3.5 (rounded up)

Love Points to You was such a sweet and heartfelt YA coming-of-age story about family, dreams and facing your own flaws. I absolutely adored that we got two ace and biromantic characters in this book and the dual representation was so great to see!

I thought the depiction of Lynda’s struggles with her dreams of art school and fears of failure alongside her rocky relationship with her father were definitely some of the more emotional parts of the book for me and while I am not a big gamer by any means, I loved all the otome game references and development. While I devoured this book in a span of a couple of days, I do feel like the third act of the story was perhaps slightly rushed and the conflicts resolved in a bit too perfect of a manner. I would have loved to have seen a couple more chapters with Lynda repairing her relationship with her stepfamily as well (especially with Josie as I loved seeing their step-sister relationship grow) since the ending left me wanting more.

All in all, this story definitely caught me off guard in the best way possible and I’m so glad I picked it up!

Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada and Netgalley for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts in this review are my own.

A lovely sapphic read! It was quick and easy, and I loved the troupe and artsy vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for allowing me the opportunity to review this book!

Oh my gosh so much fun!! What a swoony and sweat YA romance!!

This was a perfect quick and easy read. I loved the Asian American rep!!!

I hope to read more from this author!!!

4/5 stars

Thanks to the publisher!!

This was super cute. It was great to find dual ace representation! While I don’t know the first thing about otome, I was able to follow the references to it just fine. I loved Lynda’s voice and really felt for her being thrust into a new stepfamily, especially given her complicated relationship with her father. But Angela was my favorite character, a delightful combination of determined, sassy, and flirty. I could see why Lynda fell for her.

My only criticism is that parts of the third act rock bottom of Lynda ticking off everyone close to her felt a little forced to me (especially the falling out with her best friend), though I appreciated how everything was resolved.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

LOVE POINTS TO YOU is a delightful and swoony sapphic YA romance and perfect for fans of rivals to lovers. Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for the advanced copy!

This was a cute YA opposites attract Sapphic romance between two Asian American teen girls. I liked it well enough and would recommend to fans of authors like Adiba Jaigirdar. It was also well done on audio narrated by Katharine Chin. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

4.75 stars rounded up

Absolutely adorable Sapphic YA story with an asexual main character, and I devoured the first 85% of this book. It's cute, sweet, and involves some family and friend drama, and Lynda is flawed. I do think the conflict resolution was rushed, and I would have loved another chapter of epilogue to wrap up the story. I loved the writing and the focus on art and music and passion, talent, and effort. This was such a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This was a fun YA novel, and I loved seeing the artist expression, as well as the video game fun! It was very cute, and I loved the romance! I will definitely add this to recommendation lists!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read the ARC!

A coming of age story about the complicated reality of becoming an adult, falling in love, deciding what “to do” with your life, and realizing that the adults in your life are figuring it out just as much as you are.

This book was not a romance - I would classify it more as a YA novel with some romance. There was a balanced focus on the main characters family, friends, self, and her love interest.

This book was so successful in its portrayal of Junior year pressures and family stress. While I went into it thinking the romance would be a larger focus, I am not disappointed and found the drama and storyline between her family and friends just as - if not more - intriguing.

I will say that the things I found disappointing about the book were not because of the book itself but because I feel that the description/marketing of the book gave me the wrong expectations. I would not classify this as a rivals to lovers novel and hesitate to classify this as a romance when the book’s main plot could exist without the romance element (they could have easily been friends/business partners with the same fights/conflicts). I was expecting more romance going into the book - including the development of feelings/tension/build up to a romantic relationship but still really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down!

First and foremost, I love how this YA novel is actually age appropriate. The representation in it is also something that isn't seen very often. However, for a novel that's marketed towards people who want a romance, I think this book lacks the relationship building seen in most romances. Much of the story is focused on Lynda and the issues she has with her family. Besides that, this story is very cute and an easy read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an e-arc of Love Points to You by Alice Lin and apologies for my late review, life got busy and I've been catching up on arcs over winter break. Love Points to You was so cute!! Ah, how I love queer ya rom-coms.

I think the conflict wrapped up too quickly but arrived too slowly, and I felt like the book ended before we really got closure (but in a way that didn’t feel entirely deliberate) - though I guess it mirrors life that way.

I think the otome game itself was a little too hand-wavey, like we never got to really see what the game itself would look like. We didn’t get draft passes with stand-in character art or any discussion of coding or even met the other collaborators. And there were whole stretches of book where Angela was just absent and pieces of her story were all but dropped (Arun??)

But I really liked the closure with Brian and Amy. I liked seeing the adults own up to messing up and making a game plan to do better.

This was cute read with a character that is blunt and a bit selfish learning how to care for others. I know that’s a bit bare bones but overall we watch as a driven girl learns to put the needs of others before herself and also finds herself forming deeper connections with those around her. It was a sweet story that had some moments that felt very real and made the story very satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

High school student, Lynda, has a dream of attending the Rhode Island School of Design, but with her family's finances, she fears she'll never be able to go. Then a rich classmate of hers, Angela, hires her to help design a video game, Lynda sees her dream within reach.

