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I received this book as a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. A big thank you goes here to Bloomsbury Australia.
Emilia Romero is living a double life. By day, she's a field hockey star with a flawless report card. But by night, she's kicking virtual ass as the only female member of a highly competitive eSports team. Emilia has mastered the art of keeping her two worlds thriving, which hinges on them staying completely separate. That's in part to keep her real-life persona, but also for her own safety, since girl gamers are often threatened and harassed.
When a major eSports tournament comes to her city, Emilia is determined to prove herself to her team and the male-dominated gaming community. But her perfectly balanced life is thrown for a loop when a member of a rival team recognizes her . . .
Jake Hooper has had a crush on Emilia since he was ten years old. When his underdog eSports team makes it into the tournament, he's floored to discover she's been leading a double life. The fates bring Jake and Emilia together as they work to keep her secret, even as the pressures of the tournament and their non-gaming world threaten to pull everything apart.
Publisher : Bloomsbury YA
Language : English
Paperback : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 1526643855
ISBN-13 : 978-1526643858
Reading age : 12 years and up
The cover of Don't Hate The Player by Alexis Nedd jumped straight at me. It's cute and a perfect fit for this story.
The author's writing has been easy to follow and absolutely captivating. This story is full of laughter, but also full of sad truths. The emotions the characters are going through have been usually very relatable. However, there has been one scene that just didn't sit well with me... It basically said (I can't remember the exact words) that a white girl can be extremely disrespectful to her mother without fearing any consequences. Well, let me tell you that... I'm nearly 35 years old and my mum would have my backside if I'd be disrespectful like that! That's also the reason why I'm giving four instead of five stars.
The romance has been super cute and I loved both the main character and the love interest very much from page 1. I always had to know what happens next and also the setting has been quite different, which I really liked.
The protagonist is relatable, kind, loving, and shows a hell of a lot of courage when it comes to her biggest passion - gaming. She stands up for herself but is also cautious enough to understand when she's in danger.
All up, Don't Hate The Player by Alexis Nedd has been a pleasure to read. The plot is great, the setting is different but different in a good way, and I fell in love with the characters pretty much from the beginning. I can definitely recommend this story and can't wait to read more from this author.