I stopped midway through this since it is clear the author doesn't really have a clue what goes on at game companies and decided to take everything to an unbelievable degree. As well, the lead character is thoroughly unlikable, rude to people, constantly labels everyone, then makes everyone's life difficult around her. There are no redeeming qualities in the plot or the character.

Story: Despite having no industry experience, Melody finds herself working at a game company as a producer. The CEO is a sexist narcissist, she loses her office and her new office is shared with a sexist Starbucks addict, the obnoxious CEO's uncle annoys her, and her Korean family constantly harps on her to get a boyfriend. When her idea for a game is stolen, she has to play along - even while planning the wedding for a good friend she doesn't like and being a godmother to her other good friend (who fortunately she does like). Melody's life is about to become very complicated.

Right off the bat, Melody was not a very sympathetic character. Her first days at her new game company work involved instantly sizing up and then stereotyping her co workers. With the exception of the one lone female, they are all self centered and whiney. All make sexist comments "are you PMSing or what?" so Melody spends most of the book being nasty back. At no point in the book did she ever have a friendly word for a coworker, instead instantly sparring and earning enemies. We're supposed to feel she is justified in her hate because they are rude - but in reality, many people are rude who aren't sexist and sometimes just being nice or neutral is a better path. Especially later in the book, she gets confrontational and we're supposed to feel it is cathartic but in reality is would be grounds for being fired. Her home life isn't any better, with some nasty comments about one of her friends despite being quite two-faced to the poor woman. Honestly, I think the author confuses snarky dialogue with what is in reality just plain unpleasantness and hypocritical behavior.

Her male coworkers are sexist pigs, of course. And highly narcissistic. And while we all know how bad the bro-culture is at game companies, these individuals are so condensed in the bad behavior and so over-the-top as to be complete caricatures. In reality, the situation is very pervasive but also much less defined. A lot more nuance would have gone a longer way here so that the characters were more believable. Especially the employees at her company were all petulant man-childs. The reality is that game company employees are much more diverse and while there are may bad eggs, not to the point that you see in the book. I respect creative license but it gets tiring seeing the constant overt sexism. This isn't Mad Men, which made the point so much more elegantly and casually. I really wish Park had taken the time to make Melody's work issues with the bro-culture a lot more nuanced and less "insta fired" as would happen if those sexist comments were made in today's culture/game companies. The game she comes up with is really ridiculous.

I have a hard time recommending this book. I didn't find it amusing, it was dreary to read, it was unrealistic, the main character was just as rude and those she was hating on, and there weren't any redeeming characters in the book. Even the love interest was an over-idealized hero type. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Sometimes covers can be deceiving. Going into Loathe At First Sight by Suzanne Park, I thought I was picking up a romance. It’s marketed as a rom-com, but it’s really a little bit of an office romance woven into a larger, more important story--a story of sexism and racism in the workplace--and one woman’s determination to make it in the male-dominated world of gaming. Given all that, I would classify this one as women’s fiction instead of romance, since the romantic relationship is clearly secondary.

Melody is a video game producer at an up and coming gaming company in Seattle, a company saturated in blatant misogyny. As a joke, she dreams up a game populated with sexy male strippers, an inverse to the typical big bosomed female characters. The game is picked up to be developed, and she’s placed in charge. On her team is the attractive intern, who happens to be the CEO’s nephew, with whom she eventually falls in love (naturally). But seriously--the romantic subplot is less of a focus than the rampant sexism and misogyny she encounters in the office and eventually all the online trolling and cyberbullying she faces as the release of her game approaches.

I enjoyed this story--I gave it four stars--but I think marketing it as a rom-com does it a disservice because it really does confront multiple serious issues that women face in male-saturated workplaces. On top of basic misogyny, Melody also has to deal with the intersection of sexism with racism, as a Korean-American. I always appreciate #ownvoices books, and Park clearly uses her experiences to inform LAFS. Melody’s parents are very Korean, and Melody has an especially complicated relationship with her mother. Showing aspects of Melody’s family culture and heritage add another layer of depth to her character and the book as a whole.

This book should definitely come with a host of content warnings, specifically toxic workplace environment/harassment/stalking/racism/homophobic remarks/cyberbullying. It is ultimately an empowering story with lots of humor and heart but it doesn’t shy away from some very heavy topics.

