From Goodreads:
By day, Emilia is a field hockey star with a popular boyfriend and a mother obsessed with her academic future. But by night, she’s kicking virtual ass as the only female member of a highly competitive eSports team. Emilia has mastered the art of keeping her two worlds thriving, which hinges on them staying completely separate.
When a major eSports tournament comes to her city, Emilia is determined to prove herself to the male-dominated gaming community. But her perfectly balanced life is thrown for a loop when a member of a rival team—Jake—recognizes her . . .
From an exciting new talent, this sweet and charming YA romance will win the hearts of gamers and non-gamers alike.
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Perfectly awkward, funny, honest, sweet and real.... Don't Hate the Player put the biggest smile(s) on my face and left me a puddle of lovestruck goo. I am mush.
First of all, I know next to nothing about the world of competitive video gaming. Esports is a whole other world for me. I'm as far from a gamer as you can get. But did I let all that stop me from enjoying DHTP and falling in love with Emilia and Jake? Heck no. I wanted to know everything there was to know about GLO. It's complex and insanely competitive. And I could hardly keep up at times, lol.
I'm going to be totally honest and admit I wasn't Emilia's biggest fan in the beginning. But I grew to love her along the journey. She's thriving in the esports world that's mostly dominated by men. It's HARD and it's scary. People will be angry. They will be envious. But she loves what she's doing and she's determined to make a name for herself. Her character deeply resonated with me, and I think a lot of readers would feel the same way.
"You're so cute I could murder you." - Seven words that perfectly sum up Jake Hooper. Jake is a whole other universe. He's awkward as heck, genuinely sweet and adorably charming in his Jake-ness. He's my favorite Jake. We need more Jake Hooper's in YA.
Team Unity is the best. The. Best. Can ya'll please adopt me? Bob-Dad (Dad-Bob?), Ki, and Penelope are exactly the kind of people I'd be lucky to have on my side. The chat forum chapters were my favorite to read! They have this amazing dynamic and I just want to be in that circle of amazing-ness and love. I need more Team Unity in my life.
Trust me, read this one asap!
"Nothing odd or secret about me could surprise him. Or make him like me less. I am clearly horny for acceptance."
"Slow as these moments stretched, he hadn't figured out how to pause real life yet. Also, there were no helpful Reddit spoiler threads for making story choices like the one he was presented with right now."
I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.
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