Such a fun sapphic romance.

9.57/10

Characters-10

I felt like the male characters in this book could have been more. To me, they had their own opinions on S&S, and they wouldn't hear others' opinions. I know that can be a thing among people who play D&D, but I felt like they could have had more layers. I loved Hollis and her S&S group, especially Ani and Izzy. I loved seeing the growth in Hollis as a character, and how much she learned about herself along the way. I could relate to Hollis's love of fandom, which was a plus for me.

Atmopshere-10

I gave this a 10 because I enjoyed the S&S bits. I felt like there was a lot to that story, and I loved the atmosphere of that story. I also loved seeing parts of where Hollis lived as the group traveled to different locations throughout the book.

Writing-10
I did the audiobook and reread the ebook for this one, and I loved it! I loved Natalie Nadus as a narrator, and I will now look up more audiobooks from her. The style of this story was a mixture of funny and heartwarming. The writing style in this book is great.

Plot-9

I enjoyed the plot of this one. This was a slow-burn romance, which I don't always love. But the more Hollis and Ani got to know each other, the more their relationship blossomed. I also loved the personal journey Hollis went on, and the self-acceptance she learned along the way.

Intrigue-9

This was an intriguing story to me for the most part. I was interested in following both the S&S game, the party outside of game, Hollis, and the relationship between Hollis and Ani. I was also interested in seeing if Chris or Landon would see Hollis's side to the S&S situation, and hear what she had to say.

Logic-10
This was a logical story. I loved how the characters talked about the emotions inside and outside the game.

Enjoyment-9

I loved this! I had such a fun time with this, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I like the representation of a fat man character and one who has anxiety. I liked the group of ladies, how welcoming and fun and respectful they were, which functioned as a nice juxtaposition to the jerk Landon (game master of the boys group). And the boys reactions to some of what Hollis talks about-- that felt real to the misogynistic bullshit associated with D&D in real life.

I'm not sure how readers who have not played tabletop role-playing games will respond to this book, I'm not sure how reader friendly the role play sessions and in-game content is for someone who is inexperienced?

It felt like it took a long time for there to be any real stakes or tension, Hollis was just learning the rules and working to make friends. The setup was obvious /in the blurb, so you know that that is the drama of the second half, but the first half just felt a little bit slow plot-wise and pacing.

I loved how Hollis was discovering her own thoughts and her emotions via her character and using the role play with the others to explore that-- this felt so authentic and lovely to read, reminded me of the joy of D&D. I loved Hollis finding good quality people who accept her and how she comes to value their love and their relationships.

I really had fun seeing more and more snippets of the in-game story too, because it felt so true to see how Hollis would be more invested and think about it as she falls in love with the game and grows in her friendships.

I appreciated Hollis's questioning of who she is and how parts of her identity matter, I feel this is relatable to a reader of any age.

It was a cute little romance with Aini, I wanted more there on why exactly they cared for each other, but it was cute and sweet. I did feel that Hollis was emotionally cheating on Chris though.

Other reviewers point out that this is much more character driven over plot driven, and more coming-of-age over a romance story, and that the role-playing sessions / in-game bits were not for everyone. I do agree with others that it does take a very long time for the main character to both A) break up with Chris and also B) start standing up for herself / get some backbone. I liked that Hollis did not feel the need to define or label herself. Some reviewers point out that Chris and the boys were a little too much, or caricatures, or a bit villainous but even though it was over the top I found it weirdly believable too? Also, why was she even with Chris in a relationship? I understand the comfort and ease of being with a childhood friend, but this never really felt romantic and was potentially not needed in the story?