Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I woudl recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-workplace
-forced proximity
-forbidden relationship vibes
-steminist

I really loved that the beating heart of this book was 2 dorks who love to game falling in love. About how white, male and cisgender spaces are and how much work, and personal safety risk it is for people to speak up and make the world a more inclusive space. Samara is logical, a gamer, and outspoken. Aron has his walls up in his well crafted life and slowly lets those walls down to show Samara his world and wants her to be part of it. I loved the parts of jsut seeing the two (with incredible chemsitry) being in each other's worlds, with their families and just falling for each other.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I don't care about video games but this was still one of my favorite books of 2023. It had the pitch-perfect pop culture analysis of The Love Con, but with a tighter focus on the love story. This would definitely work as a standalone.

I was revisiting this book for Disability Pride because I really loved the inclusion of an autistic character with high support needs (Aron's brother). Aron also built a lot of accommodations for himself at work that Samara is very respectful of, although he isn't specifically named as autistic.

dnf @46%

At first I thought this wouldn't be a hard DNF, but after taking a peek at some other reviews I don't think I'll try picking this book up again. I <i>will</i> try future books by this author, though.

I really liked The Love Con by this author! And then when I saw the premise of Game On I felt like the target demographic for the book: millennial gamer girl who cares about good representation in games.

Unfortunately, the main trope in this book is workplace romance and that's a hard sell for me. Our hero is the CEO of a gaming company and our heroine is a DEI consultant he hires after a crisis regarding their latest game.

Though the slow build-up of them getting ever closer to one another felt good to me, suddenly around the place where I DNFed they go from 0 to 100 in their romance progression. That was such a stark difference that I felt like I had whiplash and immediately stopped reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a cute gamer romance!

Samara Reynolds is a gamer with a huge following using her skills as a DEIA consultant to advocate for equal representation in video games. She leaves a “Do Better” critique on a game made by Artemis Games that blows up. Aron Galanis owns Artemis and is surprised by the post and ends the employment of a couple worker. He’s grateful to Samara and hires her to review all his games. As the two work together, they have in-depth conversations that eventually lead to kisses.

Samara and Aron have a lot in common but they also have a lot of differences. He is quite the geek and lacking in social awareness and at the same time super protective of his brother and those he trusts. He needs a learning curve when it comes to Samara. Or maybe an interpreter but he’s determined. Kind of adorable how he resolves things. He gets the smart girl!

A charming and moving tale honoring the love of gaming. I loved the characters and could connect well with them, and their story arc was realistic and engaging.

This book was a bit out of character for me - I am not a big gamer, I don't know much about the gaming, coding, easter egg, level jumping of the gaming world and I am not into playing video games other than the occasional Candy Crush on my Iphone...the horror...so I was of course worried that I would be over my head with this one. I was concerned that I would get lost in the mumbo jumbo terms and not understand what was going on...but I was not! The author did an amazing job with weaving a tale that left the ungaming reader fully able to grab this book and be ok.

The reader became invested in the characters, they understood the basic plot and what was happening. They were able to get into the story and the gaming language took a back seat to the actual story. I mean there were times that the gaming came to the forefront, but it wasn't something that the reader couldn't figure out. They tuned out the background noise of the book and focused on the actual story, the characters and the premise of the book.

The reader will zoom through the pages of this one alternating between wanting to know what happens next while not wanting the book to end. This is a good read and one I recommend that you add to your TBR list- you won't be sorry! Skip the synopsis and just start reading it - it is worth the read!

A geeky and delightful follow up to Seressia Glass’ debut. Rather than cosplay, the focus here is gaming. It resonated well with me as a nerd married to a fellow nerd.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was my first book by this author but it won't be the last. The pairing was delicious and the representation of diverse characters was really fantastic.

In this new romance, Sara Reynolds, a gamer and DEIA consultant, becomes involved with the game Legendsfall. After critiquing the game, she receives a job offer from Artemis Games CEO Aron Galanis.

Galanis is determined to create gaming content for people with disabilities and offers Reynolds a mea culpa and a job to overhaul character options. Their relationship turns adversaries into allies, allies into friends, and something more, but their relationship goes public, posing a challenge to their happiness.

Samara was a badass, and I loved her character and what she stood for. Aron was swoon-worthy, considerate, and caring. There is so much to learn from these two: the growth and evolution of Aron, and the experiences faced and shared by Amara. They were a treat.
 
A boyfriend like Aron? Is it too much to ask for? I am head over heels in love with him, except where he stole her agency. A new concept and term to me, which I was glad to know.
 
Their characters were charming, protective of friends and family, and had me rooting for them. The plot was unique and real. The writing and pacing were smooth and brilliant. This also had amazing side characters.
 
There were a lot of things that stood out in this book, making it realistic. This falls into the contemporary category of creating awareness about things we turn a blind eye to or for those who don't know much about them.
 
