I really wanted to love this book! I absolutely love Twelfth Night retellings (She’s The Man, anyone?!), so I thought it would be up my alley. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I really couldn’t connect to the characters or how the story played out.

I personally didn’t like the generalizations in the book. I felt that the nerdy girl and star football player characterization just didn’t quite land. Mostly because the characters weren’t very dynamic and the dialogue was just all over the place. Scenes also seemed to drag on and I didn’t understand the purpose of them, and how they contributed to the plot.

Overall, love the concept but the execution and character development just wasn’t there for me.

Alexene Farol Follmuth does it again! This book was so cute and I loved Viola so much, she's such a mood!

This is the near-perfect modernization of Twelfth Night that I have been dreaming of!

So much character building and dealing with emotions beyond "does he/she like me?" which all come together so well at the end. I love gamer stories so much, and (as someone who played online as a girl) I completely relate with Viola on so many levels. Vi isn't exactly a likeable character at first, but she is kind of grumpiness personified, and I enjoy seeing that twist on the original. There are so many things to love about this book, and I will be recommending it loudly. And now I can't wait to read everything else by this author.

As a huge fan of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," I was excited to see what a modern day adaption would look like, and Follmuth did not disappoint!
The author took care to not only adapt Viola's storyline of hiding as a man to make sense in the 21st century, but also that it be a jumping off point of commentary on gender norms and expectations for young girls in the modern day. I appreciated this version of Viola: someone who wouldn't stand down, and used the male gender to her advantage that proved the fallacy of misogynistic fandom culture.
Orsino's character was well expanded upon! He took the spotlight more so than Antonia or Bash, which in this adaptation really works. Overall, both characters were well fleshed out and their relationship bloomed naturally over the span of the story.
This book easily enters the canon of modern Shakespeare adaptions, and I would highly recommend to high school readers who come to my library.

Alexene Farol Follmuth (aka Olivie Blake) is quite seriously the only romance author who has me consistently adoring the male love interest. Tell me how I spent PAGES reading about football and was still rooting for the main guy? It’s that Olivie Blake magic. I love this woman and am so happy to announce that her young adult books have the same melt-worthy dialogue as her adult romances. Seriously, she knocks it out of the park with her banter, relationships, and men in general.

Late 90’s/early 00’s Shakespeare retellings are my jam (see: 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, She’s the Man) and this incapsulates that vibe <i>perfectly</i>. Jack “Duke” Orsino is the star football player with his college plans set in stone until he gets injured and is out for the entire season, leading him to check out the MMORPG, <i>Twelfth Knight</i>. While in the game, he comes across a player, Cesario, named after a main character in the popular show <i>War of Thorns</i>. As he has been struggling with the game and can literally never be into anything casually, he teams up with Cesario to complete a quest and get taught the ropes. On the other end, Viola Reyes, annoying (to Jack) student body vice president (to his president), avid gamer, and renaissance festival and convention lover, has been playing as a man in order to avoid the rampant sexism that continually experiences when men in nerd spaces learn that she is a girl. When confronted with the fact that she obviously knows Jack, she panics and says that she’s her twin brother, Sebastian (Bash). As a series of unforeseen circumstances bring them closer in and out of game, Vi has a choice to make, and she fears it may be too late to come clean.

There is this air of loneliness that pervades both Viola and Jack’s POVs. Jacks is due to a rather simple cause: he has lost his identity because he can no longer play football. While still popular, there is now a disconnect between him and his friends that he doesn’t feel when he plays <i>Twelfth Knight</i> with Cesario until the wee hours of the morning. Viola’s loneliness is more internal. Her fear of letting people in is borderline debilitating and definitely self-sabotaging and she continually makes “wrong” decisions and digs herself in deeper holes, incapable of adequately communicating, in part because of how much she feels like a burden. This book was great at showing that, even if you’ve been burned by people before, there are people out there that will have your back and it is so important to not shut everyone out. We’re all human, we’re all living our first lives, and we all need community. A support system is so important, and it can’t just be your significant other. I really love how much Follmuth emphasized that point.

