Member Reviews

There was a lot of promise here in terms of gamergate and doxxing, and how the world of online gaming is not fair to women. That part misses a little, especially at the end. Vox Populii doesn't go too far, which they would have done in the real world.

But the relationship between Divya and Rebekah, how they built their online presence and tried to protect Rebekah when she was assaulted was really well drawn, as was the relationship that grows between Divya and Aaron. Aaron's "job" trying to write a plot for another game, and how that turns out, could be object lessons for teens interested in similar careers. And Aaron's father and sister? Loved them.

eARC provided by publisher.

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I'm always a little iffy on books that focus on fan culture and fandom -- sometimes they're delightful and deeply relatable and like someone has taken that huge part of my life and written a love story to it, but sometimes it can also seem like an author is writing about a community they haven't really been a part of. Don't Read the Comments is certainly the former.

The book has a dual POV, switching between main characters Divya, a Glitch (read Twitch) streamer, and Aaron, a gamer who also writes scripts for a mobile game developer. The two meet in the online world of their favorite game, but tensions rise as a group of trolls begin targeting and harassing Divya, both online and irl. Both teens grapple with issues with their family and friends, all while developing a relationship that takes place almost exclusively online.

Smith clearly, clearly, is deeply entrenched in fan culture. From an obvious understanding of how the system works to shoutouts for bookstagram, I always felt like he was having as much fun writing about his nerdiness as I was in reveling in it. I also loved that the characters of this book play pretty much only one game: Reclaim the Sun. It sounds insanely cool, one of those in book creations that you just want to experience for yourself (like Daisy Jones' Aurora album).

My only criticism is that this book had a lot going on. Each character had several subplots going, and not all of them really felt fully developed. We get the sense that Divya's mother disapproves of her streaming, but the pair never really have an actual discussion about it (or actually any conversations at all). Aaron and Divya's friend Rebekah clash on several occasions about his privilege, and he gives some pretty textbook bad answers to her callouts, but again, this is never actually addressed. I kind of wish that some of these little plot points had been sacrificed for more gameplay or more time devoted to the more important issues at hand.

All in all, if you liked other fandom/video game type books like Slay or Radio Silence, Don't Read the Comments would be an excellent addition to your bookshelf.

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Don't Read The Comments is a YA gaming centered novel. Most teens online game in some way or another, and they will relate to both the fun and hassles involved navigating both online friendships and harassment. I liked both Divya and Aaron and loved the dynamics that each of them had with their families.

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"Don't Read the Comments" by Eric Smith just wasn't really a book for me since I'm not that into video games. I didn't quite realize how central understanding video games would be in this book and found myself skipping a number of sections where the characters were literally just playing video games and I didn't really get what was going on. Luckily, these scenes weren't super important to the overall plot except for where the characters were talking to each other inside the game.
Because of this barrier, it did take me a while to get into this book but it got better once the two love interests met online. For me, their romance was what got me through the book and I thought their interactions were very cute.
The issue the book dealt with of women being harassed in the online gamer world was a good and important one. There were moments where it felt a little trite and preachy and maybe even melodramatic, like the events were there more to make a statement than to be part of a story. It's a fine line to walk, including issues like this in a novel, and there were scenes where it was written better than others. It is an important topic, though, and maybe it will help someone.
Overall, I think this could be a great book for a gamer, in particular a female one. That's just not who I am, so this book didn't really hit the mark with me.

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I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember, so I wholeheartedly support any books with gamers or gaming as a focus.

Divya is a well-known streamer on Glitch—and of course, being a girl (especially of colour) online comes with misogynistic, racist (mostly) male assholes hiding behind faceless avatars and untraceable accounts. I really loved the exploration of that part of the gaming world—of girls who don't feel safe in a gaming space, or who try building a safe space for themselves online. I absolutely loved Divya's friendship with Rebekah, who helps Divya with her streams.

