I loved this story. I loved both of the characters. I adored the side characters and how everything felt natural, the writing flowed, everything just clicked here.
Luke and Sam were amazing, beautiful characters.
I had fun with this light hearted romance.
The banter was great. The relationships between the characters were even better.
And the romance was fabulous.
I couldn't have picked a better book to get me out of this reading slump.

HQ Digital,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author & HQ Digital publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because I saw that the author is from Sri Lankan descent, like myself, and I had never seen a contemporary romance by an Sri Lankan author at all. I knew it would be interesting and I could hear my mother bringing it up over a cup of tea sometime like 'Don't you know Punchi's sister-in-law's cousin's daughter has written a book?'

I have to say that my heritage helped me to connect straight away with Sam, the main female character. I loved seeing the names 'Thatha' and Lokuamma' written in a book when I had only ever heard them spoken by my relatives. Although Sam is much younger than me and is interested in stuff I don't know much about, it was her pluckiness and family ties that really spoke to the immigrant and feminist in me.

Also, I totally understood Sam's completely illogical celebrity crush and how it messes with reality and her actual love-life (In my teens I was focussed on joining the FBI just so I could LOCK MULDER DOWN.

I adored geeky Luke as well - the meet cute is super cute, however, I thought the chemistry between the characters took a little too long to build. Friendship I could see - mad sexual energy, not so much. I know part of that is wrapped up in Sam's Blaze obsession, but I didn't see her attraction to Luke as a serious thing until close to the end.

That being said, the writing and character development is really good and I could really picture the video game scenes ... which is saying a lot because they last time I played a video game was Donkey Kong in the 80's. I liked how sexism in the gaming industry was highlighted because - yeesh! It is in every industry isn't it?

This is a really cute and funny romance that I really enjoyed.

A heartwarming, clean romance novel with a love-square at the centre.

In the daytime, she's Samadhi, Just a normal girl with a normal life. But there's something about her that no one knows yet....

I'm a sucker for a love-square. Especially a love-square with a driven heroine who is more insecure than she looks and a dorky dude with a cool persona to hide behind, so this was the perfect book for me. Somebody should have warned me before I started reading this that I wouldn't be able to put it down.

Sam has been made redundant, and with her generous payoff she's trying her hand at entrepreneurship. The product is right but the advertising isn't. Enter Luke, a very dorky guy who likes her and knows all about this stuff. But Sam only has eyes for one person - Youtuber Blaze who she's just been paired with in a competition. AKA Luke's alter-ego. There's also a secondary story running thorough about Sam and her family, how they have dealt with their grief and the idea that you can only be successful with a paying job.

If I haven't made it clear already I loved this book. The tension was superb, the reveal wasn't melodramatic and all the characters felt like actual adults who didn't have romance at the centre of their lives but also had other problems and concerns. In the author's note the author says she isn't very into the gaming/Youtube world but she hits on some core issues/problems in the fandom, especially in its attitude towards women. There was a lot of thought behind why the characters involved with the online tournament were selected. These things would have been easy for the author to gloss over but I was glad to hear about the reasoning behind the choices.

There is no greater love than geek love. Playing for Love is the story of Luke and Sam who share an office space but that’s not all they have in common because Luke has a secret alter ego in Blaze the a YouTube gamer who Sam has been following since she was a teenager and has an almighty crush on even though she’s never met him. So when she wins a competition to play a new game along side Blaze she can’t believe her luck and shy, bashful Luke doesn’t get a look in.
This was sooooo adorable, I loved it. Luke is so pure. The purest of the pure and I hated Sam a tiny bit for squishing his feelings under her handbag but then we wouldn’t have a plot if she had. So🤷‍♀️ 4.5 stars it’s tops.

This was a such a cute, sweet romance. Both characters felt real and had struggles with confidence in their own ways which definitely is something i related to. I know nothing about the gamer world and thought i may find it boring but it wasn't. There was one point in the story i didn't like Luke but quickly i changed my mind. I couldn't quite give it 5 stars because the gamer plot i don't think was meant for me, but i think its unique in the romance world and great to see more representation in romance books.

Sam is a designer for handbags and she is secretly into playing and watching competitive gaming, and has a secret crush on a player named Blaze. Sam gets selected to participate in an online tournament, and Blaze is her partner! Turns out Blaze is actually Luke, the shy and awkward guy from her office. Luke has a crush on Sam, but she doesn't pay him much mind. As the book goes on, we get to see how they work together in the game and see how their relationship grow.

I really liked the premise of this story, and my favorite parts were when they were going through the game. However, the other part of the plot felt a little bit flat and the characters didn't have much depth to them. I also didn't really feel the connection between Luke and Sam.

Overall, I give Playing for Love a 3/5 stars.

Thank you HQ and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I ALWAYS love a good “you’ve got mail” esq trope, and “Playing for Love” was so unique. I appreciated the different take by having it being a video game avatars.

This book had a lot going for it! All of the side plot lines were really well developed, and I especially loved the angle of the female entrepreneur. Sam’s journey of finding confidence in her self and being vulnerable enough to share her story were really well executed.

I really liked the contrast of the personas of Luke vs Blaze. I think the distinction made it much easier to reconcile the conflicting plots. Mainly, I just loved sweet Luke’s character!! I think towards the end Sam/Luke was a bit rushed, and I would’ve loved to have seen more build up between the two of them in real life.

Very enjoyable book, and a very fun, different plot!!

This book totally surprised me, it was so funny and charming and delightful. I have absolutely zero knowledge of the world of YouTube gaming so I wasn't sure if I might find that off-putting as its so central to the plot but it wasn't an issue at all. Everything was built around the characters, who I fell totally in love with, so their interests became my interests. And as a bonus it was fascinating to explore the ways in which we create personas for ourselves online and how those can be a place to be the version of ourselves we might be too afraid to be in real life.

