This was a delightful YA rom com/Shakespeare adaptation. The author make it all her own by not only modernizing the characters but breathing such life into them! Vi is a one woman force to be reckoned with in the gaming community , and she's so fully realized: strong and independent, and yet so (secretly!) soft at the same time. Jack is the football star who suddenly has a glimpse of his future without football and realizes he doesn't know who he is, leading him to some interesting hobbies.

I was fully engaged in this story, and I hope to read more rom coms from this author!

Such a amazing book! I really enjoyed My Mechanical Romance by this author and was super excited to read her second ya romance release. Thankfully, this one absolutely delivered. Vi and Jack are very compelling characters who are both interesting enough to work on their own, which makes their relationship feel so genuine and easy to root for. Great side characters, lots of fun nerd culture scenes, engaging family conflicts, and a great ending. What's not to love? Highly recommend.

I read this book through NetGalley.

3.5 ⭐ || 🏳️‍🌈
Tropes: reverse grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers, forbidden/secretive love

It's givingggggg "She's the Man" and "Dungeons and Dragons" had a teenage baby. "Twelfth Knight" presents an inventive modern reimagining of Shakespeare's classic tale, blending romance, friendship, and self-discovery into this new narrative. While the story follows familiar themes, this retelling infuses fresh perspectives and contemporary issues, making it accessible and relatable to a more diverse audience.

Viola and Jack (aka our Duke) are the leads, each grappling with their own sets of adolescent insecurities and challenges. Their individual journeys towards self-acceptance and understanding are heartfelt, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of teenage life. Additionally, the supporting characters, from Viola's witty brother Sebastian to Jack's loyal online friend Bash *cough cough*, add richness and authenticity to making the story almost brand new.

While it may not have reinvented the wheel in terms of plot or structure, its exploration of themes such as sexism, misogyny, and the pressure to conform would resonate deeply with YA audiences. Follmuth tackles these issues with sensitivity and nuance, sparking important conversations while maintaining a light and entertaining tone. Sprinkle in a heavy dose of nerd fandom, and "Twelfth Knight" was overall a cute and enjoyable read.

"DUKEORSINO12: is he some kind of healthy guru? a therapist?
C354R10: worse
C354R10: a youth pastor"

"IDENTITY THEFT IS A CRIME VI"

"But I always knew Vi wasn't the cheerleader Olivia is, and it still doesn't really change anything. Certainly not the way she makes me feel, or the time I'm willing to wait"

I absolutely think this book is worth the read if you are into YA rom-coms with a splash of Shakespeare crossover

Some prominent themes: sexism, misogyny, patriarchal society, feminism and their impacts on a high school girl who likes to game.

Ohhhh this was one was fun. I loved the gaming/nerdy theme. This YA contemporary romcom centers on Vi and Jack. Vi will not be everyone’s cup of tea but I hope she grows on you. (For my ACOTAR friends: Vi gives YA Nesta vibes. I am solidly on team Nesta and Vi.) I loved her. I liked that she was abrasive and non compliant. For Jack, I liked how he was more than the stereotypical HS jock and didn’t need a story arc to become that. The supporting characters were also dynamic and endearing. I really liked this story.

Thank you NetGalley, Alexene Farol Follmuth, and Tor for the opportunity to read this eARC!

This was not the read for me. I strongly disliked all the characters. This might be a good fit for other readers but just not me.

Alaxene Farol Follmuth! Wow beautiful! The connect with Shakespeare was my overall favorite part being that you taught us important lessons! which i won’t spoil! But this slow burn was definitely a great read!!

What a smart and funny retelling! I loved the connections Alexene Farol Follmuth drew to the original Twelfth Night, while creating a new and improved version. The banter and tension between Jack and Viola was incredible! Follmuth’s writing is hilarious and filled with wit. I loved the depictions of fandom, Renaissance faire, and gaming. It was great how Jack and Vi found unexpected camaraderie in these spaces together.

Vi is a courageous character who puts up with a lot from her classmates based on how they perceive her. I enjoyed watching Jack realize just how much Vi does behind the scenes to help the school succeed. Their slow-burn romance is delightfully filled with tension and angst. Bash and Vi have an amazing sibling relationship and I loved the twist on the mistaken identity. I also appreciated Olivia’s journey and her character growth. There is lots of excellent LGBTQ+ rep throughout.

Readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers, grump/sunshine, hilarious dialogue, and Shakespeare with a modern twist will love this unputdownable book. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Thank you to Alexene Farol Follmuth, Tor Teen, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

This was was really cute!!! I was shook when I made the realization that this was the same person as Olivie Blake.

Also, since this was about Shakespearey stuff it took me entirely too long to realize that it was saying Vi, and not VI (as in the Roman numerals for 6).

This is a modern teen retelling of Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Knight (note the new spelling) that was simply delightful.
Viola here is an overachiever with a sharp tongue. She's a gamer and has little patience for man-splaining fellow players.
"Jack" Orison is a football player with some resentments about the pressure / assumptions about his future that he has to live with. When he gets injured, he spends time playing games online.

Like the original, it is a lighthearted comedy with some things to say about gender assumptions and being human.
The gaming plot is a SUPER clever way to deal with the masked identities in the older version of the tale.
This author writes well, I adored the characters.
This is a slow burn romance that is emotionally rewarding .
Read it for the writing, the humor, the characters, the modernization conceits, and for the payoff-- worth every page spent.
5 stars,easily.

I love a good Shakespeare retelling and this one has all of the She’s the Man vibes I was looking for. Even though I don’t know much about football or rpg, this book is exactly what I was expecting. It’s not the most memorable YA contemporary but definitely a fun read while you’re in it.

I'm a sucker for a slow burn romcom, and that's exactly what this book will give you! I absolutely loved the plot, the characters, and the story so much. Vi and Duke literally have my heart!! Viola was a character I could literally see myself in because of how she felt throughout the book and it was amazing to see her figure out that you don't always have to be alone and that if you let someone in they will be there for you. I just absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone!!

I really liked Vi. I got through this pretty quick. This is my first YA book from this author. I have read her books under Olivie Blake name. This was a lot easier of a read than Blake’s. Definitely more fun and light hearted.
Gamer aspect was fun. At first this did feel like a light read, there are some heart wrenching topics in here that take me back to being a teen.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Tor PublishingGroup for this digital ARC.

Perfect for the intersection of people who love the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, and video games (that is, me), Twelfth Knight was right up my alley. I found it to be a very fun and creative adaptation of the Shakespeare classic with a fun geeky twist. The cast of characters was very colorful and I was definitely rooting for everyone, (well except for Matt Das, but all of the main characters!).

Viola was someone that I recognized my younger self in, in being “unlikeable” as a way of trying to be tough but also as a way to avoid being vulnerable, and I liked seeing a young woman of color portrayed in that way. Jack’s more outgoing character served as a good contrast to her and loved seeing how they learned from each other but also enjoyed seeing them come to blows, but also grow and learn from those conflicts. And he’s really the golden retriever that Viola deserves.

I also enjoyed seeing Jack’s own arc, and that really fleshed out his own character, and how it interwove with Viola’s own personal growth as well.

I really loved the side characters as well! Olivia and Bash especially. Even though they were only side characters, Olivia’s growth and self discovery was something I enjoyed seeing her go through, and Bash was very entertaining but also clearly loves his family. Honestly I wish we saw a little more of him, especially since he and Viola have a conflict near the end that I would have liked to see foreshadowed a little more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and reminded me of some of my favorite teen rom coms with a few niche things I felt I related even more to (being more diverse and nerdy than said teen rom coms).

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this advanced copy!

Vi Reyes and Jack Orsino are mortal enemies (AKA the nerd versus the jock) at Messeline High School. Jack is arrogant and seems to think the world revolves around him, and Vi believes she’s better off doing everything on her own because no one else is capable of getting things done the right way. Through a series of events, these two are forced to interact both knowingly in real life and unknowingly via an online MMORPG.

I loved watching their story fold out on the page! Vi and Jack have so much fun banter through the entire book, and you can see both characters grow tremendously. This book touches on a lot of real life problems that we all experience, and it really helps connect the reader to the characters. The MMORPG and tabletop RPG aspects of the game were really fun and written in a way that someone who has never had any interest in these kinds of games can still understand. The last chapter was absolutely my favorite in the whole book because it really wrapped up everything nicely! The Twelfth Knight is a must read!