Divya and Aaron were great opposites: she's streaming and getting sponsorships because she can sell the free items and use the money to pay for rent and let her mom finish her degree, while Aaron wants to write video games instead of fulfilling his mom's dream of becoming a doctor. They stood independently as characters and their individual storylines developed separately, before Divya and Aaron finally meet online and become friends. It was interesting seeing their friendship grow online vs. in person.

I think this book's strength was in the relationships. Aaron and Divya have messy but believable issues with their respective families. I appreciated Divya and Rebekah's friendship, and really liked how Rebekah's own issues with anonymity were handled in light of a traumatic event she previously experienced. I also liked Aaron's friendship with Ryan and other members of a budding video game developer, and how they struggle to make it big but have to also draw boundaries to avoid being exploited.

This book is also easy to get into even if you don't play or care for video games; the descriptions of the game are straightforward. Overall, a solid read!

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The characters in this STOLE. MY. HEART.

Gosh I loved this book so so much.
The quirks, the family love, all of it.

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Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith—In this world where more and more people are spending time in virtual reality, this is a timely and believable story. While books like Ready Player One are set in the future with tech we can only dream of, this book is more realistic for our here and now technology with a game that has tech that is within our grasps.
D1V is a well-known live-streaming gamer in the hottest new game called Reclaim the Sun. She is the leader of an ever-growing fan base who follow her all over the vast virtual reality universe of Reclaim the Sun. Online, she is royalty; in real-life she is struggling to make ends meet, helping her mom pay the bills, and hoping to be able to save something for college. The more famous she becomes, the more sponsors she gets and (hopefully) the more money she makes. Unfortunately, her fame is attracting trolls, hateful gamers who don’t think girls or minorities should be in the gaming world making money. They start by taking her down in a very public way...during one of her largest live-streams ever. Attacking her online is one thing, but soon, despite her care to keep her identity and whereabouts secret, she she starts receiving threats via email which show they know where she lives. The attacks become more and more aggressive and personal. She has to decide: quit the game for her and her mother’s safety, or stand her ground and face the bullies. Oh yeah, and there’s this boy she’s met through the game, so sweet, so kind. But can she trust he’s not one of them?
This was an entertaining read that hits beyond just an action video gaming book. It explores the taunting and bullying that often goes on online. People get bold when they are behind the screen. These trolls unite to come out of the screen and into real life. That is scary.
#DontReadtheComments #EricSmith #NetGalley

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This was stressful at times, but I loved it! I think it might've been a little heavy on the specific game references for my taste, but this was wonderful.

I love that Divya's mom and Aaron's parents were so present through the story. That's something I've seen commented on RE young adult fiction, that the parents are often not mentioned at all, absent, or dead, and it was great to see those relationships and to see how they influenced and were influenced by the plot.

I love Divya and Aaron and how they fight back against the Vox Populi, ultimately together.

Adding content warnings for: harassment, assault, stalking, racism directed at Divya and Aaron.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t Read the Comments is a new young-adult novel by Eric Smith revolving around modern video game culture, the realities of online bullies / trolls with a hint of romance!

I admit that I don’t believe that I am the target audience for this as an adult who doesn’t participate in online gaming culture and watch/participate in streams that people do these days but I can certainly appreciate how this caters to those who do.

I like how it brings in the element of online culture now a days with the online bullying and shows just how far people can go. It brings in a lesson and leaves the reader with online safety in the back of their mind (well it did for me at least!).

It also brings up the coming of age struggle of funding for college, butting heads with parents about what to major in in postsecondary education and following your dreams.

Would recommend this book to all the gamers and streamers out there looking to find themselves in a novel and getting sucked into the Reclaim the Sun world.

**Review on blog closer to the release date **

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Don't Read the Comments is a story that tugs at your heartstrings the whole time that you are reading it. From Divya wanting the best for her mother to Aaron's parents wanting the best for him and everything in between, you'll be laughing and crying with these characters. I enjoyed the complexity of race, social class, and gender in the gaming world and how that impacts Divya and Aaron's relationship with each other and those around them.

