"Twelfth Knight" by Alexene Farol Follmuth, a YA romantic comedy and coming-of-age story, follows the protagonist Viola Reyes as she navigates the challenges of high school, friendship, and a budding romance.

Viola, also known as Vi, is dealing with various frustrations—from the rejection of her carefully crafted tabletop game campaign to the suggestion that she should be more "likable." As the Vice President of her school, she finds herself at odds with the laid-back Student Body President, Jack Orsino. To escape the pressures of the real world, Vi immerses herself in the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) Twelfth Knight. In this virtual realm, she adopts the persona of Cesario, a masculine alter ego, creating a space where she feels more accepted.

The plot takes an interesting turn when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to discover Twelfth Knight, and Vi is surprised to find that their online alter egos, Cesario and Duke Orsino, share a unique connection. As they engage in discussions about life and love within the game, Vi and Jack begin to form a bond that goes beyond their virtual personas. However, Vi is faced with the dilemma of concealing her true identity from Jack, leading to potential complications in their budding offline relationship.

"Twelfth Knight" explores themes of self-discovery, identity, and the complexities of relationships, both online and offline. The blend of romance, comedy, and the gaming world offers a fresh perspective on the challenges faced by young adults in today's interconnected society.

If you've had the opportunity to read "Twelfth Knight," feel free to share your thoughts on how the book handles themes of identity and relationships in the context of both the virtual and real worlds.

This book is incredible for readers of all youth ages and carries an important message. It bridges genres and topics being both about nerd things but also sport life with themes reading from social commentary of social divisions to lighter themes such as angst and romance. Many books try hard to achieve this but compared to this book all others have failed.

(4.5) Viola Reyes is annoyed. It’s true. Viola Reyes loves the fantasy world and after one of her game campaigns was shot down by her group which is a majority of boys, she’s had it with people. Meanwhile, Jack Orsino, the star football player, has suffered a severe knee injury which will have him out of the field for at least a year. Now, Jack has taken to playing a video game called Twelfth Knight where he makes a friend, Cesario, who in real life is Viola. However, Jack doesn’t know that, so in real life he’s enemies with Viola but close friends through the game.

Viola is such a complex character because many of the closest people don’t understand her. I had a hard time trying to make an opinion of her and her actions. She wasn’t the most likable person to most people and was often referred to as a “bitch”. She truly believed she was bitch and hid behind that term so that people didn’t have high expectations of her. Of course, she did have some things to work on like letting others in and not being afraid to show emotion but I feel like a lot of the people around her made her feel like she was the worst person ever. When in reality she's a teenage girl who’s angry at the world and still learning how to deal with those emotions. By the end, you could see an overall development in Viola, and dare I even say she seemed to be happy.

Jack was such a breath of fresh air. He represents every teenage kid who thought they had it figured out until they released, oh wait, I don’t. I’m happy that this book was duo POV and we were able to also see Jack’s POV of everything going on. It allowed us to understand his headspace during a time that was difficult for him. Also, it was so sweet to see how he gradually grew feeling for Viola and how he was one of the few people who didn’t view her as a horrible person. Whether he knew it or not, Viola was there for him and it was great to see their relationship blossom. They were exactly what the other person needed and they make a perfect balance. I loved this book and I can’t wait for the author’s next YA book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tor Teen for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Viola escapes from her world by playing Twelfth knight- a MMORPG. She pretends to be a guy to avoid unwanted attention. Jack Orsino - her annoying student president decided to join and they play well together surprisingly.

Tons of celever references to Shakespear's Twelve Night. The book is fun and sweet. Really enjoy it. Great characters with Jack and Viola.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.