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Game On
When an unexpected Player Two enters her life, a gamer must decide if their relationship is worth leveling up in this new romance from the author of The Love Con.
Samara Reynolds has built a large following as a gamer under an anonymous screen name, and uses her skills as a DEIA consultant to advocate for equal representation in video games. When she posted a video critiquing the popular game Legendsfall, she knew she’d get a reaction from her fans, but the video leads to hundreds of female gamers critiquing the game and its company, Artemis Games. The only thing more unexpected than starting an online movement is getting a job offer from the handsome CEO of Artemis.
Aron Galanis has been on a mission to get his company certified to create gaming content for people with disabilities. When he sees Artemis trending online for all the wrong reasons, he’s determined to right his wrongs and offers the originator a mea culpa, as well as a job offer to overhaul the character options in Legendsfall.
Working together turns Aron and Samara from adversaries into allies, allies into friends, and after that—something more. But once their relationship goes public, will Aron and Samara be able to weather the storm and fight for their happy ending, or is it game over?
Samara Reynolds has built a large following as a gamer under an anonymous screen name, and uses her skills as a DEIA consultant to advocate for equal representation in video games. When she posted a video critiquing the popular game Legendsfall, she knew she’d get a reaction from her fans, but the video leads to hundreds of female gamers critiquing the game and its company, Artemis Games. The only thing more unexpected than starting an online movement is getting a job offer from the handsome CEO of Artemis.
Aron Galanis has been on a mission to get his company certified to create gaming content for people with disabilities. When he sees Artemis trending online for all the wrong reasons, he’s determined to right his wrongs and offers the originator a mea culpa, as well as a job offer to overhaul the character options in Legendsfall.
Working together turns Aron and Samara from adversaries into allies, allies into friends, and after that—something more. But once their relationship goes public, will Aron and Samara be able to weather the storm and fight for their happy ending, or is it game over?
400 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2023
91 people are currently reading
8218 people want to read
About the author
Seressia Glass
39 books645 followersSeressia Glass is an award-winning author of urban fantasy, contemporary romance and paranormal romance. Her current series include the Shadowchasers urban fantasy series and the Sons of Anubis paranormal romance series.
Seressia lives south of Atlanta with her guitar-wielding husband and two bulldozer cane corsos and a senior poodle. When not working on her next story, Seressia spends her free time watching way too much anime and Kdramas.
Seressia lives south of Atlanta with her guitar-wielding husband and two bulldozer cane corsos and a senior poodle. When not working on her next story, Seressia spends her free time watching way too much anime and Kdramas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 353 reviews
March 21, 2024
yeahhhh this book was IT! black girl gamer that falls in love with a rich CEO who spoils her beyond belief?? i’m in love
June 23, 2025
3/5
- If you love reading stories about women and their careers in tech, stories highlighting the disparities for women & minority groups in the workplace, and love a good romance you’ll enjoy this one! It’s really cute!
- Looooove reading a book where the guy falls first and he was down badddd. I was eating it up!
- Seeing the neurodivergent representation in this story was great to read too!
- If you love reading stories about women and their careers in tech, stories highlighting the disparities for women & minority groups in the workplace, and love a good romance you’ll enjoy this one! It’s really cute!
- Looooove reading a book where the guy falls first and he was down badddd. I was eating it up!
- Seeing the neurodivergent representation in this story was great to read too!
December 23, 2023
Game On by Seressia Glass
Contemporary romance. Own voices.
Samara Reynolds is a gamer with a huge following using her skills as a DEIA consultant to advocate for equal representation in video games. She leaves a “Do Better” critique on a game made by Artemis Games that blows up. Aron Galanis owns Artemis and is surprised by the post and ends the employment of a couple worker. He’s grateful to Samara and hires her to review all his games. As the two work together, they have in-depth conversations that eventually lead to kisses.
Samara and Aron have a lot in common but they also have a lot of differences. He is quite the geek and lacking in social awareness and at the same time super protective of his brother and those he trusts. He needs a learning curve when it comes to Samara. Or maybe an interpreter but he’s determined. Kind of adorable how he resolves things. He gets the smart girl!
Contemporary romance. Own voices.
Samara Reynolds is a gamer with a huge following using her skills as a DEIA consultant to advocate for equal representation in video games. She leaves a “Do Better” critique on a game made by Artemis Games that blows up. Aron Galanis owns Artemis and is surprised by the post and ends the employment of a couple worker. He’s grateful to Samara and hires her to review all his games. As the two work together, they have in-depth conversations that eventually lead to kisses.
Samara and Aron have a lot in common but they also have a lot of differences. He is quite the geek and lacking in social awareness and at the same time super protective of his brother and those he trusts. He needs a learning curve when it comes to Samara. Or maybe an interpreter but he’s determined. Kind of adorable how he resolves things. He gets the smart girl!
April 14, 2024
Wow. That was terrible!
Absolutely nothing against the author - I've never read anything by them before, so maybe this was an unlucky pick - but the only reason I actually finished reading is because of my own masochism. The first half of the book isn't too objectionable, but as soon as chapter 18 hits, it starts to go downhill and never stops falling.
Look. I'm pretty sure I'm the target demographic for this book, being a young gamer woman with a thing for nerdy guys and a passion for social justice. That's why I picked it up, and that aspect of the story is fine. What isn't fine is literally everything past the halfway point of the book.
When I first read chapter 18, I thought it was a dream sequence. Surely they didn't jump from barely giving us anything to an accidental kiss and the proposition of dating within a page. That would ruin the very slow build-up that's been accumulating through the past 170 pages! Surely the chapter started so abruptly because it's just a fantasy -- oh. It's the actual story. This is actually supposed to be happening.
I have to assume something went down behind the scenes while making this, where the author was forced to speed up the pace at which the main couple got together so that they could have the essential third act breakup and battle with a side character (we'll get to this shortly). The shift from the characters being vaguely attracted to each other to intense, confident flirting is out of absolutely NOWHERE. The way Aron talks when he flirts is such a huge jump from the awkward guy he'd been for the previous 17 chapters. I don't know if the author is a gamer, but oh man, the inserting of gaming lingo into sexual situations was painful. It made me scream out loud and take photos to show to my friends. I have to talk about it.
I can not, for the life of me, understand why "pop off" was used here. It's bewildering. Baffling, even. I'm inspired to tell my partner "I'm about to pop off" next time I have sex. I'll pin their hands above their head and whisper "you've been boxed like a fish." That's sure to get some joysticks rotating (I don't know what I meant by this).