The action scenes were written with a lot of heart and were what made me want to read more. I felt for Divya as she was harassed in the gaming world because she is a female and I laughed as Aaron first tried to come in as her savior. I loved the development of both characters as they grew with each other and come to their realizations about what this world means to them. It all reminds me of my mixed feelings of entering the gaming world and how I feel about being surrounded by men in that world.

Something else that I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that it was written in both Divya and Aaron's perspectives. Because of this you got to see both of their lives apart from each other and it was nice to see where their lives collided. I liked being able to hear Aaron's thoughts on everything going on and how he was experiencing things and then go to the next chapter and see Divya live through it all.

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I thought this was such a great book. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I loved Divya and Aaron as main characters. Divya is a young woman trying to make ends meet and help her mom get through her last semester of grad school after her dad left them. To help with the bills she uses her platform on a streaming game called Reclaim the Sun to extra cash since she got a lot of followers and different people wanted to sponsor her. Aaron is a soon to be high school senior who wants to write video games for a living, but his mom wants him to be a doctor and work in the office for the summer. During his spare time he also plays Reclaim the Sun and meets Divya when they explored a planet. But in real life things are becoming serious. Online trolls try to threaten Divya and her friend because they think she is not a true gamer and things become serious when they attack her not just online, but in the real world. One of the topics that is talked about through out the book is how people who are way into gaming think that certain people should not play, but how female players are not really welcomed. How females are not true gamers. Which is a great debate to have because it is not fair to females who work just as hard and can play just as good as boys they are told they are not good enough. Playing games should be fun. Also a trigger warning for assault because it is mentioned and shown a little bit in the book. Overall I think Eric Smith did a great job on this and I can not wait to read from him in the future.

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Don’t Read the Comments is such a nerdy, meaningful book for me, and it is one of my most anticipated reads for 2020. The story follows two different video gamers, Divya and Aaron. Divya is what would be comparable to a Twitch streamer, and Aaron is a casual video gamer. They both play a game called Reclaim the Sun. Divya receives sponsorships and has a pretty big following, but with popularity often comes internet trolls. With that in mind, Divya has one rule she lives by: don’t read the comments. Despite being a casual gamer, Aaron is trying to become a video game developer. His parents want him to become a doctor, but his passion is in video games.
The story is such a cute and dorky romance. It also focuses on the discrimination that is often associated with girls who play video games avidly. Being a video gamer myself, I’ve been in Divya’s shoes to a degree with the negative commentary on how well I play video games because I’m a girl, or how I shouldn’t be playing video games at all because they’re for boys. This book is accurate in portraying the disappointing treatment of women in the video game industry. Divya’s character is also amazing because of how she chooses to react to the negativity and trolling. Everything about this book, from the gaming community to the adorkable romance/friendship between Aaron and Divya has me recommending this book to any gamer that I know.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I honestly can't believe there aren't more YA books about online gamer fame considering the growing popularity of gaming/esports especially with The Youth. I felt as if the plotlines regarding Divya's harassment and Aaron's love for creating games were fairly strong and there were some interesting side points (how Divya's product placement deals give her the aura of wealth while lacking the actual support, Aaron's relationships with Mira and Ryan), but a lot of things felt fairly flat to me: Divya and Aaron's relationship developed - or, I suppose, didn't - in an unaffecting sort of way, the "cheating" plotline with Aaron's parents barely started before it ended (the idea of a parent having a similar passion that they suppress might have a little juice, but the way it was written seemed somehow overly dramatic and entirely boring), and a lot of Aaron's thoughts about Divya's experiences seemed so rote, as if it just needed to hit certain buzzwords.

The idea brought up at the very end - of the value of online communities - might have been an interesting focus, but the overall way they focused on gaming didn't particularly pull me in. I wasn't really interested by the lengthy descriptions of battles and in-game exploration, but if they had to be included, I wish they could have made me understand why Divya had built such a following. Maybe I don't understand what's appealing about watching any gaming livestreams, but I guess I would have expected something more interesting to be included in either the narration or the gameplay. Snark or humor, daring, cutting-edge strategy...What is it that makes D1V exciting to watch and important to protect within the game? Why is the Angst Armada valuable to be a part of? The idea of gaming as a community didn't seem prioritized through most of the story, and the patness of the ending seemed to wave it off.

