Wasnt for me I am afraid, bit boring and very predictable, an easy read which I read in one sitting ..

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this book in return for an honest review!
I wana start of by saying I have no experience or history of being a gamer but I still found this such a fun and easy story to read! The gaming aspect didn’t hinder my reading at all and generally just reminded me of how passionate I am about my hobbies and especially reading.

This was a cute and fun story that was dual POV which I loved it, Luke was such a sweetheart and his funeral demeanour and nervousness just warmed my heart, Sam was a headstrong bold lead who knew what she wanted and went for it but at the same time became nervous and starstruck anytime she was around Blaze which just made her all the more relatable.

I loved this story even though it was predictable enough that we knew how it was going to end but I didn’t mind that and this made it such an easy read.

This is a solid 3.5 for me just because I would have liked to have seen more interaction between Sam and Luke aside from their lunch dates and him helping her with work, I just thought it was a bit much for him to be saying that he thought he loved her when they hadn’t overly spent time together.

Overall a fun read and would recommend.

Playing for Love was a cute romance with gaming at the heart of the story.

We had some double lives action and a lot of sub plots - some that really worked and some that felt a bit unnecessary.

I am not one for gaming and I think that held me back from really loving this because I just couldn't really connect with our main characters.

Overall - this was a sweet read, but not one that will make a favorites list from me.

If you love gaming and the show Miraculous Ladybug then this book is for you!
Although this book wasn’t my cup of tea, I loveeeed Luke and I was super happy to see him grow confidence.
I also love when main characters stand up for themselves when people aren’t treating them well instead of letting them walking all over them and forgiving them immediately.
Sam was very interesting and all though she wasn’t my favorite, I really liked her relationship with her cousin Niro, it reminded me of my relationship with my cousins.
Again, this is a very lovable book and I can see many people falling in love with it. I just wish there was a bit more romance instead of this huge love square, but maybe that’s just me!

Playing for Love was a cute romance novel about gaming, online personas and double lives. The double lives bit definitely made the romance incredibly messy but I enjoyed the context and the setting. Sam is a small business owner trying to get her handbag inserts to take off. Inspired by her Mum's love of handbags (her Mum passed away when Sam was young), Shanthi bags are meant to make changing handbags easier. Luke is also a small business owner, doing some web design and internet based stuff. He also has a double life, he is a famous YouTube gamer called Blaze. Sam herself has a passing interest in gaming from watching her brother play when she was young. Through that she discovered Blaze. Sam and Luke work in the same building. Sam enters a gaming competition to fund her business and ends up paired with Blaze. There begins the confusing double life, Sam interacting with Luke and also with Blaze in the game.

Honestly I didn't like the double life thing, it didn't really lead to a good beginning of a relationship. But the competition aspect was fun, and it shed a light on the sexism in gaming. I liked Blaze's gamer friends Flick and Phil, and Sam's cousin was also a great friend to her. Overall, the book was an average read, but I was more interested in finding out what would happen in the competition than what would happen between Sam and Luke.

Sam is a girl trying to pursue her dream company and at the same building there’s this guy named Luke with his own already successful company that has had a crush on her since he saw her but she barely pays attention to him. What Sam doesn’t know is that Luke is this famous gamer youtuber ‘Blaze’ that she’s been watching for a long time that is totally the opposite of what Luke is in real life shy, lacking confidence and everything Blaze isn’t.
She sees a contest of a new game where anyone can join and whoever gets to the final gets to go the convention and play together in real life to win the prize $$$ when she realizes ‘Blaze’ is gonna be part of it she decides to join and finally have her opportunity to meet him and by destiny they get paired up and become a team.
During the day he helps her with work and at night they’re teammates without knowing.


I’m not really into gaming and watching streams but i know a lot of people enjoy it so i tried to give this book a chance and it was really entertaining i didn’t know what i was getting myself into but it was a cute, clean, easy romance to read, someone who’s probably into this kind of stuff would enjoy this book i give it 3.75/5 ⭐️ because i would’ve liked to see more of them outside of the office workspace.