Follmuth has a real knack for writing interpersonal relationships and characters. Olivia is possibly the sweetest human in the entire universe? And her relationship with Vi made me so happy. I was really happy with what Follmuth did with her, especially because of how I feel about the source material (by source material I am referring to the 2006 film <i>She’s the Man</i>, I have never read <i>Twelfth Night</i>). Bash and Vi’s mom were also stand out characters that I’m lumping together because I just adore the family dynamic that Follmuth created here. The brother/sister relationship was filled with love and annoyance and just general stupid arguments that really do only exist siblings, and having a single mom trying to reign them in and almost always just giving up was honestly so funny. They truly do all know and love each other so much and it permeates through the pages. Every interaction that Jack and Viola had together had me giggling like an idiot. Their banter was unmatched (well, unless you’re comparing their banter to any other Olivie Blake book, especially <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5477938539">One For My Enemy</a>) and had me kicking my feet. Both characters were also incredibly strong on their own, and I loved having this be a dual-pov book. Jack is laid back and seemingly only focused on football, but is incredibly vulnerable, kind, and a bit nerdy. Viola was my favorite, though. She’s more than a bit abrasive, but it’s because she has to be. Being involved in a nerdy space as a woman opens the door for so much harassment and sexism and she does not deal with the bullshit, but it still wears on her. In her eyes she’s a bitch, but she’s really just strong and smart.

This book is also just incredibly nerdy and, as an incredibly nerdy person who loves everything that Viola loves (renaissance festivals, ttrpgs, a silly little fantasy video game, just fantasy in general), I loved it. It was so fun to watch a main character get excited about the same things I get excited about. It also made me incredibly grateful that I got lucky with my group of nerdy boys and have not had to deal with misogyny while looking for a group to play games with or interact with nerdy things with because this group fell into the palm of my hand five years ago and I haven’t let them go since.

Bottom line, this is a really enjoyable one. There are a few very minor spoilery things that I wish were a little different, but the bottom line is that this one hit the mark and executed what it set out to do perfectly.

Thank you netgalley & Tor for the e-arc

3.5 stars (rounded up)

As someone in fandom (specifically some pretty male-dominated fandoms) I just gotta say...I feel seen. I was so excited for this book. Shakespeare retellings are always loads of fun, and I was very hyped to see all the DnD and fandom references in this book. While miscommunication is one of my absolute least favorite tropes, it didn't stop this book from being an enjoyable read.

Plot:
Normal for dual pov books one of the perspectives is significantly stronger than the other. While I did prefer chapters from Jack's pov more, I never felt myself dreading reading Vi's. The sections of gameplay were probably my favorite part of the entire book. Retellings can be difficult to do well, especially in the plot department. But this book suceeded in not only hitting the beats of the original story but also adding fresh new ones that fit with the modern setting.

Characters:
First things first I absolutely LOVED Jack. His plotline of recovery after his injury and gaining a new interest was so an engaging read and definitely my favorite plot thread. He's just so likeable and you can't help but want the best for him! While I wasn't a huge fan of Vi at first, her character arc was great. I also have so much respect for the author letting one of the main characters (and a girl character no less) actually have FLAWS!! Their relationship was very cute and the other characters were also very fun additions to the cast.

This book was fun, cozy, and a real love letter to fandom culture from the beginning to the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes RPG's, fandom, and romance.

Things haven't been going right for Viola Reyes. Her gaming campaign was shut down, her best friend thinks she could be more likable, and she has to work with football star Jack Orsino on student counsel. Lately, her favorite way to escape has been planing the online game Twelfth Knight, as long as she plays as a boy.

When Jack Orsino finds his way onto Twelfth Knight after a football injury, Vi is surprised to see that they're well matched. However, Jack doesn't realize he's playing with Viola--he thinks he's playing with her brother. As the two start getting closer in real life, their online and their real lives start to get more complicated.

