This one is a little bit of an unexpected enemies to lovers since when they are true enemies, they don't know each other except for reputation online.

I like that this one was set in the gaming world. While I don't game, I think the process pf creating games and the cult world that the players live in to be fascinating. And I give it an added bonus for being an own voices book.

I liked and rooted for these characters to get their act together. I did find this one went a little up and down for me, but not enough to set it aside. Aron's awkwardness and caring made him so charming and I love when the heroine in a rom com is smart and strong. Mix this in with a little witty banter and I'll always root for a HEA.

I was really happy to see this book, because so many women are gamers, and I can't think of too many contemporary romances that feature gamers and the gaming world. So this is very welcome as a recommendation. Samara is a top person in the gaming world, where she also advocates for better treatment and representation of ALL types of people. She meets Aron, who wants to bring his games up a level in that respect. Together, they run into frustration, crazy stuff in the game world, and ultimately, romance.

This was cute. I think a lot of people who are in the gaming world can appreciate all the topics it bought up and how true it was. However, it was also slow in a lot of places and dragged out and easily could have been a bit shorter. Entertaining enough and I will read other things by the author. I would not recommend this be the intro book for her though since I don't think her writing strength really is showcased here.

Another winner from Glass for me! It had all the things: social commentary on racism and the intersectionality of being a woman and a game, neurodivergent rep done well, and the most swoon worthy moments.

This romance was just what I needed to start the year off right

I liked the love interests, but the writing style in this just was not for me as it sometimes felt very quick and surface-level in some areas.

I really enjoyed this fun, flirty gaming romance. Aron is almost to be good to be true and Samara seems to be just what he needs personally and professionally. I found the gaming references to be very interesting, especially making sure there is appropriate representation in video games. This is a sweet well-written love story that wooed me with the behind the scenes video game industry as much as the enemies to friends to lovers romance trope. The audiobook is a delightful way to enjoy this novel and is narrated by the amazing Keylor Leigh.

Glass continues to develop lovable, human characters, rich with strengths and flaws, who you cheer for every step of the way.

A few things that didn’t work for me — I am not sure why the MC in this book is never identified as autistic when the younger brother is? Autism doesn’t look just one way, and this would be a great addition to the growing cast of autistic characters in romance. The chapter that makes the jump from business to Sam’s fall forward was also weird and out of place for me.

Otherwise, this was a delightful read that I finished quickly set in a world that just doesn’t get seen enough. I am loving all of Glass’ nerdy characters, con scenes, and that, yes, we can have romance and HEA without two characters that look and act like models or rom com actors.

I enjoyed this but unfortunately not as much as I was hoping to. I think it was trying to do too much and so everything felt a bit shallow and glossed over.

The diversity in gaming issue is a much needed take but it was occasionally a little too on-the-nose and I got tired of Samara constantly having to explain what things are like for women - especially women of color- in gaming to Aron. Yes, he is horrified and immediately takes action, but it's the fact that it has to be explained over and over because he is consistently oblivious that bugs me. It's realistic, but it gets old, maybe because its *too* realistic.

The romance was wonderful. Samara and Aron instantly clicked and they were so cute together, especially in their casual gaming personas. Hoodie guy was adorable and I totally understood why Samara fell for him so quickly.

The autistic brother storyline was a little odd to me in some ways. I wholeheartedly approve of Samara's interactions with Benjy and Aron's protectiveness of him. But I find it odd that Aron has all these "quirks" like hating to be touched and not being able to take crowds or loud noises and not understanding social cues AND a nonverbal autistic brother and yet there's not even a whisper of a suggestion that he might also be autistic / on the spectrum? That felt like a missed opportunity.

I also thought the Mark issue was handled really oddly. Mark only appears a couple of times, always being all intimidating and trying to steamroll over Aron, when he finally is dealt with I found the entire interaction confusing. His rant was incomprehensible and I'm not sure if that was intentional or just clunky writing.

I also found the writing throughout to be clunky and choppy and full of telling not showing. There were a lot of info dumps, especially about the prejudice and racism and sexism Samara faces. The emotions and tone of the characters also sometimes bounced around wildly in ways that felt soap opera levels of Overly Dramatic. It felt almost like a draft that needed more polishing and smoothing out.