I absolutely flew through this book! It was so much fun and a slightly different read for me as I’m not massively into gaming, unless you count animal crossing! I really liked both Sam and Luke as protagonists and really enjoyed that it was dual POV. I thought that these characters worked really well together and having the online personas was an interesting twist to add in some drama. Both Luke and Sam also had other things going on in their lives - running and starting their own businesses which I also enjoyed as the focus wasn’t completely on the gaming element.

This was a fun, sweet story with really charming characters and a wholesome romance. Definitely recommend!

Playing For Love is a cute workplace romance that has the extra layer of both our protagonists, Samadhi 'Sam' and Luke, having secondary identities besides the ones they present to each other. Sam has spent years listening to videos of popular game player, Blaze as a source of comfort since her mother died when she was young. When a contest arises that pairs novice game players with professionals to play a new game with money that could help Sam's start-up, she jumps at the opportunity. Wouldn't you know, she's paired with Blaze. While playing together, Sam realizes that Blaze isn't the same as the image she created in her head and wonders if the crush she has been harboring has been made-up by a fictitious version, whereas very real Luke is kind, unobviously attractive, and is interested in Sam. BUT LUKE IS BLAZE. As this love square unfolds, it becomes increasingly obviously that they aren't just playing a game, but Playing For Love.
*
I'm not a video game player myself, but from what I hear while my boyfriend plays Warzone and watching famous Youtubers, this book seems pretty spot on. I really enjoy Sam's character and admire her for pursuing her dreams and being passionate enough to explain to her family how her business honours her mother. For Sam's family, I think there is an underlying theme of grief, especially years later, that sends a positive message to remember to honour people we have lost.

Because there is the Sam>Blaze interest, Luke>Sam interest, and eventually Sam>Luke interest, I didn't feel a strong connection to Luke and Sam being together, despite loving how genuinely kind Luke is. I just felt that Luke was always second choice to Sam and it took Blaze being rude to open her eyes and remember there actually is someone into her. I would have like more dialogue establishing an authentic connection.

This was fine, easy reading and with enough drama to keep you entertained, but unfortunately missing the excitement you'd want from a romance.
ARC provided by Netgalley.

I really loved this book. Although a senior citizen I enjoy computer games although never had the opportunity to participate in one’s like these but was fascinated by the detail involved. A bit of romance thrown in certainly made it very enjoyable.

Playing for Love is a rom-com about Sam and Luke. Sam owns her own startup which is relatively new. Luke works in the same building as her. He is also a secret gamer - Blaze. Sam secretly loves Blaze and watches his videos every night. She has no idea that Luke is Blaze. To her, Luke is just a shy guy from her office.
This was a really sweet book and slow-paced. I really liked Luke's character. Sam was a little annoying at times, but she was nice. To be honest, I felt like the book dragged a little. However, it was a nice read and I enjoyed it.

Absolutely Brilliant!

This is the book I never knew I needed to read! Sam has been made redundant and is trying to start her own business and hunour her mother’s memory while Luke is running his own business in the day and is a YouTube legend at night. This book is full of friendship, humour and awkwardness.

I love the double persona both characters take on and the way they indulge in their alter ego. The supporting characters are genuine and funny too which makes it a lovely read. The game play isn’t so much to put off a non gamer but gives you enough of a thrill to keep you interested.

This book can definitely be devoured in a day. In fact I highly recommend making a bucket of tea and doing just that!

This book was sweet, nerdy, and fun. Samadhi is taking a chance to bring her small business dreams, honoring her late mother, to life. She's been working out of a small business incubator and shopping her product around as much as she can. But she's hit a wall of rejections and hasn't had much luck with crowdfunding. Luke is another small business owner in the incubator - but one with a bit more experience and a double life as a professional gamer on YouTube.

Sam isn't at all interested in Luke as a potential relationship - but as they get to know each other through work she is grateful to him for his help. In person, Luke is a bit socially awkward and doesn't exude confidence - that is the exact opposite of his gaming persona. The gaming persona Sam has been following since she was a teenager.

