Since a disastrous presentation in college, Sierra is afraid of speaking in public. But as a video-game developer, she has to (and really wants to) go to a convention to present her latest creation. To overcome nerves and practice, she enters a monologue competition in a bar on who shares their most embarrasing moment, sharing a journal entry from ten years before about her crush at the moment... only to discover said crush is also in the bar.

I really liked Sierra's personality, and how she wants to overcome her fears and fight for what she wants. Apart from her fear of speaking in public, I felt she is strong and has things very clear in her head. I also loved some of the stories of the contest and laughed with them.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion **

Even though I listed this book on Goodreads just yesterday, I've been reading it for weeks. But now, I'm done reading, I wished I updated my reading progress so then you'll know by now, how I didn't enjoy reading it...But I am on hiatus and too lazy to log in here. I requested Crushing it from Netgalley because I was expecting it to be fun, lighthearted, and most of all, relatable. It's NOT, not even one of those three, and it's all because of the main character Sierra.

But first, the good things. First, I love the writing style of the author. Even though I don't like this book at all, I can say with confidence that the author has an amazing writing style, almost poetic, and it shows in the journal entries that characters read in the diary slam. Speaking of the Diary Slam, that's the second thing I like in this book. I love the idea of it as a form of forced therapy for Sierra. Everyone in the slam is expecting humiliation via their past humiliating experiences and so to quote Sierra's best friend, Aida, Sierra's fear becomes her secret weapon. That said, I love Aida. Everyone needs a friend like Aida. The last thing I like is Alfie, the main love interest. He's such a nice guy and just gives out positive energy.

Before everything else, I want to tell a story of my own, which made me think I'll find this book relatable in the first place. I was so wrong. I, too, find it hard to speak in front of people. In my high school graduation, I was a salutatorian and of course, I had to deliver a speech. And during my speech, most of my classmates made fun of me, most of them stood and made some gestures, yells at me, name-called me while I was delivering my speech. It was outright disrespectful for them to do and a horrible thing for me to experience. There were hundreds of people there, including my parents and relatives. Their action rooted in the fact that they didn't want me to be the Salutatorian because for them, someone else deserves it better and I somehow agree because I'm not really studious. My average grade just happened to be the second-highest in my batch. Despite their reasoning, still, it was wrong for them to humiliate me.

Why am I telling you this story? It's because I want you to understand why my rating of this book is too low - It's because I know what's convincing and what's not in this story. Sierra experienced something similar to my experience and just like me, it made public speaking difficult for her. I even understand her when she said, she's not shy, she's anxious as to what will happen if she speaks in front. That's true to me, as well.

Anyway, as I already hinted, my low rating is because of Sierra herself. I expected to relate to her. She's no like me, and I'm not being proud, it's just a matter-of-factly statement. I wouldn't just call Sierra naive, no, she's downright stupid and it's so frustrating. So the blurb said, she joined this diary slam and the first entry she shared is about her college crush, Tristan, without knowing that the next contestant is Tristan himself. Humiliation ensues.

That itself could've been a great plot element but alas!!! Sierra started showing her stupidity. When Tristan shows interest to her, she grabbed it, of course. He's her ultimate crush from college anyway. There's nothing wrong with that, the problem lies with Tristan being the reason why she doesn't do well in public speaking. Tristan did something that ruins Sierra's confidence in the worst way. He's the reason why her life is miserable and yet, the first time they talked after ten years, after delivering their entry for the diary slam, Sierra was all giddy toward him. Like, what on earth?

That's the first unconvincing element in the plot and an example of how idiotic Sierra can be. Sure, it's been a decade since it happened, Tristan can be a changed person now and what happened was just him being immature ten years ago, it's okay to forgive him now. I, myself, have forgiven my classmates already. My issue about Sierra is she didn't just forgive him easily, even before he apologizes, she also is ready to pounce him because he's just so pretty. Ugh!!! She sounds desperate for a relationship. I can understand her forgiving him, but it's another thing to be interested in someone who is the reason for your miserable life. The impact of what Tristan did to her life was huge, it's just so unrealistic that Sierra is too eager to have a relationship with him.

Another thing is, Tristan is a perfect example of a douchebag and Sierra doesn't even see him that way. She keeps making reasons for his actions even after multiple times that Tristan showed his bad personality. He's just using her and this is not even a spoiler because it's very obvious since their first conversation. I think the author didn't really hide Tristan's real motives because he's not the main love interest. Gosh, seriously, how stupid can she be?

That's another unconvincing element here. When you experienced what Sierra and I experienced and you've been spending your life with it as baggage, it would be hard to reconnect, much more be involved, with those people who are at fault. Forgive, sure, but get involved? Impossible. Very unconvincing. And another thing, you'll have trust issues. Sierra doesn't have trust issues when it comes to Tristan. How come she has trust issues with other guys but not with Tristan? She looks and acts like she's going to give him everything, completely ignoring her friend's advice and Mr. Right who's been there all along.

Speaking of Mr. Right, the development of the romance is also not very convincing. It's so sudden. One minute, Sierra is still kissing Tristan and lusting after him, the next, she's ignoring him and already invested in Alfie. Then, she gets annoyed when Tristan keeps texting her. Girl, it's because just a few days ago, you were kissing him. And Sierra comparing Alfie's mustang to Tristan's Vespa shows how shallow Sierra can be, considering that just few days ago, she was enjoying riding with Tristan in his Vespa, because of course, she could feel his hard body against hers.

Sure, Tristan was bad but still...

And making Tristan the ultimate bad guy is just so cliche. I was really expecting a mature, healthy love triangle/competition between three mature people. Sierra being a nerd game developer, Alfie being the nice guy, a bartender in his own bar, and Tristan as a struggling comic artist - that's the reason why he hasn't a car. He could also be a nice guy, a changed person from who he was in college. It seemed to me that the plot forced Tristan to be bad just so the readers can root for the main character. Not necessary, if you ask me.

There are more elements in the plot that are really unconvincing. Like when Sierra asked Alfie if they were even friends in college. Sure, it's been ten years but if they were really friends, she wouldn't have forgotten him, in the first place. So asking that question is unnecessary. It was a stupid question. And seriously, even I can still remember my classmates from elementary. She should've remembered if they were friends in college, COLLEGE!!! She must have been 20 to 24 years old. That's not the only thing she, or the others, forget from college throughout the story. The whole forgetting things from college is just so unrealistic.

There are also some predictable elements. Like I already said, it's too obvious that Tristan is just using her. There are some things about Alfie's character that is also predictable, like the girl he talks about in his own journal.

I also didn't find any part of the book funny. Not even the humiliating stories. They're not funny at all, in fact, strangely, I felt like I was being laughed at. And some of the jokes are old, they're not funny anymore. I also didn't appreciate Sierra being a nerd. Sure, she plays games once in a while in the story but there's not that feeling of recognizing my own fellow nerd. I'm a nerd myself, not of games, but still, I always feel a sense of closeness to nerd characters. I didn't feel anything toward Sierra except dislike.

So overall, obviously, I didn't enjoy this book. I wanted to DNF it so many times, but I persevered. I still will read the works of this author because like I said, her writing style is amazing. She's a poet, this author.

Welcome to the gamers world! This was a lighthearted, funny, witty novel. The main characters were likeable, the plot believable and the pace quick.

It felt a little flat in the final third, and the dialogue became a little corny and wooden to the point where I found myself skipping bits to get through it. At times, I rolled my eyes so hard I probably should see an Optometrist.

An ok read, but not for me.

Find all my reviews on: http://thatbookishgem.com

I received a copy of this book from netgalley. The book starts out with a women who has public speaking anxiety and like most romcoms she enters a contest to overcome her anxiety. We are introduced to possible romantic interests a former college crush and a bartender that she never quite noticed. This book was great and you immediately start rooting for the man of your choice. I can’t wait to read more from Lorelei Parker.