I really liked all the characters, and I wish we had seen more of Grayson because he was such a good and interesting character.

While I had some issues with the book I did overall enjoy it very much and I will be seeking out more of Seressia Glass' books in the future.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

I really liked this book, especially the romance aspect of it and the characters. I do feel like some of the conflicts in the story felt like they were glossed over a little too much where it doesn't quite feel right for the gravity of the situation. Still a great book overall and I can't wait to read the next one!

🎮 Book Review 🎮

I knew I needed to read Game On by Seressia Glass the minute I read the back cover: "When an unexpected Player Two enters her life, a gamer must decide if their relationship is worth leveling up." As a casual gamer, this made me giggle. Thanks so much to {partner} @berkleyromance for the gifted book #berkleyig #berkleypartner

✔️ Workplace
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Secret Identity
✔️ Opposites Attract

-summary-
In her day job, Samara works as a DEIA consultant, helping organizations become better at fully representing the current world and their consumers. Her passion in her free time is video games and she vlogs her critiques not just about the game itself but also through the lens of equal representation. This catches the attention of the CEO of a gaming company and he wants to work with her to make his games more inclusive. Working together leads to mutual respect which leads to attraction, but it's complicated since he's her boss and she'd been an outspoken critic of his games and gotten flamed for it online.

-my thoughts-
I love a stoic MMC and loved seeing him go out of his comfort zone, and that being around Samara made him
braver in all aspects of his life.

My favorite parts of this book was the lens through gaming culture and how it has been a toxic environment for women and people of color. There was a study this year that said "77% of female gamers experienced gender-specific discrimination while gaming including name-calling, receiving inappropriate sexual
messages, gatekeeping and dismissiveness". Putting a character through that made this feel much more real and sad (sort of like Jack and Rose made the story of Titanic more emotionally devastating).

That said, the wooing and romance
was fun here. I also appreciated that both sides had really great family support - not often in a romance! 4⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

Samara is one of the top female gamers out there. She has built a following in the gaming community and even finds herself advocating for equality in the gaming world. Samara posts an honest critique of a popular game that immediately spreads through the community and attracts the attention of the CEO of the gaming company.

When Aron, the CEO of Artemis, reaches out to Samara, he doesn’t anticipate liking her. He wants to make sure his games get good reviews, and that Artemis can become certified in creating content for people with disabilities. He must move quickly to rectify this situation and offering Samara a position at his company seems like the perfect solution.

This is one of those examples where the story should be an enemies-to-lovers theme, but it is more friends to lovers. The two main characters immediately find themselves on common ground. They both are advocates for the things they love, and they both love games. I have to admit that I’m not a gamer and that is not what prompted me to want to read this one. I thought there would have been more tug and pull between Aron and Samara.

The initial concept of the book won me over. However, there seem to be too many distractions from the plot. The story read to me very scattered and didn’t focus enough on the chemistry and romantic relationship building of the couple. I wonder if the author did this because she had to create some conflict in the story. The gaming community wouldn’t accept them as a couple working together after Samara’s initial review.

Overall, it was a light story but not very memorable. Fans of games and contemporary romances in general may enjoy this one.

~ Samantha

This was a unique one for me! Admittedly I don’t know a lot about gaming even though I have teenagers who play. I do enjoy going into a book that I’m unfamiliar with and this was fun one overall.
Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I love romance books with nerds!
Fangirls, fanboys, nerds and dorks all deserve a happily ever after.

Just like the other book by Glass, that I have read, there is so much wonderful story development. Lots of adorable moments where you just want the love declarations with characters, and yummy steamy bits!

The diversity in here is wonderfully written as well!

Thank you for an advanced copy of Game On by Seressia Glass.

I read this author's previous book, and I came into this book with high expectations. I really enjoyed the POC female lead who is a black gamer unafraid to tell people like it is. I also really enjoyed the male lead who was smart and capable while giving representation to those suffering from anxiety. This book also gives a bit of a work-place romance (loosely) because the two main characters work together to improve the inclusivity of a game.