The growth of the relationship between Sam and Luke was really sweet and very well done. Both Sam and Luke needed to grow and come out of their respective comfort zones in order to succeed in business and in their relationships. This is definitely a slow burn and a really sweet read.

I received it as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Lovely, cute story - I was keen to read about more diverse characters as an East Asian POC so immediately requested this book.

The main characters were likable and relatable - both felt like 'normal' people with 'normal' real-life struggles which was refreshing to read about. Not being a gamer myself, I was initially sceptical about the gaming element of the story and found it a little hard to believe that Sam could be so in love with Blaze, although this didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story.

I also really liked some of the side characters especially Niro and Pete, however felt that Bradley's story could have been explored further. I was expecting the author to develop on what his struggles were or flesh out his relationship with Luke a bit more but this did not happen. I also loved the scene between Sam and Thatha and wish we could have seen Aunty-Amma too.

Ultimately this was a fun read, and on top of that it was great to see more POC representation in fiction.

This was cute, but it just didn't grab me like I had hoped. I think I was at the halfway point and I still felt no real chemistry between the two, so I skimmed ahead. I'm really good with recognizing voices so I just couldn't imagine Sam not recognizing Luke's voice for so long in real life. And a lot of women just happen to use purse inserts *raises hand sheepishly*, but...it didn't make Sam more intriguing? (I know she uses her mom's purses for inspiration, which is a key part of the storyline.) And speaking of handbag inserts--Luke got no vibes from "Bravura" (the newbie gamer he's paired with in SyrenQuest) that she was Sam, until he recognized the handbag? I know it was to make it hard for him deciding whether to tell her the truth or not, but...
Look, this is a tough dynamic to pull off. Olivia Dade does it perfectly in "Spoiler Alert." But the lack of sexual tension, and Sam's family not all that dimensional,doesn't help here.

I got so into this book! I’m not a gamer (unless you count an unhealthy addiction to the MarioKart app) but I have some basic knowledge of gaming and love a quirky, geeky romance full of anticipated drama - and this didn’t disappoint! It’s the kind of book that has you staying up until the wee hours reading when you know you have to be up early the next day. I was really struggling to put this one down as I got more and more drawn into the tangled web of Luke and Samadhi’s double lives and wanted to know how the big reveal would happen. That being said, the big reveal was somewhat less dramatic than I’d hoped, but I’m a sucker for drama in romance so maybe my hopes are too high!

I loved having both Luke’s and Sam’s perspectives and it was really heartwarming to see their relationship grow. I would have liked to have Niro’s character a bit more involved and fleshed out as she seemed very sidelined and there was perhaps a bit too much focus on the ins and outs of Sam’s business - although it’s great seeing intelligent, successful women in novels and I enjoyed the camaraderie between Sam and Flick at the panel, too!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book but was slightly disappointed by the somewhat anticlimactic reveal of Luke’s alter ego and the sedate ending.

Gracias Netgalley por permitirme leer una edición anticipada del libro! A cambio daré mi reseña honesta voluntariamente.

Tengo varios problemas con este libro, pero de todas formas me gustó bastante.

Seguimos la historia de Sam, una chica emprendedora que por la noches le encanta ver a su streamer de videojuegos favoritos, Blaze. Lo que ella no sabe es que un compañero de trabajo, Luke, (quien tiene un gran crush en ella) es el mismísimo Blaze. Pero todo cambia cuando gana un concurso y se le da la oportunidad de jugar online con el streamer.

Creo que el defecto principal fueron las relaciones. Entiendo que todos tenemos crushes en celebridades, pero son solo eso, no esperamos que nazcan sentimientos reales de amor con un desconocido a través de las pantallas, así que se me hizo bastante raro que la protagonista estuviera tan enamorada de Blaze, y por otro lado, sentí que la relación entre Luke y la protagonista fue super apresurada, casi como un instalove por parte de él.

Lo curioso es que de todas formas el libro me mantuvo super enganchada. Lo leí en una noche🤠, literalmente lo empecé a las 11:30pm y lo terminé a las 5:30am. Mantuvo un super buen ritmo y me mantenía intrigada.