Might have more appeal to others, especially those actually interested in gaming, but overall struck me as another example of better plot idea than actual execution.

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Divya, a popular streaming gamer, and Aaron, a video game writer, accidentally meet on an uncharted planet...while playing Reclaim the Sun. A friendship began to grow between them, but as Divya battled online harassment, doxing, and real-life assaults, she began to rethink her life online.

This was not the first book I have read, that tackled issues surrounding online gaming, but I do feel like it was one of the more immersive experiences for me. I would be hard pressed to learn that Eric Smith was not a gaming enthusiast, because the passages, where I was in-game, had that world springing from the page. Those pieces were so descriptive and dynamic, and they captivated even a game-dabbler, such as myself.

Though there was a lot of focus on the ills of life online, I liked that Smith highlighted some of the positive parts too. The sexual harassment, racism, and classism associated with the gaming world is well known, and an unfortunate part of it all, but when you can find your people, it can make a world of difference. There were several A+ moments, where we saw Divya's Angst Armada go to bat for her, both online and in real life. I loved how those virtual alliances were able to manifest off-line. Rebekah was another fantastic online friend, who became a very important person in Divya's world. She was not only her streaming partner, she was her best friend, and they offered a great deal of support to each other, as well as other girl gamers.

My favorite relationship Divya made online was with Aaron. Aaron's family wanted him to become a doctor and take over the family business, but he aspired to write video games. His storyline gave a peek into what it takes to develop an online game, which I found really interesting, but honestly, I just simply adored him. Aaron was so sweet and kind. He was the exact opposite of the toxic males, who were making Divya's life miserable. I loved that Smith wrote him to be sensitive. He loved his little sister and had a healthy relationship with his parents (who were wonderful). He had discussions about his feelings and would even hug it out when necessary. And, his interactions with Divya were pretty special and smile inducing. They were fabulous together, and I was shipping them hard.

Overall: A fun, yet honest, look at the world of online gaming, featuring family, friendship, and a little bit of romance.

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I’ll be honest here and say that when I heard about this book and became interested it was because the author had tweeted something about it and that’s literally all it took. It must have been funny or relatable because I immediately went and requested the book and yay! I got to read it!

The synopsis really had me intrigued because though I’m not a gamer in any sense, I do love reading books related to video games. I dunno, there’s just something intriguing about it! And the fun part about this was that it centered around a video game but it was so easy to understand and become immersed into the story! I loved how the scenes were set and the one time I put the book down I had forgotten where I was because the book was just so entrancing!

This story was told in a dual POV and I literally love dual POV stories like this because they have their own separate stories but they also overlap and that’s just *chef’s kiss* PERFECT.

Like I don’t even know where to begin with how much I loved each of the characters. Divya was so fierce and relatable and I just really wanted to give her a big hug. Like when the “trolls” start taking their harassment to an extra level of terrible and Divya continues to be awesome?! GOALS.

Aaron trying to understand his parents and also trying to get his really annoying friend to pay him for his work was literally equal parts hilarious and also I wanted to fight alongside him.

There was one point in the book where I straight up wanting to march inside the book and fight (the bullies, not the good guys, obviously). Like, this book was addicting. I straight up only put it down once and then when I picked it up again and finished it, it was 2:30 AM because that’s how absolutely phenomenal this book was. The pacing was brilliant, clearly!

I loved the interactions between Divya and Aaron (duh). But what really had me invested was Aaron’s relationship with his parents. I literally LOVED reading the scenes with Aaron and his father. Divya had a few scenes with her mom which were equally as powerful (though under very different circumstances that made me gasp out loud a lot and want to scream because of the things that were happening).

