There is so much that I love about this book! It’s a common enemy to lovers trope, but I was happy to see that the author changed things up a bit and had her own take on it. I loved that both football and roll-playing games were well detailed in the story. I thought it was great that both Vi and Jack, though very flawed in the beginning, showed much growth by the end. And I loved that at the end, the characters used their words and actually communicated with each other honestly and expressed their feelings as mature people.

I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially to teens/YA and to readers who enjoy RPGs. However, I am neither of these things and I loved it.

Thank you Net Galley and Tor Teen for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

I knew this would not disappoint! This was so engaging and hard to put down. I almost read all of it in one sitting! The romance was so cute! I loved seeing Jack and Vi's relationship develop. There were also some very loveable side characters (Bash and Olivia)!

This book explores sexism and the challenges that women face, particularly when it comes to video games and male dominated areas. I loved how this book portrayed Viola's character and everything she has gone through. She voices her honest opinions and is herself despite what people say about her. At the end she learns to let others in but doesn't change who she is. I sae a lot of myself in Vi and absolutely loved her. I also love that Jack was able to grow and see himself as more than just a football player.

Overall I loved reading Twelfth Knight and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves romcoms and coming of age stories.

I was given the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of this prior to publishing.

This story was adorable - sweet, cute, sassy, realistic, and very geeky/nerdy. I liked all the characters- Vi in how she wants to take on the world but doesn't know what her place is, Jack for trying to figure out where he is going and staying fairly optimistic, Olivia for being strong in finding herself, Badg for just being a loving individual, as well as other characters.

I have not read anything by Follmuth/Blake before, the writing was well done and you can tell she knows the world of D&D, World of Warcraft, etc.

I really liked this book overall, although i couldnt quite connect or feel it in some areas, and would recommend it to everyone!

A book I needed in my youth to know that it is valid to be a girl in a male-dominated space.
This story has important commentary on feminism in the gaming communities, both for table top and video games, while also being a fun romance and Shakespeare retelling!

Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity!

This author can do no wrong in my opinion. They have a magical ability to write a banger book every single time. It never misses.
I’m utterly amazed and obsessed!
5/5

→3.5✰
~spoiler free review
⤿thank you to netgalley and tor publishing group for the arc!

𖥻⚔"i just think maybe happiness isn't crossing a finish line, or finally meeting the right person or getting the right job or finding the right life. it's the little things."

honestly i don't have much to say! it was exactly what i was expecting and that's not a bad thing at all. i know little to nothing about football and game campaigns (both of which are kind of major components in the story) but it was actually really easy to read about which sort of surprised me? i didn't rate this book higher bcuz i don't really think about the characters often. yea sure, they have depth and all. but i like to walk away from a book knowing that the characters are memorable and i'll think about them all the time. for me this book was sort of like a "that's cute. moving on" if yk what i mean (a lot of rom-coms i read are like that. but still). this book definitely has potential tho 🤭

𖥻⚔"we're always walking some line between triumph and disaster. and you can play this in your minds over and over-what if i'd done this, should i have done that?-but in the end, it doesn't matter what you could have done. it matters what you do, and more importantly, it matters who you do it with."

✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠
pre-read review
i just got approved for my first arc!! i'm freaking out i've heard so many positive reviews for this book, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed 🤞

ya romances you are my everything, i love you to the death <3

thank you NetGalley for this eARC

twelfth knight follows two characters, viola reyes, a twin who seems to hate the world, along with majority of the people who are in it (she's just like me, truly), then we have our star running back jack 'duke' orsino, loved by EVERYONE (not viola though, she has a special dislike reserved just for him), jack has an incredible future in football completely lined up for him, that is until he suffers from a severe knee injury which leads him into the world of Twelfth Knight where unbeknownst to him he starts playing with Viola, whose playing as a guy.

this book is absolute perfection, the beginning was a bit slow and confusing for me to get into but once i started understanding what was going on i fell completely in love with every single word as well as every single character. the character developments is something i hold so close to my heart <3

on that final note, bash darling, i love you so much, you are very special to me

I told you I would read ANYTHING this woman writes (under ANY PEN NAME) and I was NOT LYING!

