I recommended this book when it came out this week to my customers in my new arrivals list. The hardcover is so pretty, and this is a YA romance that embraces fandoms! Loved it so much.

I love Twelfth Night retellings, so I knew this book would be for me. In this book I think my favorite part was actually the friendship that grew between Viola and Olivia.

The MPRPG was so fun, I really liked the hidden identity piece done in this way. Highly recommend this book for ya romance lovers, or Shakespeare retelling lovers.

I really enjoyed both narrators as well. I love two narrators for a dual POV book.

Am I in my gaming/hidden identity era? I think I am. Having never read the original Shakespearean work, and having never played a video game on any laptop or computer (consoles only baby— because Mario Cart had a chokehold on my entire family in the early 2,000’s!)… Much of the nuance that is probably in this book was lost on me.
Even so, this audiobook was started and completed by me in about 24 hours. The narrators did an awesome job keeping the story moving forward. The only part of the narration I didn’t love was when either of them tried to affect the love for Sebastian “Bash.” That felt overtly effeminate and dramatic— which now that I’m typing that that may just be Bash. 🤷🏻‍♀️😜

I really loved how the football in the book was VERY football, and the gaming in the book was VERY gaming. The author didn’t shrink away from the technical components of either and I would have felt so validated by that duality when I was young (👵🏼). We do not have to be into one thing. We can love, let’s just say, Baseball and classic literature at the same time. We can be big into sports and fantasy realms at once. We can be complex. That is the overall message I received in this book. It is also just a good time. It felt like stepping into John Tucker Must Die meets You’ve Got Mail meets She’s the Man. Loved it.

This is my first experience with a YA reimagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Maybe that's because there aren't any others, or possibly I've just missed them, but either way, I found this one to be fantastic. I loved the updated 21st century vibe of the story with nods to Shakespeare's time thrown in for good measure. We even get honorable mentions of some of the Bard's other plays in an English lit class which just adds to the really fun feel of this story.

As main characters, Viola and Jack stand out for there authenticity. Although my own high school years are far behind me, I remembers those social circles that tend to be a teenage staple: the jocks, the nerds, the drama kids, and so on. The problem is that people rarely fit nicely into one single circle, and that's what this book does really well. The lines get a little blurred, and I think that's kind of the point.

I also appreciate the current feel to the issues that are a natural part of this story. The author deals with gender roles, family dynamics, friendships, expectations for ourselves and others, and a whole lot more; but she does it in a way that completely flows with the story rather than feeling forced as some YA contemporary works do.

The Shakespearean plot is clearly recognizable; from character names to settings to relationships, but it is also fresh somehow and could be easily read and enjoyed by someone who is not familiar with the play as well. It's a well-crafted story line either way.

Bottom line: If you enjoy Shakespeare retellings with a modern flare, or if you've never read Shakespeare at all but are interested in checking out YA contemporary with a Shakespeare-esque feel; give this book a go. I think you'll like it.

Book and writing: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audio recording: 2 ⭐️⭐️

Goodness, this was cute. And I was completely drawn to it because of the Shakespearean title. It was a very appropriate and an applaudable retelling of Shakespeare's classic with a teenage audience in mind. Personally, I would love to see this adapted for stage. It would be an incredible teaching tool in Theatre or English class.

In Padua, Twelfth Knight is a very popular online video game where there are 11 knights and one player will be knight number twelve if he/she makes it that far. Viola Reyes lives for playing this game, but she doesn't like how girls are not taken seriously when they play online with guys. So, she decides to make her online profile a guy named Cesario. On the other end of the social spectrum at Padua High School, is Jack Orsino. He's the greatest football player in Padua. With his Dad as the coach, there is tons of pressure for him to earn a scholarship to play at Illyria University. But, when an major injury knocks Jack out from playing for the rest of the season, he turns to secretly playing Twelfth Knight online, finding himself oddly, yet easily allied with Cesario. Offline, Jack Orsino is having issues with the distance growing between him and his cheerleader girlfriend, Olivia. Suddenly, he finds himself working with Viola on the homecoming dance, striking a deal with her that if she can get close enough to Olivia to actually find out what is going on with her, he will take over the majority of the Homecoming duties. And when Viola chooses herself to be Olivia's scene partner for their study of Romeo and Juliet, she begins to gradually learn more about secrets Olivia is keeping. Meanwhile, Viola and Jack must work together to assure that Homecoming is a success. Jack finds himself falling for Viola offline, while Viola finds friendship with Jack online as Cesario. Dilemma after dilemma ensues, forcing everyone to make moral choices that will change the trajectory of their lives and relationships, bringing about truth in who they really are.

