Levels of Love by Anabelle Stehl is a heartfelt contemporary romance that explores the many stages and shades of falling in love. The story thoughtfully examines how relationships grow, shift, and deepen over time, highlighting both the excitement of new feelings and the vulnerability that comes with emotional risk.

Stehl’s writing is warm and relatable, with characters who feel genuine in their struggles and desires. The emotional development is steady and sincere, making the romance feel earned rather than rushed. Overall, Levels of Love is a sweet and reflective read for anyone who enjoys character-driven love stories with depth and authenticity.

What a cute book! This was my first book by this author and I’m so happy I took the chance. I really loved how this one kept me interested and the ending made me happy. Loved it!

I really enjoyed this! Even though I'm not a gamer, I appreciated the way that making video games was such a creative and healing process for the main characters. I loved this aspect of the book, and Novel Haven seems like such a cute game! I struggled a bit with how low Lara's self confidence was to begin with, it was painful to read and felt a bit too extreme? But overall, a cozy read with emotional depth in a unique setting, would recommend.

Thank you so very much to Netgalley and LYX for the eARC!

I was excited to read Levels of Love because a romance centered around video games sounded like my vibe. And I was very, very correct! This was a cute, sweet read with adorable leads, fun side characters and just enough drama to keep it interesting.

The story revolves around Lara, a young game developer who is helping create Novel Haven, a cozy farming sim about books. Luca is also a young game developer but his focus is on horror. When both get the chance to represent their games at a conference, they end up developing a friendship even though they are rivals. As this is a romance, I’m sure you can figure out where that goes. Of course, we have some drama and a bit of angst. Lara and Luca both have rather traumatic episodes in their past that they are working through with the help of their games. But that just made them more interesting characters and wasn’t used as a device to keep them apart. Rather, it is how they bond.

Overall, I adored Levels of Love. As a gamer, I enjoyed the way the author incorporated that into the story without it feeling forced. I can also relate to how Lara finds comfort in the world she is creating. I know when I get overwhelmed with real life, I also find solace in cozy farming sims. I also appreciate the author addressing how sexist the world of gaming can be without it over-shadowing the love story.

4.5/5 rounded up to 5 stars. If you are looking for a cute romance with a lot of heart, I highly recommend Levels of Love. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series because I adored Nataly and Arias. They were such great side characters and I want to see where their stories take them.

a quick and cute read. Perfect for a single sitting read on a sunny back porch afternoon. I loved the characters and the tropes were very well done.

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Levels of Love
✒️ Anabelle Stehl
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Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Levels of Love follows the super shy Lara, a gaming programmer who has invested so much into a game about books and Luca, who is the developer behind the nightmare fuelled Desolate Dread. They are from two different worlds and are fighting for the same prize that will determine their careers.

This book is super fun and easy to read book. I am not a gamer, but I understood the concepts the author integrated throughout.

Lara and Luca, are two people who have found comfort in the worlds they created to hide from the past that has caused them to close in on themselves. Their romance blooms slowly and organically throughout the book, it is a slow burn and is wholesome in its display.

I would recommend this book for those who are fans of Ali Hazelwood.

Level of Love was a fun, heartfelt book and I loved the video game setting. It is different than my typical books but it was a nice change. I loved Lara and Luca's relationship and how they supported each other and seeing the development and growth of their relationship. I wish there was some more character development but overall it was a fun read and I look forward or more books by Annabelle Stehl!

This books is adorable. Totally a 3.5 star rating!! But I’ll round it up to 4 hahaha.

I absolutely loved the way the chapters are laid out. The lines at the beginning of the chapter about the game (relative to whose pov it is), set the tone of the chapter yet somehow don’t give anything away at all. It’s like a cheeky little teaser before you read the chapter and it’s so cute and fun. The Dual POV is so good, one of my favourite ways to read a romance novel.

I am not much of a gamer but I found that it was easy to understand the gaming industry, also I would love if the games were real Novel Haven seems so cute and so fun. I think the writing was well done to help both those who are in the gaming world and not understand the ins and outs of it all. Also all the anime and pop culture references were so cute and fun. They made the book feel relatable and somehow so current even though the backdrop felt more like an old English castle vibe.

