A swoony rivals-to-lovers romance between driven, practical Lynda Fan and her rich, arrogant classmate, Angela Wu. When Angela offers Lynda the chance to design characters for her Otome game, Lynda discovers things she never knew about herself…or her heart.

This was a cute and adorable read. I loved the concept and had a good time reading it. Lynda wasn't my favourite as I couldn't connect with her but she had her moments and I liked seeing her relationship grow and develop with Angela.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend if you like:
Sapphic Romance
Rivals To Lovers
LGBTQ+ Rep
Coming Of Age
Asian American Rep

Thank you @tbrbeyondtours for having me on the tour for this book!! 💗

This was a sweet and fun story that deals with complicated family dynamics, the pressure of success, and falling in love. I really enjoyed how real this story felt, from parents lacking accountability to characters crumbling under pressure or just absolutely losing it. I'm also forever a fan of ace rep in relationships and with all the LADS my friends have been playing lately, the otome game aspect was right up my alley.

Love me some character development.

I haven't read a YA in a while but this delivered! The writing seamlessly blended in a queer & diverse cast without making it feel cringe. Change is hard and so is getting older. Lynda has her mind set on the future and kind of bulldozes her way through moving, falling in love, mending relationships and just surviving high school. She was such a flawed character that often frustrated me, but her actions were low stakes in the grand scheme of things (thankfully). Sometimes it's easier to be angry at others instead of confronting your own insecurities, but it takes growth and maturity to apologize, reconcile and move on.

No one was perfect in this story and I think that's why I liked it. Although, her dad still irks me.

Solid 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This book follows Lynda as her father remarried. She has to move in with her step-mother and sister. Her parents are paying for her sister's violin classes instead of helping both of them. Angela, a girl from school, offers to pay Lynda to create art for her otome game. We follow Lynda as she falls in love with Angela and deals with her family dynamic. I thought this book was cool. I deeply empathize with Lynda coping with her father's choices. I enjoyed seeing her fall in love and get closer to her sister. Lowkey, I did not need a third act break up for Lynda and Angela. However, I understood where the author was going with her story. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

My rating is more of 3.75.

Thank you to TBR & Beyond and Delacorte Romance for providing me with a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 rounded up to 4 stars)

Love Points to You had a lot of things I usually love in a YA romance—sapphic representation, a unique premise centered around game design, and ace representation (which is still too rare in queer YA romance). While I enjoyed the overall story, I have to admit that I struggled with the main character, Lynda. She was frustratingly arrogant and often selfish, making it difficult for me to fully root for her. Though there was some character growth, it didn’t feel like enough to truly redeem her flaws in a meaningful way.

Angela, the love interest, was much more likable, but for a book marketed as a romance, she was absent for a good portion of the second half. Because of this, the story felt more like literary fiction with a romance subplot rather than a traditional romance. The themes of ambition, self-discovery, and creative passion were well done, but the romance itself felt sidelined at times.

The ending, while happy, felt a bit rushed and left some key plot points—like the otome game and Lynda’s college plans—unresolved. Despite these issues, I still enjoyed the book for its fresh take on romance, its representation, and its unique premise. If you’re looking for a sapphic YA novel with a focus on self-growth and creative passion rather than just romance, this might be a good pick!

I have not read enough LGBTQ books and this book made me realize I need to read more!

Though I am probably getting too old for high school fiction, I was delighted to see how mature Lynda was. She has a clear path on what she wants to do and how she's going to do it.

I just wish her family, in particular her dad, was more supportive. Though he sort of redeems himself, it felt like Lynda was put on the sidelines when he got married and her stepsister was put up front.

I love Angela and Lynda's relationship, they compliment each other so well. And I love the way they each use their talents to make such a great game.

This YA read is such a refreshing story that shows how families and their relationships can change. As well, the main character comes to terms with her sexuality all while trying her best to get into art school. For all fans of otome games, artistry, and a dose of high school drama this is the perfect read for you!

Love Points to You is a YA sapphic romance novel that offers so much more than I was expecting. Not only are we treated to a cute and flirty developing relationship between the main character Lynda and Angela, the book also delves into the stresses of family, growing up and thinking about the future and it focuses a lot on the passions and the huge commitments made by the characters.

I loved all of the characters in this book. Lynda was very headstrong and stubborn but cares deeply about her art and was mostly likable (more to come on her), Angela was smart and confident and Bora was the classic best friend who tells it as it is even if it’s not what Lynda wants to hear. Even Josie, Lynda’s new step-sister has a pivotal part to play in the story as she grapples with her own issues. The characters really make this book enjoyable and I loved the in depth back story each one gets that helps the reader to understand why they act like they do.