I enjoyed reading this fresh book and recommend it to everyone.

I really enjoyed this one, the romance and relationship between the main characters was cute and well done. But can we talk about how while the autism rep for the hero's brother is amazing, we never hear about the hero himself being on the spectrum as well? He literally has a a personal assistant who helps keep him on track through the day, has sensory issues, and shows many autistic traits. It seems like the family (mom and two brothers) is fully focused on the brother with higher needs, and the hero's own neurodivergence isn't acknowledged. I guess because he's "successful" in his career and makes good money? And is sufficiently verbal and articulate to pass? Major family dynamic that is never explored. And also does a disservice to autism representation, where only the folks with highest needs are identified and acknowledged. With how informed the mom and hero are supposed to be, it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't have noticed. While I can sort of see leaving it out of the story for purposes of making a point, it would help to have an afterward that explained that "oh, by the way, autism can look different for different people, and these two are an example." I read an ARC kindly provided by the publisher, so hopefully this was addressed for publication.

"Game On" by Seressia Glass is an absolute delight! This charming novel seamlessly weaves together humor and sweetness, creating a truly enjoyable reading experience. The characters and their interactions add a cute and funny dynamic that kept me entertained from start to finish. Glass has crafted a delightful story that brings a smile to your face and warmth to your heart. If you're in the mood for a light and charming read, "Game On" is the perfect choice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone seeking a feel-good book.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book/audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, coworkers, close proximity, interracial romance, diabetes representation

I liked it. It was a bit too sweet and perfect. The fights didn't seem like real fights. There were a lot of great parts, like the humor and representation. There were a lot of unneeded parts, too.

If you’re looking for a fun read for over the holidays that also highlights the importance of diversity, compassion, communication and is set around video games, this book is for you!!

The MMC, Aron, is the CEO of a video game company and one of its most popular games gets called out by Sam, the FMC, for the lack of representation in the game and the hidden scenes that perpetuate misogynoir. Aron doesn’t ignore this call out and sets out to make some changes. This results in hiring Sam to consult for the company not only on the game, but a priority initiative he wants to launch to help making gaming more inclusive to neurodivergent players.

This book is def one of my faves of the year. The diversity rep is fantastic, and the representation of autism was excellent, IMO. I am not a gamer but I’m well aware of the racism and misogyny that permeates the culture and I learned so much from this book about just how insidious it can be, but through a lens of optimism that it CAN change.

I really liked the chemistry between Aron and Sam, their dynamics they introduce one another to family and friends, and the compassion they show to one another.

Seressia is now a must-read author for me and I am excited to read whatever she writes next!!

When I read The Love Con, I knew I'd found an author whose books I'll be reading for years to come. In Game On, the writing is even better than in The Love Con. My favorite part of the story is the emotional maturity shown by the characters. No drama created by people too emotionally immature to tell the truth or share their feelings.

2.5 stars rounded up.

I went into Game On knowing how much I enjoyed The Love Con and expecting more of the same. And in some ways, Game On felt like the debut. I loved Samara, and was very much into her POV. Aron though… that third act breakup was rough. It was rough, and it wasn’t something I could really see Aron doing, which made it worse? I had to step away for a bit, just because I was so frustrated. I have a hard time when authors write well-rounded characters, and then throw it out the window for the sake of the plot. And that’s really how it felt. This book also has some content warnings, especially if you’re a BIPOC woman who is online. Not a deterrent, but always good to know when you’re going into something with a cartoon cover. I will definitely read more Seressia Glass, but this wasn’t my favorite.

Game On by Seressia Glass is an electric, emotional & enthralling romance set amidst the world of video games. The head of a video game empire meets the anonymous gamer that criticized his games. This is a book that captured my attention immediately.

Game On is great for fans of…
🎮 Gamer/Nerdy Romance
🎮 Workplace Romance
🎮 Forced Proximity
🎮 Disability/Chronic Illness Rep.

I appreciated the fact that this shined a light on the difficulties of being a woman in the gaming & online world, & even more so, tte realities of being a BIPOC person & especially woman online. I learned the term, misogynoir & I can’t believe I didn’t know it sooner.

I am always grateful for disability/chronic illness representation. I don’t want to give too much of the story away but I really enjoyed them.. I also loved the emphasis placed on accessibility, but will keep things vague to not give anything away.

This is a novel that isn’t playing games, but it served such a beautiful story. I cannot wait to see what this author has in the works next because I would love to read whatever they write. They have a gorgeous way of storytelling & Game On is a perfect example of that.

If anyone is looking for an emotional rollercoaster of a nerdy romance that is next level, I highly recommend Game On!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I admit that I am not a gamer. So I was a little eh on the premise. I did love The Love Con (the previous book by the author) so I was sure I'd love this one. It was OK.