Shakespeare's tropes, plotlines, and complex characters will always be relevant to today. I love it when writers take classics and modernize them in a compelling way. It becomes the best doorway for us all to reach for the actual classic and find familiarity in it. And this writing was the PERFECT modernization for a teenage audience. I even like how the characters were named with the originals in mind, changing them ever so slightly. Because of Shakespeare, but also due to Follmuth's vivid imagination, each character was complex, unique, and well-developed. Using the play on words for the title was brilliant and completely worked as a video game!

I will say honestly, for the first time, I did NOT enjoy this audio version. I completely believe this book needs to be read in paper form. I know I know. It should be the other way around, considering it's Shakespeare. However, the voicing of Viola's character was like nails on a chalkboard to me. The tone was throaty and marked almost the entire time. The "s" and "sh" sounds nearly drove me mad as they whistled and sounded as though the reader were using duck lips the entire time. I also couldn't get over the caricature characterizations. Just because teens or young adults are the audience does not mean the voicing of characters needs to be grossly overdone. Jack Orsino's character voicing was much better on the nerves and ears, though it too had caricature characterizations. I was able to look past it, to an extent, since the writing was so compelling. I adore MacMillan Audio, just not the female narrator for this one.

A special thank you to MacMillan Audio, Alexene Farol Follmuth, and NetGalley for the chance to experience this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun and unexpectedly tender read 🥺 It is a YA book set in high school but the story had so much heart and it didn’t feel too “young” which I appreciated! Viola and Jack are polar opposites, she’s the “nerdy,” sharp-tongued gamer and he’s the popular football jock. They can’t stand each other in school, but they happen to meet in an online gaming chat and become friends - except she’s disguised as a male character the entire time & he has no idea 🤣

Viola is the perfect example of an angsty, misunderstood teen and she really grew on me throughout the book! She is not an easy character to love, you really learn to understand her. I also have such a soft spot for our MMC Jack (Duke) 🥹 he was sooo charismatic and sweet, regardless of the turmoil happening in his personal life. The way these two characters slowly formed a bond with each other online & in real life was so special to read. The slowest of all slow burns but it was worth it, and that first kiss scene was PERFECTION! ❤️

I am a huge fan of Alexene Farol Follmuth (AKA Olivie Blake) so I just knew this book was going to have incredible writing! She has such a beautiful way of stringing words together and making you feel EXACTLY how her characters feel, it’s like magic. It was as funny and dramatic as high schoolers can be, with a touch of real life issues & stereotypes.

Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for this ARC!! ❤️

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy!

This was a fun read! I really liked how it was an adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night but also incorporated elements of the King Arthur story. I loved how the characters developed and came together. It did feel a little funny at points to read about things like "Magic Con" and their live action role play game that were obviously supposed to be copies of Comic Con and D&D, just under different names. I also liked how Viola grew into a different person by the end, but she was still annoying to me (which I think was part of the point, but it still made it a little hard to read). Overall, I think it was a fun and entertaining read! If you love Shakespeare adaptations and the enemies-to-lovers trope, you'll love this one.

The Young Adult Romance “Twelfth Knight” by Alexene Farol Follmuthis is a wonderfully modern retelling of the classic comedy “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare.

We follow Viola Reyes and Jack Orsino who know each other from shared responsibilities at school but due to their personal biases never really gave the other a chance.
After Jack is injured in a football game he dives into the world of the MMORPG called “Twelfth Knight” where he unbeknownst by him meets Viola's character. Viola however plays as a male character in order to be taken seriously by other players and starts interacting with him without telling him who she really is.

I adored it! And not solely because of the romance but because of the conversations of this book. The protagonists as well as the side characters have complex personalities and problems that enriched the story immensely. They touch on friendship, expectations, fandom, gaming and especially the perception of women in typically male dominated environments. The decision to write this book in dual POV was also great in my opinion since it gave Jack much more depth.

I had the pleasure of listening to this as an audiobook. The narration by Alexandra Palting and Kevin R. Free was excellent! I really liked their representation of the characters and appreciate the decision to utilize a male and female narrator.

Furthermore I have to say that I really found myself in this book. As a gamer I shared many experiences with Viola on how I am perceived in online games and the struggle to be taken seriously. I loved the way new characters were introduced into fandoms and overcame their prejudices towards them.

As you can see I am full of praise for this book because of its topics and insightful writing so I wholeheartedly recommend it!

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

*4.5
I loved this so much more than I expected to. It was absolutely delightful and I loved every second. I have never read anything from Olivie Blake/Alexene Farol Follmuth before, but I am always down for a good Shakespeare adaptation so I wanted to try this out. Now I'm considering going back and reading all of Olivie/Alexene's back list.