Anyways. The one sex scene is decidedly unsexy due to the use of gaming terminology and complete lack of preparation. Penetration with absolutely no earlier vaginal stimulation is something I'd see in Quotev fanfictions in 2015. This is a published novel by a grown adult. Christ.
Now that the main couple got together, we need a conflict! Of course, there's the one we've known is coming, which is that the CEO of a gaming company is dating the activist his fanbase hates. Once they're outed, Aron should be faced with the decision between taking measures to protect Sam by calling things off, which also allows him to retain the problematic fanbase and his company, or to stand by Sam and allow Sam to face the onslaught of hatred from freaks. This is a good dilemma! It's a shame Sam is completely unable to understand it and Aron is made to be the bad guy by going for the first option!
It is also so aggravating how Aron is clearly coded to be neurodivergent, that he mentions autism running in his family, that Sam says she's experienced with autism, and despite all of that, she is unable to make the connection as to why Aron tends to struggle in social situations and jumps to conclusions about his behavior that is so obviously a result of him being on the spectrum. Their fight scene genuinely pissed me off because of how avoidable it should have been. The way Aron presents what he thinks should happen opens the floor for conversation, but Sam instantly jumps to him making decisions for her and gets upset. To top it all off, the writing maintains that Aron was in the wrong and Sam never has to apologize for presuming the worst about him. The entirety of chapter 32 was so aggravating and made me incredibly annoyed with Sam. I am SO sick of the third act breakup being because the man is trying to protect the woman, but it was made even more infuriating here.
Somehow, the book got worse. Could this have been solved by them talking it out? Easily. Did they? No sir! It's time for a BIG ROMANTIC GESTURE to WIN THE GIRL BACK! A romance classic! I have never liked this trope a single time in my entire life!
Not only is the grand romantic gesture a cop-out for fixing the actual issue at hand (the communication issues between the two of them), but it hurt me to read. Not because it was sad, but because I cringed so hard my muscles atrophied. No joke, I stood up and took a lap around my house as soon as I got a few sentences in. God, imagine working for a game company and your boss pulls you out of your regular project to make you program an apology video to his girlfriend. Hilarious. This brought me great pain.
Also, there's a twist villain, because I guess that's a trope romance books like to use now. It's some random guy I don't remember from earlier in the story at all. The confrontation is random, pointless from the perspective of the character's motives, and happens in a rush in the final chapter. It also really doesn't do much for the story at large, just functioning as a "stuck it to the misogynist" moment instead of focusing on the much larger, much broader one happening with the company showcasing a diverse cast for their game. Brother, why would Aron wait to fire this guy when he's known the truth about him for a while? That just puts Sam more at risk of facing his vitriol. Rubbing salt in an already gaping wound, THIS IS INSTANTLY FOLLOWED BY I LOVE YOUS AND A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL. I wish I was lying. I wish the second half of this book ended with a character waking up and realizing it was all a dream.
I don't think I've had a book that's completely unproblematic make me so angry. The intentions are good, oppression in the gaming community is very real and very prevalent, but this was atrocious as far as romances go once the story got past the halfway point. I'm convinced that something must have gone terribly wrong right there. The story also is so inconsistent with whose POV we're reading from, sometimes switching within the same paragraph. It makes it hard to follow whose thoughts we're reading, which is really bad considering how often the two of them aren't on the same page.
This is what I get for not being a quitter. If I have to read another book with a third act breakup, grand romantic gesture, or an unnecessary twist villain, I'm giving up the romance genre.
(That's a lie. I like making myself suffer.)
Absolutely nothing against the author - I've never read anything by them before, so maybe this was an unlucky pick - but the only reason I actually finished reading is because of my own masochism. The first half of the book isn't too objectionable, but as soon as chapter 18 hits, it starts to go downhill and never stops falling.
Look. I'm pretty sure I'm the target demographic for this book, being a young gamer woman with a thing for nerdy guys and a passion for social justice. That's why I picked it up, and that aspect of the story is fine. What isn't fine is literally everything past the halfway point of the book.
When I first read chapter 18, I thought it was a dream sequence. Surely they didn't jump from barely giving us anything to an accidental kiss and the proposition of dating within a page. That would ruin the very slow build-up that's been accumulating through the past 170 pages! Surely the chapter started so abruptly because it's just a fantasy -- oh. It's the actual story. This is actually supposed to be happening.
I have to assume something went down behind the scenes while making this, where the author was forced to speed up the pace at which the main couple got together so that they could have the essential third act breakup and battle with a side character (we'll get to this shortly). The shift from the characters being vaguely attracted to each other to intense, confident flirting is out of absolutely NOWHERE. The way Aron talks when he flirts is such a huge jump from the awkward guy he'd been for the previous 17 chapters. I don't know if the author is a gamer, but oh man, the inserting of gaming lingo into sexual situations was painful. It made me scream out loud and take photos to show to my friends. I have to talk about it.
"Thank goodness for the strapless bra and the gown's beaded bodice. She didn't need anyone to know that her nips stood at attention just from Aron staring at her. This was his superpower, his level up."
"Then after she was unclothed ... game on."
"Of course a gamer would be good with his fingers. Wait, when did he release her hands? No clue, but she reached down to clutch his head, to clutch his shoulders, and to clutch the covers in alternating waves of needing to hold him and needing to hold back.
She couldn't pop off like this."
I can not, for the life of me, understand why "pop off" was used here. It's bewildering. Baffling, even. I'm inspired to tell my partner "I'm about to pop off" next time I have sex. I'll pin their hands above their head and whisper "you've been boxed like a fish." That's sure to get some joysticks rotating (I don't know what I meant by this).
Anyways. The one sex scene is decidedly unsexy due to the use of gaming terminology and complete lack of preparation. Penetration with absolutely no earlier vaginal stimulation is something I'd see in Quotev fanfictions in 2015. This is a published novel by a grown adult. Christ.
Now that the main couple got together, we need a conflict! Of course, there's the one we've known is coming, which is that the CEO of a gaming company is dating the activist his fanbase hates. Once they're outed, Aron should be faced with the decision between taking measures to protect Sam by calling things off, which also allows him to retain the problematic fanbase and his company, or to stand by Sam and allow Sam to face the onslaught of hatred from freaks. This is a good dilemma! It's a shame Sam is completely unable to understand it and Aron is made to be the bad guy by going for the first option!