Thanks to Tor Teen and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth to review! Twelfth Night retellings are always so fun, and remind me of She's The Man which is just a great movie. If you like fun nerd references, rivals to lovers, and just cute high school romance, this is the book for you!

We get alternating perspectives between Vi and Jack throughout. Which means we get to see their feelings for each other unfold in real time. It also allows for some good character development, both for them and for some of the side characters. If you're familiar with the original play, you'll see a lot of Shakespeare references throughout. If you're a fan of fantasy or video games, you'll get a lot of those references throughout as well. Even if they are slightly changed because of copyright.

Personally, I enjoyed Vi's character arc more than Jack's. She's not afraid to stand up for herself from the beginning, but she learns that maybe not everyone is out to get her all the time. Jack learns that there might be more to life than football, finding interets outside the sport. They both had great chemistry, both when playing the game and when they're interacting in person. It's really fun to read.

If you're looking for a fun romance to read going into the summer, definitely pick this one up when it comes out at the end of May!

I really like Twelfth Night and I think this was a good retelling. I didn’t like Violet or Jack though. It made it hard for me to get into the book not liking either of the main characters. It was alright.

If you’re a fan of Shakespeare inspired books where you can clearly see the inspiration, but want the book to stand on its own, then this is definitely one to check out! While it’s obvious that the inspiration for this book came from Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, you don’t have to know Twelfth Night backwards and forwards to understand what’s happening. Something that I think Fullmuth does so well is pepper in multiple Shakespeare references — there were so many and they were so fun — and some of them anyone with a general knowledge of his works will get, and some you’ll only know are Shakespeare references if you’re well versed in his works. I think she makes his work accessible to people who may not know it super well, and I think that’s something really important in a retelling.

I absolutely loved this one, and read it in one sitting. It was fast paced, entertaining and very heartfelt.

I tried really hard with this one, but I was only able to make it about 40% through.

I don't mind an unlikable character, but I honestly didn't like either Violet or Jack. It's hard to get into a book when you don't like either main character. Violet wouldn't listen to anyone (although she had some valid points) and Jack was kinda boring. I can see how they both probably would have had a nice character arc toward the end of the book, but I wasn't sticking around to find out.

I love Twelfth Night and I honestly think the author was setting up the story nicely. It felt unique enough to stand on it's own, but familiar enough to be a retelling of a Shakespeare classic. I'm sad I didn't like the characters or the pacing because I genuinely think the story could have played out nicely.

Overall, this isn't a win for me. But since I enjoyed My Mechanical Romance, I'll be back for Follmuth's next YA novel.

4.5 Stars
As I was reading this book all I could think was that this is the perfect 2000's teen Rom-Com. Obviously, it had the Shakespeare retelling going for it--think She's the Man and strong 10 Things I Hate About You vibes.
I love that this was not an exact copy of past retellings. The gaming and cosplay aspects of the story made it feel fresh and modern. The banter between Vi and Jack was top-notch. They made me laugh and kick my feet.
I loved the side characters Bash and Olivia and the different perspectives they brought to each situation. Follmuth hits the nail on the head with the human experience--especially coming of age--and how messy and beautiful it can be. I want to go on and on, but mostly I'll just say, read it when it comes out! It was so well written and so much fun.

