Y'all know that I'm here for any videogame / esports based books at this point, especially when they focus on overachievers hiding their identity from their peers. I loved the vivid descriptions of gaming and the Discord-style chats from Team Unity, oh the multimedia! If there's a sequel, I'm so down.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children's for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This book was so cute and was not what I was expecting when it came to a book about e-gaming. The relationship from beginning to end with Emilia and Jake was cute and they brought out the best in each other. I loved how the cultural/parental influence had a major impact on Emilia and how that was dealt with and resolved. But my favorite was the new team Unity and them taking care of their own and caring about each other. I would very highly recommend this book!

(4.5⭐️)
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Going into this, I truly didn’t know what to expect or how I would feel. I’ve never been very into video games or esports, but even without any knowledge of it, I adored this book. The characters were all incredibly well developed and lovable, the plot was fast moving and interesting with the perfect balance of humor and emotion, and you can’t help but root for the romance!
All of these characters are SO amazing. I related to Emilia in so many different ways. She is exactly the type of character young girls need right now— badass, funny, intelligent, but also real and imperfect. Jake is so adorable and nerdy; I love him SO much. He’s incredibly sweet and respectful, which is not something you always see nowadays in books. His obliviousness is so cute and UGH I just want to give him the biggest hug.
All of the side characters were also so well written, and the representation was amazing. With a Latina main character, and multiple lgbtq+ characters and characters of color, this book was just filled with positive and healthy representation.
The plot itself was very fun, and not super predictable! I breezed through this book in close to a day, and there were many twists that I didn’t expect. It had the perfect balance of moments that made me laugh and emotional moments.
Sometimes I felt that the actual game-play parts felt info dumpy and confusing, but that just might be due to my lack of interest in video games. I also didn’t enjoy how it switched from third person to first person. I thought this was weird and confusing, and it would’ve just made so much more sense to have it all in first person.
Overall, I loved this book so much. It’s the ideal YA contemporary romance to binge. With the perfect mix of humor, emotional moments, lovable characters, and positive representation, I highly recommend this!

TWS for racism, sexism, sexual harassment, child abuse, divorce, cheating, transphobia, doxxing

This was such a fun ride.

I love video gaming, but I'm not involved in the whole eSports realm, but this was such a fun way to enter the world of competitive gaming. Emilia is an AMAZING gamer and I really loved watching her and Jake form a relationship.

What really makes this novel shine is the banter and dialogue between Emilia and Jake. They have a way of teasing one another that feels SO natural.

I totally recommend DON'T HATE THE PLAYER to anyone looking for a fun and cute rom-com in a competitive gaming landscape.

Disclaimer: I got this arc in exchange for a review.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!! Okay, so this good for fans of the Opposite of always!! it's about gamers and non-gamers. With quarantine, I've been getting back into gaming regularly so this was so much fun! Emilia wants to prove herself in a community that's mostly male-dominated. I loved Emilia and Jake.