And I can’t forget about Divya and Rebekah’s friendship! Rebekah was such a great character and honestly I wouldn’t be opposed to more with her because a) she’s a bookstagrammer! She referenced V.E. Schwab’s book and I freaked out it was awesome! b) she’s so strong and I really really needed to give her a big hug like… she had to deal with so much and *cries*.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys gaming, standing up to terrible bullies that have nothing better to do with their lives, feeling secondhand embarrassment during awkward chat moments, bookstagrammers (ayyy), wanting to be rightfully paid for your work, and being a part of a supportive community (aka the Angst Armada). If you like absolutely adorable nerdy boys and girls, super awkward sort-of-maybe dates, and the philosophy that you shouldn’t read the comments (but if you do… don’t let them stop you) then you’ll love this book! AND bonus points for a really awesome cop with a straight up iconic line that should be in movies, because that was seriously EPIC.

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Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the description of this book, it seemed like a great market currently not seen in the book world. A character who is a gaming streamer? Sign me up!

The problem is this: it's fairly clear right out the gate that the author doesn't have a firm grasp on the gaming or streaming worlds. As someone who plays MMORPGs, it's a knowledge gap I cannot ignore.

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I was pretty excited to read about a Indian heritage female MC who also happens to be a gamer and this turned out to be quite a fun read. I’m not a gamer at all but I still enjoyed seeing Divya’s passion and was angered at all the harassment she was subjected to. The romance was also well developed and lovely to read.

But as an ownvoices reader, I just couldn’t get over the fact that there is hardly anything about Divya’s character that showcases her culture, or how she navigates her family’s feelings about her being a gamer. She could have just been a white character or any other POC and I don’t think it would have made much of a difference to the story. It’s always nice to see a young Indian teenager as the main character but totally leaving out any of her personal experiences with her culture seems a tad bit disrespectful.

If you don’t really care for the missing cultural elements, I think you’ll enjoy this much more than I did.

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If you love gaming and sweet romance than this book will totally be for you!! I loved every page and can not wait for more!! This was a very fast story to read and it was so adorable. This was a perfect mix of struggle and awesome. Eric did very well with the female voice and if you were giving this title and not told that the author was male you would never know. The gaming aspects of this story were on point. I have a few friends that are addicted to the gaming world and after talking with them they said that this was all believable in the best possible way.


Go Into This One Knowing: Gaming, Struggle

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Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for this ARC. I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I follow Eric Smith on twitter and he’s just someone I think I’d get along really well with, so I wanted to check out this book.
I loved D1V right from the start. She’s just a girl that streams her games and has ended up getting sponsorships and other sorts of things. She uses these things to support herself and her mom. Her mom’s trying to finish graduate school at night and is almost done. I loved that her motivation was to help her mom. It was so sweet. I also loved that she stood up for what was right and didn’t back down when she started to get attacked by the horrible Vox Popuoli. I also totally loved her best friend Bekah. I adored Bekah naming things in the game after popular YA books she loved (Like Heart of Iron and This Savage Song).
Then there’s Aaron. I liked that he sort of had a savior complex because it allowed his best friend to stand up and tell him to chill out and take his complex somewhere else. I also liked that he wanted to follow his dreams, even if that might be disappointing his parents. I hated his friends (other than Ryan). They were selfish and horrible.
I thought this book was nerdy and important. It talks about important things. The dangers of having a prominent place online. The things trolls will do and say to people they don’t like or that have a certain gender or skin color. I think it discussed these topics very well.
Overall, this book will be beloved by the nerd community. I can already see it. I loved the characters and their development. I loved the incredibly important topics it covers, from assault to cyber bullying, and it does it well. I think this book is going to be a hit, so, preorder it, request that your library buys it, because you don’t want to miss this one.

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This tale is more intense than READY PLAYER ONE and quite a page-turner.
Divya, popular streaming gamer D1V, is playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest game. The sponsorships help her single mom make ends meet.
We meet Aaron, an avid gamer too. He plays for different reasons than Divya. Aaron’s mom wants him to follow her footsteps to be a doctor. His dad silently supports Aaron’s dreams. Aaron finds solace in Reclaim the Sun. Then, one day he is on the same remote planet as popular gamer, D1V.
The story hits full speed when trolls invades the VR world and in real life to take Divya down.
Will they do it?
It is a fun and fast read for all ages.

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