I liked how this book is about more than just a sweet high school romance. The plot involves the otome game creation and art design which was really fun to read about and I loved Buncleaver! It also realistically covers the characters feelings about growing up and trying to figure out what to do for their future as they make mistakes and some change their minds. Parental pressure is a big plot point throughout the novel which puts a strain on various friendships and acts as a catalyst for some of the bigger issues.

The book is told from Lynda’s POV which is great as it gives the reader more detail on what she’s always thinking and why she acts the way she does. Even though I often disagreed with the way she handled things, I could understand why she felt that way due to her family not being very supportive with her art unlike the way they treat Josie and her music talent. I felt angry for her for large parts of the book but towards the end, it reaches a crescendo as all her feelings come out and she hurts everyone she loves. Her ego gets in the way as she always thinks she is right and doesn’t seem to think of anyone else’s feelings.

The typical 3rd act big argument / break up trope also bothered me here as prior to this, Angela and Lynda felt like a refreshingly mature couple for a YA book and I liked how communicative they were with each other and their problems. But this all comes to a head when again, Lynda’s insane stubbornness and inability to think of others’ perspectives comes to a head in an ugly revelation.

However I did like the ending and think overall this is a really good story that has many complex layers. It’s a fast paced and exciting YA novel full of romance, drama and the worries that come with growing up.

amidst family changes, she is determined to make it into art school by herself. then comes an amazing opportunity from an unexpected person to design an otome game. where will this storyline lead her?

[★★★★.25]

thank you so much to alice lin, delacorte romance, and tbr and beyond tours for sending me an ARC through netgalley! this does not affect my thoughts about the book in any way. out now!

lynda isn’t the most likable mc, tbh i could understand her actions till like 50% of the book, and then it all went worse and i was like, girl stop!! the way i wanted to shake some sense into her *sigh* but again none of us are perfect and making stupid decisions is well both a human condition, and a mirror to our issues (most of the time..?) idk girl should’ve just sat down and talked to her family properly, but it’s so easy to get caught up in our feelings that we don’t stop to solve them rationally. (been there done that :’))

angela is such a cool character and i love her soo much!!! the way she had lynda tripping and fumbling ( ꈍ◡ꈍ) ngl i was kinda suspicious of her for a bit of time, cause girl was soo sketchy in the beginning!!! i was like, there’s something you’re not saying, aren’t you?? well, that was my trust issues speaking, so we’re good lol.

i especially adored the bond lynda developed with her stepsister, josie by the end of the book! it was so heartwarming to see them go from awkward strangers to sisters <333 and also, the title of this book is such a good pun!! all in all this book was soo cute and adorable, and you all should read it!!!

Vibes
Asian FMC's
Queer-Ace & Bi
YA

9.79/10

"I don't write anything weird or depraved if that's what you're wondering. Seh adds. I enjoy a smutty story now and then but nothing ... hard core."

Characters-10

I loved the characters in this!!! Lynda and Angela were great, and I loved the bond the two of them had throughout this book. Lynda and Josie had a rocky start as step siblings, but they discovered a bond in the end. The supporting characters such a Bora, and Lynda's Aunt Mindy were also fantastic editions to this story.

Setting-10

The town where Lynda and Angela lived was charming. I loved seeing all the shops where the characters spent their time, and all the locations in this book. The setting helped tell the story.

Wrting-10

The writing in this was easy to read, and easy to get into the story. In terms of style, I enjoyed the lighter moments, and heavier moments in this story. Lynda and Angela's passion for art and otome games comes through in the writing.

Plot-9.5

I enjoyed this story. I found it very cute as it was rivals to lovers, but they had an understanding of one another, and what the other one wanted. There were family and friends moments in this that I also loved.

Enjoyment-9.5

Love Points to You was a fun story with great characters

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Childrens for sending me this ARC.

2.5/5. The premise to this book was really promising. I always enjoy plots having to do with gaming and gaming culture. Angela, Josie, and Bora were all great characters and I’m happy the author let us spend so much time with them. Unfortunately, the main character of this book was almost insufferable. Most of the plot of this story is Lynda berating her friends, family, and partner. It makes it incredibly hard to root for a main character like this. I almost wanted to see her fail to teach her not to act like that.