It is also so aggravating how Aron is clearly coded to be neurodivergent, that he mentions autism running in his family, that Sam says she's experienced with autism, and despite all of that, she is unable to make the connection as to why Aron tends to struggle in social situations and jumps to conclusions about his behavior that is so obviously a result of him being on the spectrum. Their fight scene genuinely pissed me off because of how avoidable it should have been. The way Aron presents what he thinks should happen opens the floor for conversation, but Sam instantly jumps to him making decisions for her and gets upset. To top it all off, the writing maintains that Aron was in the wrong and Sam never has to apologize for presuming the worst about him. The entirety of chapter 32 was so aggravating and made me incredibly annoyed with Sam. I am SO sick of the third act breakup being because the man is trying to protect the woman, but it was made even more infuriating here.
Somehow, the book got worse. Could this have been solved by them talking it out? Easily. Did they? No sir! It's time for a BIG ROMANTIC GESTURE to WIN THE GIRL BACK! A romance classic! I have never liked this trope a single time in my entire life!
Not only is the grand romantic gesture a cop-out for fixing the actual issue at hand (the communication issues between the two of them), but it hurt me to read. Not because it was sad, but because I cringed so hard my muscles atrophied. No joke, I stood up and took a lap around my house as soon as I got a few sentences in. God, imagine working for a game company and your boss pulls you out of your regular project to make you program an apology video to his girlfriend. Hilarious. This brought me great pain.
Also, there's a twist villain, because I guess that's a trope romance books like to use now. It's some random guy I don't remember from earlier in the story at all. The confrontation is random, pointless from the perspective of the character's motives, and happens in a rush in the final chapter. It also really doesn't do much for the story at large, just functioning as a "stuck it to the misogynist" moment instead of focusing on the much larger, much broader one happening with the company showcasing a diverse cast for their game. Brother, why would Aron wait to fire this guy when he's known the truth about him for a while? That just puts Sam more at risk of facing his vitriol. Rubbing salt in an already gaping wound, THIS IS INSTANTLY FOLLOWED BY I LOVE YOUS AND A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL. I wish I was lying. I wish the second half of this book ended with a character waking up and realizing it was all a dream.
I don't think I've had a book that's completely unproblematic make me so angry. The intentions are good, oppression in the gaming community is very real and very prevalent, but this was atrocious as far as romances go once the story got past the halfway point. I'm convinced that something must have gone terribly wrong right there. The story also is so inconsistent with whose POV we're reading from, sometimes switching within the same paragraph. It makes it hard to follow whose thoughts we're reading, which is really bad considering how often the two of them aren't on the same page.
This is what I get for not being a quitter. If I have to read another book with a third act breakup, grand romantic gesture, or an unnecessary twist villain, I'm giving up the romance genre.
(That's a lie. I like making myself suffer.)
September 14, 2024
Aron is officially the new standard. SWOON!
I’m normally into the rough and rugged badass men but Aron has a special place in my heart. He’s so reserved and awkward but he is literally the sweetest man on the planet. 😍 The way he reacts to Samara's condition.. 🥹 SWOON!! I love everything about this man. Together though they’re absolute perfection. Samara is an absolute badass! I freaking loved her and everything she stands for. Talk about a power couple.
I love that this book presses on actual issues going on in the world right now. Everything about this book was amazing! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
"What’s so wrong about people wanting to see themselves represented in the things they love? To be able to look through custom mods and see their skin color, their hairstyle? What’s so wrong about wanting to see yourself in a game, and not as some wack stereotypical non-playable character that’s so offensive it’s not even laughable? What’s so wrong about wanting a seat at the same table?"
I’m normally into the rough and rugged badass men but Aron has a special place in my heart. He’s so reserved and awkward but he is literally the sweetest man on the planet. 😍 The way he reacts to Samara's condition.. 🥹 SWOON!! I love everything about this man. Together though they’re absolute perfection. Samara is an absolute badass! I freaking loved her and everything she stands for. Talk about a power couple.
I love that this book presses on actual issues going on in the world right now. Everything about this book was amazing! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
"What’s so wrong about people wanting to see themselves represented in the things they love? To be able to look through custom mods and see their skin color, their hairstyle? What’s so wrong about wanting to see yourself in a game, and not as some wack stereotypical non-playable character that’s so offensive it’s not even laughable? What’s so wrong about wanting a seat at the same table?"
September 23, 2023
I have to say, I was sad that I didn't love this the way I did the first book in the series! For some reason, I feel like the writing was a lot choppier and the tone shifted a lot. That said, the characters and plot were still charming and I definitely was rooting for the h/h to work through everything to be together.
So would recommend, but not as good as the last one IMO
So would recommend, but not as good as the last one IMO
January 14, 2024
Game On by Seressia Glass
⭐️⭐️ - 2 Stars
Tropes - Working Together
Ceo Boyfriend
🌶️ - Level 1 Spice
This book was just alright to me. The story line felt kind of choppy and rushed and I kind of got tired of every single thing anyone said needing to be corrected or changed by Samara. As a black woman I absolutely got her frustration I just felt like it took from the story a little bit. I liked Aron and i liked that his social skills were kind of awkward and i loved how he was as straightforward as it gets. I feel like there was so much of Samara that I didn’t get to know much about. I wanted to see more into her relationship with her parents, her diabetes, and how she’s really coping after her friends death. I wish we had seen more into her friends death. I feel like when she talked about it, it was glossed over so quickly and not really brought up in detail again.
Aron has an autistic brother and he gets brought up a lot but I felt that storyline was missing a lot too. Especially the fact that Aron is probably on the spectrum too but that’s never spoken about. I did really like how he took all opportunities of miscommunication out of the mix and was honest and straightforward about what he wanted from the start.
I thought the storyline was cute and had a lot of potential it just didn’t feel like it was executed very well. I feel like since the author was so focused on getting the super important issues across that the storyline lacked. I did appreciate the Emphasis on how it’s not easy being a black woman. I liked this story but it’s not at the top of my recommendation list.
⭐️⭐️ - 2 Stars
Tropes - Working Together
Ceo Boyfriend
🌶️ - Level 1 Spice
This book was just alright to me. The story line felt kind of choppy and rushed and I kind of got tired of every single thing anyone said needing to be corrected or changed by Samara. As a black woman I absolutely got her frustration I just felt like it took from the story a little bit. I liked Aron and i liked that his social skills were kind of awkward and i loved how he was as straightforward as it gets. I feel like there was so much of Samara that I didn’t get to know much about. I wanted to see more into her relationship with her parents, her diabetes, and how she’s really coping after her friends death. I wish we had seen more into her friends death. I feel like when she talked about it, it was glossed over so quickly and not really brought up in detail again.