Twelfth knight was a fun engaging Ya romance that delivers exactly what the description says it will. Both main leads Jack and Vi get equal time to grow and develop, neither over shadowing the other. If you are looking for a romance that accurately depicts what its like to find yourself when the way you view the world is actively changing I have no doubt you will love this book. Both Jack and Vi are pushed out of their comfort zones and end up finding companionship and comfort in eachother in a way that felt very organic. Over all a very solid contemporary read.

4.5 I absolutely loved this modern YA take on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The story was fun and engaging while also touching on many relevant topics.

The dual POV between Viola and Jack provides perfect balance and insight to each characters internal struggles. Allowing us to experience the nuance of their interactions and relationship development. This was an enjoyable read with great character development, an engaging storyline, and some really well hitting themes.

It felt very much like a love letter to the Fandom community at times while also addressing some of the issues that can arise as well within those communities. As someone who has walked the line of embracing my own quirks, passions, and needs, while simultaneously being a people pleaser, this resonated in a special way.

I would absolutely recommend it if you enjoy
-Shakespeare retellings
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Coming of age
-Loveable/complex characters

Thank you to @netgalley and @torteen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinons are my own.

𝟯.𝟮 ͙͘͡★
⤷𝙔𝘼 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮
"𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴
𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳”

˗ˏˋ𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀ˎˊ˗

➳ Grumpy x Sunshine
➳ enemies to lovers
➳ slow burn
➳ sports/ gaming romance
➳ he falls first


𝙄 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩? 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠.🥲✋🏼


˗ˏˋ𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆ˎˊ˗

➳ Viola Reyes (the FMC)

➳ That Jack went from chasing his ex, Olive, 24/7 to, "Oh, I have feelings for Vi!!" Way too fast…

➳ How the two MCs' relationship lacked both spark and tension. I think I would have given this book 5 stars if they stayed just friends at the end.🤗

➳ How he compared Viola to his ex-girlfriend, and not just once!!😬😬

➳ There’s been soooo little romance :(( Don’t call a book a romance book if there is barely any romance in it. <33

➳ no love confession🥹✋🏼

➳ All those lies and miscommunications ughhh!!


˗ˏˋ𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱ˎˊ˗

➳ The side characters (especially Bash🥹🫶🏼)

➳ Plot was really unique and kept me interested!!

➳ Shakespeare retelling

➳ not TikTok, Kpop, or any celebrity being mentioned in this book.🤗

➳ the cover💞

➳ This book really had me laughing out loud sometimes😭



💌: 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝙼𝚈 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝!!

!!𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 & 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄!!

I loved trying to follow the parallels between Twelfth Night and Twelfth Knight - and I loved the little bits of Arthurian lore thrown in there. But I particularly enjoyed the conversation about shipping the villain as the love interest and what it really means to be a strong woman - it isn't just about being independent, but about knowing when to lean on someone and how those relationships enrich your life. I felt like I really related to Viola and her anger, and thoroughly enjoyed her banter with Jack on and off-line. While I am not a gamer or into rpg, I still enjoyed the allusions to them in this book and appreciated the dedication Viola had to both (especially in contrast to her anger).

If you dislike happy endings this book is not for you. Alls well that ends well, and Viola and Jack are adorable.

It is also worth mentioning that all the side characters were well developed and interesting. Viola and Bash's mom was a driving force behind all of Viola's beliefs and her transformation in the story heavily affected Viola. I would've liked to see even more from Bash, Olivia and Antonia because their stories were beautiful/important on their own.

I will read anything Alexene/Olivie writes and she is GOOD in the YA scene.

Thanks to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the ARC!

What a great romcom!
I’m not usually the kinda girl to sit with romance, I much prefer it as a side plot and rarely deviate from that, but I’m so glad I did.
Twelfth Knight was nothing like I thought it would be, and at first I wasn’t too sure on it but then it took me completely by surprise, and it turned out I loved it! The characters were beautifully written with nothing overly complex (something I’m very used to- same with world building, which was nice to just have a break from!) making this the perfect standalone book.
If you’re looking for teen romance, angst, and a strong female protagonist you’ve come to the right place. I loved the game (twelfth knight) which kinda reminded me of RuneScape but with Arthurian background (yes please!)

I would definitely recommend this book!

4/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC :)