DNF @ 35%.

I was just incredibly bored the whole time I was reading this. I just could not get into it. It all seemed just very immature, especially Sierra. It seemed like she was a 16 year old girl instead of a 29 year old woman. Maybe i'll give it another try at some point.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC of this book. When I read the summary I was intrigued. and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I am not a gamer and I don't think that you need to be to enjoy this book. You might have to look up a few terms (thank you husband) but overall the story is really about Sierra's journey from an insecure coder to someone who know what she wants and her worth.The romance in the story was surprising and sweet and I enjoyed watching it unfold. There were hints at the beginning of different characters motives and it was a really fun read to watch them play out. This book had humor and heart and was an enjoyable read. You do not have to play video games to enjoy it ( although if you do you will get the references easier and will probable relate to some things more) but I when I finished it I was really glad that I read it.

Sierra is just like most of us- scared to speak in front of large groups of people. She’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime; to present a video game she created at one of the largest tech meetings (Gamescon). Yet, she can’t manage to pull together one coherent sentence in front of a crowd. After 101 attempts to quell her nerves and make Sierra a great speaker, her friend/roommate/company cofounder Aida signs Sierra up for a speaking contest. The Chagrin Challenge is just what Aida believes will push Sierra out of her comfort zone and back into the confident, fiery presenter she once was. Who Sierra meets at the bar, and who she talks about on stage, all culminate for the perfect storm of life not always going your way. Witty, charming and a little bit steamy, Crushing It was one I couldn't put down!

Rating edit: 4.5 stars.

A Pure Entertainer!
When I started reading this book, it reminded me of Sophie Kinsella. Not really content wise, but the tone of the book. Something that instantly uplifts your mood.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the protagonist’s ‘crippling fear of public speaking’. I found it so relatable and it made me really curious.
So, Sierra is a video game developer/designer. To overcome her fear of public speaking (Related to a 10 year old terrible incident), she signs up for a contest and the story unfolds from here.
As I said, it’s a very entertaining book. The writing style very engaging. The story is fresh, interesting with many twists and turns (right from the beginning). And I loved Sierra’s bonding with Alfie. Their moments and conversations are so endearing and romantic (and sensual).

I liked the protagonists, especially Alfie. He's adorable. Aida, Sierra’s best friend is a very cool character. There are some video game terms and facts, which I didn’t really understand, as I don’t play video games but it didn’t matter. It was still interesting.
Just one thing: The epilogue is absolutely unnecessary. I’m not a fan of prologues/Epilogues.
I enjoyed this book immensely.

A fun contemporary romance.

Sierra is a co-owner of a fledgling game development company that needs their next big pitch at a gaming convention in Germany. One problem, a mortifying incident in collage has left her unable to speak in public - coherently at least.

Her best mate, room mate and fellow co-owner convinces her to sign up for a open mic type evening in which contestants tell their most embarrassing stories. Bouncing off the idea that the class that created the embarrassing moment back in collage also involved journaling she decides to pull her material from there, starting with the anecdote of her collage crush Tristan Spencer. All goes well until the contestant after her turn out to be said crush. Hilarity ensues as she navigates past feeling and new feelings towards the bars owner Alfie, who was also in this class. We follow Sierras turmoil as she doubts herself and figures herself out and find love.

Fun, funny, heartwarming and heart braking. This was an easy read and I can't wait to see what the author delivers next.

Sierra Reid is a master at her job in Video Game technology but can't master the art of public speaking. She signs up for a competition at a local bar on the advise of friends to do a "diary slam" by reading from her old school journals with the hope of overcoming her fear. She chooses a selection about her school crush, Tristan Spencer and the audience loves it - but who is also in the competition? Tristan, of course. He asks her out, but he can't even get her name right - calling her "Sarah"! Sierra is confused about her feelings for Tristan - and also the bartender, Alfie - who remembers perhaps too much about the school days. Friendships, heartache, and technology - what a combo! This book is perfect for young techies!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

I was wary about this book at first because I thought it would be a melodramatic love triangle, but I was proven wrong. The writing was fun and engaging and this was a very quick read. I loved all the characters especially Alfie. Alfie was such a respectful sweetheart and I really rooted for him. I enjoyed the Sword Art Online reference and other little details. Sierra’s friendship with Zane and Bryce was also the cutest! Lastly, I really enjoyed Sierra’s character arc.

Crushing It by Lorelei Parker is a romantic comedy about a woman who is terrified of public speaking because of something that happened in college but has to face it in order to prove herself to there boss. To help her, her housemate encourages her to take part in an open mic competition where people share their most embarrassing stories. However, one Sierra is finished talking about her college crush, it turns out he is also in the audiences and he is flattered. Could there be something possible now? Or is the bar owner Alfie at the open mic place a better choice for her? Sierra is about to find out.
I liked that this book highlighted women who are gamers and involved in developing new games. Sierra and her housemate Aida are very intelligent and savvy women who started their own company. I loved the gaming references and how Sierra embraced her nerdiness and quirky style. I was sad that she felt like she sometimes had to tone it down for other people. She was confident in some aspects and super self-conscious in other aspects. I did NOT understand how she was so enamoured by Tristan. He was such a douche, but maybe she was blinded by his good looks. The more we read, the more we found out, how Tristan had never treated her very well and how he was just not a very good guy. I did like Alfie a lot more, I wish we would have gotten to know him a bit more, however. I don't think he was super fleshed out. I think the finale of the open mic competition was a bit juvenile and I could not imagine it happening in real life.
Overall I think it was an okay rom-com. I did finish it in one day and there were quite a few funny moments in it.

