The charming start led me straight into a gripping YA novel that opens some tough questions about life, love, and natural disasters. Gamer lore is not required although some experience with it will add to the in-jokes. If you have a pre-teen boy who is a reluctant reader, this book may change his mind about the pleasures to be found between the covers of a book.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Zach and his friend Cooper enjoy gaming and are spending an evening browsing their favorite game store at a small in Saskatoon. When Zach meets a girl in this store who is also a gamer, he is instantly smitten. When Samara leaves, Zach is sure he has lost his chance with her. However, terrible storms are rolling through the area, and no one is allowed to leave the mall. Zach, Cooper, Samara, and several other people are stranded in the mall in increasingly bad circumstances. Zach hopes to use this time to get to know Samara, but he keeps getting into situations helping the other people while Cooper and Samara spend all their time together.

Despite the title, we don't see any gaming in the book, and the hero spends little time actually getting the girl. The book primarily focuses on Zach saving the group during the storm. The book was just OK. It did a lot of telling rather than showing, and there were a lot of stereotypes. The book seems like it should be a middle grade novel rather than YA.

I didn't mean to rain in anyone's parade but I have high hopes for this book because the gist promises a swoony nerd meets girl-of-his-dreams story but I was underwhelmed with the entirety of the storyline.

I don't mean to spread negativity but honest review demands honest so let me just say that the ultimate dealbreaker is the main character's tone that is super monotonous. I know that Zach's character is spontaneous but it did not show in his narration of how he got the girl. Also, the story lacked on surprise factor because almost everything that happened was pretty predictable. Sorry but this is not just my cup of tea.

A cute take on gaming and teen romance with a lot of old school gamer references. Suitable for tweens.

3.5 stars

The concept for this seemed great, and right up my alley. I mean, a gamer guy who ends up in a crazy situation, trying to help others, while also trying to get the girl of his dreams? Sounds fun, and hopefully it will be filled with lots of geeky references. Yes, I’m in. And it was a good story, even if the whole thing took place in less than 24 hours.

But there wasn’t really too much focus on the romance part of it, and too much of it read like a non-gamer trying to sound like a gamer, so it just felt a bit forced and awkward to me. At the end, I do believe the author mentions that a lot of the gaming stuff came from her sons (I think she said sons, but I read this book like three months ago, so no promises on that being wholly accurate). Most of the gaming is restricted to Fortnite, which yes, I know it’s a popular game, but I don’t know…it felt like the boys were trying to act like really cool knowledgeable gamers when they only play one game.

Oh, yeah, and this freak storm/tornado/flood hits the area–which is why I’m relating to it so much at the current moment. Thanks never-ending rain–and so Zach ends up stuck in the mall with a whole bunch of other people, his best friend, the girl he is crushing on (after just seeing her for the first time on this day), and the mall security guards. So instead of Zach talking to his crush he spends pretty much all of his time being a Boy Scout and helping out this harried young mother, and helping out the security guards. But then he gets super upset when his best friend is spending time talking with the girl and getting to know her while he’s out being all “responsible.”

I don’t know. This book just didn’t hit the spots I wanted it to, so maybe my expectations were too high, but I didn’t end up liking this book all that much. I did read it pretty quickly though. I just wish it hadn’t been marketed as a nerdy romance, because it really wasn’t; those were definitely minor plots, on the side of the major plot of surviving with a bunch of strangers after this crazy weather event. Still, I’m glad I read it.

Rating: ⭐️

If I had read this a few months back, I might've liked it more but the fact that I put it off and read other, better, books didn't help it's cause.

Summary
Strategy is everything when it comes to gaming — and girls.

Zach is used to living in a world of legendary battles, epic journeys, and life-or-death situations. As a gamer, he is hard-wired for adventure, even though it’s from the comfort of his parents’ couch. But nothing has prepared him for battling the biggest storm in Saskatchewan’s history.

On top of this, Zach has finally met the girl of his dreams, but he finds himself helping everyone else stay safe while his best friend spends time with her. What Zach doesn’t realize is that love always finds its way when you’ve found the right person and are ready to risk it all to save the day.

First off, I want to pick apart this synopsis compared to the book itself. The tag line, strategy is everything when it comes to gaming — and girls, does not describe this book in the slightest compared to the actual story itself. The main character Zachary does not use strategy in gaming or to get the girl in this book. He has one heroic action when it comes to George but that is about it.

Then it says that Zach lives in a gaming world with battles and journeys, but this game has one little, MINUSCULE, bit of gaming in it. At the very beginning when they are in what I assume is a GameStop (i.e. gaming store, has different name in book). They also talk about some games, such as Fortnite, but there is no playing of games or anything of that sort, which was disappointing for me.

