DV1 as a "girl gamer" (better known as a Gamer) is so powerful and inspiring. At times when I don't even know if I would've given up or kept going, this character keeps fighting. I love her and all of her fans. They are so strong while dealing with an entire league of bulliers.

Aaron as the second protagonist was a little awkward and sometimes annoying but his feelings for DV1 made him Such a likeable character. I do feel that he should've stood up for himself alot more. The same way I feel about every character except DV1 who was truly the G.O.A.T. of the book.

The characters were well fleshed out with everyone having an actual personality and backstory. Why it took me months to read? Because it read like a movie. One that you stop in the middle and maybe pick by up later which is exactly what I kept doing with the book. Not too exciting and sorta couldn't wait to just be done and see everything come together. I pushed to finish it to see the ending. So for that, only 3 stars.

This was a super cute book with a strong, rock solid female protagonist and an equally strong but sorta shy male protagonist. I loved their chemistry, their banter, and the way they interacted with one another. I also found that the internet/influencer/social media culture and aspects of this book were well framed and, instead of being glamorized, showed a human perspective.

Don’t Read the Comments is Eric Smith’s fifth young adult novel. Smith heavily integrates popular culture into his fiction, and this novel is no exception. The protagonist, Divya Sharma, is an eighteen-year old celebrity gamer known as “D1V” who supports herself and her mother through corporate sponsorships, free merchandise, and subscribers to her “Glitch” channel (a live game streaming platform). Divya’s current live-stream game of choice is Reclaim the Sun, a universe exploration game the likes of which does not yet exist outside of fiction, but which is vividly described by Smith and in such detail that my kids and grandkids are ready to pre-order it.

[Please read the rest of my review at http://thecoachellareview.com/wordpress/2020/05/26/book-review-dont-read-the-comments/]

Don't Read The Comments was about a popular female Glitch streamer who was dealing with online harassment from a misogynistic group of gamers. It had friend/family drama, a cute geeky romance, and lots of video game-related pop culture references. The story is told through alternating perspectives from brown kids Divya and Aaron (aspiring game developer) which walk the audience through some of the unique challenges they face as gamers.

I absolutely loved this book and as a female gamer, Divya's experiences really resonated with me.

While the ending of this story was justified and appropriate it felt a little unrealistic to me. However, I do like being able to imagine a future where justice is served and Eric Smith's book helps do that.

Content Warning: Misogyny, Racism, Doxxing

Nerdy and adorable. DON'T READ THE COMMENTS sometimes tries a little too intensely to be ~contemporary~, and I was distracted a little by the name-dropping and excessive specifics. But the characters were lovable and the story was heartfelt.

I wanted to really love this book. I've been a gamer girl and more interested in "guy stuff" for the majority of my life. I've been quizzed and criticized over my knowledge of football, superheroes, video games etc. by guys who wouldn't do that to other guys. All this to say, I know what Divya is going through. I can only imagine it would be worse as a minority. I really struggled with this book though. It all felt so jumbled and not all that sincere. The big blow up at the end felt slightly rushed. I didn't connect to this book like I thought I would, and it was just super disappointing.

I will eventually feature this on my IG and blog. I've been on a break from posting because of the racial tension in the US. I feel at this point it's more important for POC and BIPOC authors to have the spotlight than it is for my own content.

I really enjoyed this book! I expected it to be good, but I didn't expect how geeky and wildly compassionate this story would be.

This book was especially unrealistic, but I loved it anyways.

Don't Read the Comments is a great read for those who love to game, watch other people play games, or even those who only know a thing or two about gaming. Even if you're not part of the above list, this YA romance is still a fun read. The video game references aren't hard to understand; even if you've never seen anyone play on Twitch, you'll still understand what's happening as the protagonist plays her favorite game, Reclaim the Sun. Also, the romance is pretty dorky... but a good dorky. Kind of like how the main characters are kind of dorky themselves (and lovable).