Thank you for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This cute rom-com-esque book starts out with main character Sierra getting the shock of her life and having to endure a wildly embarrassing night at a bar. The story progresses and explores her interest in two guys, Tristan and Alfie. Which one is the one for her? Are either of them her perfect fit? I didn't really get the tech/videogame references, but I thought it was cute nonetheless and gave the book some character and made it more unique. I love a good romance, so I liked this book overall. That being said, it was just okay for me! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

So... this book isn’t great.

Sierra is a gaming developer who gets the once in a lifetime chance to pitch the game she created at a major gaming convention. The only problem? She has debilitating stage fright. To tackle her fears head on she signs up at her local bar’s “Chagrin Contest”, where contestants share their most embarrassing moments in exchange for the chance to win $1000. It is there where she encounters not one but two blasts from the past: the gorgeous boy who sabotaged her, and the friendly one she doesn’t quite remember. She is use to being the gamer, but will she end up the one getting played?

I wanted to like this book because the premises of a gamer girl romance sounded interesting, however this book missed the mark. While it was a quick read, it was also an infuriating one.

Sierra was so incredibly immature I had to remind myself this character was supposed to be 29 year old woman rather than the 16 year old girl she was coming across as. She waxes on and on about “how cuteee” these guys are and ignores all the giant red flags simply because of a pretty face. A lot of my frustration with her is rooted in the plot. She hasn’t seen these two men in 10 years, and even when they were in school she didn’t actually KNOW either one of them. So when she makes her bad choices, especially in regards to Tristan the guy who she believes sabotaged her and left her with this life altering stage fright, she keeps making excuses for them by saying “I bet he has changed”. If someone had made that big of a negative impact on your life, I doubt you’d forget about it because a cute guy is talking to you. She wasn’t a character I could get behind at all.

The book doesn’t pick up until a bit after 50%, and even then it doesn’t go anywhere. It went from being contrived and instalove-y, to a bad soap opera.

Unfortunately, the thing I was most excited for about this book was finally finishing it.

Crushing It by Lorelei Parker

I loved everything about this book. So refreshing and unbelievably cute I can hardly stand it. Breezy and fun!

When Sierra is up for a huge work trip of a lifetime she'll do whatever takes to get that trip locked in. This means of course doing the one thing that wakes you up at night in cold sweats. Public speaking. With the help of her friends and not so much help from the crush from her past Sierra must find a way to over come her fears and find out what real love is along the way. Sometimes the best things are right in front of you. This book is perfection. It's got it all, friendship, romance, nerdy gamers, hopeless romantics and unrequited love. It's so good I'm going to immediately re-read it.
Sierra and Alfie are my couple goals, friendship goals, everything goals.


Thank you #NetGalley and #kensingtonbooks for this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this fresh take on a the old romcom formula, with an adorable geeky dork of a female gamer and web developer as the main character. Her voice was so refreshing, honest and true to life - very entertaining and engaging! The story pulled me in, and I loved the characterization of the main characters. Yes, even the old college nemesis that our heroine is still stuck on in spite of him being an eminent douchebag - nice to see him get his comeuppance, but in a good way.

"What would I do if I knew I couldn't fail? I suddenly understood Aflie's question. It wasn't about what I wanted, but about what I could be if I didn't let fear stand in my way. It was about reaching my potential."

Crushing It is a fun light read. It is somewhat predictable but this makes RomComs so fun for me, because I know that there will be some sort of happy ending. I'm not that into video games but Parker balanced out the nerdy stuff with good humor and wit. It isn't overall geeky but you get a glimpse of a gamer's interests.

Sierra is a sweet, quirky and smart girl and easy to like. She went form having anxieties about public speaking and then crushing it with the help and encouragement of Alfie, though not without a little twist and drama here and there. The book is fast paced and I pretty much whizzed through it. It is engaging and fun, lighthearted but also serious when needed.

Tristan is a total jerk, what can I say, even after he came clean at the end. A jerk still. (Especially when he assumed that Aida is working at the company because she's a person of color and that the company only hired her because of the diversity quota. I'm glad that the author made clear that the female characters are strong leads and know that whatever they've earned was through hard work.)

