Marina left her life and has created a new life from the new home to the new gamer friends. She is always resistant to put herself out there in case her past catches up to her. She goes on a tour and the tour guide is murderer during the tour. Her and her friends and being framed. Can they play the game to save themselves?

There is some game language that was above this non gamer. The twists wouldn’t stop coming! I was able to figure out parts of the twists but loved the book overall.

Thank you to Kelsea Yu, Bloomsbury, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Speechless. I am just speechless. So so many twists and turns. I had no clue about most of them. I'm shocked. I had to read it all in one sitting. It's that good. I literally LOVED the friend group and Bette & Jimmy. Plus Slate 🥹🥹 I'm so glad I read this, truly suspenseful, and makes you on the edge of your seat. Also, bonus points if you're into gaming this is gaming related. Loved all of this. So many parts had me gasping, then worried, then stressed, then sad, then strong alongside the characters. Just so many emotions, I can not put them into words. Go pre-order this!!! It's definitely one of my top 3 favorite books that I've read this year.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Bloomsbury to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

Wow thank you, NetGalley! This had me hooked almost immediately. Don’t let the fact that it’s YA turn you off from giving this book a try. It’s completely fast paced and layered. I was totally entertained.

A sapphic runaway, video games and murder... Need I say more?

Fine, I will.
Marina Chan ran away from home a year ago. And things are not great but she could be worse. She found good people who took her in and a good group of friends thanks to a video game. And now, they've all won a tour of that video game company, so she gets to meet her friends irl for the first time. And then, shit happens... and then, things somehow get worse.

I had a great time reading this. I was captivated from beginning to end. The plot enthralled me from beginning to end and I just adored the main character. It was very original and stressful and so good. I had an idea on who was the big bad quite soon but I didn't mind, all the twists still took me by surprise. I really loved this. The relationships between the main character and everyone also else kept me on my toes the entire time. I was just as captivating as the mystery plot to me.
I could not recommend this more.

Thanks to NetGalley/Bloomsbury YA for the ARC and the shot of adrenaline! w/o spoilers this book is a finely layered rollercoaster of a thriller. I loved Marina/Night and rooted for her through every single new revelation, and game play, and was taken with each and every one of the other characters as well. The pace of the story had my heart racing and I could not put this down! Definitely going to reread when I get my paper copy in July!

My heart is still beating rapidly from the book. If you're looking for a fast paced, mildly traumatizing, but in a good way, tale, this is it. Kelsea Yu is an incredible writer and drags you headfirst into her story, trapping you there through the whole dastardly thing. Her characters are easily loved or hated, her writing is perfection, and the story as a whole was incredible.

While the overall pacing was fast and sharp, the characterization was not and this took me longer to get through because of that. There a few chills and thrills but didn't quite meet the mark.

Loved this book and can't wait to see more from the author. Thanks to the author and the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

4.5

Another YA thriller for the win! Mariana Chen is running from her past and finds solace in video gaming where she meets her online squad. They become fast friends conquering level after level of the popular game Darkilect, until the game becomes a reality. There’s murder lies and secrets. They all work together to try and figure out who killed Ethan Wainwright, a big video game developer. As the mystery progresses, it starts to hit closer to home to Mariana and what’s she’s hiding from her friends.

This was fast paced, thrilling and I just loved the mystery so much. Past and present timelines and I love when everything just connects so perfectly. I finished this in one sitting I couldn’t stop reading! This was so so good!

The whole base of the plot was interesting to say the least! The idea of being locked in a gaming development building with a dead body and threats at hand? Wow! The forced competition that every night they have to complete this level to survive is so thrilling! The levels become so interesting to me and the fact that we know our main character but also don't is intentional I feel like to the story. Mid way through I had an idea of what was going on and it ended up that I was right but the way that Marina/Lia came into contact with this information was so heartbreaking, I mean realizing that her father was already dead and that she didn't get to have a clear conversation with him hurts you can tell and then her going to her friends about it. The ending and the fallen dominos falling into place makes the final pages exposed and exploded with emotions. I am sad about the parents being dead and everything that happened but glad that it ended happily.

Favorite quote: "the world was out of focus, like water spilled over an oil portrait."

Rated it: 5/5 stars!

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I really really tried so hard to like it. But with it being video games (which I knew going into this) I just couldn’t.

This book has a really cool video game/mystery concept. It's what (obviously) sets the story apart from other books of this particular genre. Overall, I liked the story. I just didn't love it but that's probably just a me issue when it comes to thrillers (they always seem to fizzle out at the end).

This is a twisty-turny YA thriller that had me guessing almost until the last page. Gamers especially will enjoy “Darkitect” and all of the beautiful imagery described in the different levels that four friends have to beat—or else. If they don’t, the mysterious creator of said game levels has a a very specific threat for each of the four teenagers, and these are not tame or idle threats.

We go back and forth between Marina Chan’s earlier life and the present day, with clues and hints being dropped along the way. Marina, or “Night”, as she’s known in the game, has a lot of secrets to hide from her three new friends. As you read more and more about her childhood, you come to understand why she acts the way she does.

The four buddies only have 24 hours to beat each level, but some of the information needed must be obtained by dubious means.

Will they get caught? Is their mysterious foe actually going to harm those they love? And why them?? Find out this July!

I received an eARC from NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA (thanks!), and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

i really tried to like this, but i couldnt. i knew this book was about gaming before i requested it and that didnt really bother me, but as i was reading it, i ended up not liking it mainly because of that. i think this book might be enjoyable for other people

This book was pretty good, good enough that I finished in one sitting I felt the plot was pretty predictable in some points but over all this was a good boom and I would recommend.