The next part discusses how nothing has prepared him for battling the biggest storm in his towns history. Well duh unless you've been in a tornado or a situation where a tornado has truly affected you in some way, nothing will adequately prepare you for facing one head on. Also this was more them taking cover from the tornado and not much else. The tornado is the only part of the book I found the slightest bit interesting. This would've probably been a DNF had there not been a tornado because that is the only thing I looked forward to when it came to the plot.

Next we finally get to the girl. From the moment Zach sees her he believes she is the girl of his dreams. Go figure she's a red head (me too). But how does he even know that?? It bothers me so much that he bases it based on her appearance alone before he even says a word to her. Then when he finally meets her (after their initial encounter) he gets super jealous of his best friend LOOKING at her. Like jeez will you just calm down? If you can't tell I really dislike this main character, and all other characters for the matter because they were all background parts to the non existent plot that revolved around a tornado at a mall.

Finally the part that irks me the most is the last line of the synopsis, What Zach doesn’t realize is that love always finds its way when you’ve found the right person and are ready to risk it all to save the day, LOVE? Where is this love you speak of? You just met this girl and barely know anything about her besides that she likes gaming. Wow dream girl right there for the shallow gamer. Also risk it all to save the day? What is saving the day? Helping the mall security guards usher people around the mall? Telling them about potential robbers who end up being dream girls parents? Getting hit with a piece of metal on the head? Who even knows. The one "saving the day" thing Zach did was help George. That is actually it.

I really really didn't like this book and I think when I first discovered it that I believed it had potential, and it very much did, but this book didn't even come close to the potential I had in mind. I expected a lot more. I would also like to say that this demographic, in my opinion, isn't young adult. I think it could be middle grade but in no way do I think it classifies as young adult besides the fact the boys are teens.

I received this ebook arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have never read a book about a storm and the potential drama of being caught in a major catastrophic storm. I was intrigued and for the most part I enjoyed the story. I will say that I felt like the characters were a little underdeveloped and some of the situations the MC was involved in seemed unrealistic. I wouldn’t recommend this book to others in my peer group but maybe to younger readers.

Adorable read of a group of strangers trapped in a mall in the middle of a bad storm.
When Zach and Cooper head to the mall, they do not expect their day to turn into one of the scariest ones of their lives. What makes it a little bit better, is the most coolest and pretty girl Zach has ever seen is stuck with them. Along with a eclectic group of strangers, we follow the action-packed few hours of how this group stays safe until they can be saved.

Also, Canadian Lit so bonus points! Cute chapter titles helped give way to the writing of how Zach tells us his story. You feel everything right along with him - the nerves, the anxiety, the bravery - all while he swoons over the awesome Samara. The question of if Zach's guide will work leaves readers hooked until the very end. 3.5 stars!

From the beginning, this book felt like a bit of a let down. It wasn't what the title promised as the romance was more of a subplot. I'm not sure why I kept reading after I realized this, I guess I was hoping it would switch up later on. But the romance remained out of the spotlight for a good 90% at least.
I'm all for nerdy characters and nerdy romances, but I found myself not liking the main character, he wasn't my cup of tea. I found the romantic interest to be very under developed that she didn't seem like an entire character that's part of the story, rather like the prize that's meant to be there for the main after he saves the day. Speaking of, he saved the day a lot. That dude knows everything, it would seem.
The entire story seemed to drag on for me, and I didn't find it as exciting as I needed it to be. I did however really enjoy all the facts about Canada that were incorporated throughout the text, and that's the sole reason why I'm giving it two stars rather than one.
I really don't like giving negative reviews. But this one wasn't for me.

*** I received an ARC of this book from Dundurn and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

The Gamer’s Guide to Getting the Girl by Kristine Scarrow

Publication date: June 21st 2019
Read by me: June 1st 2019
Full review on Goodreads.
Recommended to: fans of middle grade (more than ya) books, nerdy references, survival stories, tornado stories, romance (as sub-plot), hopeful and uplifting stories.
Rating: 1 star (this book was a light read, but heavy on my gamer heart).

Blurb (from Goodreads):

The last thing Zach expected was to find the girl of his dreams at Gamer’s Haven. When a brutal storm hits Saskatchewan, he learns that strategy is the key to winning over the girl and saving the day.

What I liked and what I took from it

- The fleshing out of character backstories. It was nice to see that everyone had different struggles and how that influenced on their relationships with others.
- The nerdy and quirky references throughout, which I thought were pretty well inserted and felt believable.
- The idea that working together is key, and the more uplifting message of the book of protecting others and fighting for what you believe in.

