So sad not to love this one!

I was HERE for the deadly game, the mesh of virtual and reality, and the tricksy characters and murder mystery, but sadly I couldn't get into this one. It seemed like the game was not explained well, and the stakes were 'told' but never actually shown/established, so they never felt real. The tone also waffled between straight-up murder and chill moments over food? The protagonist is 15 and yet the story was very politically loaded from early on. The writing style felt pretty young, as well.

Extra star for the idea, because it could've been so good! Still very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The twists!!! Ahhhhh it was so good. I loved the friendships in it. The mystery itself was so good. I loved the video game aspect of it. I just wish there was more on the video game side. Also the torture scene was genuinely chilling.

DNF: 7%

No one is more upset about me DNFing this than I am. When I read the synopsis of this, I was 1,000% positive that this was going to get me out my reading slump. Unfortunately, after reading the first few chapters, I knew that this book wasn’t going to be for me. While this appears to be a well written murder mystery/thriller, it’s the gaming influencer vibe that I am having a hard time enjoying. I love video games whole heartedly. I mean, I practically own all of the current Mario & Luigi games for my Nintendo Switch. I just lack the ability to reading about them. I also find it very hard to enjoy books where abbreviations are used instead of the whole word being spelled out. I understand that authors are trying to “keep up” with the times and the new YA audience but, some of us like our writing to be in our face and real simple. By no means is this a bad book. I am just the wrong audience member.

If you enjoy:
✨Gaming Influencer Vibes…
✨Four friends/ Possible Found Family…
✨Secrets and Interesting Twists
And
✨Murder Mysteries…

Then this book is MOST DEFINITELY for you!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for granting me an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

I loved the premise of this, definitely reminds me of the Escape Room movie, which I loved. However, I did find this a bit hard to get into, as the pacing just didn’t flow for me. It is still not bad though and may work for other YA readers.

I really enjoyed this YA thriller! It was fast paced and action packed. As I enjoy playing games myself, I could relate to the game and the camaraderie of a group of players. I like that it shows how good friends you can become even if you only see each other through a game and think it's nice that good examples of online friendship can be seen in books.

The story is exciting and you are quickly thrown into the action where the characters have to make a quick and difficult decision. Then it continues at a fast pace and keeps the reader on edge until the end. I could eventually guess who their mysterious enemy was, long before they knew it themselves, but it didn't matter much and I still enjoyed the story.

4.5 stars
I loved this!
The prologue got me right away, the relationships between the characters was relatable, and I was hooked until the very end.
I loved the way that the "game" was played both in the real world (which had a bit of a mystery solve-along vibe) as well as in the digital world of the game.
Highly, highly recommend. And I can´t wait to see what the author writes next.

This is a YA thriller where best friends are framed for murder. As an adult YA can be hit or miss but this book is captivating and has lots of twists to keep you on your toes. I would recommend this book to thriller lovers of all ages.

Asian authors write the best thrillers. It's Only A Game is a YA thriller following a girl who runs away from home and a year later spends her time playing an online game, making friends in the process.

There is a deadly game where people are dying and four teens who are shoved in the game against their will but now they are breaking laws, committing different felonies to protect their own secrets.

This story heavily relies on video games but the author has done an amazing job writing it in a way that it won't be difficult to imagine for non gamers as well. I loved all four teens and the plot twists were perfect. Finished reading it in less than 24 hrs. Perfect for YA lovers also has a queer cast

If you love the Y.A. mystery genre like I do, you'll find this book to be perfectly fine. It doesn't really add anything to the genre, but it wasn't really bad. It's fine.

This was fun! Very twisty and fun. I didn’t not see any of the twists coming and I was flabbergasted.

I struggled with this in the beginning, mostly because the gamer aspect isn’t really for me, but it was well written and easy to follow. The story had a great plot twist, and I was surprised by how dark it was for a YA. The MC was someone you really wanted to root for, especially the more you learned about her past, and the story was filled with great friendships and found families. Overall an enjoyable, twisty read!

This was definitely a super fast paced read! It was fun but there was something missing for me. It was a really fun concept but I feel that some plot points could've been more developed. Still worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC

I have mixed feelings about this book. It feels very unique, with a murder mystery taking place in the real world and also a video game world. The premise was super cool, but it was predictable at some points. The final reveal of the antagonist and her relationship to the victim and protagonist was pretty much told to the reader, yet the main character didn't figure it out until way later. I appreciate the foreshadowing to avoid plot holes, but I also wish that I couldn't figure it out that easily.

I wasn't very invested in the characters. Only the main character had any depth, and that was primarily through her backstory, not the current plot.

This was a hard ass review to write. I have so many feelings about this book. I loved it so much and I’ve already put this on a list to use this for our ToB book list for 2025…..

Ok so first things first. The teens are going to EAT THIS UP! There’s gaming, there’s romance, there’s fighting, there’s some schmurder! And a dog! That sounds like a weird ass mix, but it really worked so well together. I don’t want to say anything else because spoilers, but there is so much happening in this book and I was sucked into it and I wanted to read it every chance I got.

