Lorelei Parker

If you're looking for something new and refreshing, this is your book. Built around Sierra, a gamer with quirks and challenges to overcome, one such challenge being public speaking. The characters are well developed and everything you'd hope for. I loved reading how their stories come together, their relatable skepticism, and of course, the attraction!

In the end, you'll not only fall in love with the characters, but with the gaming world!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.… (mehr)

When Sierra confesses a decade old college crush for Tristan at a chagrin challenge, who should be the next competitor than Tristan himself? Only this time, Tristan is interested. Sierra’s lingering feelings confuse her, especially when the friendly bartender Alfie constantly invades her thoughts.

This book was just kinda meh to me. Sierra had all the quirks to be a fun character, but she ended up being self-centered and too focused on sex. And her school-girl crush on Tristan was too immature for her. I mean, she was supposed to be around thirty and she swooned whenever he so much as looked at her. Alfie was sweet, but I found him to be a bit boring. I also thought that his feelings for Sierra were too similar to Sierra’s feelings for Tristan. It was childish and he deserved better. I loved the friend/roommate Aida. She was one of those great mother hen types. Tristan I liked in the same way I like Umbridge. Awful, but a great character to hate. He was pursuing Sierra, but it was appallingly obvious that she didn’t mean much to him. I mean, it took him half the book to realize her name is “Sierra” and not “Sara.”

I liked the idea behind the plot, especially since Sierra does “crush it” where her goals are concerned, but there was all this buildup to some dramatic incident in college that ended up being blah. When it was explained in detail, I just found it to be sloppily put together. Her competition with Tristan was good and dramatic, though, and I liked that this douche brought out the worst in Sierra. Luckily, Alfie was the kind of person that brought her back from that. And as you know, rom-coms tend to have a HEA or a HFN. But under no circumstances are you to verbally speculate to your new love that you might not work out in the future! Seriously, keep it happy and hopeful please.

So, if you’re looking for a quick rom-com and this is the only option, go for it. But if I had a choice between this and something else, I’d go for the something else.… (mehr)

Crushing It has more than one meaning in this fun rom com. On one hand, 'crushing it' can mean doing something extremely well and feeling great about it. Crushing can also happen when someone has an infatuation or lust for someone. Crushing it could also mean obliterating someone or something. The main character does all of these things: she tackles her deep fear of public speaking, falls in love with a heartthrob, and annihilates her nemesis. No spoilers here though, because there are plenty of surprises. The main character (Sierra) would probably agree with Garth Brooks' song: 'thank God for unanswered prayers.' Sierra is a gaming whiz and co-founded her own gaming company - super cool! However, you don't have to know gaming to get the references. I did look up a few that seemed interesting (e.g., Leeroy Jenkins, Second Life, Easter egg, etc.). Understanding communication within a virtual world was insightful and made me think about how our conversational skills are impacted, as Sierra says, 'maybe life would be easier if it came with prewritten dialogue.' Is it easier to exist as an avatar, a pseudonym, or a creation of our own imagination? Parker does a nice job of showing the benefit of taking risks, being courageous, and having confidence, along with the power of friendship and mentors. Kudos to Parker's clever dialogue throughout, including: 'Do you know what you call a group of gamers? A gaggle of geeks. A herd of nerds.' Note: some open door scenes. Thanks to #NetGalley & #Kensington for an advanced copy.

… (mehr)