I had a really great time reading this book! I've loved her writing as Olivie Blake, and I was really looking forward to this one, about a gamer girl, and the football shining star! It was an absolute delight to read it, I had to continue reading!

Vi is annoyed, but she's also angry. When you think of geeks and nerds, you mainly think of guys, because girls aren't considered to care for these things, to not understand, to not be good at them. I think things are slowly changing, but Vi has been raised seeing these things, and I'm with her on how aggravating it is!

Watching Vi and Jack clash in real life over his student body president duties and his love life, and then bonding online where she knows who he is and he thinks she's her brother, yeah, it was messy and complicated and I loved it! I especially loved how he dealt with it after it came out.

At one point, I was wondering if things were going to be switched up, because there was Olivia and her story-I could've seen this story doing a bait and switch and have Vi and Olivia end up together, because they were cute together. But I did enjoy seeing Vi and Jack together.

Loved reading this book, and I'd love to read more from Alexene Farol Follmuth!

Super cute story, fun and enjoyable. THE AUDIO NARRATION WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. Like, damn. This tipped it over the edge. I think that if I had just read a ebook version I might have rated it lower, but the characters came ALIVE.. so, 5 stars!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Cute Shakespeare retelling, and I enjoyed the gaming aspect. The high school drama felt more real than annoying as it sometimes gets in YA, and the main characters were perfectly flawed. The narrators did a good job as well.

Me and the author have had an ... interesting journey, which makes it all the more satisfying to say that this has singlehandedly restored my faith in YA contemporaries. Absolutely wonderful.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a free advanced listener’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book felt like those teen movies that were retellings of Shakespear plays. It had the addictive balance of comedic references to the original work mixed with the usual teen angst. One of my favorite changes was Viola and Olivia’s relationship in the book. Due to the modern setting, Follmuth was able to tweak some character interactions that made it so Olivia really got to know Viola and that stood out to me as a shining point of the book. I also really connected to Viola’s arc and character growth and from her character in general as a girl who takes up “too much space” and all the complexities that come with standing your ground and refusing to shrink yourself. I think a lot of young readers will relate to that too and see themselves in Viola.

I thought the performance of the narrators was fantastic as well. Alexandra Palting had these bursts of energy in her performance when switching characters, particularly when she played Bash, that had me giggling to myself and were so over the top that they just fit snugly into the comedy side of this book; it really kept the book feeling light and airy. Kevin R. Free had this solid rock of a performance that made Jack Orcino feel steady and so balanced when sandwiched between Viola’s more turbulent emotions in her plot.

Overall, I think this is a solid retelling and would highly suggest recommending it to a young adult reader in your life or even picking it up for yourself if you’re in the mood for that nostalgic 90’s-teen-movie-retelling feeling.

While reading this I couldn't help but think of "She's the Man" and compare the story to that lol. I thought the story was ok, but hate when one of the characters withholds their identity to the other. I haven't read the source material, but now I'm interested to search it out and give it a read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners for this ALC!

- I am obsessed with this book! It’s very rare that a book can capture the essence of the 2000s-2010s rom com movies (think 10 Things I Hate About You, Easy A, Clueless, etc), and this one is the closest I’ve seen! The humor mixed with the angst of being a teenager and a slow burn love story is top tier!!
- Vi is incredibly cringe-y in a way that feels so accurate for an angry teenage girl! It felt much more like “oh god I knew so many girls like her” than “oh god this person has only seen how teenagers talk from mainstream news segments on texting lingo”. I usually get frustrated by a lot of references to pop culture in books because it can make it feel so dated, but this managed to avoid that!
- Secret identity in romance is a trope that’s either a hit or a miss in romance for me, but this one was done so well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Tor Teen, Alexene Farol Follmuth, Alexandra Palting (audio narrator), and Kevin R. Free (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Twelfth Knight in exchange for an honest review.

Being a lover of Shakespeare, Twelfth Night being my favorite comedy, and a devourer of young adult fiction, this sounded like the perfect book for me. As soon as I dived in, it felt like just another version of She's the Man, a movie which is also a contemporary retelling of the original play. I was pleased to find it deviated from that rather quicky, in the best of ways.