I also didn’t buy into the chemistry of the romance in this book. It seemed that Lynda was only interested in Angela to better her art skills and get her into school. The way Lynda spoke to and about her parents, as someone who is long past teenage years, was so frustrating. Overall, I think this could be a quick read for a younger reader, but just not for me.

This was a sweet, fun read! It was easy to get stuck in and feel at home with the characters, as we join them on the ups and downs of being 16.

The book is equal parts about the romance and about the platonic and familial relationships the main character, Lynda, has. I particularly enjoyed the relationships with her peers; with her best friend Bora, her love interest Angela, and her step-sister Josie. I found these characters the most engaging, and I felt the most invested in their storylines.

I also enjoyed the themes about finding and following your passion. Most of the main characters are passionate and determined in a particular creative endeavour, and they all have very different approaches. While I would have liked to see this explored more particularly towards the end, it brought a lot to the characters and to the story.

I would have liked a bit more of a conclusion, or perhaps an epilogue to tie up the loose ends. I also found Lynda’s parents quite frustrating (and not in the way I was meant to!). They had an almost Cinderella-esque level of favouritism towards Josie, which combined with the frankly bananas amount of money Angela was throwing around, made it sometimes feel a little reality-TV and over the top. A personal frustration of mine was the wildly unrealistic way Josie’s violin tuition was run, which also took me out of the story a bit.

Although it did have its drawbacks, overall this was a very enjoyable, light-hearted read, that celebrates following your creative passion.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Lynda agrees to design a character for a seemingly self-important classmate in exchange for a new ipad. Lynda is determined to get into art school and needs an ipad to make her drawings so she sees this project as a means to an end. Plus she needs money. Creating a video game based on a choose your own love story plot brings up a lot more than she thought it would. This was a cute story that kept me engaged to the end. Perfect YA romance. Thank you Delacorte Romance for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute book! An adorable high school romance that dives into much deeper topics in such a wonderful way. The book discusses feelings of failure, blended family dynamics (and the feelings that can come with it), death in a family, and the idea of standing up for yourself, even against those that should stand behind you. I thought the main character was such a realistic teenager and loved the details surrounding that period of time (worrying about college apps, trying to be perfect at everything, and dating woes). This was a lovely first read for my March TBR and I think all teenage girls should read it, not for the surface story, but for the lessons that linger beneath the words.

This was a very cute YA book. I really appreciated the representation, particularly the asexual rep. You don't get too many traditionally published books with both the MC and the LI on the asexual spectrum.

All that said, this book also didn't wow me. In a world where there are more and more cute and delightfully nerdy YA books getting published, it is also getting harder for these to stand out. Outside of the asexual rep, this one just didn't provide anything else new and standout worthy.

I would still recommend this to the target age group, but it won't be making any lists of personal favorites for me.

in LOVE POINTS TO YOU, sixteen-year-old lynda fan is eager to attend her dream school, RISD. since she's lacking financial support, she accepts a job designing characters for a choose-your-adventure love story video game, which leads to her to discovering more about herself and unexpectedly finding love along the way.

i absolutely loved this book! the premise is so unique, and i can't get enough of the otome game world. especially how everyone is obsessed with a trending new game. it's such a fun, relatable detail that adds a refreshing twist to the story.

lynda is flawed and filled with that teenage realness we all know too well. from making dramatic decisions to dealing with jealousy, insecurities, and all the confusion that comes with the pressure of figuring out the future. i know you made silly decisions in high school too, okay? she sometimes lashes out at those closest to her before she can find the right words, but seeing everything come together in the end made it all worth it.

the sibling dynamic between lynda and josie was another highlight! it was heartwarming to see how their relationship evolved throughout the book. and then there's bora. can i get some commotion for the best friend? everyone needs a bora in their life, especially during the chaos of teenage years. she's supportive, understanding, and always there when needed, but she's also not afraid to tell lynda like it is.

loved the asexual representation with lynda and demisexual rep for angela. it's so refreshing to see this kind of diversity in a YA story.

i highly recommend this book if you're an artist, a fan of video games, enjoy messy coming-of-age stories (where teenagers act like teenagers), or are looking for ace representation in a young adult novel. i don't think think this will scratch an enemies to lovers itch if that's what you're looking for. it's definitely more rivals to lovers, and even that's pushing it! it's more "i wasn't sure about you when we first met" to lovers. that's a thing, right???????? even if it's not, it worked for me in this one!

