A modern You've Got Mail that is so fun and relatable.

Sam is spending all of her time trying to get her start-up handbag business off the ground. In the evenings, she listens to videos famous gamer Blaze puts on his YouTube channel. On a whim, she signs up for a competition for a chance to play with him and somehow is picked. Now they're teamed up in a virtual tournament. At the same time, her friend in the office Luke is helping her out with her business and maybe becoming more. But Luke is secretly Blaze. Luke likes Sam and Sam likes Blaze. What's going to happen?

First off, You've Got Mail is such a classic and I absolutely love it, so finding a modern retelling was so exciting. This book captures all the angst that you would expect from this love-triangle-but-is-it situation. Sam was also so relatable as she tries to sort out her feelings for Luke and Blaze and her work goals in relation to what her father wants for her. Luke captures that super awkward but also super endearing nerdy cuteness that is easy to root for. I am definitely far from an expert on gaming, but it was still really fun to read about and I think we can all relate to having a bit of a different personality online from real life. I also enjoyed seeing bits of life for Sri Lankan families living in the UK and having Sam's (and the author's) culture infused into her reasoning throughout the book.

For anyone who loves romantic comedies, I definitely recommend giving this book a go. It was a quick read that draws you into the angst and anticipation of will-they-won't-they.

Do you like awkward nerdy guys who don’t really think they are hot? Or highly intelligent woman with a few family issues trying to start her own business in memory of her mother?

No. Then this book isn’t for you 😉

Add a video game and a serious crush and you’ve got yourself a book you have to finish in one sitting! And that’s what I did. I couldn’t put it down.

I loved the characters and the depth of those characters. I even loved the video game! I loved how the author managed to make you love and dislike Luke in equal parts. How Sam blossoms on the page in both her small business and the gaming world. How the author tackles some important.

It’s a 4 star book for me!

Thanks for my eARC of this book. I enjoyed this and thought it was a sweet read but felt like the relationship between the characters was quite superficial. I would have liked to get to know them a bit more and didn’t love the way some things were navigated - it at times read a bit superficial and took a bit do the shine/enjoyment away from the romance for me.

Sam/Bravura is very passionate women who wants to build her brand and name. She never once fully gives up and will push until her dreams come true. Watching Blaze’s YouTube channel is like therapy for Sam until she enters and wins a chance to play with him as Bravura. Luke/Blaze is a very nerdy office guy who tries hard at being confident. He has all the confidence in the world when it comes to his YouTube gaming life! With Sam & Luke’s relationship I definitely I needed some steam with these office/alone scenes, more of a young adult. It was a quick read with a cute meet cute feel.

Playing for Love is a story of two sides of the same coin - exposing how different people can appear online vs. the way they appear in person. While I am not super educated in the world of YouTube online gaming, I appreciated the opportunities that Sam and Luke had online to get to know one another in ways that they wouldn’t have had in real life. This element of the story provided a You’ve Got Mail style of communication and vulnerability that brought the characters closer together. I found the story entertaining and was rooting for these two characters, each with their own struggles, to find a way towards their own happily ever after together. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

I raced through this ridiculously cute romcom, completely smitten. Despite not knowing a single thing about gaming I loved it. Perfectly plotted with lovely characters, Charika has written a brilliantly funny, smart and heartwarming modern love story.

A lovely feel good book that was really enjoyable to read. Would definitely recommend it and I’m going to be looking for more by this author! Well done.

*SPOILERS*

I was super intrigued about this book: romance AND videogames? Yes, please! But despite the concept being an interesting one, sadly, the execution didn't quite hit the mark.

I didn't feel like Luke and Sam had any real chemistry or spark between them at all. Luke's harbouring a secret crush on Sam, Sam makes it clear she's not attracted to him and she is also big into a YouTuber called Blaze who's face she's never even seen...

They did form a cute friendship whilst at work but in terms of romance and flirtation they didn't mesh well together. I wanted more flirting, more banter, more oomph to their relationship.

