she’s a founder. That attitude is demonstrative of his entire personality.

Alfie

We love an underdog. Alfie is your quintessential ugly duckling boy next door. Tristan was Sierra’s college nemesis, but Alfie was the forgotten acquaintance. They are opposites in literally every way. There was a lot to love about Alfie - he was supportive and patient and wanted for Sierra what she wanted for herself. But he was also just kind of bland.

PLOT

The central plot is right there in the synopsis: Sierra Reid needs to overcome her terror of public speaking to be able to pitch the game she developed at a European conference. The way she accomplishes that, though, is hilarious. The diary slam is not just a one-off event. It is a tournament: she and Tristan are competing, and Alfie owns the bar where it takes place. Sierra’s best friend and roommate also went to college with the three of them, and she’s the put-together, married, mom-to-be in contrast to the more unsure, unsettled Sierra. As you can imagine, ridiculousness ensues.

I wish I had more to say about this. This book had true flashes of brilliance and wit, but on the whole, it didn’t deliver. It’s the perfect three star read, where I enjoyed it, but I don’t have much positive or negative to say, and most of that is due to the way the story itself was handled.

- It was disjointed.
- Sierra made decisions with what felt like very little time or logic behind them.
- Tristan and Alfie were painted as such polar opposites that 99% of their storylines were predictable.
- The final conflict came and went with no real repercussions.

When you put all those pieces together, it made for a story that just didn’t deliver well on emotion. And in a romance novel, I NEED the emotion. That’s such an important part of what makes it feel real and believable.

CONTENT WARNINGS
Alcohol consumption - the primary setting is a bar.

Secondhand embarrassment - I know this isn't really a content warning, but I'm very sensitive to it. The beginning is difficult to get through.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There was nothing wrong with this book. The real problem is that there also wasn’t anything that made me go, “This is IT!” I never had that wow moment. There were some good quotes, and some feel good moments, but nothing that made me love it. In this case, I really don’t know if that’s because it just isn’t my taste or if there were shortcomings in general, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t for me. If you like a lighter romance that reads more like a movie than a book, this is a great choice. In general, this book screams debut author to me. A lot of my complaints would probably diminish the more Parker writes and finds her footing as a storyteller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 35%.

I was just incredibly bored the whole time I was reading this. I just could not get into it. It all seemed just very immature, especially Sierra. It seemed like she was a 16 year old girl instead of a 29 year old woman. Maybe i'll give it another try at some point.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC of this book. When I read the summary I was intrigued. and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I am not a gamer and I don't think that you need to be to enjoy this book. You might have to look up a few terms (thank you husband) but overall the story is really about Sierra's journey from an insecure coder to someone who know what she wants and her worth.The romance in the story was surprising and sweet and I enjoyed watching it unfold. There were hints at the beginning of different characters motives and it was a really fun read to watch them play out. This book had humor and heart and was an enjoyable read. You do not have to play video games to enjoy it ( although if you do you will get the references easier and will probable relate to some things more) but I when I finished it I was really glad that I read it.

Sierra is just like most of us- scared to speak in front of large groups of people. She’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime; to present a video game she created at one of the largest tech meetings (Gamescon). Yet, she can’t manage to pull together one coherent sentence in front of a crowd. After 101 attempts to quell her nerves and make Sierra a great speaker, her friend/roommate/company cofounder Aida signs Sierra up for a speaking contest. The Chagrin Challenge is just what Aida believes will push Sierra out of her comfort zone and back into the confident, fiery presenter she once was. Who Sierra meets at the bar, and who she talks about on stage, all culminate for the perfect storm of life not always going your way. Witty, charming and a little bit steamy, Crushing It was one I couldn't put down!

Rating edit: 4.5 stars.

A Pure Entertainer!
When I started reading this book, it reminded me of Sophie Kinsella. Not really content wise, but the tone of the book. Something that instantly uplifts your mood.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the protagonist’s ‘crippling fear of public speaking’. I found it so relatable and it made me really curious.
So, Sierra is a video game developer/designer. To overcome her fear of public speaking (Related to a 10 year old terrible incident), she signs up for a contest and the story unfolds from here.
As I said, it’s a very entertaining book. The writing style very engaging. The story is fresh, interesting with many twists and turns (right from the beginning). And I loved Sierra’s bonding with Alfie. Their moments and conversations are so endearing and romantic (and sensual).

I liked the protagonists, especially Alfie. He's adorable. Aida, Sierra’s best friend is a very cool character. There are some video game terms and facts, which I didn’t really understand, as I don’t play video games but it didn’t matter. It was still interesting.
Just one thing: The epilogue is absolutely unnecessary. I’m not a fan of prologues/Epilogues.
I enjoyed this book immensely.

A fun contemporary romance.

Sierra is a co-owner of a fledgling game development company that needs their next big pitch at a gaming convention in Germany. One problem, a mortifying incident in collage has left her unable to speak in public - coherently at least.