I have to say I love this book. The premise was enemies to lovers rom com with the backdrop of video games. Melody Joo worked at a video gaming company with misogynistic, and racist coworkers. She becomes a victim of online abuse, harassment, and threatening tweets because she works at a video game company. The level of harassment and racial slurs directed at her because she’s an Korean American and female were awful. She proved to all that she was smart, funny and hardworking. She proved that anyone can work in a male dominated environment and win. I was definitely rooting for Melody throughout the book,

Her friends Jane and Candace were an awesome addition to the story. The scenes between the friends were hilarious. I also have to say I laughed out loud over the mother/daughter conversations. Honestly, the author made me laugh throughout the whole book.

The romance was slow and endearing. I loved Nolan, the intern, and he proved to be a solid and sweet guy.
Overall, I loved it. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I cannot wait for her next book!

I received the ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for my copy

So I picked up Loathe at First Sight on a Sunday morning, figuring I would read a few chapters before starting my day. Four hours later, I hadn't moved and had read three-quarters of the book. I literally couldn't put it down. I did make myself take a break to, you know, eat and drink some water, but I went straight back to the book and finished it a couple of hours later.

I loved so many things about it, but top of the list is definitely the humor. I knew from reading Suzanne's other book that she was funny, and this one had me laughing out loud multiple times. I also really loved and connected with Melody's friends. I'm a big fan of female friendships in my romances and this one felt more realistic than most as there were some somewhat awkward dynamics between the three women. I could see myself in their relationship and I loved that. In addition to amazing friends, Nolan is also an adorable hero (plaid shirts and glasses, yum!). He was so sweet and supportive and I loved the dynamic between him and Melody.

But I think what sets this book apart from many others is the way it handles the sexual harassment and racism Melody faces. It felt real, most of all, and I thought the way each character reacted made a huge impact (whether the character reacted sensitively or poorly). The difficulties Melody faces as a woman in gaming will hopefully be eye-opening for many out there. The way women--especially women of color--are spoken to and treated is pretty appalling, and Suzanne captures these incidences perfectly.

Overall, I enjoyed every second of reading this book and I think it will appeal to so many readers!

Loathe at First Sight is a romantic comedy that delves into cyberbullying, misogynistic work environments, and powerful women. Melody Joo began a new job at a video game development company where most of her coworkers were male. The hostility was apparent from the start. Not only was Melody Joo a woman, but she was Korean-American as well. Discrimination runs rampant in the video gaming world, and Melody has some trouble coping. However, one coworker, in particular, stands out from the rest. Melody starts to think that maybe he isn’t as bad as she first thought he was.

Melody was an excellent character that had you rooting for her to overcome all the obstacles in her path. In typical, rom-com fashion, a happy ending was inevitable, and I loved every page.

The title promises an enemies-to-lovers story that it does not quite deliver. Had I gone into this book expecting a workplace romance that illustrates the frustrations of being a woman (of color) working at a gaming company, I would have given it another star.

Melody Joo has started a new job at a bro-gamer company. She has to contend with a whole lot of white privilege and microaggressions. She responds with grumbling, anger, tears, and some well-timed words.

I recently read LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT by Suzanne Park, and I am confused.
 
This is definitely not your average rom com. The premise of this book is an enemies-to-lovers rom com in the notoriously sexist video game industry. We start off with our protagonist, Melody Joo, jumping in head first to find her way – all the while trying to keep an appealing (and off-limits) love interest at bay. 
 
Content warnings: misogyny and sexism including workplace sexual harassment, internet harassment, and doxxing. 
 
The pacing, along with Melody’s ability to getting scrappy with limited resources, really worked for me. Melody was great at not taking herself too seriously and I loved how she stood up for herself instead of letting the relentless sexism get her down. (Although there was one scene involving salary negotiation that had my blood boiling.) 
 
Overall the romance took a backseat to the gaming, work-related plot, and I’d probably label this more contemporary women’s fiction than romance. Given that the comps for this book are “fans of Jasmine Guillory and Sally Thorne,” you would likely expect more of a leading romance plot with gaming to be secondary. 
 
I spent a lot of time thinking about this book after I read it. Are publishers setting up #ownvoicebook debuts (in this case, adult debut) for failure because they don’t know how to market them? While this book wasn’t a slam-dunk for me, it’s partly because the marketing for this book made me think it was a romance. With a less “coupled” cover, a slightly different blurb, and a different title, I might have felt very differently about the book because my expectations were set. 
 
There isn’t anything quite like this book out there, and I think it’s a useful book if you want to get a peek into toxic gaming culture. I’m just concerned that this book is going to be very hit or miss with readers because of the marketing misalignment. 
 
Thanks to the author, @avonbooks, and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC.