Aron has an autistic brother and he gets brought up a lot but I felt that storyline was missing a lot too. Especially the fact that Aron is probably on the spectrum too but that’s never spoken about. I did really like how he took all opportunities of miscommunication out of the mix and was honest and straightforward about what he wanted from the start.
I thought the storyline was cute and had a lot of potential it just didn’t feel like it was executed very well. I feel like since the author was so focused on getting the super important issues across that the storyline lacked. I did appreciate the Emphasis on how it’s not easy being a black woman. I liked this story but it’s not at the top of my recommendation list.
February 2, 2024
I absolutely did not like this book. It read like a bad fanfic.
December 16, 2023
I enjoyed this but unfortunately not as much as I was hoping to. I think it was trying to do too much and so everything felt a bit shallow and glossed over.
The diversity in gaming issue is a much needed take but it was occasionally a little too on-the-nose and I got tired of Samara constantly having to explain what things are like for women - especially women of color- in gaming to Aron. Yes, he is horrified and immediately takes action, but it's the fact that it has to be explained over and over because he is consistently oblivious that bugs me. It's realistic, but it gets old, maybe because its *too* realistic.
The romance was wonderful. Samara and Aron instantly clicked and they were so cute together, especially in their casual gaming personas. Hoodie guy was adorable and I totally understood why Samara fell for him so quickly.
The autistic brother storyline was a little odd to me in some ways. I wholeheartedly approve of Samara's interactions with Benjy and Aron's protectiveness of him. But I find it odd that Aron has all these "quirks" like hating to be touched and not being able to take crowds or loud noises and not understanding social cues AND a nonverbal autistic brother and yet there's not even a whisper of a suggestion that he might also be autistic / on the spectrum? That felt like a missed opportunity.
I also thought the Mark issue was handled really oddly. Mark only appears a couple of times, always being all intimidating and trying to steamroll over Aron, when he finally is dealt with I found the entire interaction confusing. His rant was incomprehensible and I'm not sure if that was intentional or just clunky writing.
I also found the writing throughout to be clunky and choppy and full of telling not showing. There were a lot of info dumps, especially about the prejudice and racism and sexism Samara faces. The emotions and tone of the characters also sometimes bounced around wildly in ways that felt soap opera levels of Overly Dramatic. It felt almost like a draft that needed more polishing and smoothing out.
I really liked all the characters, and I wish we had seen more of Grayson because he was such a good and interesting character.
While I had some issues with the book I did overall enjoy it very much and I will be seeking out more of Seressia Glass' books in the future.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.
The diversity in gaming issue is a much needed take but it was occasionally a little too on-the-nose and I got tired of Samara constantly having to explain what things are like for women - especially women of color- in gaming to Aron. Yes, he is horrified and immediately takes action, but it's the fact that it has to be explained over and over because he is consistently oblivious that bugs me. It's realistic, but it gets old, maybe because its *too* realistic.
The romance was wonderful. Samara and Aron instantly clicked and they were so cute together, especially in their casual gaming personas. Hoodie guy was adorable and I totally understood why Samara fell for him so quickly.
The autistic brother storyline was a little odd to me in some ways. I wholeheartedly approve of Samara's interactions with Benjy and Aron's protectiveness of him. But I find it odd that Aron has all these "quirks" like hating to be touched and not being able to take crowds or loud noises and not understanding social cues AND a nonverbal autistic brother and yet there's not even a whisper of a suggestion that he might also be autistic / on the spectrum? That felt like a missed opportunity.
I also thought the Mark issue was handled really oddly. Mark only appears a couple of times, always being all intimidating and trying to steamroll over Aron, when he finally is dealt with I found the entire interaction confusing. His rant was incomprehensible and I'm not sure if that was intentional or just clunky writing.
I also found the writing throughout to be clunky and choppy and full of telling not showing. There were a lot of info dumps, especially about the prejudice and racism and sexism Samara faces. The emotions and tone of the characters also sometimes bounced around wildly in ways that felt soap opera levels of Overly Dramatic. It felt almost like a draft that needed more polishing and smoothing out.
I really liked all the characters, and I wish we had seen more of Grayson because he was such a good and interesting character.
While I had some issues with the book I did overall enjoy it very much and I will be seeking out more of Seressia Glass' books in the future.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.
November 10, 2023
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this really romantic and nerdy book.
I was given a widget to read a book that normally as not a big romance reader I'd pass on by, but there was some key things that stood out:
POC Female Lead - black, gamer, and unafraid to tell people off for not being inclusing
(white passing?) POC Male Lead - social anxiety, smart, commendable, and being the one who takes the heat from the FL's comments online
As the summary says, she calls out his game for being absolutely awful to POC / women and urges him to do better, and he does. He takes her on for three months to fix the representation of the world and also encourages him to look into other cultures / races for expansion on said gaming world.
What has me giving this four stars is how lovely their romance is written, and how they communicate and absolutely feel like each other's 'one'. Their romance is not quite slow, but you can feel it simmering until more than halfway when they both get their groove on.
Why did I rank it down 1 star? I feel the company / issues within the company wasn't strong enough. So when the conflict arises, it feels a bit like it came out of left-field. The character it does involve is one that you were introduced to in the beginning of the book, but I feel like for me to care about this issue or make me feel like their relationship was truly on the rocks (and not an 'expected HEA) was that I wanted her to do more things inside the company and give examples of her working with the company or people giving her difficulty? All the 'company' talk took place at his house. He says that they're hybrid. great, I work hybrid too... but I go into the office once a week. Why didn't we get any scenes of her working in the office, working with others in the business? That's why I felt the issue was a bit of a cheap shot.
Anyway. I do think this is a really, really good romance and it's for those wanting to see representation and not just in gaming or skin but in other things too (non verbal character). I liked it, and for someone who is extremely picky and does not normally read romance books, 4/5 stars is high praise for me (and from an author I've never read from their list before).
I was given a widget to read a book that normally as not a big romance reader I'd pass on by, but there was some key things that stood out:
POC Female Lead - black, gamer, and unafraid to tell people off for not being inclusing
(white passing?) POC Male Lead - social anxiety, smart, commendable, and being the one who takes the heat from the FL's comments online
As the summary says, she calls out his game for being absolutely awful to POC / women and urges him to do better, and he does. He takes her on for three months to fix the representation of the world and also encourages him to look into other cultures / races for expansion on said gaming world.
What has me giving this four stars is how lovely their romance is written, and how they communicate and absolutely feel like each other's 'one'. Their romance is not quite slow, but you can feel it simmering until more than halfway when they both get their groove on.