Twelfth Knight is the modern geeky adaptation of Twelfth Knight - think She's the Man starring Amanda Bynes. It spoke to the side of me that was super active in fandoms - writing fanfic, running blogs and fan accounts, conversing with online friends... it made me feel super seen and I wish this was a book that was around when I was a teenager because I think I would have benefited from it deeply.

Speaking about benefitting deeply... for the first 50% of this book my friend and I (we were buddy reading) couldn't decide whether we thought that it was going to end up being a gay book with Olivia and Viola getting together if Viola would end up with Duke, or if it would be a "yay friendship" sort of book. I think this is where it lost the half-star it would have needed to be a five-star read from me - because I fully believe it should have just been a "yay friendship" book. I didn't feel like Viola had romantic feelings for Duke until suddenly we were told that she did. They just jumped out of nowhere. There was no building or hinting at any romantic feelings. I can believe it more for Duke than I could for Viola. I liked their friendship a whole lot more than I liked their romantic relationship.

I think the reason I ended up loving this book so much is because I ended up relating to it on such a deeply personal level that I wasn't expecting. I related deeply to Viola as a character and I felt comforted by some of her thoughts and actions. I had a very similar situation to what happened between Antonia and Viola happen to me and a friend so I had a lot of sympathy and hindsight into those conflicts.

I was fully expecting a very messy third-act conflict because of the nature of the plot. Viola has been keeping major secrets from Duke for practically their entire relationship. I think Duke would have been valid if he got really angry. Instead, I got to read one of the healthiest conflict resolutions I have ever seen in a book. I really appreciated that and I think it is setting up a good lesson in communication for young adults.

Overall what a stellar book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC

Ok so this was a cute retelling but I just couldn’t totally connect with it. It was definitely and enjoyable read. The audiobook had great narrators who kept me engaged and wanting to listen to more. It just wasn’t as captivating as I’d thought it would be for me.

Twelfth Knight is a YA romcom set in the world of gaming. Being a teen is about finding yourself and learning who to trust and let in all while navigating relationships and big feelings.

Viola is into gaming, renaissance festivals, and conventions. She loves the game Twelfth Knight but starts using a male persona online in order to avoid the rampant sexism that is part of the gaming world. While playing, she “runs into” star football player Jack Orsino and forms a friendship as Cesario, her male character she’s playing. Jack would normally never play a game like this but he’s suffered a football injury and is out for an extended period of time. It’s affecting him because he’s feeling the disconnect from his usual group of friends and teammates. Viola aka Cesario is going through personal problems on top of trying to be perfect all of the time and finds a friend in Jack. This story was so cute! It was unfortunately a realistic portrayal of behaviors women deal with but was handled really well. I sometimes struggle to read YA written by adults because I don’t feel the characters dialogue is realistic or believable but I did not feel that at all with this story.

This audiobook was narrated by Alexandra Palting and Kevin R Free. While both did a great job, it would have been helpful to connect to the characters in a deeper way with more youthful sounding voices that more matched their characters ages, specifically the males.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Alexene Farol Follmuth, and Macmillan Audio for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This will publish on May 28th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will post a Tiktok review within the week before it releases.

This was a really fun, honest, and enjoyable read! Twelfth Knight felt like a classic 90's movie with a little less girl boss and a little more "it's okay to have needs." I absolutely loved Vi, a hardworking, focused, and competent teen who feels like her excellence brings value as she learns to work with those who respect her. There are some moments where Vi has to confront some of the darker parts of being in male dominated spaces, and I thought it was handled in a way that was totally age relevant for YA readers while still resonating with adult readers.

I was so grateful to be granted an audio ARC from NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners, and I think audio is a great way to take in this story! The narration is well done and compliments the story at hand. I loved it more than I expected!

I really loved this one! Our FMC is a smart, sassy Nerd who I found all to relatable as someone who grew up similarly not sure where I fit in outside my very specific nerdy hobbies and interests. I loved how authentically Violas character navigated an increasingly frustrating world for a young woman and think this will make her very relatable for young readers.

Our MMC Jack thinks he has it all until an injury changes everything. I think his character really speaks to the fact that we don’t always truly know what we need and sometimes we need life to come get in the way so we can truly find ourselves.

The collision of these two characters is honest, vulnerable and again something I think readers will find relevant in a world where we can all get lost hiding behind a screen. It’s about finding and choosing our authentic selves and I think will be a very giftable book for anyone who knows someone who might need some hope that we all find our path and our people eventually. That it might be painful but it’s worth the wait!

When Jack "Duke" Orsino tears his ACL, he's forced to sit out his senior year football season and instead starts playing the game Twelfth Knight. Viola also plays Twelfth Knight, but when she ends up playing with her school rival Duke, she pretends to be her brother Bast, so that Duke doesn't realize who he's really playing with.