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Thanks, Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced edition of the book! In return, I will give my honest review voluntarily.

I have several problems with this book, but I quite liked it anyway.

We follow the story of Sam, an enterprising girl who loves to watch her favorite video game streamer, Blaze, at night. What she doesn't know is that a co-worker, Luke, (who has a huge crush on her) is Blaze himself. But everything changes when she wins a contest and is allowed to play online with the streamer.

I think the main flaw was the relationships. I understand that we all have celebrity crushes, but they are just that, nothing more. We do not expect real feelings of love to be born with a stranger through a screen, so it seemed quite strange to me that the mc was so in love with Blaze, and on the other hand, I felt that the relationship between Luke and the protagonist was super rushed, almost like an insta-love on his part.

The funny thing is that the book kept me super hooked anyway. I read it in one night🤠, I started it at 11:30 pm and finished it at 5:30 am. It kept up a super good pace and got me hooked on the plot.

I loved this story. I loved both of the characters. I adored the side characters and how everything felt natural, the writing flowed, everything just clicked here.
Luke and Sam were amazing, beautiful characters.
I had fun with this light hearted romance.
The banter was great. The relationships between the characters were even better.
And the romance was fabulous.
I couldn't have picked a better book to get me out of this reading slump.

HQ Digital,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author & HQ Digital publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because I saw that the author is from Sri Lankan descent, like myself, and I had never seen a contemporary romance by an Sri Lankan author at all. I knew it would be interesting and I could hear my mother bringing it up over a cup of tea sometime like 'Don't you know Punchi's sister-in-law's cousin's daughter has written a book?'

I have to say that my heritage helped me to connect straight away with Sam, the main female character. I loved seeing the names 'Thatha' and Lokuamma' written in a book when I had only ever heard them spoken by my relatives. Although Sam is much younger than me and is interested in stuff I don't know much about, it was her pluckiness and family ties that really spoke to the immigrant and feminist in me.

Also, I totally understood Sam's completely illogical celebrity crush and how it messes with reality and her actual love-life (In my teens I was focussed on joining the FBI just so I could LOCK MULDER DOWN.

I adored geeky Luke as well - the meet cute is super cute, however, I thought the chemistry between the characters took a little too long to build. Friendship I could see - mad sexual energy, not so much. I know part of that is wrapped up in Sam's Blaze obsession, but I didn't see her attraction to Luke as a serious thing until close to the end.

That being said, the writing and character development is really good and I could really picture the video game scenes ... which is saying a lot because they last time I played a video game was Donkey Kong in the 80's. I liked how sexism in the gaming industry was highlighted because - yeesh! It is in every industry isn't it?

This is a really cute and funny romance that I really enjoyed.

A heartwarming, clean romance novel with a love-square at the centre.

In the daytime, she's Samadhi, Just a normal girl with a normal life. But there's something about her that no one knows yet....

I'm a sucker for a love-square. Especially a love-square with a driven heroine who is more insecure than she looks and a dorky dude with a cool persona to hide behind, so this was the perfect book for me. Somebody should have warned me before I started reading this that I wouldn't be able to put it down.

Sam has been made redundant, and with her generous payoff she's trying her hand at entrepreneurship. The product is right but the advertising isn't. Enter Luke, a very dorky guy who likes her and knows all about this stuff. But Sam only has eyes for one person - Youtuber Blaze who she's just been paired with in a competition. AKA Luke's alter-ego. There's also a secondary story running thorough about Sam and her family, how they have dealt with their grief and the idea that you can only be successful with a paying job.

If I haven't made it clear already I loved this book. The tension was superb, the reveal wasn't melodramatic and all the characters felt like actual adults who didn't have romance at the centre of their lives but also had other problems and concerns. In the author's note the author says she isn't very into the gaming/Youtube world but she hits on some core issues/problems in the fandom, especially in its attitude towards women. There was a lot of thought behind why the characters involved with the online tournament were selected. These things would have been easy for the author to gloss over but I was glad to hear about the reasoning behind the choices.