What I didn’t like

- The sheer amount of stereotypes was baffling to me and not well subverted in my opinion. Particularly the ‘girls don’t play games’ idea… In the beginning it’s said that women never go to the mall’s gaming store unless to buy a game for a man in their life… LOL K. There are attempts to contrary this, but they were not well done, and that first part already was pretty clear.
- Writing feels mechanical and lacks emotion.
- Romance felt insta-lovey and was not believable. There were practically no interactions between the characters and it wrapped up too quickly.
- Possessiveness over the girl from the male characters.
- Blurb leaves no mystery or tension to the reader.
- Gaming component was minimal and underwhelming for a book that shows it as a main focus in the title.

“Somehow being me wasn’t cutting it anymore in the real world, and I got better at trying to make myself as invisible as possible so that I wouldn’t have to feel the sting of rejection”

The plot follows Zach, a teenage gamer who is shopping at a gaming store in a mall in Saskatchewan, when the biggest storm in the history of the province hits. He and the other mall goers are trapped for the night while they wait for the storm to pass. Zach rises as a leader within the group, helping the security guards protect the group as the storm escalates, putting them all in danger.

The story is told in first person from the perspective of Zach. It was a quick read, the entire story plays out in less than 24 hours.

This story was not what I expected. I went into this book thinking it was a story about an awkward teenager and his relationship with a girl, and it is, but that is not the main plot. It was less of a YA romance, and more of an adventure survival story.

Author : Kristine Scarrow

Genre : Fiction, YA, Middle Grade

Expected publication : July 16th 2019 by Dundurn

Number of pages : 208 pages

Synopsis : Zach is used to living in a world of legendary battles, epic journeys, and life-or-death situations. As a gamer, he is hard-wired for adventure, even though it’s from the comfort of his parents’ couch. But nothing has prepared him for battling the biggest storm in Saskatchewan’s history.

On top of this, Zach has finally met the girl of his dreams, but he finds himself helping everyone else stay safe while his best friend spends time with her. What Zach doesn’t realize is that love always finds its way when you’ve found the right person and are ready to risk it all to save the day.

I received this eARC for free from Netgally and Dundurn in exchange for an honest review

I think the first thing I have to say is that this book is mislabelled. It’s labelled as a YA book when it’s actually a middle grade read.

If it’s meant to be YA, it fails. However, as a middle grade read it’s a really cute book. With this is mind I’m going to review it as a middle grade read.

I like that the protagonist cares for others more than himself and that he puts the safety and needs of others ahead of his wants. I think it’s a good role model for readers. Through the story and dealing with other characters, he learns not to judge people by appearance. If you’re expecting a gaming heavy book you might be a bit disappointed, because the gaming aspect of the book is more of a passing reference every now and then than an actual gaming storyline. I wasn’t particularly surprised to discover that the author isn’t a gamer herself.

The biggest red flag for me however was Zach and Cooper arguing over Samara being “your girl” or “my girl” just hours after meeting her, and the jealousy and possessiveness of Zach surrounding this. No. Just no. She doesn’t belong to anyone. Especially not decided by two teenage boys without her input.

Overall a light, easy and enjoyable enough read but definitely not YA or high school age readers.

Rating : I’m giving it 3/5 Book Wolves

I requested a review copy of this from NetGalley because the synopsis sounded intriguing to me. However the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The main focus of the book is not actually “getting the girl” but rather on a crazy out of control storm that just seemed to come from nowhere. I did find it a little far-fetched that a storm could be that severe and cause that much damage but that’s just a minor detail.

The romance itself was just meh. It was definitely instalove which I normally have no issue with, however I just didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters.

I will say that this book is a very quick read and there were elements of suspense and danger that kept me interested. However this book took me quite a long time to read simply because once I put it down I just didn’t feel the urge to pick it back up again. I almost had to force myself to pick it up but once I did I would read huge chunks without stopping.

To be honest I thought of this as more of a survival story than a romance. I do love survival stories and I enjoyed this one but it could’ve been done better. Final rating 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

1 star for video game references
1 star because the main characters seemed like good kids.
1 star for nice ending.

The rest was just meh.