I say that this novel is unrealistic because of the whole way that the main characters interact with each other at first - though it's cute, of course, so I'll let it slide as a reader - and the climax at the convention would absolutely never happen that way in real life (would those kind of men act like that? Well, maybe). Those parts of the books are the only reason I bumped my score down to four stars.

Read Don't Read the Comments if you like to game. Read it if you enjoy a good Young Adult romance. And especially read the book if you like both.

This is such nerdy, internet focused goodness. I feel seen right now, so seen. It's full of gamers and nerd-culture references, pizza and arcades, really sweet and strong friendships with dorky jokes. It has such deep love towards internet friendships. Plus it packs in a lot of important conversations; particularly feature the harassment, cruelty and doxxing that girl gamers are subjected to. Divya is also brown so she gets an added layer of horribleness thrown her way. The book also tackles the balance of privilege (from race to your parents' money to gender), and I think it did it so well. Actually diving into a story that is cutesome internet love AND deals with the harsher parts of reality was just fantastic.

And look, I see some people say books like these get dated fast...but so?! We read books set in the '80s and say "omg the '80s!!!". Let YA books be products of their eras!

I'm not actually a gamer, like at all...but look I still wholly connected to this. Just the joy of hanging out online, of trying to make things WORK as an internet influencer. One character does #bookstagram!! I've never seen that repped in a book before?! AH.

And the characters were so easy to love. Aaron is being pressured by his parents to be a doctor, but he wants to write stories for games. Divya is a bit of an internet sensation gamer, but she secretly is desperate for anything she can earn so she can help her struggling mother. They're both brown, they're both fiercely loyal to their epic friends!! Aaron is the softest to his little sister. Divya would absolutely go to war for Bekah (her bff who has ptsd from assault). They were just both so kind and I loved tha

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I was originally supposed to read and review this book for a blog tour, but then we moved and it fell through the cracks. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook for Don't Read the Comments, so I'm going to count this one as a win! The narrators were fantastic and really brought life to Smith's words. They lent an authenticity to the story that I don't think I would have been able to produce on my own.

Divya is struggling with trolls, online bullying, cyber stalking, and so much more simply for being a female gamer, and likely because she was also a person of color. I really loved how she was portrayed, and how realistic her experiences were. She was scared for herself, her mother, and her best friend, but she also didn't want to let the trolls win their absurd war. They were driven by hate, and their actions had lasting consequences on people's lives. It wasn't enough to destroy D1V in the virtual world, but they wanted to hurt her in real life as well.

It's scary because it's true. I'm happy the author chose to shed light on an issue that plagues a lot of people, but one that doesn't receive enough attention. The actions of trolls and online bullying are seen as harmless, because it's just words on a screen right? Death in a game isn't death in real life? Unfortunately, that's not the case. People's actions online can have a drastic impact on a person's life. Children have committed suicide after being repeatedly bullied online, and it's an issue that more people should take seriously. Words matter. Your online presence matters. You can't just do or say whatever you want behind your computer screen, because what you put out into the world has the potential to hurt someone else.

I really liked both Divya and Aaron, and enjoyed their individual stories. They were a little underdeveloped, but still amazing characters. I wanted to know more about their families, and what their lives were like before gaming, but we mostly see what they're dealing with in the present. There's very little reflection or rumination, and I wanted to learn more about what drove them to their present situations. I also wanted a more gratifying conclusion, and wish certain people had been brought to justice (especially for Divya's best friend). I know it's impossible to catch every troll, but I still wanted that for D1V.

The gaming aspect was something I really related to as well! I love playing video games (mostly RPGs), and recently brought out our old SNES for the kids to play on (desperate times call for desperate measures). Our son loves to play Donkey Kong Country, and the girls get excited about Mario Paint. The game the book centers around is called Reclaim the Sun, and I wish it really existed. It's definitely something I would play! I loved how immersive it was, and like the idea of endlessly exploring planets with unknown content. Smith should see about getting his fictional game made into one people in the real world can play! I think it would be very popular. :)

If you're looking for a satisfying story with wonderful characters, Don't Read the Comments has both. The author touches on tough topics, while also conveying the importance of friendship, family, and standing up for yourself and what's right.