A few things itched me though, like how the hell Sierra could've forgotten so much about her time in college. I mean, she was reading from her journal every week, did it never occur to her to go through the whole thing and piece together the things she's been wondering about? Aida was very boring as the supporting act, as it seemed she was only there to knock some sense into her friend. I liked Alfie best. His poems were very sweet and he seemed like a very genuine person with the best intentions. I know this story is supposed to be about Sierra and her overcoming her fears, but as a love interest, he seemed to have a clouded past no one really knows about except that he was the nerd no one liked. What made him so attractive now, how did it came to that transformation, what did he went through to become that person he is today? It felt like the characters fit a stereotype without much depth, which makes the story overall a little shallow, and that's a pity, because the idea is really good but the exploration and execution of character is lacking. I like rooting for the good ones, but in this case you get told so much and everything lies on the plate for you to pick.

Overall, it is a book you want to read when your brain needs some rest, but still wants to be entertained. And Alfie is really, really sweet. Like tooth aching sweet. "He had this tendency to half smile most of the time, like the universe was a gentle, funny place, and nothing rattled him. Maybe it was his innate calm that placated me."

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately, especially with rom-coms that promised cute, fun reads but delivered bland pages of meh. I was worried this would be more of the same but I was delightfully surprised! After reading Chapter 1, I thought ‘ok, this is actually cute.’ Chapter 2 left me thinking ‘this is a really fun premise, and the characters are great!’ And from then on I don’t really remember the progression because by that point I was hooked, line and sinker. I devoured this book in one night and it reminded me that romantic comedies can be quick, light-hearted, fun, and aww-worthy without resorting to two-dimensional characters and uninspired plots. Alfie and Sierra were completely precious. Thank you, Crushing It, for busting my reading slump and renewing my faith in my favorite genre.

Thank you NetGalley, Lorelei Parker, and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first, this book was so amazing! It was funny and Sierra is such a relatable character. But, during the second half of the book, everything started to go south and by the end i didn’t think i enjoyed it much.

This was a laugh out loud book for me. Super charming story of Sierra who is a game designer and her fear of speaking in public. I could so relate to her struggles with trying to present in front of people. While she is trying to get over her fear, her friend tells her to compete in the local bar's diary slam, and while she is up there pouring out her heart about a boy in college that she was crushing on, he happens to be at the same bar. Although you would think that this is a story about Sierra and her crush, you'd be delighted to know that she finds someone else along the way.

I devoured this book in one sitting! If you're looking for something light and fun but also super sweet, this is the book for you. I fell in love with the characters, even supporting ones like Sierra's fellow contestants Bryce and Zane, as Parker gives them enough dialogue and punchy backstory to make them three dimensional and real. It goes without saying that I also adored the protagonist and love interest. Even though I know nothing about the subject, it's refreshing to see a female lead obsessed with gaming; in my experience, "nerdy" girls in books tend to be more bookish than tech-obsessed.
I definitely recommend this fun, quick read! I found myself smiling just about the entire time I read.

I really loved the idea of the book, just not the execution.

Although it was a debut novel, the author’s writing style didn’t sync with me. I often lost focus and starting skipping and skimming paragraphs. The overall writing style, dialogues and characters wasn’t enough to captivating me. And for someone who was such big part of this book, Tristan was a character I could have done without. I’m also not a fan of overly dramatic romances. I like my characters to show at least some maturity, and Sierra ended up a bit disappointing too.

In the end the hardest part for me was to connect with the story and the cast. And it didn’t help that I had difficulties finding anything relatable in this novel. I probably wasn’t the right audience and I’m glad that other readers didn’t have the same problems as I did.

This is a super cute story about a female video game developer who needs to overcome her fear of public speaking in order to give a big presentation on her company's new fame at a big conference in Germany. Sierra is a wonderful protagonist and I adored her. When her bestie talks her into competing at a local bar's diary reading event, to get over her phobia, she runs into some former college classmates that bring her past flooding back.

The main focus of the book is a ten year old grudge Sierra has been holding. At first that was annoying, but ultimately was a fascinating look at how we deal with our pasts. The male characters are handling their roles in Sierra's past and present in different ways. This book is definitely about letting go of the past, and also about realizing you're in control of your own present.

This was an enjoyable read, I recommend it for romance readers.

A gaggle of geeks.⁣
A herd of nerds.⁣
A drove of dorks.⁣
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This story was too cute! Who doesn’t love a revenge of the nerds love story?⁣
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Sierra is a video game developer who has casual sex to avoid intimacy. She had a life long crush but also deep hate for Tristan, a hot guy from college who traumatized her and made it difficult for her to speak in public.⁣
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She lives with her best friend Aida who is married to Marco; who are both video game nerds too. Aida is that best friend who doesn’t let you get away with anything and speaks her mind. I loved her. ⁣
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When Sierra meets Alfie for what she thinks is the first time, to find they actually went to college together, she starts to realize he was a nerd too, who’s turned into a sexy, sweet guy who still loves video games too.⁣
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Sierra enters a contest at Alfie’s bar to try to gain her confidence back in public speaking so she can present her new video game at a convention in Germany. She goes through a lot of drama with Tristan and Alfie through out the story and there are some really funny, nerdy conversations that go on.⁣
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I highly recommend this if you’re a nerd at heart and love a good rom com.🤓 Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for an ARC for my honest review. ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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#bookstagram #books #romcom #nerds #booknerd #booklover #CrushingIt #netgalley #kensingtonbooks