What frustrated me the most when reading this book though was the obliviousness of the characters and when Luke and Sam met in person as Blaze and Bravura it was a serious eye roll moment. I understand that when he is being Blaze, Luke speaks with a Northern accent, and at the SyrenCon event he's wearing coloured contact lenses, a wig and a fake beard, but come on now - his face is still the same, his mouth/smile/teeth are still the same and his voice, despite being in a different accent, would still sound the same! As for Luke not twigging it was Sam until she took out her bag...yes, she was painted blue and had cheek prosthetics on but really Luke?! Her entire face (minus said cheeks) were the same as normal and so was her voice/accent! It really frustrated me I couldn't take the story seriously from then on.

The other major flaw was the gaming element. It wasn't explained well at all other than being played via a headset (which I'm assuming was VR). Somehow Luke and Sam are able to run, jump, help each other up, shake hands, hug, etc in the game as well as stand there panting, out of breath after running. It's written as if they are sat there playing the game with the headsets on with no other equipment or devices mentioned, so how were their characters able to do all of that? Were they using high tech controllers? VR suits? It needed a heck of a lot more detail to be believable and immersive.

Overall, it reminded me a lot of a lighter hearted Ready Player One with some attempts at romance thrown in and elements of Dead Pixels dusted on top. It passed the time but it needed so much more.

I like the story, and the characters and thought it was really good thanks netgalley for letting me read the book

Loved this book about Sam & Luke who take on characters in a video game. Very witty and loved how it flowed between Sam as Bravura and Luke as Blaze in the video game and then back in real life as Sam is trying to launch her bespoke handbags in memory of her mother. Luke is a shy IT guy in the day but blaze is a famous you tube gamer and has a massive fan base.
What follows is a modern day love story with excellent banter between them.
Would highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

I immediately enjoyed this story because I found that the author gave enough background to make the plot compelling and believable without bombarding the reader with superfluous details. This is a delicate balance that can be off-putting to me, as a reader, when it is not achieved. I want to know enough but not get so lost in the “previously on” that I also lose interest in the story. This was not a problem in Playing for Love.

Both main characters seemed genuine. I loved that the female main character’s connection to her mother was what inspired her business venture.

The thing that I struggled with the most when it came to this story was the chemistry between the two main characters. There was something missing in their interactions to make the development of a relationship seem believable. It felt as though there was a lot of “so and so felt (adjective)” rather than actually using vivid details/language to convey it. I really wanted the author to show, not tell.

I liked the story itself. This is probably what kept me reading even though the relationship did not truly feel authentic. I still wanted to know what happened next. It was also significant that the author captured how the characters could express themselves via online persona in ways that they couldn’t in their real lives. This speaks so accurately to the freedom we experience when communicating from behind a screen.

Overall, a decent plot but I wasn’t sold on the relationship aspect, which is kind of a big deal for me when I’m reading a romance (there IS “love” in the title).

I really liked the premise of this story and I liked the characters. There were times that it felt slow and a bit like it was dragging on. Overall, I thought it was fun.

Playing For Love follows Sam who is trying to start her own business and Luke who is trying to keep his business afloat. They work in the same building and Luke develops feelings for her. However, Sam has a crush on a famous gamer who she gets to play in a tournament with. It turns out Luke is that gamer. He doesn't know she is his gaming partner.
The story was cute but I felt as if it dragged on way too long.

I loved Sam and Luke!

This was a fantastic read, and I loved the use of the gaming world! Luke was a sweetheart and I feel in love with him!

I would 100% read more by this author!

Oh i loved reading this it was so fun!!! It started off a little slow, but i feel that the scene was being set, and it wasn't long before i was hooked. I knew exactly what was going to happen, but that's not a bad thing because the characters made it so enjoyable to read!!

I LOVEEEE Luke. Honestly, empathetic, kind men are my fave, and i agreed with him all the way (Sorry Sam) i loved both side stories, all the emotion, and the banter.

It was written really well, although i wish there had been a little more romance. Still, the unique thing was the gaming which i just found so interesting to read about!!!!

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a bit, of a programme I watched called Dead Pixels which was to do with online gaming too.

This book was such an interesting read. I wanted to keep reading to find out what became of Sam and Luke if anything.

I love a love story and to have the online gaming world thrown into the mix too, made for an interesting story.

I would definitely read more by this author.

This is the perfect light read to start the year (especially on grey January days).