Why did I rank it down 1 star? I feel the company / issues within the company wasn't strong enough. So when the conflict arises, it feels a bit like it came out of left-field. The character it does involve is one that you were introduced to in the beginning of the book, but I feel like for me to care about this issue or make me feel like their relationship was truly on the rocks (and not an 'expected HEA) was that I wanted her to do more things inside the company and give examples of her working with the company or people giving her difficulty? All the 'company' talk took place at his house. He says that they're hybrid. great, I work hybrid too... but I go into the office once a week. Why didn't we get any scenes of her working in the office, working with others in the business? That's why I felt the issue was a bit of a cheap shot.
Anyway. I do think this is a really, really good romance and it's for those wanting to see representation and not just in gaming or skin but in other things too (non verbal character). I liked it, and for someone who is extremely picky and does not normally read romance books, 4/5 stars is high praise for me (and from an author I've never read from their list before).
January 16, 2025
This book carries its very sympathetic heart openly on its sleeve, and any true blue romance reader who cares about diversity in gaming spaces will surely be able to approach it with a generous spirit. It’s an “adversaries to collaborators” romance thats closest real life counterpart is essentially like…what if Todd Howard fell in love with Anita Sarkeesian? I guess? Unfortunately I did not possess the pure, open-minded suspension of disbelief necessary to be swept away by this.
December 8, 2023
I really enjoyed this dual POV, interracial romance between a game computer CEO and the fierce Black woman diversity consultant gamer who calls his company out for unethical practices. Smitten from the start, Aron hires Samara to help him improve his game and figure out how to make his next one even better and more inclusive.
Spending lots of time together they realize their chemistry is undeniable but they are able to hold off crossing any lines until Samara's contract ends. Even still there is lots of media backlash when their relationship comes to light and the two have to figure out how being together can work.
I loved how they bonded over a love of video games and the importance of family. Both have strong family relationships that play a big role in the story. Aron is especially close to his nonverbal autistic brother. There is also a great disability rep in the book through Samara's Type 1 diabetes condition.
Excellent on audio too narrated by Keylor Leigh and recommended for fans of authors like Cathy Yardley or Jeevani Charika. Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Romance and @prhaudio for digital and ALC copies in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: some open door scenes/mild details
Spending lots of time together they realize their chemistry is undeniable but they are able to hold off crossing any lines until Samara's contract ends. Even still there is lots of media backlash when their relationship comes to light and the two have to figure out how being together can work.
I loved how they bonded over a love of video games and the importance of family. Both have strong family relationships that play a big role in the story. Aron is especially close to his nonverbal autistic brother. There is also a great disability rep in the book through Samara's Type 1 diabetes condition.
Excellent on audio too narrated by Keylor Leigh and recommended for fans of authors like Cathy Yardley or Jeevani Charika. Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Romance and @prhaudio for digital and ALC copies in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: some open door scenes/mild details
November 22, 2023
Seressia Glass can do no wrong for me, and this was a banger. The way she writes a man will ruin you, real men.
Samara Reynolds is a gamer, and she is used to the treatment she gets online, but this doesn't stop her from doing the right thing and calling out these games for racism in their games.
Aron Galanis is trying to make a game that is good for everyone, no matter race or disability, and he takes the call out from Samara super seriously.
I am sure Samaara and Aron were not expecting to have feelings once they started to work together, but they went for it, and the most significant issue was the outside world trying to break them up.
I loved Samara and Aron's families - they were a lovely added touch to these love stories.
Loved
Samara Reynolds is a gamer, and she is used to the treatment she gets online, but this doesn't stop her from doing the right thing and calling out these games for racism in their games.
Aron Galanis is trying to make a game that is good for everyone, no matter race or disability, and he takes the call out from Samara super seriously.
I am sure Samaara and Aron were not expecting to have feelings once they started to work together, but they went for it, and the most significant issue was the outside world trying to break them up.
I loved Samara and Aron's families - they were a lovely added touch to these love stories.
Loved
January 15, 2024
what a heartwarming novel! i may have to read seressia glass’s other works.
February 25, 2024
I love HER. I love HIM. I love THEM.
December 12, 2023
Game On is another emotionally satisfying celebration of Black nerd women from Glass. Getting into Sam’s head is a treasure. She’s an amazing character, full of love and goodness. She is passionate and driven. I appreciated the extent to which the author includes detailed accounts of both the ups and downs of being a Black woman gamer. The character is multidimensional and layered.
Aron is a White man trying to make his company more inclusive. He’s a good soul, and he readily admits his limitations and faults. The pair have amazing chemistry from the start and they work because they listen to each other and strive to be the best versions of themselves for one another. But they also take the tarnish with the shine. I love that they both love each other for all their facets.
While Game On is a light-hearted, fun romance, it takes the harassment of Black women gamers seriously. The author doesn’t sugar-coat the issues and gives readers a small taste of reality. I appreciate that problems don’t just go away because the MCs fall in love and get an HEA.
The pair makes a lot of assumptions, like reading the tone of the voice, etc. - things that normal couples do. However, they always, immediately talk it out. It’s super healthy, even if a bit unusual for the norm, and I love that they don’t let misunderstandings or hurt feelings go on. With that said, I was a bit shocked when Aron makes a huge unilateral decision that impacts Sam without even talking to her. It felt so out of character until he made an effort to rectify the problem.
In the end, I enjoyed Game On and love this nerdy-world which Glass has created (it’s tied to The Love Con). The stories are fun and romantic while grounded in reality.
My Rating: B
Review copy provided by publisher
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
Aron is a White man trying to make his company more inclusive. He’s a good soul, and he readily admits his limitations and faults. The pair have amazing chemistry from the start and they work because they listen to each other and strive to be the best versions of themselves for one another. But they also take the tarnish with the shine. I love that they both love each other for all their facets.
While Game On is a light-hearted, fun romance, it takes the harassment of Black women gamers seriously. The author doesn’t sugar-coat the issues and gives readers a small taste of reality. I appreciate that problems don’t just go away because the MCs fall in love and get an HEA.
The pair makes a lot of assumptions, like reading the tone of the voice, etc. - things that normal couples do. However, they always, immediately talk it out. It’s super healthy, even if a bit unusual for the norm, and I love that they don’t let misunderstandings or hurt feelings go on. With that said, I was a bit shocked when Aron makes a huge unilateral decision that impacts Sam without even talking to her. It felt so out of character until he made an effort to rectify the problem.
In the end, I enjoyed Game On and love this nerdy-world which Glass has created (it’s tied to The Love Con). The stories are fun and romantic while grounded in reality.