This was a cute middle grade novel and I enjoyed Lynda's development of the video game. I felt frustrated by Lynda's sense of entitlement and at times, bratty attitude. This was labeled as YA but the romance was minimal, though there is queer representation. I might recommend it to my queer middle schoolers who also love gaming.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

Ace rep in a romance! I thought this one was so cute. Love Points to You is a great romcom about a teenager who wants to succeed in the arts and ends up creating art for a mobile app. I felt like both main characters were well written, and it was a really nice mix of light and fluffy with some more serious issues. I did judge the communication of almost all adults involved.. but sometimes it is just like that lol.

Thanks to NetGalley, Alice Lin, and Random House for the chance to read and review! This one was delightful! (My opinions are my own)

<i>Thank you to Random House Children's /Delacorte Romance and Netgalley for a chance to read an arc this book! 🖤 </i>

<i>4⭐️</i> tropes: rivals to lovers, rich girl x poor girl, asexual rep | digital

<i> "I don’t draw to be liked. I draw to be loved—not that I want Angela to love me. I want her to love Xiao Hua as much as she loves Sung Hong and Meng Li. That’s all." </i>

<i> characters </i>
🩶 Lynda is dealing with a newly remarried father who has uprooted her life in favor of his new family. I loved seeing her self-reflect and grow. She was raised to be hyper independent and you see how that truly affected her and her view of life.
🩶 Angela is a rich girl shoe-in for valedictorian who needs an artist for her otome game. I loved learning more about her character and her love for Otome games. Her story as former popular girl was unique. She had a lot of depth to her.

<i> "Everything about her is vibrant. Like a true performer, she’s screaming at the world to pay attention. To see her.” I’m feeling seen right now... </i>

<i> favorite bits</i>
🖤 I felt do much anger for Lynda. Her Dad, especially was so absent at times and made her so dependent on herself and her dreams. So much was put on her plate so I understood her pain and at times desperation to get to her dream.
🖤 Lynda and Angela's beef was a rivalry so petty that it made it funny to read. It also made their relationship more fun as they realized how much they could understand one another.
🖤 This is the second sapphic ya book I've read with ace representation and I love how much more common it's becoming!
🖤 I liked seeing Lynda and Josie's relationship develop more and I liked that it was complex because of how they were both mistreated in their own ways and their reactions to it. Amy was too invested and involved in Josie's future and passion that it ruined it for her. Lynda's dad was too disengaged from her future and that made her dependent on that for her only future. Two parenting styles that negatively affected their children.

<i> "There it is. That smugness I used to find so grating but now can’t seem to get enough of." </i>

<i> issues </i>
❌ I think because of my own issues, the ending gave a little bit of "Edge of Seventeen" where yes, Lynda was wrong in many of her behaviors towards the end of the book and needed to learn and grow, I also felt like there was not enough acknowledgment by others of what she had to go through. Parental neglect for years, even for a "good" reason, did feel like it wrapped up well enough for me. I often feel in books the endings feel less satisfying because the main healing and that journey are just wrapped up quickly after a big argument when so much of the book was the mistreatment.

<i> "You can know of someone and live your life happily without them until unpredictable forces suddenly bring you together—like a cosmic shift in the universe bridging two vastly different dimensions." </i>

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I enjoyed this delightful coming of age / romance young adult novel. The characters were well drawn out and had various dimensions, especially the main character Lynda and her love interest Angela. I wouldn't classify this as enemies to lovers though, as I never really got the enemies vibe. I enjoyed all the details about the video game design and the graphic art, as well as Lynda's relationship with her new stepsister, Josie. Navigating new family relationships can be tricky, but the girls adapted to it quite well. I think jealousy and bias can be a common theme in newly blended families and that was captured in a realistic and empathetic way here.

While I liked it, nothing knocked my socks off. It was good. It was enjoyable. But I'm not sure I'll remember much of it a few months from now. I did love the representation. I think I wanted just a bit more.

All in all, a good young adult novel that crosses a couple of genres. I think younger teenagers would find it especially enjoyable! Recommended for ages 13+.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up bc sapphics will never be hated by me!

this was a very cute YA romance. it does fall into the YA romance trap of feeling more contemporary than genre romance, but i understand we need that teen life angst in fiction so the kids can relate. nicely written, lynda and angela? MY DAUGHTERS!

Our MC is annoyinggggg in this one. Man is she hard to swallow. Very full of herself.. not so empathetic. Is kind of mean to her family, friends, and girlfriend. What’s that all about?? When she’s not being infuriating though, I enjoyed the storyline and the art and music. Blended family dynamics, grief exploration, ace-rep, and great commentary on the arts as professions.. I enjoyed this light romance story!

This was so sweet!! Overall a cute and very readable but also formulaic and the main character was caught up in her own situation as most teens are! The representation was great and I find myself wanting to know more about Angela, I think I would've enjoyed the story more from her pod but overall 3.5 stars.