In Twelfth Knight Viola Reyes is a high school student, who loves multiplayer role-playing games, in particular "Twelfth Knight." When her tabletop game team rejects an original game she created, her best friend suggests she try being nicer, and the Student body President and star quarterback Jack "Duke" Orsino leaves all the school event planning to her, Viola retreats into online game play. Then Jack has a season ending injury and decides to begin playing Twelfth Knight. Viola has disguised herself as a male player, Cesario, to avoid the misogynist attitudes of guys who play the game. Cesario and Duke begin teaming up and are surprisingly successful together. As Jack begins falling for her in real life, Viola worries about what will happen when he discovers the truth about her Cesario identity. A quick way to introduce students to the classic is to read the picture book Twelfth Night: For Kids by Lois Burdett aloud, so that kids will recognize all the references to the classic in this clever retelling.

thank you to netgalley and tor for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. all opinions are my own.

despite officially giving up on the author’s adult books after flop upon flop, i was still very excited for this book. my mechanical romance proved that she can write a romance that’s fun and light but still moving. twelfth knight has convinced me to give up on the author entirely.

as a lighter critique, there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of teenagers at times that’s almost funny—the idea that most teenage boys don’t play video games (and no teenage girls play), that teenage boys wouldn’t like this world’s version of game of thrones unless it’s as a guilty pleasure. obviously there’s more but these two things were so glaring—game of thrones JUST ended and teenage boys obsessively playing video games is literally one of the most common stereotypes??

i really, really struggle to find much good to say about this book. that being said, trying to write out beat for beat everything that bothered me about twelfth knight will only frustrate me, which doesn’t feel worth the effort. in summary, i spent most of the book annoyed and struggling to power through. viola was an infuriating main character and the author’s personal opinions that showed through were …. interesting.

this wasn’t all bad, though (and the sad part is this is still a top three olivie blake/alexene farul follmuth book for me, out of the 8 i’ve read). i really liked jack—he was absolutely the highlight of the book, and i don’t know that i would’ve made it through without his POV. overall, i felt his personal character arc was great, even if i didn’t love the romance or the moral that being passionate about something you’re good at and built your life around is stupid if it’s a sport (??? why). the side characters were pretty good too; olivia was lovely, bash and vi’s mom were usually fun, and antonia deserved much better.

4/5 ⭐️
I will forever and always be a sucker for a cute, YA romcom, but I walked into this story with high expectations because I already love this author’s adult books and her fanfics. And I wasn’t disappointed. Though, j will say, from what I’ve gathered from other reviewers, you either are or you’re not a fan of her writing style. I personally fall solidly in the former. But I recognize it’s a little distinct and not for everyone.
I loved that in this book, the author continues her usual MO of creating unlikable characters that I adore. And that is a large aspect to Viola’s story. Because she’s tough and unwilling to make herself smaller, especially in male dominated worlds, she’s often labeled a bitch. “Why should I have to shrink myself down so they can feel big?” And I loved that in this story, the love interest doesn’t try to change her, or she doesn’t soften around him, he loves her for exactly the way she is, thorns and all. Meanwhile, Jack’s journey was one that I think is near universal. The what am I going to do with my life. I remembered experiencing it when I was a senior. Then again when I graduated college. My friends experienced. The high schoolers I used to coach experienced it. So it’s always nice to see this experience used in YA books, helping to show you’re not alone, and you don’t need to have everything figured out right now.
I love that this is very much inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It was reminding so much of other Shakespeare retellings that were popular in the early 2000s like 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s the Man.
Honestly there’s so many other things I loved about this story that I could on and on about. However, I won’t bore you with, and instead share why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. My only complaints was that I thought Viola’s narrative was stronger than Jacks. Jack’s was still stronger than many other stories I’ve read, but hers just felt a little more real and complex. I also didn’t love the info dumping we got in the beginning. But it pretty much stopped by chapter 3.
I can not recommend this book enough. It was so cute. I was literally kicking my feet and giggling, especially when they bantered. But I was also highlighting just amazing lines. Please check this book out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

“I think it might be more than that. I think I like the game because it's.. an escape. Because it’s somewhere that isn’t my life or my problems.”

“I were hurting, and you couldn't have told me. I would have been there for you. “I tried to be there for you, Viola, so many times.”“I think it might be more than that. I think I like the game because it's.. an escape. Because it’s somewhere that isn’t my life or my problems.”