My Rating: B
Review copy provided by publisher
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
March 3, 2024
I loved this book!! As a reader and gamer, I was so excited to come across this novel by Seressia Glass.
This story centers around Samara, a DEIA consultant and anonymous gamer with a large following. Samara is also advocates for equal representation in video games, and after a post of Samara's goes viral calling out unacceptable character representation in Legendsfall, Samara comes face to face with the CEO of Artemis Games and creator of LegendsFall, Aron Galanis. When Aron sees Legendsfall trending for all the wrong reasons, he is determined to hire Samara to improve the game and help him align the company's games with his values.
This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story offers important commentary on the treatment of women (and particulary those of color) within gaming spaces. From the treatment of women online to the depiction of women in games, Aron has a lot to learn as he embarks on a journey with Samara in order to make Artemis Games a more accessible and equitable company.
I absolutely adored this book. I loved both Samara and Aron as main characters and absolutely love the fact that while this is a romance book, there are also very real and important issues woven and discussed throughout this book.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!!
"What’s so wrong about people wanting to see themselves represented in the things they love? To be able to look through custom mods and see their skin color, their hairstyle? What’s so wrong about wanting to see yourself in a game, and not as some wack stereotypical non-playable character that’s so offensive it’s not even laughable? What’s so wrong about wanting a seat at the same table?"
This story centers around Samara, a DEIA consultant and anonymous gamer with a large following. Samara is also advocates for equal representation in video games, and after a post of Samara's goes viral calling out unacceptable character representation in Legendsfall, Samara comes face to face with the CEO of Artemis Games and creator of LegendsFall, Aron Galanis. When Aron sees Legendsfall trending for all the wrong reasons, he is determined to hire Samara to improve the game and help him align the company's games with his values.
This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story offers important commentary on the treatment of women (and particulary those of color) within gaming spaces. From the treatment of women online to the depiction of women in games, Aron has a lot to learn as he embarks on a journey with Samara in order to make Artemis Games a more accessible and equitable company.
I absolutely adored this book. I loved both Samara and Aron as main characters and absolutely love the fact that while this is a romance book, there are also very real and important issues woven and discussed throughout this book.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!!
"What’s so wrong about people wanting to see themselves represented in the things they love? To be able to look through custom mods and see their skin color, their hairstyle? What’s so wrong about wanting to see yourself in a game, and not as some wack stereotypical non-playable character that’s so offensive it’s not even laughable? What’s so wrong about wanting a seat at the same table?"
February 5, 2024
3.5 rounded up! v cute and lovely. awesome depiction of healthy relationships (friends family and the main romance) and how corporate accountability and DEIA initiatives can be employed.
but i beg, I BEG, please romance writers do not make me read cringey horrible nicknames the characters give each other’s private parts good lord. this one induced a physical recoil…
but i beg, I BEG, please romance writers do not make me read cringey horrible nicknames the characters give each other’s private parts good lord. this one induced a physical recoil…
February 1, 2024
3/5
I liked it, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. It just felt very meh.
I really liked the characters and they were very sweet. I love that this is essentially a video game billionaire romance and honestly theres not enough nerd culture romance. I really like Samara as a main character. She was really rational and funny and the perspective she brings as a black woman in gaming was valuable. The commemtary of this book was something I really appreciated.
Everything kinda falls short with the writing. Its passable. Which is ok, but it just sometimes feels like nothing is happening. Theres not enough conflict, or active intrigue to add tension to the story. Interesting things often happen off page too? Don't mention that cute hang out and not show me???
Another example: the guy at the end revealed as a instigator/bad guy shouldve been more active in the story. Hes in like 3 scenes. Or the whole situation with her friends mysterious death that happened after online threats started bleeding into her real life? I would've liked for that to come into play. Marquessa deserves justice. I understand that that is heavy and maybe too heavy, but it's still actively a part of the story anyway.
Some of the diologue was also not for me. It had me wincing. It's a little too cheesy, and I LOVE cheesy.
So overall. I liked it, but it was nothing to write home about.
I liked it, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. It just felt very meh.
I really liked the characters and they were very sweet. I love that this is essentially a video game billionaire romance and honestly theres not enough nerd culture romance. I really like Samara as a main character. She was really rational and funny and the perspective she brings as a black woman in gaming was valuable. The commemtary of this book was something I really appreciated.
Everything kinda falls short with the writing. Its passable. Which is ok, but it just sometimes feels like nothing is happening. Theres not enough conflict, or active intrigue to add tension to the story. Interesting things often happen off page too? Don't mention that cute hang out and not show me???
Another example: the guy at the end revealed as a instigator/bad guy shouldve been more active in the story. Hes in like 3 scenes. Or the whole situation with her friends mysterious death that happened after online threats started bleeding into her real life? I would've liked for that to come into play. Marquessa deserves justice. I understand that that is heavy and maybe too heavy, but it's still actively a part of the story anyway.
Some of the diologue was also not for me. It had me wincing. It's a little too cheesy, and I LOVE cheesy.
So overall. I liked it, but it was nothing to write home about.
January 6, 2024
Brilliant and passionate consultant/gamer instantly clicks with also-brilliant but often clueless tech CEO in Game On.
Professional consultant Samara moonlights as a high-profile gaming influencer. When she calls out Artemis games online for obvious racism and sexism in a popular game, she gets the internet’s—and CEO Aron’s—attention. In a good way. He’s your classic guy that wants to do better with diversity and inclusion but needs to be hit over the head with how it affects more marginalized groups.
Aron seeks Samara out at a gaming convention and eventually offers her a job to improve the diversity in Artemis’ games and help get Artemis certified as inclusive of autistic and other neurodivergent gamers. It’s near and dear to his heart because his brother, Benji, is a nonverbal autistic gamer.
So they start working together and sparks fly, but they’re able to keep things professional for a while. Aron’s a methodical thinker and Samara’s gun-shy about getting involved with him. It’s a romance, so you know they get together and you’ll see how it goes.
I liked Game On much more than I thought I would. I’m not a gamer and don’t know much about video games, and while the book is about a gaming business, it’s really much more broadly about online communities, internet backlash, and media coverage that could apply to any high-profile industry.
LOVED Samara—she’s smart, confident, unapologetic, brave, loving, cares deeply for her family and friends, and is always true to herself. I liked Aron a lot too—he’s also caring, honest, bright, and interesting. His forthright nature is a huge winner; no game-playing.