I loved this twelfth night retelling. I thought the characters worked so well. I loved Viola's journey to learning to be her true self and Duke's journey to learn that there's more to him than being good at football.

I thought both narrators did an incredible job of bringing the cast of characters to life.

A really fun (if a touch long), dual POV, YA enemies to lovers, opposites attract, mistaken identity romance between two BIPOC teens who become friends while playing an online RPG game and find themselves getting close in real life as they spend more and more time together in person and virtually. Great female gaming and queer identity rep and perfect for fans of books like The no girlfriend rule by Christen Randall. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A contemporary retelling of Twelfth Night written by one of my favorite authors? This was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.

But one of the things that hit home for me is how female gamers/nerds are treated in the community. And as Viola continues to hide her identity, a lot of her feelings become validated. I felt her heartbreak every time she was spoken down to, and it just really hit home for me. And Jack? He was the jock turned nerd, and I felt like his character was fleshed out in a way that was relatable.

I loved their dynamic. I loved the game and the way it was described. I loved their chats and the friendships that were made. I do have to say, this version of High School is an absolute fantasy, but I enjoyed every moment of it.

And the audiobook narrators did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.

A high school YA Shakespeare retelling with a little something for everyone...and I do mean everyone...sports, drama, AP classes, literature, Shakespeare, LGBTQ+, faith, gaming, and cosplay all show up...at least for a few pages. Some demographics are so minor that, at times, it felt like they were thrown in to have representation rather than genuinely providing momentum for the themes of the book. While I didn't particularly like the main characters, I did really enjoy seeing Shakespeare's costume changes being portrayed through online personas. This did not feel forced at all, and something that a YA audience will connect with.

For teachers considering this book for a classroom library, there are a couple of kisses and some minor language (s##t, d##K), particularly in the novel's second half.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an absolutely adorable story of a geek and jock and them coming to find themselves and also each other. I will absolutely be checking out other stores this author (Olivie Blake) writes under this pen name.

The more I think about this book, the more I like it! If you've read Alexene Farol Follmuth's other YA, Vi reminded me a lot of Neelam: unapologetic in her convictions, doesn't need anyone to like her (and therefore doesn't try to be liked), hardened by the realities of being a girl in a male-centric universe (i.e., online gaming and RPG). She knows she's "unlikeable" and embraces the "bitch" label (though it still hurts when she's called one). She's opinionated and vibrant but gets shut down at every turn, preventing her from connecting with others. She's somewhat allergic to compromise; she rarely gives in when she knows she's right, and she refuses to change herself to make others more comfortable. She outwardly appears confident in her own skin, though deep down she just wants someone to stick around and love and accept her for who she is (because don't we all) (though she'd never admit it). Vi shows TREMENDOUS growth from beginning to end, learning that expressing feelings (and feeling feelings!) is okay, and just because she makes a mistake, doesn't mean people will automatically leave her (oof, I felt this one).

This is why Jack, her nemesis/rival, is her perfect match. He is a people pleaser. He tries so hard to be likeable (and part of this is because of the color of his skin, which he talks about frequently). He's a football player in a family of football legends. This makes him so single-minded, believing football is all he is. When he's sidelined because of a major ACL injury, he has an identity crisis and has to rediscover who he is beyond football.

This book reminded me of Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto because of its discussion of sexism and misogyny in online gaming spaces. Like Kiki (the MC of DSTC), Vi adopts a male persona (Cesario) while gaming. She just wants to game without being catcalled or told she's "good... for a girl" you know? All is fine and dandy until she interacts with Jack of all people in the game (she knows it's him because he used his nickname "Duke" and his last name in his username, LOL). In a moment of panic, she tells him she's her twin brother, Bash. Over time, Jack tells her some personal things as Cesario that he probably wouldn't have told Vi. She lets this go on for way too long, but I probably would have done the same as a teenager (and DEFINITELY did equally stupid things, because at some point it's like "welp, it's too late to get out of this now, gotta commit to the bit" haha). This is all happening as Jack and Vi start getting closer IRL. Talk about an ethical dilemma.

I loved Jack and Vi together. They balanced each other out and pushed each other. I also loved and appreciated the tender moments between Vi and Bash, Vi and her mother, Vi and Jack. I teared up during several scenes!

TL;DR: Please read this book!!!

A Big Thanks to Tor Publishing for the advanced copy of this book!

I always enjoy a nerdy YA romance and this one did not disappoint!

* football star MMC
* roleplaying / gamer FMC
* grumpy / sunshine
* YA romance (high school setting)
* coming of age

This was just adorable. Very realistic flawed high school characters filled with football, drama, gaming, and friend troubles.

Enjoyed the narrators for this book too!

Rating: 3.5 stars