“I were hurting, and you couldn't have told me. I would have been there for you. “I tried to be there for you, Viola, so many times.”

Vi is a girl who believes that everyone has a problem with her and her classmates defend her as problematic, she likes to cosplay and is very sentimental. Jacks is like the popular boy that everyone loves and who has a lot of problems but hides them and plays football. Jacks asks Vi for help to talk to his girlfriend since he is having dating problems. Vi offers to help him if he does his volunteer hours at the school. Albos play a game, Jack thinks he is playing with Vi's brother but he is not.

It's very long to have 17 chapters, my kindle said 10 hours. It's difficult to stay hooked at the
beginning, I would say that at 3 it starts to go well.

My favorite characters were Bash and Olivia. I already saw what was happening to Olivia coming and why she didn't want to be with Jack but I still liked it when she told Vi it was so cute. The best thing is the development of the characters and how they knew each other. I loved Olivia and Vi's friendship, not to mention Bash, I loved every moment of that character.

A long read but highly recommended.
4\5

So I ended up having to DNF this about 50% of the way in because I hated everything about this.... Vi and Jack are two of the most unlikable characters I've ever read. I also had a major problem with the way DnD was portrayed in this because I've been a player for YEARS and this shows the role playing community in such a bad light. It's going to be rare that you find a super sexist player because they don't care what gender you are, they're more likely to get mad at your for failing a stealth check or for not bringing your dice. Most nerds who play DnD could care less about anything when it comes to the actual game. As long as you remember your spells and don't purposefully mess over you're group, generally you'll be okay. I've never been treated badly in the DnD space because of being a girl so it was frustrating to not only have one sexist player, but an entire group of them. It's just super unrealistic and is detrimental to a community that is already seen in a bad light.

That aside, I just didn't like any of the characters and the writing felt incredibly cheesy. It just wasn't it sadly. I had such high hopes for this since I generally love YA romance and Shakespeare so this seemed like the perfect combination.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book in a single day. The concept sounded fun and interesting to me from the start, but I was absolutely sucked in by the writing style and the full and rich characters throughout the story. I fully expected the story to be entirely fluff, but I was pleasantly surprised by the reality of the difficult emotions and struggles with self worth and value. I highly recommend this book to essentially anyone.

I'll be completely honest. I was a little scared reading the first page of this book. Imagine that person cheering "Sports!" at a game - that's me. So opening it up and reading several pages about a football game from the viewpoint of a player who clearly understands it? Well, I was lost.

I am so, so glad I kept going. It was wonderful. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading it, and I think it's such a heartwarming story about finding out who you are. Looking at how you handle relationships, learning to grow, and embracing things that are new. I enjoyed both journeys for our main characters, and learned a bit about football in the process.

Oh - I have to mention that the "War on Thrones" show the characters watch had me laughing multiple times. It was hilarious, and I enjoyed trying to figure out who was who. I also loved all the DnD references, cosplay, the ren faire, and the Con. It brought in different cultural knowledge, had LGBTQ+ characters figuring out who they were, and so much more.

This is a truly lovely novel, and I hope all those who need to read it, who need to see this message, find it. Be you. There is so much joy in it.

DNF at 33%. I really tried to get into it, but I just couldn't. The chapters are too long, there's about 20 chapters and each one takes me about 30-40 minutes and they feel endless. Main characters are annoying, but that's how they're supposed to be, I guess, since they're teenagers.

Our FMC and MMC are written so similarly, that I found myself forgetting which POV I was reading. I really tried to give it a chance, but I just couldn't do it.

This is a Shakespeare retelling with grumpy x sunshine, slow burn, and enemies to lovers. It has many important lessons with the characters figuring out where they belong, surviving the day, caring, and love. It has a cute romcom vibes with realistic problems and it was perfect for the YA readers. It took me a little bit to get into but overall was a cute, quick read. If you get the chance to read it and in the mood for a romcom, pick this one up. You might find your next favorite.