(actual rating : 4,25/5)
This was a heart-warming story about a 15-year-old boy who's struggling to understand who he is and want to be, but still wants to stay true to himslef. A gamer's guide to getting the girl is not so focused on the actual romance (wich was a good point for me) but more about kindness in small and great gesture, and friendship. I was absolutly delighted by every directions the story took and spend a wonderful moment immersed in the sometime intense story. I also was a big fan of the gaming atmosphere and all the gaming metaphores and analogies, as well as the geek references. They were very present but not too prominent.
If the plot seems to be light at the beginning, the story takes dramatic turns but still stays positive and optimistic. That is the kind of book i love - ones who promote the best kind of kindness. The main character, Zach, is absolutly lovely, caring, and nice without even thinking about it or realizing it. I'm grateful that books like that exists to warm my heart.
In the end, i loved the story and can't wait to read more from Kristine Scarrow.

This was a fun quick read that reminded me a little of Scott Pilgram Vs the World. Zach was an endearing character and I liked his growth through the book. The dynamic between him and Cooper was realistic and the setting was something different than I had read lately.
Samara was the week point for me. She was a bit too Manic Pixie Dream Girl for my taste. I would have enjoyed this book a million times more if that "romance" wasn't forced into the plot the whole time. I think there was enough going on with the other characters' hijinks and surviving the storm that it was an unnecessary aspect.

Real rate 3.7
The reason reason for this is that I started reading the book expecting so much about it. Maybe if people read this book without high expectations they would enjoy the book much more.
At first I thought about it as a romcom, but the romance comes like a secondary plot; also there's not so much comedy as I thought it would.
The book mainly revolves in Zach (the main character) trying to ensure everyone's safety while being trapped in a mall.
Wrapping it all up, I enjoyed the book but not that much to read it a second time or super recommended it to a friend.

For a supposedly fluffy-looking read, I had a hard time breezing through this. This was more girl-oriented than game-oriented, and I felt like the story dragged too long in some parts and therefore didn't make much sense to me. Try Again for me with the author's next title, maybe?

I haven't written a review of this book on my blog because I DNFed it only a couple of chapters in, and I don't like to write about a book if I haven't actually finished it because I don't think that's fair. But this book was weird. I thought it would be a cute geeky romance, but it was anything but. I didn't connect to the characters and I didn't really care for the fact that they were stuck in the mall at all, with all this weird completely overdramatic stuff happening that didn't make any sense. It's all side-plots with no concentration on the main plot itself. So I got bored and gave up.

Dear Zach,

You possibly get the girl by talking to the girl and getting to know her. You do not by ignoring her and complain to yourself that she is talking to your friend. You don’t get the girl by seeing girl and staking claim. She is not yours to claim. You also don’t get the girl by insulting because you can’t wrap your head around her interests in playing video games or reading comics. Zach it is 2019 girls play video games. Girls have played video games since video games came out. I was one of them. We also read comic books.

Sincerely,
Me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zach’s reaction to a girl walking into a game store is reminiscent of any Big Bang Theory episode that showed a girl walking into the comic book shop and all the men stopping what they are doing and staring. It’s annoying please stop this!

There wasn’t anything really gamer about this book other than that is their choice of pastime. It also got somewhat preachy in one of chapters when Zach and Cooper were defending all their screen time against the negative media surrounding the topic.

I also don’t get the relationship between Zach and Samara. They don’t interact and when they do he is unintentially (in his mind anyway) insulting her. There is zero show of interest between them. I thought she was more about Cooper but apparently I was wrong.

The ending was rushed and wrapped up everything in a pretty little bow. Also it kind of felt like Zach should be walking around with a halo. This kid knew everything, helped with everything, saved a life, and just basically fixed all problems!

The following are parts of the book that made me talk to the book while I was reading…

1. How Zach responds to Samara when she is talking about the Hulk.
“You read the comics? I ask incredulously
“Again- is that a problem? You seem pretty hung up on me being into this stuff.”
She then gets up and leaves because she doesn’t understand his problem… but we are supposed to believe they are falling for one another?

2. Zach becomes upset that Samara didn’t tell him her parents aren’t together anymore… she knows you for a minute Zach… her personal life is not really your business.

3. How Zach talks to Samara when she wants to go help
“I can go down there,” Samara offers quickly.
“Are you crazy? You need to stay up here with the group,” I say more forcefully than I mean to.
“Why should you tell me what to do?” Samara says. “You think I can’t handle myself?”

So much attraction going on here!

4. The fight between Cooper and Zach was like she was someone’s property.
“Do you really think I’d try to steal your girl from you?” – Cooper
What makes her Zach’s? Did he pee and mark his territory? He ignored her the whole book!

This book just wasn’t what I was expecting based off the title. It was less about a nerdy romance and more a group of people surviving a storm trapped in a mall while a kid makes assumptions on a relationship he spends no time trying to cultivate.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn publishers for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.