The central romance is charming and cute, with both characters being a delight in different ways. A genuinely lovely romance read.

You’ve got mail theme with smart gaming aspect always great formula which wins both adult and YA readers’ admirations! And when the author creates such lovable characters like Sam and Luke: I can honestly say: “Ding ding! We have a winer! “

Romance at work place: two coworkers who are also gamers in their spare time start developing big crush for each other without knowing their true identities.

Yes! Gaming aspect blended in virtual friends to lovers theme. This is not steamy book with characters who build such high chemistry. It’s sweet, easy to read and the characters’ emotional backgrounds and their encounters and relations with their own families are developed impeccably.

If you look for feelgood romance, lovely work place romance with smart gaming references; this book is such great match for your needs.

Special thanks to NetGallet and HQ Digital for sharing this lovely digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This was a cute read. This story is about Sam and Luke. Sam and Luke work in the same office building. But, they also are gamers in their spare time. Sam develops a crush on a professional gamer Blaze. She is his gaming partner in an online gaming tournament. Through various chats she develops a crush but they only had a few chats between themselves so wish there was more character development there. Blaze happens to be Luke who works in the same office with her. So, I did like the gaming aspect of this book, I do like the mystery behind the profile theme. Not sure what you call that but I really like that theme in books. I really enjoyed this book just wish it went a little further with the character development but good solid read.

#gifted
Playing for Love
By Jeevani Charika
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Video games. Love. Competition.

This was a wholesome two sided romance involving online feelings mixed with workplace friendship.
This book was a lovely way to start the year. It comes out on the 22nd of February and I highly reccomned getting your hands on a copy! I went into reading it knowing very little about the plot other than it being based around a gaming tournament and I'm glad that's all I knew. I loved watching our two main characters dance around each other, becoming workplace friends in real life and online team mates in a new game unbeknownst to each other. Playing for Love is so different to any other romance I've read, it's not steamy, but it's full of emotional exploration  for each of our main characters as they learn more about themselves while getting to know each other. Definitely worth a read!

Massive thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

When I read the first chapter I really wasn’t sure it was going to be my cup of tea. I’m definitely not a gamer and I know next to nothing about video games. That being said, I found this book incredibly difficult to put down.

It was incredibly well written and I loved the characters so much. I refused to stop reading for food…. Drink… sleep! I needed to see how the story ended.

I found some elements slightly predictable but it didn’t change the fact that it was a lovely story about two people who clearly deserved each other!

You need to read this book!

I really enjoyed this book I just wish it was a little longer. I think that they should have interacted a bit more as their characters because without it, it just feels like a parasocial relationship. I understand that that is kind of the idea but I feel like a bit more interaction between them would make it more believable. I loved when they were just Luke and Sam though I do wish before the reveal that they would have hung out together besides just being at work.

I received a copy through netgalley.

This is a 'new to me' author and based on this book, I will definitely be reading more by her. It has everything you could want, fashion, gaming, love and friendship. My inner geek was very happy indeed.

I was hooked from page 1 and grabbed every spare minute I had to read this book.

I love how the book gave the hero and heroine their own sub-stories as well, private issues they were dealing with that they could use the game to escape from, let's face it, dont we all have issues we'd love to escape from? Some people escape into books, some into crafts, Sam and Luke into gaming.

I dont often say books should be made into movies but this one (if done properly) would make an amazing movie!

3.5✨
A charming story.
This was an old but new genre I mean it's not a new concept of a fangirl falling for a crush but the difference is He's not his real self...
When Sam is falling hard for her teenage crush going hero and gets a chance to play along with him in a lucky draw she feels ecstatic and sees more into small details..coming to her professional life she left her job to start her own small business but it's not as easy as she supposed it would be..she seems to be getting farther from dreams with every rejection mail she reads she feels her strength failing but then she meets luke - A clumsy introvert who is talented but very shy & poor in small talk
His handsomeness is something you catch only when puts a Lil effort into his frumpy outfits but His heart is Gold!
They work together and just then beings the trouble...she seems to like him but how can she?? Isn't she infatuated with her Crush??

They both are the same! Luke struggles with his introvert issues and starts gaming as his personal hiding place. I love how genuine the characters felt, Luke feels ppl don't like for himself as he wants them to but like his fake persona

I like how the characters and their relationships were built, it felt connectable and real...I like how the author shows the inner struggles of men and women in a different light


This was a charming quick read, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend if the blurb looks appealing to you, it's a one-time time read.

This was a really sweet rom-com!

Luke has become one of my new fictional boyfriends, he was so in love with Sam and the dynamic of him being this shy person and on the other side being extremely confident was lovely. Sam was relatable, trying to have fun, but also start a business? Is hard and she represents that quite well.

What I didn't love as much: I didn't think they were that flirtatious as this book insist on telling me, aside from that everything was great!




Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A very special book with interesting characters and a great romance plot. It also helped me see some positives to gaming! I never thought THAT would happen!

Cute and fun read. I know nothing about gaming so found this an interesting concept too. I thought the characters could do with a little more depth but still found it made a really enjoyable read. Would have liked a little spice in a romance but a clean read for those that pfdfer otherwise.

I loved this book!!! The characters were both so likeable and normal, and it was really interesting learning more about the semi-pro gaming world. The romance side was great, and you could see how the issues they had came about from normal situations rather than convoluted as some romance novels are. I also really appreciated that our heroine wasn’t some bubblegum blonde, but instead a normal woman like the rest of us. I would wholeheartedly recommend

A quick, easy and enjoyable read that dealt with some really interesting issues and left me thinking a lot especially as I am a gamer. I really enjoyed it.