Something that struck me as odd was how the author handled the autism. Aron obviously knows a lot about autism because of his autistic brother and wants more inclusion in his games for his brother's sake, but he also displays some of the signs of being on the autism spectrum (avoids touching others, aversion to certain kinds of social situations, needs more than the usual amount of social support, doesn't understand some emotions and interactions). It seems like this should have come up but never did.
The third-act breakup seemed really inconsistent with the character and relationship development throughout the book. I’m not going any further with spoilers, but we can vent together if you felt the same way and want to discuss!
Still, Game On is a strong book with interesting and resilient characters, a (mostly) honest, adult relationship, and realistic but fun themes. It was my first Seressia Glass book and I'll be reading more.
P.S. Audio version (Keylor Leigh) was great. Smooth voice, able to distinguish among the characters, nice inflection and tone.
Rating: 4
Steam: Low to Medium
Themes and Tropes: Workplace/professionals, Online Behavior, Enemies(ish) to Lovers
Pair With: Georgia Wines
Professional consultant Samara moonlights as a high-profile gaming influencer. When she calls out Artemis games online for obvious racism and sexism in a popular game, she gets the internet’s—and CEO Aron’s—attention. In a good way. He’s your classic guy that wants to do better with diversity and inclusion but needs to be hit over the head with how it affects more marginalized groups.
Aron seeks Samara out at a gaming convention and eventually offers her a job to improve the diversity in Artemis’ games and help get Artemis certified as inclusive of autistic and other neurodivergent gamers. It’s near and dear to his heart because his brother, Benji, is a nonverbal autistic gamer.
So they start working together and sparks fly, but they’re able to keep things professional for a while. Aron’s a methodical thinker and Samara’s gun-shy about getting involved with him. It’s a romance, so you know they get together and you’ll see how it goes.
I liked Game On much more than I thought I would. I’m not a gamer and don’t know much about video games, and while the book is about a gaming business, it’s really much more broadly about online communities, internet backlash, and media coverage that could apply to any high-profile industry.
LOVED Samara—she’s smart, confident, unapologetic, brave, loving, cares deeply for her family and friends, and is always true to herself. I liked Aron a lot too—he’s also caring, honest, bright, and interesting. His forthright nature is a huge winner; no game-playing.
Something that struck me as odd was how the author handled the autism. Aron obviously knows a lot about autism because of his autistic brother and wants more inclusion in his games for his brother's sake, but he also displays some of the signs of being on the autism spectrum (avoids touching others, aversion to certain kinds of social situations, needs more than the usual amount of social support, doesn't understand some emotions and interactions). It seems like this should have come up but never did.
The third-act breakup seemed really inconsistent with the character and relationship development throughout the book. I’m not going any further with spoilers, but we can vent together if you felt the same way and want to discuss!
Still, Game On is a strong book with interesting and resilient characters, a (mostly) honest, adult relationship, and realistic but fun themes. It was my first Seressia Glass book and I'll be reading more.
P.S. Audio version (Keylor Leigh) was great. Smooth voice, able to distinguish among the characters, nice inflection and tone.
Rating: 4
Steam: Low to Medium
Themes and Tropes: Workplace/professionals, Online Behavior, Enemies(ish) to Lovers
Pair With: Georgia Wines
June 15, 2024
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️🌶️
I loved this one! Sam, our FMC, calls out Aaron, our MMC, for a game his company made. After a little bit of mistaken identity, Sam and Aaron cross paths at a convention where they hit it off. This becomes a workplace romance that takes off from there!
So happy I got to collect Aaron, the most green flag book boyfriend ever! He was so sweet and considerate and just an overall good guy!
I loved Sam too! I like how she never backed down from a challenge. She fought for diversity and inclusion in the gaming community and I really commend her for such a daunting task.
Back to the sweetness though! The grand gesture was AMAZING! Literally so dreamy!
Highly recommend this to my contemporary romance lovers!
2.5/5 🌶️🌶️
I loved this one! Sam, our FMC, calls out Aaron, our MMC, for a game his company made. After a little bit of mistaken identity, Sam and Aaron cross paths at a convention where they hit it off. This becomes a workplace romance that takes off from there!
So happy I got to collect Aaron, the most green flag book boyfriend ever! He was so sweet and considerate and just an overall good guy!
I loved Sam too! I like how she never backed down from a challenge. She fought for diversity and inclusion in the gaming community and I really commend her for such a daunting task.
Back to the sweetness though! The grand gesture was AMAZING! Literally so dreamy!
Highly recommend this to my contemporary romance lovers!
January 5, 2024
I really wanted to like this book. A romance about gaming? Sign me up! But it fell flat. It was easy to read and there were some likeable moments. But the writing itself was not good. It was clunky and repetitive. It definitely didn't feel like a book from an author that has been traditionally published more than once. This has poorly written first book and editor that took no time to edit vibes. Characters blew little things way out of proportion, which always irks me. I felt no connection to any of the characters. I agree with the message of the book, for sure. But it was a bit heavy handed. So disappointing that this didn't turn out better.
January 20, 2024
This book could have been a novella honestly. Lots of explaining things that ultimately felt like an adult trying to be on trend (very strange). Another thing I really don't enjoy when characters spend a lot of time saying bad things will happen and still heads in that direction. Why? Anyway this book might have suffered from the sophomore slump. Not bad, not great, just meh
CN: online harassment, doxxing, misogyny in online spaces,
CN: online harassment, doxxing, misogyny in online spaces,
January 18, 2024
4.5 stars! Review to come!
December 7, 2024
Pleasantly surprised. Full RTC
September 7, 2024
2.5
gah. i wanted this to be good. i wanted so badly to love it but i think the style isn’t my favorite it’s this very exposition heavy thing where there isn’t much space for description. i can barely tell you what these people look like! some stuff i didn’t love:
- stilted dialogue is such a big pet peeve of mine. this book had such awkward and stiff dialogue. samara consistently had these long diatribes and speeches that didn’t work well and aron had a distinctly inhuman way of speaking
- i love the thought behind aron and his commitment to games for his autistic brother but…. bro. ARON IS NEURODIVERGENT! Like this would’ve just hit so much better if the author just acknowledged this?? idk why she shied away from having him just also acknowledge his own limitations authentically rather than just continually explaining it away with “oh he just has quirks”he literally has an assistant to help him understand when he makes social missteps.
- diabetes?? unprompted?? what a choice. idk this felt so random. how are we 40% of the way into this book and samara has not mentioned this once. like obviously it’s not a constant concern but she has multiple meals and he’s never seen her check her blood glucose?? odd. really just felt like a weird addition that the author didn’t put any care or thoughtful intentional effort into.