I must admit that it took me a bit to get into this, however it really picked up around 20% and at that point I couldn’t put it down!

Marina, an avid video game player, plays online almost every night with her 3 friends whom she’s never met irl. Marina finally gets to meet her online friends when they get to tour the gaming company that made their favorite game. However, the tour turns sour quickly when the CEO is murdered steps away from Marina. Now, her and her friends are being framed for murder unless they can beat the levels Cixi, a level designer, has built for them. Cixi clearly has an evil plan in the works that affects the groups real lives. If they can’t beat her levels, she threatens to ruin their lives. Marina is holding secrets of her own and has never been able to trust anyone. Can they put the pieces together and figure out who is after them and how Marina fits in before it’s too late?

This was fast paced and intriguing with a lot of different layers and variables. While a lot of this was far fetched, I loved how it all came together. I felt like it was well rounded and well executed.

I loved the characters in this as well. They each added something to the story and were loyal friends to Marina. I also liked the romance aspect. It definitely was subtle, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Overall, this was a fun story and definitely worth the read!

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"It's Only a Game" by Kelsea Yu is a gripping YA thriller that blends suspense and the found family troupe all centered around the allure of gaming into an adrenaline-fueled adventure. I do want to provide a trigger warning for domestic abuse (by a parental figure), and this abuse is described in detail in the book (involves blood).

From the outset, the reader is plunged into the action alongside protagonist Marina Chan and her three gamer friends as they find themselves embroiled in a sinister plot. The fast-paced narrative wastes no time in delivering thrills, keeping you hooked from the first page to the last. Yu's writing style expertly balances the real-world stakes with the immersive world-building of the video game, creating a captivating reading experience. This book also focuses on the found family troupe (through Marina’s gamer friends who she interacts with both in the game and in person). Plus, there is a husky (Marina’s dog) that is present throughout the book, which I absolutely loved. I love how she chose to adopt an older dog that had had a rough life prior to meeting Marina; when the dog was introduced, I was immediately sold on Marina’s character.

I really liked the diverse representation within the book through the inclusion of queer characters adding depth and authenticity to the story; there was also trans representation with one of the main characters. The relationship between Marina and her friends is at the heart of the story, showcasing the power of found family and the lengths one will go to protect those they love.

There is a lot of suspense throughout the book as the plot develops and there are different twists and turns as the book is told through past and present perspectives of Marina. I will say that I found the major couple of plot twists revealed towards the end of the book were a bit predictable. While I enjoyed the flashbacks centering around Marina and her mother from a year prior to the current time in the book, I think they revealed too much about Marina’s mother and those plot twists. There were times when Marina had no clue what was going on, but I, as the reader, thought some information was completely obvious. Despite this, I was still invested in the story, mainly due to the found family aspect as well as Marina’s character.

Yu's ability to balance the intensity of the thriller elements with moments of heartwarming friendship and character development is commendable. The cast of characters is endearing and relatable, making it easy for readers to become invested in their fates as all the characters experience some development, and you, as the reader, quickly become attached to them all (especially the dog). I will say that some of the video game aspects lost me a bit. It may be because I’m not really a gamer, so I had some difficult imagining some of the video game scenes being described, especially since some gamer terminology is used throughout. I thought the game might work better mentally (in my head) if it were a VR game rather than a desktop game.

Overall, "It's Only a Game" is a thrilling read that will appeal to fans of YA suspense novels. I think this book would do well in high/middle school classrooms/libraries, especially when trying to engage students who enjoy playing or watching video games. With its engaging plot, diverse representation, and memorable characters, it's a book that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I definitely can’t wait to read more from Yu.

AHHHH what a book!!

Marina is running from her past, and meets a group of fellow gamers in person for the first time. They're almost instantly thrown into a real-life game with dire consequences for each of them should they fail. There were twists and turns throughout this book that kept me guessing, and an ending I did NOT see coming. Marina was an incredible protagonist whose side I was on the entire time.

So excited for the world to get this incredible thriller in their hands!!!

Thank you to Netgallery and Bloomsbury Ya for an early release copy of It’s Only A Game by Kelsea Yu, this book will be available for purchase on July ninth of 2024.

It’s Only A Game was a quick read for me! The story is interesting and doesn’t take long at all for the thrilling/suspense element to kick in. It really kept me entertained throughout the story, the plot was really hooked me, the twist were well thought out, and I really liked our characters.

This story also uses queer rep which was a pleasant surprise! Our main character likes girls, plus we get some transgender rep as well! I liked the relationship between the Marina and Syl I really wished we got some more scenes between them but the ending we got definitely was heading in the right direction.

(Side note: It’s just a game is dialogue heavy)

Thrown in to the action and fast-paced plot immediately in It’s Only a Game by Kelsea Yu. We follow Marina Chan and her 3 gamer friends as they try to solve a murder and prevent being blackmailed, all by solving various levels of the killer’s video game. But we also know Marina has a secret past and different name that she’s running from. Through flashback chapters between the current timeline, we slowly find out why and what it may have to do with the murder she and her friends are being framed for.

The action starts from page one and never breaks, as you get more information and intrigue on every page. It’s a great writing style to keep the reader engaged, plus you get not only the characters’ real world but really creative additional world building through the video game.

There’s some pretty clear giveaways in the plot about midway so the twist and ending are easy to figure out from there. I still had a good time with it after, but I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t see everything coming so early on. (I do read quite a few YA and adult thrillers but I don’t consider myself particularly adept at figuring out the plot early.)

If you enjoy the YA thriller genre, I think you will enjoy this as well. It hooks you from the beginning and you’ll be invested to finish in one sitting.

TW for abuse by parental figure