This is her second YA romance novel, and boy was this even lovelier than the first. Farol Follmouth has an incredible way of exploring important topics such as race, feminism, bisexuality, and women in STEM.

In this gem, we get:
🏈 jocks and nerds
👾 flirty video game messages
🗡️ adorable costumes and cosplay
🏠 found family

I don’t read a ton of YA books but I would ✨highly✨ recommend this one. While I was able to read this as an eARC, I have ALREADY still preordered a physical copy of this book (it has sprayed edges 😍).

Thank you to Alexene Farol Follmouth, Tor Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful YA romance - heavy on the comedy elements, featuring a seemingly all-business high schooler Vi Reyes and Jack “Duke” Orsino, star running back of the high school football team and much to VP Vi’s dismay, President of their student council. After an injury sidelines Jack’s football season, he’s introduced to an mmorpg and is connected with a classmate who also plays, and they strike an immediate connection. Meanwhile, all of Vi’s friends seem to be abandoning her, and her feminist mom has been happily dating the same guy for months!

Sort of generally following the plot of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, this book features hidden identities, revealing conversations, and relationships with more depth than they seem.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing both Violet’s and Jack’s points of view, and their personal journeys intersected in all the best ways to help them both grow as people and grow into a couple with a healthy relationship.

The banter in this book is top notch - every line of dialogue is true to each character and clever and funny - and maybe because it’s coming from a play there is a LOT of dialogue. Character diversity also shines, with lots of different ethnicities and backgrounds represented.

As a woman who had to deal with toxic masculinity in gaming, comics, and RPG spaces for most of the past thirty years, I really appreciate how those experiences are reflected in Violet’s story as well.

Recommended for all fandom/gaming fans and fans of romcoms and modern Shakespeare adaptations!

Alexene Farol Follmuth’s Twelfth Knight was the Shakespeare/teen movie/gaming mashup I didn’t know I needed, and I loved every minute of it! If 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s The Man had a sarcastic book baby with a heart of gold, it would be this YA novel, a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night that takes on misogyny, family expectations, and what it means to find the people we can truly be ourselves with. I loved the main characters, prickly, independent Vi and golden boy Jack as well as their friends and families. This was the first book I’ve read by Follmuth, but I’ll definitely look for her other work! Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Net Galley for the advance reader copy.

4.25 Stars

A Shakespeare themed ya romcom set in the world of online role playing games (with a bit of an Arthurian twist)

This was a fun book. At first I had a hard time connecting with the characters because I found them to be pretty unlikeable. But that’s… kind of the point. These characters are teenagers still figuring out who they are and the character development throughout the book was great.
Im not the biggest role playing game fan so I wasn’t as invested in that aspect of the book but I enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibes and seeing people connect over a shared interest.

Read if you like:
-enemies to lovers
-role playing games
-football
-Shakespeare retellings
-unlikely friends/found family


Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC!

Many thanks to Tor Publishing Group/Tor Teen, the author, and Netgalley for providing me the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This title will be released on May 28, 2024.

4 STARS

BRIEF SUMMARY: In real life, Viola and Jack have a less-than-friendly relationship on the student council. The unlikely duo become virtual friends on the battlefields of the video game called Twelfth Knight. Viola knows she’s playing with Jack, but she lets Jack think that his new buddy is her brother Bash.

At first, Viola’s POV aggravated me to the max. She’s “angry all the time” and unnecessarily hostile toward everyone. It seems like Viola looks down on everyone and expects everyone to go her way (or the highway). The author was aware of Vi’s sharp edges because Vi’s selfishness and prickliness soften over the course of the book.

Jack is the other main character, the golden boy. He’s the high school’s football star, but an ACL injury is stealing the game and his planned future out from under him. His girlfriend is pulling away. In comparison to Vi’s character, Jack comes off as kind of generic but still likable.

I enjoyed reading a take on high school that closely approximates the real high school experience than all the movies. (Cliques are not Divergent-level defined.) The video-gaming scenes and the convention were fun highlights.

The romance is subtle and has a slow build. When the two have their moment and share feelings, it’s really good! Romantic and cute for high schoolers without making them act or speak like adults.