I loved the topics of mental health, grief, ptsd, and how using a creative outlet helps to cope with it. That really stuck with me and I think it’s nice to see a story show that things will get better after the worst moment of your life. Also as a person who uses a creative outlet to cope with all things about life I loved who both the protagonists used their games as an outlet for their lives. It made me feel scene and I hope others will too when they read this book.

This book had very little spice, 1 scene and I think it’s perfectly timed and beautifully written. This is not a smutty book but a cute romance with an intimacy scene.

I think this is perfect for people who want to start their romance genre journey and also for those who love a soft love with a HEA for everyone. If you love shoujo or shounen manga and anime then this book is right up your alley!!

First off, the cover for this book is gorgeous!! This book hit all the marks for me- enemies to lovers, forced proximity, AND gaming?! Literally love that! I did really like the book overall. There were some points that felt a little harder to get into/slow at times, but I did enjoy the storyline and the characters were lovable.

Thank you NetGalley and Annabelle Stehl for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of Levels of Love! I loved the duel narration between the two MCs and how it balanced out between their relationship, friendships, dreams and personal strifes. It gave a great representation of metal health issues and how it affects day to day life and relationships without being overwhelming or too descriptive that the reader gets lost in the MC’s mindset and forgets the present scene/situation. It is definitely more of a slow burn but still keeps you wanting more between the pair by balancing out their own lives and other relationships. Side characters play vital roles in the story without losing site of the main story line.
This light-hearted, but also very metal health aware story follows Lara and Luca, competing programmers from two very different gaming companies who find themselves entangled in a gaming competition that will put their games on the map and award money in hand to further their games’ future.
Both characters are very 3 dimensional; with complex background stories that focus on mental health and how that comes into play in day to day life. As they progress in the competition and in their interest in one another grows, so does the complexities that surround them. Will the heat of the competition bring them together or pull them apart for their ultimate gamer dream of a lifetime?

If you’re a fan of Ali Hazelwood’s ‘Two Can Play’ then you will absolutely adore Novel Haven: Levels of Love by Anabelle Stehl. The two main characters, Lara and Luca, are video game creators for two separate companies. Lara creates cozy games and Luca creates horror games. Two completely different game styles. When the duo are brought together through a video game competition, the two will present their games and vie for a chance at winning the competition. What they don’t expect is finding each other, and possibly winning each other’s hearts along the way…

I relate to Lara so much. You know when you find a character in a book where you just wanna hug them! That’s me and Lara! This was so cutie but also just touches you! (I love the gaming vibe and the whole flow of the story!!)

Really liked this book but I am a little biased. I LOVE a good enemies to lovers and mix that with a the characters being into gaming and I jump right in. Forced proximity, Trauma bonded and a little banter and you have me hooked!

Thank you to NetGalley and Anabelle Stehl for the ARC!

Thank you LYX & netgalley for the arc of this book !!!
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A game Revolving around gaming and especially our fmc making a cozy sim game ? A developer mmc and fmc? Sign me up, I read this book while travelling and honestly I was so so hooked, I really liked the fast pacing, the angst and the past aspect of the characters, their trauma and how they bonded and ofc their cute romance, overall such a cute and lovely read.

his was such a unique and engaging take on a rivals-to-lovers romance. The gaming world setting added a fresh layer that made the story stand out, especially with the contrast between Lara’s cozy, heartfelt game and Luca’s darker, horror-driven style.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. Their differences created strong tension at the start, but as the story progressed, the shift from competition to connection felt natural and well developed. The banter, paired with moments of vulnerability, added depth to their relationship.

The convention setting and high-stakes competition kept the plot moving, while also allowing space for quieter, more personal moments between the characters. It struck a nice balance between external conflict and emotional growth.

A thoughtful and enjoyable read that will especially appeal to fans of character-driven romance with a creative, modern backdrop.