Her best mate, room mate and fellow co-owner convinces her to sign up for a open mic type evening in which contestants tell their most embarrassing stories. Bouncing off the idea that the class that created the embarrassing moment back in collage also involved journaling she decides to pull her material from there, starting with the anecdote of her collage crush Tristan Spencer. All goes well until the contestant after her turn out to be said crush. Hilarity ensues as she navigates past feeling and new feelings towards the bars owner Alfie, who was also in this class. We follow Sierras turmoil as she doubts herself and figures herself out and find love.

Fun, funny, heartwarming and heart braking. This was an easy read and I can't wait to see what the author delivers next.

Sierra Reid is a master at her job in Video Game technology but can't master the art of public speaking. She signs up for a competition at a local bar on the advise of friends to do a "diary slam" by reading from her old school journals with the hope of overcoming her fear. She chooses a selection about her school crush, Tristan Spencer and the audience loves it - but who is also in the competition? Tristan, of course. He asks her out, but he can't even get her name right - calling her "Sarah"! Sierra is confused about her feelings for Tristan - and also the bartender, Alfie - who remembers perhaps too much about the school days. Friendships, heartache, and technology - what a combo! This book is perfect for young techies!

This was such a fun and quick read! The story is unusual, featuring a female part owner and developer of a video game company.. She struggles with severe anxiety of public speaking, and is fighting for the chance to represent her newest game at a convention. Her friend, and coworker, devises a way for our main character to fight her demons, both real and imagined, in a quirky and fun manner. We have our heroine fighting her battles both in the game world and the real world why resolving a decade old problem. There is much romantic banter and surprise twists. I can only wish for a sequel! Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

I was wary about this book at first because I thought it would be a melodramatic love triangle, but I was proven wrong. The writing was fun and engaging and this was a very quick read. I loved all the characters especially Alfie. Alfie was such a respectful sweetheart and I really rooted for him. I enjoyed the Sword Art Online reference and other little details. Sierra’s friendship with Zane and Bryce was also the cutest! Lastly, I really enjoyed Sierra’s character arc.

Crushing It by Lorelei Parker is a romantic comedy about a woman who is terrified of public speaking because of something that happened in college but has to face it in order to prove herself to there boss. To help her, her housemate encourages her to take part in an open mic competition where people share their most embarrassing stories. However, one Sierra is finished talking about her college crush, it turns out he is also in the audiences and he is flattered. Could there be something possible now? Or is the bar owner Alfie at the open mic place a better choice for her? Sierra is about to find out.
I liked that this book highlighted women who are gamers and involved in developing new games. Sierra and her housemate Aida are very intelligent and savvy women who started their own company. I loved the gaming references and how Sierra embraced her nerdiness and quirky style. I was sad that she felt like she sometimes had to tone it down for other people. She was confident in some aspects and super self-conscious in other aspects. I did NOT understand how she was so enamoured by Tristan. He was such a douche, but maybe she was blinded by his good looks. The more we read, the more we found out, how Tristan had never treated her very well and how he was just not a very good guy. I did like Alfie a lot more, I wish we would have gotten to know him a bit more, however. I don't think he was super fleshed out. I think the finale of the open mic competition was a bit juvenile and I could not imagine it happening in real life.
Overall I think it was an okay rom-com. I did finish it in one day and there were quite a few funny moments in it.

Thank you for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This cute rom-com-esque book starts out with main character Sierra getting the shock of her life and having to endure a wildly embarrassing night at a bar. The story progresses and explores her interest in two guys, Tristan and Alfie. Which one is the one for her? Are either of them her perfect fit? I didn't really get the tech/videogame references, but I thought it was cute nonetheless and gave the book some character and made it more unique. I love a good romance, so I liked this book overall. That being said, it was just okay for me! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

So... this book isn’t great.

Sierra is a gaming developer who gets the once in a lifetime chance to pitch the game she created at a major gaming convention. The only problem? She has debilitating stage fright. To tackle her fears head on she signs up at her local bar’s “Chagrin Contest”, where contestants share their most embarrassing moments in exchange for the chance to win $1000. It is there where she encounters not one but two blasts from the past: the gorgeous boy who sabotaged her, and the friendly one she doesn’t quite remember. She is use to being the gamer, but will she end up the one getting played?

I wanted to like this book because the premises of a gamer girl romance sounded interesting, however this book missed the mark. While it was a quick read, it was also an infuriating one.

Sierra was so incredibly immature I had to remind myself this character was supposed to be 29 year old woman rather than the 16 year old girl she was coming across as. She waxes on and on about “how cuteee” these guys are and ignores all the giant red flags simply because of a pretty face. A lot of my frustration with her is rooted in the plot. She hasn’t seen these two men in 10 years, and even when they were in school she didn’t actually KNOW either one of them. So when she makes her bad choices, especially in regards to Tristan the guy who she believes sabotaged her and left her with this life altering stage fright, she keeps making excuses for them by saying “I bet he has changed”. If someone had made that big of a negative impact on your life, I doubt you’d forget about it because a cute guy is talking to you. She wasn’t a character I could get behind at all.

The book doesn’t pick up until a bit after 50%, and even then it doesn’t go anywhere. It went from being contrived and instalove-y, to a bad soap opera.

Unfortunately, the thing I was most excited for about this book was finally finishing it.