A spin on the Twelfth Night involving a football star, a grumpy nerd, and a video game that unites them. Vi Reyes finds herself unexpectedly working with Jack Orsino in a video game. However, he does not know it is her (and thinks it is her brother). In real life, they start to get closer as well as they both work toward becoming true to themselves.

Teenage rom-coms can be hit or miss for me. This one started out slow, but then I really started to like it. I think it was because this focuses a lot on being authentic to yourself. yes, there is some romance, but all the storylines, even the side ones, are really about accepting who you are. Even at the end, when they are together, Vi even says something along the lines of it won't necessarily lead to marriage or kids, etc., which I appreciated. I also appreciated the way the author portrayed what a healthy relationship is - as in you can fight and be mad, but it doesn't mean everything is over or ended. If you find it a little slow, just stick with it until about ⅓ way and then it really picks up.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF. I had high hopes since I loved 'My Mechanical Romance' but this book just wasn't for me.

My first issue was the writing style. It felt very awkward. It seems there was an attempt to be quirky but it just took me out of the story. I also disliked the characters. I felt I could've really connected to the FMC, especially with her passion for intersectional feminism as well as her being a girl who is comfortable with herself and isn't the typical female character, with her being somewhat gruff. I really felt I could've liked her. However, I just found her annoying and she had a "not like other girls" aura to her and I really couldn't be bothered to look passed it. The MMC was even worse because at some points in the story, he is absolutely insufferable and at other points, he is overwhelmingly boring.

Unfortunately there was nothing about this story that made me want to push through.

Twelfth Knight is a modern retelling of the Shakespearean classic, Twelfth Night, with a bit of a nerdy twist. Viola is your typical nerd. She’s into RPG’s, video games, loves the Renaissance Faire, and does really well in school. But, she’s a SHE. To try to avoid the misogyny that is rampant in nerdy fandoms, she creates a male alter-ego on her favorite RPG video game, Twelfth Knight. Enter football superstar Jack Orsino. After an injury sidelines his football career, he turns to Twelfth Knight for comfort and entertainment as he heals. He ends up teaming up with Viola’s alter-ego in game and the two do surprisingly well. They create a bond and friendship online, but Viola has been keeping her secret identity from him. When their real world relationship collides with their online one, how can Viola reveal her secrets to him without hurting the one person she has started to have feelings for?

This retelling was very well done. Viola is the epitome of the grumpy in “grumpy sunshine.” Her likeability is a large part of the plot, and I thought her arc was beautiful. You could really feel the pain and insecurity hiding behind her gruff exterior. It was also lovely seeing Jack break through her shell. This book handled the mistaken identity trope in such an ingenious way by translating it to online characters vs. real life people. It was entirely believable and made so much sense in this modern age. I also appreciated the commentary on the misogyny in the fantasy/gamer realm and women not being taken seriously when they have a passion for it. The nerd-core, in general, was on point and wonderful. I would have liked to see a little more romantic tension between Viola and Jack building throughout, because the bits that we did get were fantastic and I wanted more of it. Overall, Twelfth Knight was a super fun read and I definitely recommend it.

Alexene Farol Follmuth never misses. This book was a delight. I adored the characters and their growth. Heavy topics (growing up, sexist behaviors, racism) were handled with care and a light touch. I'd recommend this book to anyone and am especially excited for my children to read it one day. I love a book that makes passion/obsessions/slightly nerdy hobbies cool and this one did that perfectly.

As a fan of Twelfth Night (and the movie She's the Man), I really enjoyed this twist on the story. I loved the alternating POVs, so you were able to get Jack and Viola's true feeling about everything going on. I gave it four stars because it was slow to start and hard to get into, but once the storyline picked up, I really enjoyed it. I also like that the author was inclusive in her characters.

A funny genre bending Shakespeare retelling with witty banter and great characters. Slow burn, enemies to lovers. Entertaining and engaging. This book was a good time

Sadly I just think that Olivie’s/Alexene’s writing is not for me. I’ve tried and tried and tried, and in this one and another one she’s written, the characters were just so unbearable, and there is so much wordiness/chattiness to get through.

Many, many sentences are the length of a bad run-on sentence, but hers are slightly better because they’re at least grammatically correct compound-complex sentences.

I also thought I’d love the gaming aspect of it because I used to play Counterstrike and other games back when I was in high school but I just couldn’t get attached to it.

Vi isn't here just to be a nice girl and looks pretty. No, she'd never hesitate to speak her mind and hold her ground. She doesn't need people to like her. And then there's Jack, a rising football athlete, who got a knee injury in one of his football match. Naturally, Vi and Jack weren't get along in real life, given their polar opposite traits. but they struck a deal to help each other.

With his now-limited mobility, Jack also decided to try an online role-playing game called Twelfth Knight in his spare time. In Twelfth Knight he met an experienced player who was actually Vi's male alter ego. Vi knew that it's Jack, but not the other way around. not long after, they started to have a bond over exchanged vulnerable stories.

this book reminded me of the song Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince by Taylor Swift, especially the Chorus and Verse 2. but other than hat, unfortunately i didn't really enjoy this book. even though I loved Alexene's first YA book. still going to check her future books, tho.

I really wanted to love this, but I think I am just not the right audience for this type of YA romance anymore. Still enjoyable, but maybe more enjoyable for someone else.

I will read anything and everything Olivie Blake writes and this was no exception. This book was adorable and so fun! The fmc isn’t your typical sunshiney fmc, she is feisty and nerdy and I loved her. I loved the banter. The writing of course was excellent. Highly recommend this one!