I was really pulled in by the romance of this one. The two characters have a strong connection, and I loved watching their love unfold. The writing was really well done, and their communication was top notch. I thought the conflict was a bit overdone and wasn't something I could really sink my teeth into. I thought this was a good romance, but I wasn't sold on the workplace issues.

That being said, I still highly recommend this one!

Rating: 4⭐️

Game On is a romance that examines gamer culture through the eyes of BIPOC women. Seressia Glass creates a charming and fairly realistic story of the gaming CEO and the woman who calls out his company for its misogyny.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Samera is a BIPOC woman gamer who routinely calls out companies to do a better job with their representation. She gets so much hate spewed at her, though, that she attends gaming cons under her online handle. That’s where she meets Aron, founder of Artemis Games, and the latest subject of her ire. Aron has viewed her online takedown, and seeks her out to pick her brain on diversity and inclusion. After some mistaken identity and some back and forth, Aron offers Samara a consulting job to help diversify his company’s games. But as these two work oh so closely together, will their underlying attraction get in the way?

Initially neither knows the other’s real identity, but Samara and Aron quickly come clean instead of dragging it out, which is a huge plus. They are both very likable characters, and mostly act like adults with common sense, which is a nice change of pace from some recent books. While it isn’t expressly mentioned in the text, Aron presents as having neurodivergent traits. I thought it was an interesting choice not to label him, especially given the discussion of the autism spectrum regarding other characters.

With its themes of women, particularly BIPOC women, in gaming, this book could have been a heavy read. But Aron’s willingness to change, even before he’s completely besotted with Samara, makes him a genuine romance MC. He might not be an alpha-hole billionaire, but he’s a cinnamon roll who has the means to make things happen.

Game On is an engaging romance focusing on the world of gaming. Even as someone whose interest stems from figuring out what games my kid is playing, I was immediately drawn in. Samara and Aron are earnest, likable characters that readers can’t help rooting for.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this dual POV, interracial romance between a game computer CEO and the fierce Black woman diversity consultant gamer who calls his company out for unethical practices. Smitten from the start, Aron hires Samara to help him improve his game and figure out how to make his next one even better and more inclusive.

Spending lots of time together they realize their chemistry is undeniable but they are able to hold off crossing any lines until Samara's contract ends. Even still there is lots of media backlash when their relationship comes to light and the two have to figure out how being together can work.

I loved how they bonded over a love of video games and the importance of family. Both have strong family relationships that play a big role in the story. Aron is especially close to his nonverbal autistic brother. There is also a great disability rep in the book through Samara's Type 1 diabetes condition.

Excellent on audio too narrated by Keylor Leigh and recommended for fans of authors like Cathy Yardley or Jeevani Charika. Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Romance and @prhaudio for digital and ALC copies in exchange for my honest review!

Perfect for gamers.

This book was so interesting. I liked diving into the video gaming world and the politics/social dynamics behind it. I think this is definitely unique in the romance genre which made this book a breath of fresh air.

The romance is also done very well. I liked the dynamic and how sweet it was. Very cute.

Game On by Seressia Glass delves into the captivating realm of online gaming, offering a comprehensive exploration of the gaming experience from both the player and developer perspectives. This thought-provoking book sheds light on the pressing issue of inclusivity within the gaming industry, with a particular emphasis on the pervasive problem of misogynoir. Engaging in a discussion about this complex matter can be challenging, especially when one of the romantic interests is complicit in perpetuating it. However, Glass fearlessly tackles this sensitive topic, providing readers with a profound and enlightening narrative.

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

I was excited to read this book as I had previously enjoyed The Love Con, but I was pretty disappointed. There’s simply too much happening in this book – the very serious issue of harassment of Black women mixed with a lighthearted workplace romance, death of a friend, autism/anxiety/diabetes representation, and more. It felt so scattered to me.

I skimmed the last 30% of the book because I didn’t want to give it my full reading time. I would recommend skipping this one and going straight for The Love Con if you're interested in reading something by this author.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.