Playing for Love is a cute and heartwarming take on the 'will they/won't they' friends to lovers trope. The romance itself is a slow burn but the pace of the writing keeps you gripped and makes it hard to put down.What I enjoyed the most is the depth of the characters and attention to details. From the moment we're introduce to Sam the reader can't help but root for her. She's at once fierce yet flawed which makes her so endearing but the same care and attention is seen in the other characters (even those in the background).

I think Jeevani Charika is definitely one to watch in this genre and Playing for Love reminds me of Mhairi Mcfarlane and Jasmine Guillory

Safe to say I would absolutely recommend this book!

This was a delightful read. Our story starts with Sam, who after being made redundant, decides to venture into business on her own. Her idea is to sell inserts for handbags. Bags were always a passion of her late mother. Sam wants to do her mother's memory justice, but things are tough and she is met with rejection.

To destress of an evening, she listens to videogame walkthroughs by her favourite YouTuber, Blaze. Blaze was her voice of comfort when she was young and dealing with the loss of her mother.

Sam discovers that a gaming company is launching a new game and they are going to have a competition, pairing up newbies with pro-gamers, with the winners of the competition winning enough money that Sam could find the launch of her handbag business. Better still, she may even be lucky enough to be paired with her crush, Blaze.

Then there is Luke, who works in the same office building as Sam. For Luke, it is almost love at first sight when he sees Sam. Unbeknownst to Sam, Luke has a secret identity, one he does not let anyone know about.

Sam's dreams come true when she is paired with Blaze for the competition. However this Blaze seems different to the Blaze she grew up listening to, he is harder, more cynical and not as friendly as she was expecting.

Sam is conflicted, she has Blaze as her partner in the competition, but she also has Luke at work, helping her fine tune her crowd funding page, and polish up her presentation. She has started to look at Luke in a different light, but when he summons up the courage to ask her out for a drink, she declines as she is still crushing on Blaze.

It isn't until the night before the competition that Luke (Blaze) realises that his gaming partner, Bravura is none other than HIS work crush, Sam. At the same time, Sam has found out that the gaming company have told Blaze to let people think that he and Bravura have a budding romance, as this could boost sales and interest in the game. This has shocked Sam to her very core, but they still enter and win the competition.

I'm pleased to say that this book has a wonderfully happy ending. This was such an enjoyable book to read and I really didn't want it to end.

This book was a very fun read. I loved the mistaken identity aspect as well as the video game creation and playing story. The only thing that would of made it more enjoyable would have been being able to see more of the main characters together (lots of build up but unfortunately left wanting to see the dynamic finally come together in the end more)

I really enjoyed this novel. With an original concept and dynamic characters, it was an interesting read and thoughtfully done. I liked the character development and I liked the characters themselves as well. The introduction of YouTubers, gamers, and the gaming industry in general was interesting and I thought the plot was incredibly clever.

Here what I liked:
-The plot wasn’t anything I had read before. The take on gamers, gaming competition, and the dynamics between the characters and their alter-egos was a juxtaposition that was really enjoyable to read about.
-I liked the different facets of the characters: from being entrepreneurs to sharing their talents and demonstrating their work ethic, I got to see different sides of these characters that wasn’t just about their romance, but also about their career goals, hobbies, personal struggles. I liked how well-developed they both were.
-There were many romantic scenes in this novel that were lovely and moving. I liked how their relationship develops not only in real life, but in their virtual engagements as well. The characters struggled with their developing feelings and alter-egos which was an important, realistic aspect to bring into the novel that I appreciated.
-I liked how Luke posed many questions about Sam’s feelings for him, or for his alter-ego. I think those were really important questions to ask and to bring to the fore-front as we approach the end of the novel: does she have feelings for him or for Blaze?

Here’s what I struggled with (SOME SPOILERS):
-I don’t find it terribly believable that Sam doesn’t recognize Luke’s voice as Blaze. This man that she’s been listening to since she was a teen, exclusively listening to his voice, and when she meets him in real life she doesn’t recognize his voice? I think that’s a plot hole I can’t necessarily overcome.
-I’m also not a huge fan of fade to black scenes. I don’t necessarily think this book needed a ton of spice, but some more insight would’ve been nice and would’ve built on the chemistry a little more.

Overall though, this was a lovely read that I thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to reading more from the author.