I have a divided opinion right now. In the beginning, I was decided to drop the story. Sierra was an idiot, to say the least. I did get it, she wanted to believe the hot guy was respectable and wasn’t using her when he undeniably was. She didn’t believe her best friend even, I wanted to immerse myself in the book and hit her.
However, as it progressed it changed. She realized Travis (hot guy) was an asshole and came to accept that the “nice guy” was the one for her. Alfie, her romantic interest, completed the plot. He cares deeply for her, he helps her, he encourages her. They were perfect for each other and had my heart in a tangled mess.
Apart from the romance, what I loved was the character development Sierra went through. She learned to embrace herself, to convert her fear into a weapon, and moved from the past; also, she was incredibly hardworking, passionate, had her own company; she kicked ass.
Overall, it was an enjoyable book with amazing characters (*cough* except Travis) and interesting plot twists,

I enjoyed this book! It was fun, smart, and relatable! I enjoyed seeing the female lead navigate her struggles and relationships, but I did think the way she went about things was a little frustrating or annoying. Personally, it isn't one my favorite books I have read this year, but I think if you are an avid gamer or love developing video games you will enjoy and relate to this book so much more than I did. I would definitely recommend to those readers who are gamers, but this wouldn't be a book I would recommend to just anyone. As a debut novel for the author, I think she wrote a great story and I would be interested to see what kinds of books she comes out with in the future. Writing a book is no small thing and she was able to create a storyline that I could follow and characters I rooted for. Overall, it was a good book and it had its sweet moments.

Sierra Reid is cofounder and software developer of a company who produces games for systems. The company’s investor Reynold needs someone to present their newest game in Europe. Sierra wants to go but has trouble speaking in front of strangers due to an embarrassing moments in college. Her roommates and also cofounders set her up to do a bar slam of these moments. There she meets Alfie the owner of the bar. She also slams on Tristan her college crush. What she doesn’t realize is Tristan is also there. I enjoyed the book. We have all had those moments where we do stupid things around our crush. You will root for Sierra and to pick the right guy, Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for the
E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

Adorable. I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it in a day.

Of course, we saw a mile away where the story was going to end but because Lorelei Parker and team did a great job polishing sentences until they shined, we went along with it and enjoyed the ride.

“Crushing It” was an entertaining and funny rom-com /chick-lit with a little bit of sexy slipped in there.

This novel by Lorelei Parker was engaging and witty. I literally laughed loud a few times at some of the crazy adventures that Sierra had.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review

A really fun, laugh out loud romance, perfect for the beach. I loved how real and witty Sierra was.
This book was provided to me for review by the publisher.

Sierra Reid, a video game developer has a problem: in order to sell her game & impress her boss, she needs to overcome her fear of public speaking so she can confidently present the demo of her game at a gaming conference in Germany. Her best friend Aida suggests Sierra participate in the Chagrin Challenge, a Moth-style storytelling competition hosted by a local bar where contestants share only their most cringe-worthy stories. Sierra plans to read old journal entries about her former college crush, Tristan Spencer... only to find out that he’s sitting in the audience himself. The humiliation is enough to make her consider dropping the competition altogether, but Alfie, the supportive bar owner, promises to help her through it if she sticks around.

Thank you to @netgalley & the publisher for this advanced copy of Crushing It (which hit shelves on June 30!). I read this book in one day— that’s how much I enjoyed this contemporary romance. The writing was light, airy & full of gaming metaphors, which I thought really pulled together Sierra’s character. As a main character, she was lovably awkward, a secret badass who just needed to be coaxed out of her shell. I also loved her relationship with her best friend Aida & I wish we could have gotten more meaningful moments between the two.

I am mustering up a 2 stars because I almost DNF this one a few times. It was so very very slow. The first half of the book fragged for me. I picked it up and put it down many, many times.