Don’t Read the Comments was a nerdy, fun, easy read that dealt with gaming, relationships and addressed the difficult topic of bullying through social media. As a person with little knowledge of the gaming world I found it hard to connect with Divya in relation to gaming, but on a personal level she was a very hardworking driven individual which I can relate to. Overall this was a great book and I look forward to reading more by the author.

I like the characters in this book but the romance was subpart for my tastes and I didn't expect nearly the whole book to be set in the video game world. I thought I would love that part as I could (and do) watch hours of Let's Plays on YouTube, but maybe that's why this book didn't interest me. It didn't feel like how a Let's Play usually works. Livestreams don't happen like this in real life.

I think fans of Warcross may enjoy this more, but sadly this one was not for me.

Hello Again!


It's been a busy and weird few days. I did not post last Thursday (sorry!) I got incredibly busy with life (housework, work, things that needed attention that I put off for entirely too long that have now piled up and have become massive instead of five-minute tasks). But it's fine! I made a list and I accomplished the majority of the tasks on the list over the weekend leaving me with just a few left to attempt to take care of this week and next. While I was doing all this to-do list work (and playing animal crossing) I started listening to an audiobook (something I honestly have not been doing as much of lately and I really do not know why). But I went onto Hoopla (where I still had like 6 borrows out of 10 for the month and picked out one that had been on my TBR for a bit)!


SPOILERS AHEAD


Reclaim the Sun, an online video game where anyone can create an account and explore the galaxy with friends or random people they meet! Here they can claim planets, build ships, and more. For Divya, Reclaim the Sun is more than a video game, it's her source of income to support herself and her mother through a really tough time. Divya is not just Divya in the game she goes by D1V and she is a streamer, alongside her friend Rebecca (who is her co-pilot, in the game and in streaming, helping with all things camera angles, sponsorship deals, etc..). D1V is an extremely popular streamer and this income is what is keeping her and her mother in their apartment currently. One night on stream D1V and her armada are attacked by a group calling themselves the Vox Populi, and they let her know that they mean business. After the attack, Divya feels defeated but not out, she has to take a little time to rebuild off-stream and that is where she meets Aaron. Aaron also plays Reclaim the Sun but on a computer, her built from parts he found or bought used. One night when Aaron happens to be online playing and Divya is also playing they meet, they play for a little while together and from there they become friends. Continuing to meet and play together and even perhaps having the potential to build a friendship outside of the game someday. Eventually,  D1V returns to streaming and when she does the Vox Populi are not gone but rather still there and they are only getting worse!


When this book was gearing up to come out I saw a lot about it and I remember putting it on my book list for that month because I was super intrigued by it. I love gaming (not just playing animal crossing) but gaming in general, I spent most of my weekend recently playing the Final Fantasy 7 Remake with my husband and working on a puzzle. I think video games are awesome and can take you to places you can never imagine and put you into incredible storylines. So when I picked up this book it was like two of my favorite things colliding (books and video games). I loved both Aaron and Divya's storylines and I loved being immersed in the world of Reclaim the Sun, streaming, and the Vox Populi. I watch a lot of youtube and video game streamers in my spare time and I thought this book did a great job representing what that can be like. I also loved the Vox Populi storyline, I was always excited when it came back up and interested in what would happen next and how it would be handled. On top of all that, I thought the narrator for the audiobook did a marvelous job. The last thing I want to mention is the cover, (because we all know I am a huge book cover fanatic), I love this cover so much. I have seen some other editions on the internet and I think the change in colors on those is just as amazing as this one and I honestly want them all! I love the stunning and eye-popping blue and that we have both characters are on the cover. I wholeheartedly enjoyed my time with this book and highly recommend giving it a read.


Rating: 5 stars on Goodreads

I wasn't able to read this one because it messed up format. I was very excited to read it however and will try to get the published version on Libby.

