A geeky and delightful follow up to Seressia Glass’ debut. Rather than cosplay, the focus here is gaming. It resonated well with me as a nerd married to a fellow nerd.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was my first book by this author but it won't be the last. The pairing was delicious and the representation of diverse characters was really fantastic.

In this new romance, Sara Reynolds, a gamer and DEIA consultant, becomes involved with the game Legendsfall. After critiquing the game, she receives a job offer from Artemis Games CEO Aron Galanis.

Galanis is determined to create gaming content for people with disabilities and offers Reynolds a mea culpa and a job to overhaul character options. Their relationship turns adversaries into allies, allies into friends, and something more, but their relationship goes public, posing a challenge to their happiness.

Samara was a badass, and I loved her character and what she stood for. Aron was swoon-worthy, considerate, and caring. There is so much to learn from these two: the growth and evolution of Aron, and the experiences faced and shared by Amara. They were a treat.
 
A boyfriend like Aron? Is it too much to ask for? I am head over heels in love with him, except where he stole her agency. A new concept and term to me, which I was glad to know.
 
Their characters were charming, protective of friends and family, and had me rooting for them. The plot was unique and real. The writing and pacing were smooth and brilliant. This also had amazing side characters.
 
There were a lot of things that stood out in this book, making it realistic. This falls into the contemporary category of creating awareness about things we turn a blind eye to or for those who don't know much about them.
 
I enjoyed reading this fresh book and recommend it to everyone.

I really enjoyed this one, the romance and relationship between the main characters was cute and well done. But can we talk about how while the autism rep for the hero's brother is amazing, we never hear about the hero himself being on the spectrum as well? He literally has a a personal assistant who helps keep him on track through the day, has sensory issues, and shows many autistic traits. It seems like the family (mom and two brothers) is fully focused on the brother with higher needs, and the hero's own neurodivergence isn't acknowledged. I guess because he's "successful" in his career and makes good money? And is sufficiently verbal and articulate to pass? Major family dynamic that is never explored. And also does a disservice to autism representation, where only the folks with highest needs are identified and acknowledged. With how informed the mom and hero are supposed to be, it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't have noticed. While I can sort of see leaving it out of the story for purposes of making a point, it would help to have an afterward that explained that "oh, by the way, autism can look different for different people, and these two are an example." I read an ARC kindly provided by the publisher, so hopefully this was addressed for publication.

"Game On" by Seressia Glass is an absolute delight! This charming novel seamlessly weaves together humor and sweetness, creating a truly enjoyable reading experience. The characters and their interactions add a cute and funny dynamic that kept me entertained from start to finish. Glass has crafted a delightful story that brings a smile to your face and warmth to your heart. If you're in the mood for a light and charming read, "Game On" is the perfect choice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone seeking a feel-good book.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book/audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, coworkers, close proximity, interracial romance, diabetes representation

I liked it. It was a bit too sweet and perfect. The fights didn't seem like real fights. There were a lot of great parts, like the humor and representation. There were a lot of unneeded parts, too.

If you’re looking for a fun read for over the holidays that also highlights the importance of diversity, compassion, communication and is set around video games, this book is for you!!

The MMC, Aron, is the CEO of a video game company and one of its most popular games gets called out by Sam, the FMC, for the lack of representation in the game and the hidden scenes that perpetuate misogynoir. Aron doesn’t ignore this call out and sets out to make some changes. This results in hiring Sam to consult for the company not only on the game, but a priority initiative he wants to launch to help making gaming more inclusive to neurodivergent players.

This book is def one of my faves of the year. The diversity rep is fantastic, and the representation of autism was excellent, IMO. I am not a gamer but I’m well aware of the racism and misogyny that permeates the culture and I learned so much from this book about just how insidious it can be, but through a lens of optimism that it CAN change.

I really liked the chemistry between Aron and Sam, their dynamics they introduce one another to family and friends, and the compassion they show to one another.

Seressia is now a must-read author for me and I am excited to read whatever she writes next!!

When I read The Love Con, I knew I'd found an author whose books I'll be reading for years to come. In Game On, the writing is even better than in The Love Con. My favorite part of the story is the emotional maturity shown by the characters. No drama created by people too emotionally immature to tell the truth or share their feelings.

2.5 stars rounded up.

I went into Game On knowing how much I enjoyed The Love Con and expecting more of the same. And in some ways, Game On felt like the debut. I loved Samara, and was very much into her POV. Aron though… that third act breakup was rough. It was rough, and it wasn’t something I could really see Aron doing, which made it worse? I had to step away for a bit, just because I was so frustrated. I have a hard time when authors write well-rounded characters, and then throw it out the window for the sake of the plot. And that’s really how it felt. This book also has some content warnings, especially if you’re a BIPOC woman who is online. Not a deterrent, but always good to know when you’re going into something with a cartoon cover. I will definitely read more Seressia Glass, but this wasn’t my favorite.

Game On by Seressia Glass is an electric, emotional & enthralling romance set amidst the world of video games. The head of a video game empire meets the anonymous gamer that criticized his games. This is a book that captured my attention immediately.

Game On is great for fans of…
🎮 Gamer/Nerdy Romance
🎮 Workplace Romance
🎮 Forced Proximity
🎮 Disability/Chronic Illness Rep.