This was a funny, sweet, and entertaining romantic comedy. A perfect weekend escape. I loved the main characters especially Sierra, an awkward gamer girl after my own geeky heart. Sierra has struggled with public speaking for 10 years after a humiliating failure in high school. She is desperate to go to a world gaming convention to present her new beloved game she has created but her lack of public speaking skills gets into her way. Her best friend and housemate finds the perfect solution - a contest about sharing what’s embarrassed you to help her work out the kinks. She runs into some old classmates from college including her crush and the boy had had a crush on her. This book had me laughing and cheering as I devoured the pages.

A cute and fast read (my Kindle estimated about 5 hours)! The beginning of the book frustrated me because I hated Tristan so much, but once Sierra wises up, it gets to be much more enjoyable. While this book made me want to play Mario Kart really badly and centered around her trying to gain back her confidence to pitch her game at a Con, the book really didn't deal with gaming as much as I expected. I did enjoy that her central challenge was trying to get her confidence back, and I really enjoyed Alfie as a character. It had some good mini-reveals, though I was frustrated by how long it took to fully explain her traumatic speech experience in college (by the time it was revealed, I felt like it had been told 90% of the way in brief mentions, and wish the band-aid had been ripped off in full earlier).
Overall, a solid contemporary that is different from the typical (she starts dating her college crush before moving on to Alfie, the hero), but is really light and funny. A great summer beach read!

Sierra was such a fun character. A gamer, with a Japanese funky street style is totally cute, but just doesn’t see herself that way at all. Her re-introduction to her college crush goes a long way towards giving her confidence, but really it’s the admiration and friendship of the pub owner, Alfie, that makes her start to view herself differently.

This author really delivered on all of the humiliating stories, I found myself laughing along with the crowded pub, and really enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters. My favorites being the gay couple Zane and Bryce who had just the right amount of supportive snark and raunchy stories to keep the mood light.

Crushing It was a pleasant surprise! I picked this ARC completely based off of the description (and the cute cover!) and didn’t regret my choice at all. If you’re looking for a fun, light, rom-com, I think you’ll enjoy this story and the cast of characters a lot.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

This book wasn't what I expected. And that was not a good thing for me.

Maybe it was the gaming aspect that I didn't quite care for? Maybe my age is showing? LOL I don't know.

Plus sometimes the book was just too much and it took me forever to read and despite a strong start, it flops in the second half.

NOW...that's not to say I didn't like/enjoy certain aspects of the book- mainly the rom-com feel it had and I loved some of the relatable things that happen.

I give it 3 hearts(out of 5).

Crushing It By Lorelei Parker (2020/06/30)
Rating 3/5 Stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher (Kensington Books) for providing me with an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: Anxiety

This story follows Sierra Reid who is a game developer. In order to pitch her role-playing game at a European conference she must get over her fear of public speaking. When her best friend convinces her to try reading her diary at a local bar, she thinks the idea is ridiculous. She decides that she’ll give the idea a shot by reading her diary entry about her old crush from college, Tristan Spencer. What she doesn’t know is that he is also attending the same event. When the two reconnect, she decides to give him a chance. But when she strikes up a friendship with the Bar owner Alfie she must decide if she wants to pursue her old flame or a new one.

I liked this book; the story was interesting. It was cool to read about a female gamer. I liked that we got to read about her journey of overcoming public speaking. I liked the confessions that everyone had to read at the bar, I found them very entertaining. I didn't like Tristian at all, I feel like his plot line could have been taken out and this story would still be good. I didn't like how naive the heroine was when it came to Tristian, there were so many red flags and she just kept giving him the benefit of the doubt.

At times it was a little too game heavy which made me disconnect a little from the story. I liked romance in the story, I found it to be really sweet. I liked that the hero encouraged and believed in the heroine. I do wish that we got to have more scenes with the heroine and hero because I feel like they’re relationship developed really fast. I loved the friendships in this story and how supportive they were. I think that drama at the end wasn't necessary especially because that was the hero’s first mistake and the conflict stemmed from miscommunication.