4.5

Love Points to You has a lot of things going for it: asexual, bisexual Asians, sisterly dynamics, uncommon families, and lots of artistry. I enjoyed Lynda for most of the book and thought the story itself was cute. I found a lot of what she does towards the end extremely selfish and frustrating and wish there was slightly more character growth throughout the book.
I really enjoyed Josie and Angela as characters, but thought Lynda fell a little flat against them. Overall, I thought the plot was solid and original enough, and it is a fast read. I just wished I could have dug a little deeper in many of the relationships and that it didn't feel rushed at the end. Maybe these things will change when it comes out! Either way, I love seeing the representation. Go pick up a copy tomorrow!
Thank you to Delacorte and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review. Hoping to read similar books in the coming months, to see what's out there.

I loved Love Points To You by Alice Lin. It was a fast read, with endearing characters and low drama.

This books follows Lynda Fan, a high schooler and a gifted artist, whose life has just been upended by her father’s new marriage. Lynda now has a stepmother, a sister/roommate, a much larger extended family, and a new house. In addition to these changes, Lynda is commissioned by Angela, a fellow classmate, to create artwork for a video game she’s working on. As the book progresses we see Lynda adapt to her new family, her growing relationship with Angela, and manage the other pressures of being a high school student.

One thing I really appreciated about this book is that the struggles Lynda deals with in this book were as much, if not more, about her and her own issues then external factors. So there is no wicked stepmother trope in this story. Just a lot of flawed people who love each other and are trying to do their best.

Similarly, this book did a great job showing growth from Lynda as a character. Lynda while selfish and insecure is also caring and thoughtful, just not all the time. She felt very real and I often found myself relating to her myself or with people I know and care about.

I loved the asexual representation in this book. The relationship between Angela and Lynda was fun and easy. You could feel their chemistry and the overall maturity of their relationship was nice to see.

Overall, this was just a great book. If you like good dialogue, flawed but likeable characters, and cute romance this is the book for you.

Thank you Alice Lin, Random House Children’s, and NetGalley for the ARC.

What I Liked: At first, I was a bit confused because Angela and Lynda didn't really read as rivals, they more so read as classmates who just don't know each other yet. As you read further into the book you catch a glimpse of how Lynda viewed her as a rival because of their differences in socio economic status. This was a different take on rivalry than I am familiar with that added a nuanced layer to the story as Lynda tries navigating how she feels about this.

Given their rivalry the romantic relationship that develops between Lynda and Angela is cute and fluffy. Lynda and Angela's initial meeting and bonding over the Otome game that Angela hires her for is a great setting for the two of them, especially as Lynda doesn't really understand the appeal of these games at the start. As Lynda begins creating for Angela, she starts to develop feelings for her which make creating the art for the game something she is more eager to spend time on. The two of them easily fall into each other and understand the other.

One of the aspects that stood out in the story is that Angela is demisexual and Lynda is asexual which is not representation seen in many stories.

The relationships in this story carry a lot of nuances, throughout the book you witness the relationships that Lynda has with her family, friends, and with her girlfriend, Angela. There are several layers to unpack when examining the relationship that Lynda has with family and much of this comes from losing her mother to cancer when she was a child. When Lynda joins the family, you get a glimpse of what things are going to be like for her as Amy and Amy's family treat her as someone on the outside and she has to grapple with this.

Lynda struggles with the concept of grieving someone that she didn't know but who is an assumed important part of her life. The question is overlooked as Lynda doesn't want to dwell on the topic and barely begins to unravel her family's history as she begins to ask her dad for the truth. This ends up backfiring against her as Lynda believes that she can't give up on her dreams and she only has herself as support. Due to Lynda not allowing others close to her she also is unable to see things from other people's perspective causing others to back away from her. Lynda's refusal to think about other's perspectives is an accurate depiction of someone her age who doesn't understand why her point of view isn't the only way for things to work.

Along with the romance portion of this book, this book tackles some other topics that are heavy. Through Josie we are able to see the ways in which parental pressure impacts children and how perfectionism can have a negative impact on someone. Lynda makes a comment regarding comparison being the thief of joy which is an accurate statement throughout this book as Josie is constantly being compared to others to the point that it takes a toll on her.

Final Verdict: Love Points to You is an endearing and exciting romance in which many of the characters are figuring out what they want for themselves outside of what others have pushed them into. This is a great book for young adults who are struggling to find what they want to do in the future or are trying to find their voice. If you enjoy romance books with a bit of teenage angst this is the perfect book for you.

Love Points to You was a fun queer romance but it was unfortunately not one of my favorites. The plot could have been stronger and there were too many characters. It was difficult to stay engaged due to these two reasons.