Viola's Struggles
Viola Reyes is feeling frustrated as her carefully designed tabletop game is dismissed, her best friend suggests she be more “likable,” Jack Orsino, student body president who does nothing (compared to all of Viola's efforts in Student Council, anyway), complicates her role as Vice President. To escape the demands of the student body, she immerses herself in the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, where she takes on a masculine persona named Cesario, named after one of her favorite TV show characters, to navigate the gaming world without the annoyances of gender stipulations. Online gaming can be tough for girls like Viola, who excel and carry confidence, as well as a popular role among her peers, so she finds a safe space as a knight. Her days as Student Council VP would be over in an embarrassing demise if anyone at school found out...

A Surprising Connection
Things take an unexpected turn when Jack Orsino, recovering from a football injury that MIGHT harm his career in the sport, joins Twelfth Knight and meets Viola’s alter ego, Cesario, in the online game. She keeps her identity a secret to save face, even though she knows immediately based on Jack's character name exactly who he is. Thus, she claims she is her brother, Sebastian, which causes awkward sibling turmoil down the line, especially when Bash is definitely not a gamer. As Viola and Jack bond over late-night gaming sessions, they begin to discuss deeper topics like life and love, realizing their characters are a perfect match. However, Viola struggles with the secret of her true identity and the effects her continued secret will have the longer it goes, or if it gets out. Jack develops feelings for her in the real world as they spend time together being the heads of Student Council, with Jack being unable to drive. Viola carts him around and they even go to a convention together, but Viola is determined to keep her secret, no matter the cost. Tensions rise between the lives of the virtual world compared to what is happening in reality, and Viola has more than one choice to make.

Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed both the sports aspect and the gaming aspect. This novel brings all the joy of MMO's, D&D, and conventions into the midst of high school social hierarchy, popularity, and school council shenanigans. It uses the video game dynamic as the retelling twist with the whole twin mix-up, making the story even more complicated, with more to lose by the end.

This novel is a super fun stand-alone perfect for gamers, lovers of young adult romance, and those who can relate to the fears of being themselves, with a lesson to learn about being who you are with no fear.

This was a fun read! And I'm not just saying that because I'll read any and all versions of the Twelfth Night story. I really enjoyed the characters and their journeys. The story had a lovely expansive kind of character growth where people are appreciated for who they are and for all of their passions. No one got toned down for being too smart, or too intense, or too sporty - they all had their interests and then added a few new ones along the way. I also really love how fandoms are embraced - they really do bring people from all walks of life together over a common shared enjoyment of something. The book is just very heartwarmingly cute. I sometimes struggle with YA but these characters are fun and funny and I couldn't put this book down. Alexandra Palting and Kevin R. Free are great narrators and had the perfect levels of snark and warmth in their narration to capture these characters. I guess my only complaint is that there was no actual gender-bending/clothes swapping mix up shenanigans in real life (just an in-game persona). But that's a minor complaint. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio and Macmillan Young Listeners for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Twelfth Knight is a great modern retelling of Shakespeares original twelfth night story. Though kicking off with a rough start with a very strongly unlikable mc and taking to the retelling with the interesting curveball that is the inclusion of an mmorpg (since such games tend to have hot or cold receptions in general society and rarely every anything not to one of the extremes). It ended up being a good retelling that actually had a decently sweet romance.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was so sweet. I had a great time reading it. There were so many great quotes that I highlighted while reading through it and I think my favorite one would be, "you are the bane of my existence, jack orsino.' 'as you are mine." Shakespearean retellings are always hit or miss for me and I was happy that this one was a hit. I liked that the grumpy character was the female character this time instead of the male character. Overall, great book!

This was sweet, but I felt a little underwhelmed by it. I LOVE Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and I have loved every retelling I have read, thus far. Unfortunately, this wasn't a love, but it was a like.

I am so excited to share this book with my students! Twelfth Night is part of our curriculum, and although students are aware of "She's the Man", that movie is outdated and problematic. Follmuth modernizes this story in a way that will really appeal to teenagers who are constantly thinking about video games, crushes, gender, sexuality, homecoming, etc. I really enjoyed the audiobook and the different narrators for each of the two main characters. As a somewhat new MMORPG player, I also really enjoyed learning about the game in the book and I could relate to Orsino's experience with being new to gaming.

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.

The narration of this audiobook was really good. I loved that we got dual narrators for the 2 POVs - I'm always appreciative of that. I think I'm even on which reading mode I preferred for this book. It's such a fun read that both options are good - especially with the B&N special edition providing such a cute physical book.