Overall, I liked this book. I just don’t think this story will stick with me long term. Once again thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️✨(2.5 stars)
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Sierra is a gaming developer and to go to Gamescon, she needs to prove that she can get in front of an audience and promote their new game. But a sabotaged presentation ten years ago has traumatized her so much that she can’t work through her anxiety. Enter the Chagrin Challenge. Contestants tell their most humiliating tales for a chance to win $1,000. Sierra and Aida believe this might be Sierra’s chance to overcome her fear of public speaking but after regaling the audience with a story about her first embarrassing encounter with her crush Tristan Spencer, the moderator announces “Next up, Tristan Spencer!” Flattered, Tristan and Sierra start talking. But bartender Alfie also has an interest in Sierra. In this awkward love triangle comes truth, lies, love and determination. Definitely a fun and light read for any female gamers out there.

I enjoyed the competitive aspect of this book and the lighthearted romance. Love triangles are also my jam because who doesn’t like to vicariously live through someone else’s life? And one that’s cringe-worthy is an added bonus. So many embarrassing moments in this book. So entertaining. But I found it hard to relate because I’m just not a gamer. I also found the characters to be predictable and frustrating. Sierra’s longtime fascinations with Tristan (who is very much a jerk), was incredibly annoying because she seems like such a strong female lead but she goes down the cliché path of drooling over a crush from 10-years ago. I was hoping for more from her. And more character development from the other characters aside from Tristan, Sierra and Alfie. Overall a good book and fun read.

Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks {#partner} for gifting me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an independent and honest review. This book was released yesterday so go grab yourself a copy!

🎮 ARC REVIEW: This is the third book in a row that I’ve read that hasn’t been for me and I’m bummed. I couldn’t even bring myself to post the review yesterday on it’s pub date because it was such a let down and one of the biggest bummers of it is that Crushing It started out great! I loved the gamer girl main character and her best friend running a video game company together. I loved the storyline of our main character finding her confidence and performing in a Moth-like storytelling competition! But around 50% the story got lazy and predictable and just too cheesy for me to handle. I don’t mind cheesy, but this was a bit much and some of the scenes just went off the rails with description. I could SEE the promise of this story through the writing, Lorelei Parker is a descriptive and engaging writer, it just went off course. The main character, Sierra, is kind of juggling two guys from college throughout and keeps saying she can’t remember these huge events from “way back when” even though it was only 10 years ago. I get it, college was HAZY at best for me (I was also there for 6 years so I took my time 🍺) but I’d remember if my diehard crush and I kissed and I wrote about it in my journal. And Sierra doesn’t even remember one of the main characters from college and it sounds like they interacted a lot! It just didn’t make sense to me. I was audibly groaning during the conflict towards the end of the book. I really thought about DNFing but I stuck it out through copious amounts of eye rolling. I gave it 2 stars because it did have promise in the first half...
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PS Sierra dates a dude for a WHILE that doesn’t even know her name. HE DOESN’T CALL HER THE RIGHT NAME FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. What in the hell????
🎮 Thank you to @netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
🎮 Pub Date: June 30, 2020

So this wasn't my favorite unfortunately. And I don’t know if it was my gut telling me for some reason I wouldn’t enjoy this as much as other books, but something about a female gamer just didn’t connect with me and I was worried this would be full of clichés and situations I would never understand and connect with.

Unfortunately, this was kind of what I expected it to be. Nerds and geeks galore, just wasn’t my jam. The situations she was in and the conversations they all had were not relatable and I found myself wondering if that’s how the author thinks real life is. I think my biggest problem was I didn’t like Sierra. At all.

I might not write the author off right away. It’s hard to write a book and it doesn’t always resonate with everyone. But I’d give her another chance! Maybe different content would be better for me.