***********************
FUN QUOTES

“You’re not just any girl. You’re a fun little tyrant.” -Jack to Viola

“The secret to not being hated is to just never tell someone they can’t have what they want.” -Jack’s secret to finessing

“It matters what we see when we look at our possibilities. What we see determines what we are.”

3.5stars⚝

”I just think that maybe happiness isn’t crossing a finish line, or finally meeting the right person or getting the right job or finding the right life. It’s the little things.”

Viola is always frustrated with the world, trying to navigate the challenges of dealing with people. And then there's Jack, adored by everyone (except Vi), with a promising athletic future. But everything changes when he breaks his leg, and they end up playing video games together every night for months. The twist? He has no idea it's her.

Viola is such a complex character! Some people don't find her likable and call her a "bitch," but she actually believes that label and uses it as a shield. It's like she doesn't want people to expect too much from her. She has some things to work on, like opening up and showing her emotions. But it's frustrating how the people around her make her feel like she's the worst person ever. In reality, she's just a teenage girl, angry at the world, and trying to figure out how to handle those emotions. But as the story progresses, you can definitely see some growth in Viola.

Jack is like every teenager who thought they had it all figured out, only to realize, "Oops, I don't." It was great that the book had dual points of view, so we could understand what he was going through. Seeing his feelings for Viola grow gradually was incredibly sweet. Unlike most people, he didn't see her as a terrible person. Their relationship blossoming was amazing to witness!

The message incorporated in the story of "Twelfth Knight" is absolutely amazing. It's all about learning to let others into our lives and experiencing the beautiful emotions of love and belonging. It tackles real life issues in a fun and light hearted way, which makes it super relatable without being overly dramatic. I would recommend anyone who's into video games to read this book. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a perfect 4 stars was that I was kinda hoping for a bit more romance. But overall, it's a total gem of a coming of age story. 🌟

I went in to this pretty blind. I am a big fan of she's the man, but i don't have a ton of knowledge of the original Shakespeare storyline.

This was a good story about the growth of characters who all have something they hide from the world around them. Viola evolving in her view of the world and letting people through the walls she built. Jack seeing what else is out there beside his normal routine and future plans. Olivia's journey to find herself.

It definitely is a good read, and has a good message for readers who may be feeling the way these characters do. End of Highschool is a time of life where your paths really start and you go out into the world and start your journey.

Oh my goodness. This was such a great read I have all the feels I don’t even know where to start!

First, Twelfth Knight is my favorite Shakespeare so when I see nerdy twelfth knight?! The combination made my heart happy.

Second, Viola, our main girl…what a heartwarming character. This book is as much about finding yourself whole navigating this crazy thing called life as it is an adorable romance.

And third, the butterflies! Omg. Such an endearing relationship that blossoms that really reminds us all of what we go through in those formative years!

Not only does this take us on a journey for our main character but a lot of our side characters grow so much throughout the book. And the story takes us through their trials of learning who they are and admitting that sometimes it’s ok to just exist, to face the facts or be vulnerable and that’s one of the many reasons why I absolutely loved this!! I can’t wait to pick up a copy when it’s officially out and will definitely recommend to everyone!

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

I devoured it. I couldn't put it down. This book spoke to me on so many levels. I love board games, tabletop games, RPG games and the fact that there was this representation in it had my heart bursting with joy. As someone that is Filipino, just seeing anak in the book had me tearing up. My little self, saw herself in the pages of this book.

Viola was not the most likeable main character but she was real and I couldn't help but love how true she stayed to herself. She didn't compromise her beliefs and did not make herself small so others could be comfortable. The relationship between her and Jack did not disappoint. I loved how their relationship grew and how each character had their own journey of self growth.

This book was so much more than I expected.