Thank you NetGalley, Alexene Farol Follmuth, and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to read this audiobook ARC!

Oh I absolutely loved this. I've never read from this author before but I would love to look more into their backl.ist and read their next. The couple was cute and it was easy to get hooked into these characters. Overall, I was immersed into the story and would recommend. I hope to hear other people talking about it as well.

Twelfth Knight is a super cute modern teen re-telling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The main characters are well-developed & the romance was very cute (albeit very slow burn, but it is a re-telling of Twelfth Night so that was to be expected).

I loved that Alexene Follmuth added so much diversity & representation in this book. I thought it worked well that the main female character was a gamer feminist. It was fun to see these kids explore where they fit in the world & think outside of the box. I also loved all of the fun nods to fandom.

The only thing I would change, is that I didn’t feel like some plot lines were entirely resolved & I maybe wanted a bit more justice for misdeeds. But high school doesn’t always work that way, and this was super cute overall.

Overall, the narration was very nice. The characters were clearly differentiated and fun! It was a pleasure to listen to!

Thanks to Alexene Follmuth, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read & review!

I know that so many people will love this, but that just wasn’t the case for me. There was so much left unsaid in this book that it felt undone. BUT the secret identity and the gaming thing kept me hooked to this. It was fun, until it wasn’t.

Ok so the main thing I didn’t care for about this was the way the main character was half Filipino but I didn’t know until the end of the story. And the love interest was Black (?) judging from the cover, and there’s more characters in the story that are so ambiguous. It’s weird. It was like I knew they were a person of color but nothing made them different than the others. And the characters who did have discerning characteristics from others, that was all they had. She doesn’t tell how those things are resolved or anything. Just that they are there or happening within her family and I found that annoying. Because if you’re going to mention it and then leave it as a passing glance, WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF MENTIONING IT?! And like those things aren’t small? There was absolutely no character development and as a character driven reader, I was a bit bored.

I’m usually not a fan of the secret identity trope, but IDK, it HITS DIFFERENT in YA. lol I always end up enjoying them more when they’re in YA. And bonus points if its on a game or a social media. It always turns up with some weird ass drama and I am a sucker for some drama lol But in this one it was a little hurtful? Like she was only doing it because of the way people treated her as a fan of this game. It was painfully familiar as a female sports fan and I hated it for her.

Another way this felt unresolved was all the misogyny that was happening and then that was it. When she finally told the love interest who she was, he said basically yeah this is happening and then was like you did this to me why? I know that this would be a real YA boy’s reaction, but I think it should have had someone there to tell him, yo that’s not ok. Something to show that he learned something throughout this entire book.

This was cute and it had it’s moments where I was like ok, this makes sense. But at the same time, I was very much weirded out that stuff just kept popping up but nothing was solved. It seemed like one big open-ended story. And it was really weird.

Viola Reyes is "Mad Woman" to a T. And as someone who has been called many of the things Viola has, she was exactly the character I needed to read. My blood boiled for her not only objectively - because the sexism she experiences makes your skin crawl - but in the ways it mirrors past experiences of mine. I've experienced plenty of times where I felt unsafe in gaming spaces online and IRL. Where our attention was mistaken as affection. Viola's character made me feel seen in the ways the world asks us to tone it down. To not get so 'upset'.

And part of why I loved it were the narrations of Alexandra Palting & Kevin R. Free. Alexandra perfectly plays the anger, but also the worries of Viola. That no one will ever see her, and accept her, for who she is. And Kevin did a phenomenal job at narrating Jack's frustrations and doubts about his future.

Oooooookay I loved this. Normally i hate sporty things but the nerdy rpg aspect had me intruiged. Our fmc is brash, bold, and knows what she’s about. Our mmc is facing the loss of his life and relearning who he is. Viola and Jack deserve the world. I couldn’t tell you about the retelling aspect as I’ve never read much Shakespeare, but the story had me hooked and I couldn’t put it down. A story about overcoming challenges, love, finding yourself, and enjoying the little things.

This one is for all of the self proclaimed nerds who love role playing games. I absolutely love the fact that we get so much of the online game playing world in this book. Plus? We get some queer and questioning characters! This was a perfect addition to my shelf, especially during Pride Month!