- no chemistry!! literally no chemistry! there is no WHIFF of romance in the front half of this book. they meet at this con and her friends are all “omg the chemistry!!!” bitch where? they literally had a conversation—this is mainly because so much telling and no showing
- minus a whole star for the following dialogue:
“do you know what that will do to my coochie”
“i can guess what a coochie is and hell no, i don’t want to damage the pretty princess”
“if you’re going to call her the pretty princess, I guess I’ll have to call him the very proud prince.”
“i like the sound of that”
- the book also skips all their dating!! it’s like 40% no chemistry, then a kiss, then the book literally goes “and we’ve been on a bunch of dates!” and then they’re in love.
i just think there was so much wasted word count here. so much potential for such a good story when you look at the barebones plot but not the best execution.
would totally read more from this author though! i think this one just fell flat for me.
gah. i wanted this to be good. i wanted so badly to love it but i think the style isn’t my favorite it’s this very exposition heavy thing where there isn’t much space for description. i can barely tell you what these people look like! some stuff i didn’t love:
- stilted dialogue is such a big pet peeve of mine. this book had such awkward and stiff dialogue. samara consistently had these long diatribes and speeches that didn’t work well and aron had a distinctly inhuman way of speaking
- i love the thought behind aron and his commitment to games for his autistic brother but…. bro. ARON IS NEURODIVERGENT! Like this would’ve just hit so much better if the author just acknowledged this?? idk why she shied away from having him just also acknowledge his own limitations authentically rather than just continually explaining it away with “oh he just has quirks”he literally has an assistant to help him understand when he makes social missteps.
- diabetes?? unprompted?? what a choice. idk this felt so random. how are we 40% of the way into this book and samara has not mentioned this once. like obviously it’s not a constant concern but she has multiple meals and he’s never seen her check her blood glucose?? odd. really just felt like a weird addition that the author didn’t put any care or thoughtful intentional effort into.
- no chemistry!! literally no chemistry! there is no WHIFF of romance in the front half of this book. they meet at this con and her friends are all “omg the chemistry!!!” bitch where? they literally had a conversation—this is mainly because so much telling and no showing
- minus a whole star for the following dialogue:
“do you know what that will do to my coochie”
“i can guess what a coochie is and hell no, i don’t want to damage the pretty princess”
“if you’re going to call her the pretty princess, I guess I’ll have to call him the very proud prince.”
“i like the sound of that”
- the book also skips all their dating!! it’s like 40% no chemistry, then a kiss, then the book literally goes “and we’ve been on a bunch of dates!” and then they’re in love.
i just think there was so much wasted word count here. so much potential for such a good story when you look at the barebones plot but not the best execution.
would totally read more from this author though! i think this one just fell flat for me.
May 16, 2025
From adversaries to collaborators to friends to lovers.
Aron is CEO at a large gaming company, and gamer Samara critiques his biggest game for offensive representation, only for Aron to invite her to work for him as a DEI consultant to help improve the game.
What starts out as a reluctant partnership turns into an unexpected friendship and then even more in this diverse and funny romance. The romance aspects are slow-burn and open-door.
I’d definitely recommend Game On to romance readers who love to game, and also to anyone who likes an emotionally strong female main character who doesn’t take crap from anyone. I like Samara’s personality a lot, and I liked that Aron was a kind and loving romantic partner, and he was overall a good guy and good businessman. A rare combo in this day and age, but we need more genuinely good guys represented in fiction.
I didn’t like the third-act breakup scene, and it really brought down the end of the book for me. If only they had communicated better it wouldn’t have happened. That’s so frustrating. I expected Aron to approach Samara and ask her how she’d like to handle this particular situation with him, but instead he makes the choice for her, which she rightfully calls him out on. That whole scene could have been done differently and more enjoyably. That’s the only part of the book that I didn’t care for.
Overall though, I thought Game On was fun and romantic while also covering important topics. It’s a romance that I’d recommend.
Aron is CEO at a large gaming company, and gamer Samara critiques his biggest game for offensive representation, only for Aron to invite her to work for him as a DEI consultant to help improve the game.
What starts out as a reluctant partnership turns into an unexpected friendship and then even more in this diverse and funny romance. The romance aspects are slow-burn and open-door.
I’d definitely recommend Game On to romance readers who love to game, and also to anyone who likes an emotionally strong female main character who doesn’t take crap from anyone. I like Samara’s personality a lot, and I liked that Aron was a kind and loving romantic partner, and he was overall a good guy and good businessman. A rare combo in this day and age, but we need more genuinely good guys represented in fiction.
I didn’t like the third-act breakup scene, and it really brought down the end of the book for me. If only they had communicated better it wouldn’t have happened. That’s so frustrating. I expected Aron to approach Samara and ask her how she’d like to handle this particular situation with him, but instead he makes the choice for her, which she rightfully calls him out on. That whole scene could have been done differently and more enjoyably. That’s the only part of the book that I didn’t care for.
Overall though, I thought Game On was fun and romantic while also covering important topics. It’s a romance that I’d recommend.
October 14, 2024
I loved this! This book was so cute, and I loved all the representation! This was so close to a 5 star read, and the thing that would have pushed it over the top for me would have been more details about WHAT she was doing as the consultant. A lot of this book took place while they were working, but we didn’t actually talk about what that work entailed. But their relationship was so cute and I adored these characters! I loved the side characters too. I loved the commentary without the book, and the way the author weaved them into this sweet romance, while still making an impact. Everything about this book was fantastic to me, and I can’t wait to read more from her!
December 25, 2024
So this was a fun time. My 15 chapters in update was "Loving this, I have a big crush on him!" soooo, thats a good sign. Will admit though, many months later and I don't remember all that happened but I do remember the feeling of enjoying the book. I did make a comment on how I wished there was a different focus during the 'make up moment' I guess I felt that could have been done a little better but I still really loved it. Ended my reading notes with "Feels like a 6 stars", which I dont know about all that but clearly I loved it at the time.
I'll need to re-read this and see if it stands up to my glowing praise.
I'll need to re-read this and see if it stands up to my glowing praise.
January 4, 2024
What a fun read! It was funny, heartwarming, and educated me on things I didn’t know about (not much of a gamer so never noticed the lack of inclusion in video games). I loved the relationship between Samara and Aron; how so many things were added in (autism awareness, diabetes, need for space) without overwhelming the story with too much detail. The story had a good pace and the writing flowed smoothly, drawing me in to a story that I didn’t want to end.
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