The rep in this was something serious too. There’s family diversity because Lordt, there’s racial/ethnic diversity because the MC was Chinese, and there’s 2slgbtq+ diversity because its sapphic. And the MC is also unhoused and living in a restaurant. There’s so much rep in this book and tho I am none of the things listed, I am saying it was ok rep until I hear different. Also the author is also Chinese, so it is own voices in that aspect.

The writing style was so cool! Idk how Yu got us to help her solve the mystery in the real world and the world of her game! And I really enjoyed seeing the papers with the threats that her friends got too. I was glad we got to see it all. I also liked the way she went back and forth in time to explain what happened. it really did help to tell the story.

I do wish there was a bit more to the ending. it was this whole buildup and the end conflict is so short lol I wanted so much more for it. Whoever edited this did it a bit of a disservice. Idk I wanted so much more. And Idk if that’s a me thing and I’m just being dramatic, or if it was actually ok. Whatever the reason, I wanted more.

The main character grew on me. When i first started this book I’m not gonna lie, she was annoying lol I felt like we didn’t know anything about her and we weren’t getting to know her. And the little glimpses we get from the past was like scraps. But as we got more and more into the story, it began to make so much more sense. Usually I don’t like books where I don’t know anything about the characters, but this one just worked for me.

So if nothing else, I hope y’all read this one! The gaming, the mystery, the everything was just so good! So y’all go get it! I need someone to talk to about this! This book was so good! Read it and get back to me lol

It’s Only a Game is an engaging read that offers plenty for active gamers to enjoy, with its numerous video game references and immersive gaming elements. As an active gamer myself this was something I really enjoyed about and made it easier for me to connect with with because of that; however, I do feel like this will be something that isolates non gamers from the story. The story is fast paced overall, but sometimes moves so fast it feels as though someone is missing/ not developed properly. The real shining star though is the diverse cast and representation featured among the characters.. Overall, it's an entertaining read but just felt like it was missing something.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a group of gamers who meet up in real life and meet the creator of their favorite game. Things quickly go wrong when they are forced into a real life game that is do or die and their families are threatened.

I liked this book! It was a fast paced thriller that was full of action. I liked how quick paced this was and it kept me engaged. I thought the characters were pretty well developed and easy to connect to. I liked all of the twists and turns throughout.

I will say that I am not a gamer so some of the lingo went over my head. I think gamers will understand this one a bit more than me. However, it didn't take away from my experience too much because I still enjoyed it.

It's Only a Game was a highly anticipated read for me this summer. Asian-authored YA thriller with LGBTQIA+ character rep? Sign me up! And there was a lot that I really enjoyed about this one.

What I liked:
- The book was certainly a page turner. I moved through this one quickly, and I often read longer than I intended to see what would happen on the next page.
- The overall premise of the book was intriguing, and I personally enjoyed the video game element. For readers who do *not* enjoy references to video games, just know that there are a decent number of technical video game descriptions throughout the book.
- This book is marketed for a YA audience, and even though there are references to mature topics (murder, physical and emotional abuse by a parent, and fire/fire injury), I think that it would still be appropriate for some older middle grade students. I can think of a few students of mine who would really love it. (This would be a great read for the students who want something more mature like The Hunger Games but are perhaps not yet developmentally mature enough for thematically heavier YA or adult books.)

What didn't quite work for me:
- There were certain aspects of the book that I think could have been more fully developed. I felt like some plot points were rushed or quickly resolved, and they could have benefitted from greater attention. (I won't elaborate here so as to avoid spoilers.)
- At times, the writing was a little clunky and the dialogue was a little awkward. The writing style certainly didn't ruin my reading experience, but it also sometimes distracted from the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I was approved for this ARC after it had come out and I read it through the library, haha. I enjoyed this, it was fast-paced and twisty. I enjoyed the game aspect, that's something I have really been loving especially in YA mystery/thrillers. This wasn't a knock-your-socks off kind of book--the reveal was a little eh, and the mystery just sort of showed up out of the blue, but I loved the different representation in this story and it was overall a fun read!

This was a fast paced murder mystery with the twist of revolving around a video game. I liked the modern take and that the characters were mostly strangers who had bonded over playing together.

The mystery sort of hit out of nowhere and I enjoyed the clues and missions the characters had to complete to stay safe. I did think the reveal was a bit lackluster and easy to see coming though.

I enjoyed the cultural representation, as well as having several LGBTQ+ characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you go NetGalley for this early copy!

This wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great. I enjoyed the queer representation and the friend group, but the writing was quite distracting. I understand this is YA but the writing was very juvenile. I also really didn’t like the back and forth in time lines!

Also, hated all the gamer talk. There were lengthy scenes of them playing the video game which I found so boring! I want to see stuff happening IRL—if I wanted to watch a video game I’d go on YouTube.