5 stars

This book is like if A Cinderella Story and She’s the Man (aka Twelfth Night) has a cute nerdy little baby. It’s been a while since I read a book where the teenagers felt like and talked like teenagers which is fantastic. What a lovely little book.

thank you so much to netgalley and tor teen for the arc! i loved alexene’s first YA romance novel my mechanical romance and i loved twelfth knight just as much!

i really loved the grumpy sunshine trope in this book- it made me really love the characters and connect with them. i will say that while jack is predominantly optimistic it is never in a toxic positivity way, he very much faces and comes to terms with challenges he is facing. in my opinion both him and vi are the grump and the sunshine in this story and i loved how it flipped sometimes!

i loved vi a lot, i love how strong, passionate and independent she is! seeing her growth and journey throughout the book is truly a treat. i love what vi stands for- so many of her passionate rants i was literally shaking my head as i read because i agreed with her. this novel does an amazing job touching on the topics of feminism and how difficult it can be for women to navigate areas typically dominated by men. i love how they address the very much real world culture of gaming and various entertainment fandoms. the book highlights how they can be wonderful and harmful depending on who you are in the fandom. the one thing i really loved about jack and how he treated vi was the way he never changed that or tried to silence her instead he continued to encourage her to share her thoughts and opinions. the way her and jack are originally parallel lines to one another and become perpendicular is chefs kiss! i loved seeing how their romance developed it was so sweet like kicking my feet smiling while i read!

i loved some of our “side” characters as well, olivia was so lovely i adored her immediately. i love nick and how supportive he was of jack. i loved bash! i do wish we got a bit more of him because he was such a dynamic character!

the pacing of the story was wonderful, i loved the alternating points of view and the fun shakespearean references intertwined throughout. i really enjoyed the twelfth knight, it was a heartwarming read and one of the best YA novels i have read in awhile.

rating: 3.75

this was a bit disappointing to me, both bc of hype i've seen around olivie blake and having LOVED she's the man ever since it first came out. that is not this retelling. i came in expecting amanda bynes's slapstick shenanigans and instead the fmc was being called a bitch by most of the characters 😬 i will consider the fact that maybe i was a bit triggered for the reason why this book wasn't satisfying for me.

i can definitely appreciate the commentary this book had on sexism and misogyny in male-dominated spaces of fantasy mediums from tv to gaming, but it was hard to like vi at times bc sometimes she'd genuinely be mean to a random person. the first 1/3 reminded me much more of 10 things i hate about you's character kat stratford, but the fmc vi lacked her cutting humor. her attitude, while understandable, hard to digest and justify at times when it felt misplaced.

the romance kinda lacked as well. there was nothing romantic between vi and jack until more than halfway, which then it ramped through quickly. but the weird thing to me was how jack was this self-proclaimed romantic and yet did absolutely nothing romantic in this book, for either vi or olivia. no sweeping big gestures or surprises or anything, he was extremely passive. i didn't buy him as "sunshine" despite his golden boy status. it's actually understandable considering his situation - he's blown his knee and can't play football, so he's become more withdrawn and stressed by the idea that he might no longer be able to play. he just didn't give me golden retriever energy.

there were a lot of balls in the air in this book for me. i think it could have been a bit more focused.

4.5 Stars

Twelfth Knight feels like a book that was written for me specifically. Twelfth Night is my favorite Shakespeare play, and She's the Man is one of my all time favorite movies. I had such a high bar for Twelfth Knight coming in, and it more than cleared it. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down.

Viola Reyes is the grumpy AP student, loud and proud nerd who spends her free time playing tabletop RPG ConQuest, MMORPG Twelfth Knight, and watching her favorite TV show, War of Thorns. Due to past awful experiences as a girl in gaming, Viola plays Twelfth Knight as a male alter ego modeled off of her favorite War of Thorns character. Jack "Duke" Orsino is the latest in a legacy of football superstardom, when a devastating injury knocks his senior season off of its planned, record-breaking course. Facing doubts about his future and desperately in need of a distraction during his recuperation, Jack turns to Twelfth Knight, a hobby he feels is completely at odds with his football star persona. IRL, Viola has no patience for Jack's sunshiney personality and hands off attitude towards their student council responsibilities. When their online alter egos meet, she begins to see a different side of him.

Viola and Jack are both strong, well fleshed out characters. I enjoyed many of the supporting characters as well, but felt that some of their story points could have been expanded upon a bit more. For the most part, the pacing of the plot was well balanced. I particularly enjoyed watching the Viola and Jack's relationship develop through their IRL interactions and their online chats. The main thing that kept this from being a five star read for me was the feeling that the final conflict resolved a bit too quickly and without much actual effort from the characters.

If you are a fan of modernized Shakespeare rom com style adaptations, particularly She's The Man, I cannot recommend Twelfth Knight enough.