Let me start off by saying that this book seems to be marketed as a romance, and it definitely is not. It is 100% women’s fiction. There is a romance, but it is very much a secondary plot. They only kiss twice in the entire book. Not to mention, the person that she “Loathes” throughout the entire book is not who she ends up with. She does have an argument as her first interaction with the hero, but it doesn’t last long. So, the title doesn’t make much sense to me. It’s marketed as an enemies to lovers story, and it isn’t at all.

The main storyline of this book is about how difficult is can be as a woman in a man dominated world. In this instance, the gaming community. While this is a real issue in our world today, it got very repetitive as the book went on. Do to this, it gave the whole book a negative feeling.

2.75 stars (rounded up to 3)
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

A romance novel about video game producers? Yes please! I love career romance where the main characters are equals. This is a fun, highly readable book with just the right amount of heat and humor,

This was one of those “not for me at this time” books. I had really high hopes for Loathe at First Sight, the blurb sounded right up my alley! But I really struggled with how intense the harassment was that the heroine received. It was pretty triggering and hard to read at times. I also went into this thinking it was a romance? It felt more like women’s fiction to me, I think this one is incorrectly marketed as a romance/rom-com and the love story is the secondary plot. I DNF this book, but I would like to try some of Park’s other books in the future. .

I love how Park sets her book in the video game industry in LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT. She manages to capture the difficulty of a woman working in that environment. I really enjoyed all the family and friends characters in the novel, and Park definitely writes with a lot of humor.

This was marketed as a rom-com, which I thought was slightly mislabeled. The romance is there, but it really takes a backseat to the protagonist wrestling with issues of sexism and racism. I think that might have misled me and thrown off my expectations.

Also, even though the games industry is tough, the massive onslaught of extreme challenges and continual lack of support seemed particularly brutal.

I’m grateful for a strong female lead in Melody, but the book tried to fit in a lot of themes: standing up to family, persevering at work, finding a personal platform, investing in a romantic relationship, etc.

Overall, though, a brave novel that challenges the status quo and probes into a not-much-shown industry.

I love when a romcom is set in a world that is so unfamiliar to my own and also not something you see often in books and movies. That's how felt about Loathe at First Sight, set in the gaming industry, a world with which I'm completely unknowledgeable. I assume much of the rampant sexism was pulled from real life experience, and I had no idea although I'm not all that surprised. Melody was a such a strong female character and I admired how she stood up against it. No matter what hurdles she faced (many) and how much was thrown at her (a lot), she just kept going. The romance wasn't a huge part of the book, but it was very cute, as was the male lead. The subplots surrounding her best friends' wedding and pregnancy respectively added much entertainment as did the scenes with Melody's parents. I snort-laughed several times! This was my first book by Park, but I have The Perfect Escape on audio and look forward to the listen!

LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT was love at first read for me! I was expecting a cotton candy romcom and it was so much more. Not that it wasn’t funny—it was hilarious. Especially her parents.

Melody Joo is a woman and of Korean decent, which makes her a minority in the gaming business. She jokes about reversing gender roles in gaming: instead of a busty female lead, having male strippers be the heroes during an apocalypse. Her joke becomes reality and she is made producer over the game. But someone leaks out info about the game and Melody’s inbox is flooded with hate mail, trolls, and even death threats. Her friends want her to quit but she’s not giving up until it’s game over.

The author does a superb job of balancing humor and the heavier topics: misogyny in the gaming world, racism, and bullying/harassment threats. There is also a subplot sweet, forbidden romance (he’s an intern at her company). Like any good video game, this book is addicting.

Age level: Adult (swearing, sexual talk, bullying/harassment)

Content warning - this book contains extreme cyberbullying and sexual harassment.

Summary:

Melody has just started working at a video game corporation. Excited as she is about her new role, she quickly learns firsthand the misogyny that is deeply rooted in the video game industry. Girls can't be good at video games. Girls don't belong in gaming. Her boss is a pig who seems to share this mindset, and she's certain that his nephew and new intern Nolan will be similar, but she quickly finds that there is more to Nolan than meets the eye.
Feeling frustrated by the fact that female characters in video games are often only there as eye candy, she jokes about an idea for a game that is centered around strong female characters and male strippers. Shockingly, the idea that started as a joke becomes very real, and soon she is heading a team behind making this game into reality. But when the idea is leaked to the public, hundreds of people start cyberbullying her. With the support of Nolan and her best friends, Melody is able to weather the storm of the attacks she is receiving, speak out against hate, and create much-needed change in the video game industry.

Review:

This story is SO NEEDED. I absolutely adored Melody Joo and could relate to her on so many levels. (I have encountered so many "shocked Pikachu faces" when I tell men and boys that I'm a gamer.) Park did an amazing job of creating a well-developed, lovable, perfectly imperfect character. The entire way through this book I was either laughing or pissed off. The hate Melody receives is absolutely horrendous and far too common. Cyberbullying is destructive and cowardly. Melody puts it beautifully when speaking out about it: "If we met face-to-face, could you say all the same things you're posting online while looking me straight in the eye?"
My one qualm about this book is that it felt confused. It seems to be marketed as a romcom, but it is clearly so much more than that. The romance element to me felt like a very small subplot. If you're looking for a lighthearted read, this does not fit the bill. But if you want a powerful, real, hard-hitting, badass feminist story, then this is the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for this gifted ARC. Loathe at First Sight will be available to the public on August 18, 2020!

A romance novel set in the mega-bro video gaming environment. I picked this up because it was hyped as having the "enemies-to-lovers" trope, which is one I enjoy, but honestly the romance part of this felt a little more background than I was expecting, and not too much with the "loathe" as indicated in the title. . It did do a great job of focusing on the omnipresent misogynistic culture that pervades the gaming industry, and how women, even fictional ones, can go about changing it. It reminded me a lot of Mariana's storyline in the show Good Trouble. .

The MC Melody is smart, hardworking, but unlucky in love; and as a Korean daughter, keeps dealing with get parents trying to marry her off. There's both the relatable and the fancy best friends. The misunderstanding with the love interest. And quite a few enemies to root against. .

All in all, this was a fun and energetic read. I did feel like throwing it against the wall several times because of the moronic males with their mansplaining and theft of ideas, but that's just my personal opinion on that behavior coming through. Kudos to the author for writing characters well enough to elicit that reaction in me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the advanced readers copies (ARC) of this title.

#loatheatfirstsight #arc #netgalley #avonbooks #romance #enemiestolovers #gamingindustry #contemporaryromance #bipocbooks #ralexistreads #bookstagram #igbooks

This book was everything I hoped it would be from the description! Melody is fierce and keeps going, even when the world is determined to get her down.
A fun, fast romance

Excellent! The feminist content surprised me (in the best way!) and I loved all of the characters. A great blend of romance, humor, and serious topics.

Loathe at First Sight is about Melody Joo, a young woman who works for a gaming company as a producer and jokingly proposes the idea for an apocalyptic game featuring male strippers fighting for survival. Her game idea is picked up and she gets to head the team, but also has to deal with insufferable colleagues and a social media attack against her. At the same time, she's fighting feelings for the intern assigned to work with her and helping her friend plan her wedding.

This was a cute story. It was pretty light on the romance aspect; I could see Melody developing feelings for Nolan but I never saw the chemistry from his side. I liked the friendships between Melody and her two best friendships. I like when books have good female friendships so that aspect was really nice.

I also really like Melody's profession and the struggles she went through. I work in a male dominated profession so I could really relate to her character. I liked how she persevered and rose above everyone doubting her. I was really aggravated by the misogynistic comments from so many of her colleagues, and the racist/sexist comments from the people attacking Melody and her game. It's so unfortunate that women in gaming and other male dominated professions face these issues. It's something I deal with so to see it portrayed so realistically was simultaneously frustrating and nice, because maybe it'll bring awareness to the issue. But Melody was fierce and unapologetic and confident in her abilities, and I loved seeing her show everyone what she could do.

This was my first book by this author and overall I enjoyed it. I will say that I was expecting an enemies to lovers romance but that felt like the secondary storyline. It felt like the author took great care in writing about the video game industry and did her research thoroughly which I appreciated.
Melody Joo's character was great. She was smart, fun, self-aware and empowering. She holds her own in a male dominated industry. The book felt more about female empowerment than the rom-com I was expecting but it was a pleasant surprise. Even though the romance didn't take center stage, I was still very much rooting for Melody and Nolan. Nolan was a sweetheart. I really liked the characters and I enjoyed the authors writing style. I'm looking forward to reading more from Suzanne Pak

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

I did enjoy reading this book, but with some caveats.

Romance is not the central plot point in this book, although it is addressed at least a bit. Rather, the main point of this book seems to be about how difficult it is for women and minorities to be accepted into the culture of video game players and game developers. There is a lot said about the doxing of women players/developers by a particularly toxic subculture of gamers that vocally, anonymously, and even violently object to the inclusion of said women.

I also didn't understand why the author never addressed the possibility of the main character pursuing a lawsuit against the company for what they and their employees perpetrated against her. I'm not saying that she would have sued, just that she should have at least considered it and what the repercussions would be to her future in the industry.