The worlds of Fandom, RPGs, fanfiction & D&D are brought to life in a Shakespearian retelling. Throw in cons and Renaissance Fair and I'm hooked!! I truly loved how I could embrace my inner nerd and revel in all of these topics! I love this aspect and this book so much!!

The characters were well written and I quickly got drawn into the story. I truly cared about what happened to them. Jack was a sweetheart and Vi was very relatable to me on a number of levels. The side characters were great too!

This definitely had early 2000s Rom Com vibes (mixed with Shakespeare). I thought this was very well done and clever! I appreciated how larger issues were tackled in a tasteful way.

This is one of my favorites that I've read in awhile from a new to me author. Highly enjoyable and I definitely recommend!

The Twelfth Knight is a fun young adult book. Viola Reyes is a strong, no holds barred kind of person who doesn't care what people think of her. She speaks her mind and steps up when others don't. I liked that the story showed girls can be gamers too and can cosplay just like boys. Very enjoyable and great for the middle school to high school age.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Twelfth Knight is a modern day take on the Shakespeare classic Twelfth Night. Gaming, football, high school, a splash of romance made this a win for me! It kept the character names from the play while incorporating modern day issues and language.

Recommended

A fun Shakespeare retelling with modern day gaming twist that I absolutely adored.

What I loved — Enemies to lovers, Shakespeare retelling, sweet romance, complex characters, gaming, a coming of age story, grumpy/sunshine.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Anyhow, the best way to summarize this book can be described with this list below:
- Gaming
- Football
- Feminism
- Friendship
- And uncertainty of who you are

In more detail, while this book seems like an enemies-to-lovers between a grumpy gamer girl and sunshine football jock, it's much more than that.

It's a book that tackles feminism and discusses relationships and coming-of-age in what I thought was an appropriate way even though there were cliches.

However, it is also a book that surprised me. And in a good way.

Anyway, as for the characters, I loved Vi and Jack. I love how Vi is opinionated and stands up for herself. I love that she doesn't cave due to misogyny. I loved her strength and independance. However, her stubborness can come at a cost which she learns throughout the book.

As for Jack, while he might seem like the stereotypical jock on the outside, he's much more than that. His journey discusses familial expectations as well as him finding out who he is without football.

However, I also loved Bash and Olivia. Olivia surprised me honestly especially the reason she broke up with Jack. And I loved how she and Vi became friends showing that contrary to popular belief, nerds and cheerleaders can get along. And that cheerleaders can also be huge nerds. As for Bash, I just enjoyed his goofy personality and how he was ready to call Vi out on her BS.

Anyway though this book remains for the most part predictable and the characters aren't perfect, I'd say that it's a great read if you want something lighthearted with strong female characters that tackle important social issues.

Overall, 4.5 stars

I liked My Mechanical Romance so I thought I would also really like Twelfth Knight.  
I was into the premise of Vi and Jack anonymously playing an MMORPG game together, when IRL they are kinda academic / student council rivals.
Unfortunately, the narration style really didn't work for me, it took me out every time they broke the fourth wall. 
Since this is Olivie Blake's pen name for YA I don't think I will pick up any more of her books... 
DNF @ 9%

This was a very cute contemporary romance story. Vi and Jackson were both learning how to be themselves, but also learning how to become closer to others. I don't necessarily like lying plot lines, but I felt like this one was portrayed in a way that the character learned her lesson. Loved all the nerdy aspects of the story, between the video games, rpgs, ren faires, show fandoms and the cosplaying. I think it's about time that people learned that being a nerd is cool.

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmoth is a fantastic follow-up from this author, and I'm absolutely loving it. I've been a fan of her work under the pen name Olivie Blake as well, and this YA rom-com, with its unique gaming setup, really sets the stage for what's to come in her future books.

The dynamic between Jack Orsino and Viola Reyes is so intriguing. They're the perfect online teammates in the game they play, also called "Twelfth Knight," but offline, they're complete arch-nemeses. The slow-burn romance is beautifully crafted, and the story really shines as a coming-of-age tale with strong feminist themes.

Then there's the whole alter ego thing—Cesario and Duke Orsino in the game—where their online personas surprisingly complement each other so well. The side characters are also a blast, adding a lot of fun and depth to the narrative. If you're on the hunt for a rom-com that feels real and relatable, this book should definitely be on your list. It's as close to reality as a rom-com can get, and it's a joy to read!

This book was adorable! I am biased and enjoy Olivie’s YA writing. Overall, recommend this to anyone who enjoys DnD and soft romcom.

જ⁀➴ 4 stars ☆ ˚.

“i just think maybe happiness isn't crossing a finish line, or finally meeting the right person or getting the right job or finding the right life. it's the little things.”

this was super cute and i honestly don't have much else to say! it took me a while to get into this book since i don't know much about football and gaming, which are both major parts of the story, but it was still a fun read. i really appreciated the commentary on social issues like misogyny, racism, sexuality, etc. and the diverse cast.

i expected the romance to be a bigger part of the story but it was mostly just in the background, which i don't have a problem with but it was a bit unexpected since this book is advertised as a romcom. violajack are actually my babies, i adore them so so much 🫶 their relationship is so sweet and realistic, loved the slow-burn and their banter had me giggling and kicking my feet.

viola and jack are both really strong and well written characters, with realistic quirks and flaws. i loved how this was a dual-pov book. olivia and bash were such fun and well developed side characters <3

overall, this was an enjoyable and heartfelt coming-of-age story. also, THE COVER!! it's so so pretty. although it wasn't super memorable for me, i still adored this book and would definitely reread + recommend it!

⟶ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review! 💜