I appreciated the fact that this shined a light on the difficulties of being a woman in the gaming & online world, & even more so, tte realities of being a BIPOC person & especially woman online. I learned the term, misogynoir & I can’t believe I didn’t know it sooner.

I am always grateful for disability/chronic illness representation. I don’t want to give too much of the story away but I really enjoyed them.. I also loved the emphasis placed on accessibility, but will keep things vague to not give anything away.

This is a novel that isn’t playing games, but it served such a beautiful story. I cannot wait to see what this author has in the works next because I would love to read whatever they write. They have a gorgeous way of storytelling & Game On is a perfect example of that.

If anyone is looking for an emotional rollercoaster of a nerdy romance that is next level, I highly recommend Game On!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I admit that I am not a gamer. So I was a little eh on the premise. I did love The Love Con (the previous book by the author) so I was sure I'd love this one. It was OK.

This one is a little bit of an unexpected enemies to lovers since when they are true enemies, they don't know each other except for reputation online.

I like that this one was set in the gaming world. While I don't game, I think the process pf creating games and the cult world that the players live in to be fascinating. And I give it an added bonus for being an own voices book.

I liked and rooted for these characters to get their act together. I did find this one went a little up and down for me, but not enough to set it aside. Aron's awkwardness and caring made him so charming and I love when the heroine in a rom com is smart and strong. Mix this in with a little witty banter and I'll always root for a HEA.

I was really happy to see this book, because so many women are gamers, and I can't think of too many contemporary romances that feature gamers and the gaming world. So this is very welcome as a recommendation. Samara is a top person in the gaming world, where she also advocates for better treatment and representation of ALL types of people. She meets Aron, who wants to bring his games up a level in that respect. Together, they run into frustration, crazy stuff in the game world, and ultimately, romance.

This was cute. I think a lot of people who are in the gaming world can appreciate all the topics it bought up and how true it was. However, it was also slow in a lot of places and dragged out and easily could have been a bit shorter. Entertaining enough and I will read other things by the author. I would not recommend this be the intro book for her though since I don't think her writing strength really is showcased here.

Another winner from Glass for me! It had all the things: social commentary on racism and the intersectionality of being a woman and a game, neurodivergent rep done well, and the most swoon worthy moments.

This romance was just what I needed to start the year off right

I liked the love interests, but the writing style in this just was not for me as it sometimes felt very quick and surface-level in some areas.

I really enjoyed this fun, flirty gaming romance. Aron is almost to be good to be true and Samara seems to be just what he needs personally and professionally. I found the gaming references to be very interesting, especially making sure there is appropriate representation in video games. This is a sweet well-written love story that wooed me with the behind the scenes video game industry as much as the enemies to friends to lovers romance trope. The audiobook is a delightful way to enjoy this novel and is narrated by the amazing Keylor Leigh.

Glass continues to develop lovable, human characters, rich with strengths and flaws, who you cheer for every step of the way.

A few things that didn’t work for me — I am not sure why the MC in this book is never identified as autistic when the younger brother is? Autism doesn’t look just one way, and this would be a great addition to the growing cast of autistic characters in romance. The chapter that makes the jump from business to Sam’s fall forward was also weird and out of place for me.

Otherwise, this was a delightful read that I finished quickly set in a world that just doesn’t get seen enough. I am loving all of Glass’ nerdy characters, con scenes, and that, yes, we can have romance and HEA without two characters that look and act like models or rom com actors.

I enjoyed this but unfortunately not as much as I was hoping to. I think it was trying to do too much and so everything felt a bit shallow and glossed over.

The diversity in gaming issue is a much needed take but it was occasionally a little too on-the-nose and I got tired of Samara constantly having to explain what things are like for women - especially women of color- in gaming to Aron. Yes, he is horrified and immediately takes action, but it's the fact that it has to be explained over and over because he is consistently oblivious that bugs me. It's realistic, but it gets old, maybe because its *too* realistic.

The romance was wonderful. Samara and Aron instantly clicked and they were so cute together, especially in their casual gaming personas. Hoodie guy was adorable and I totally understood why Samara fell for him so quickly.

The autistic brother storyline was a little odd to me in some ways. I wholeheartedly approve of Samara's interactions with Benjy and Aron's protectiveness of him. But I find it odd that Aron has all these "quirks" like hating to be touched and not being able to take crowds or loud noises and not understanding social cues AND a nonverbal autistic brother and yet there's not even a whisper of a suggestion that he might also be autistic / on the spectrum? That felt like a missed opportunity.

I also thought the Mark issue was handled really oddly. Mark only appears a couple of times, always being all intimidating and trying to steamroll over Aron, when he finally is dealt with I found the entire interaction confusing. His rant was incomprehensible and I'm not sure if that was intentional or just clunky writing.

I also found the writing throughout to be clunky and choppy and full of telling not showing. There were a lot of info dumps, especially about the prejudice and racism and sexism Samara faces. The emotions and tone of the characters also sometimes bounced around wildly in ways that felt soap opera levels of Overly Dramatic. It felt almost like a draft that needed more polishing and smoothing out.

I really liked all the characters, and I wish we had seen more of Grayson because he was such a good and interesting character.

While I had some issues with the book I did overall enjoy it very much and I will be seeking out more of Seressia Glass' books in the future.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.