Don’t Read the Comment is so genuine and true and a great read. Divya is a gamer and keeps getting more and more well known. But unfortunately with the internet, the more people know you, the more people hate. Aaron quickly becomes a great friend and an important part of the story, I liked how genuine and true everyone felt. The gaming references were very fun to read too. A must read for a modern teen.

D1V is the star of her glitch channel playing the latest immersive online game – but when the trolls start to descend on her in real life, who can she really trust?

When reading the blurb for ‘Don’t Read the Comments’ I was excited – as a lifelong gamer this was giving me vibes of one of my favourite books – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Although this book is a fun and geeky read which explores the problems of trolling and doxxing I must admit I didn’t find it as enthralling as I was hoping. One of these failings sadly comes down to the centrepiece of the novel which is the online game portrayed called ‘Reclaim the Sun,’. This game played by both of our protagonists reminded me very heavily of ‘No Man’s Sky’ – a space exploration game which although had a lot of hype when it was first brought out, was then lauded for being well, a bit boring! This I think is one of the problems with a lot of the chapters taking place inside the game – it’s just a lot of flying and resource gathering which doesn’t really make for a very thrilling read!

I enjoyed the storyline of D1V dealing with trolls and the issues of racism and sexism in the gaming world which are explored. The storyline with Aaron’s boss felt a bit predictable and two dimensional though and the twist about his father didn’t really go anywhere – I had actually thought of a much better twist for it and was disappointed! The end scene at the gamecon seemed to get so much build up for a bit of a flop ending – I thought what Aaron did to try and help was actually a massive let-down. On the whole I think the book had so much potential but didn’t really go anywhere – it was just a predictable YA love story with some gaming elements thrown in.

Overall, I was disappointed with Don’t Read the Comments – it had the potential to be a fantastically geeky read but was let down by being a bit boring and heavily predictable. Thank you to Harlequin Teen and Inkyard Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's one thing for an author to successfully suck you into a story, but it's a new level of skill to be able to suck you into a second layer of fiction within the fiction. Eric Smith Inceptioned us this one. Not only was I fully intrigued with the story of Divya and Aaron, but I was totally drawn into the gaming world of the #AngstArmada led by D1V in Reclaim The Sun. Something magical happened to me while reading this book. Smith invited me into a whole new dimension of reading, of which I want more and more and more. Don't Read The Comments opened up reading senses I didn't even know I had. While this was a fun and creative story, it also touched on important topics like online bullying, doxing, xenophobia, and racism. I'm not gonna lie, there were moments while reading that I got angry. But that's what good writing does: it evokes emotion. I couldn't have been happier that this was my first read of 2020. Thank you Eric Smith for writing beautiful characters in Divya, Aaron, and Bek.

I don't typically start my reviews with content/trigger warnings (CW/TW), but I really feel this needs one. CW/TW: stalking, assault, doxing, mentions of sexual assault

I don't read a lot of YA and this book makes me really want to change that. From the start, let me say I know absolutely nothing about video games, streaming, and all that cool kid stuff. I don't think that took away from my enjoyment of the novel, however. Don't Read the Comments is both a celebration and condemnation of gaming culture. One where players can make lifelong friends, who have your backs no matter what, and one where misogyny, racism, and doxxing rage on and offline and in an industry typically populated with privileged males.

Don't Read the Comments gave me serious Armada and Ready Player One vibe. I think that's one of the reasons I liked it so much. I know nothing about video gaming, but I've enjoyed the novels I've read that focus on it.

I won't lie though, this was hard to get through. There is a lot of fun gameplay, but there are also a lot of heavy topics (see CWs above) that make this more difficult to get through.

this was a great commentary on the gaming community and how racist and sexist people can be. it's about standing up and fighting for your right to exist.

I keep hoping that by reading books about gamers, I'll understand them better. But I'm too old and I'm not sure my opinion really should count, I'm handing this book onto kids who have a better understand of the dynamics involved.