Luke and Sam have a lot in common, but they aren’t aware of it. Both have business worries and both have secret gamer lives that they hide behind their online avatars, Blaze and Bravura. Until they find themselves having to work together and all those secrets start tripping them up.

This is a light-hearted romcom, sweet and clean, which reads more like a teen/YA romance than an adult one. This is mainly down to the ‘two personalities’ shenanigans, rather than the gamer plotline (I love playing videogames myself and am firmly middle-aged!), as some of the conflicts it created felt a bit juvenile and manufactured rather than natural. And the romance only develops as far as some light kissing, so there is nothing youngsters couldn’t cope with.

Enjoyable and very easy to read, this sweet romance is about taking risks, being yourself and standing up for your dreams. And you don’t need to like gaming to have fun with Blaze and Bravura as they get to know each other.

I will always love a "You've Got Mail" retelling, and this was a unique twist on the trope. It's not necessary to like video games to like this book, but I do like video games which made me enjoy the book even more. Looking forward to reading more from Jeevani Charika!

This book has a trope I really like: A character with two identities, a lot of misandurstanding and most of all: love. I love seeing one of the character falling for the two faces of the same coin.

Unfortunately, playing for love and I wasn't a match: the story was a bit long, with some hollow parts and at some point I totally lost interest. I'm sad because the book as also themes that I'm passionate about like video games.

Just occasionally a book comes along that I can't 'get into', this is one such book. I'm clearly in the minority as other reviewers rate Playing for Love 4 or 5 stars. DNF.

A book about gaming, characters and love. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was eager to find out if the 'gamers' would meet each other. I liked the characters Sam and Luke and was keen to find out about how their friendship and working relationship would pan out - especially as they both had an alter ego. This book will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

Sam is building her new business and getting a little help from colleague Luke, who is nice but not what she wants. In her free time, she likes to game and wins a competition to compete with her hero and gamer crush Blaze. What can possibly go wrong but maybe Blaze has been closer to her than she thinks.

This was a really good read. There's so much going on in the story. You have her trying to set up her business, seeking her dad's approval, romance and of course winning the game. The plot is quicker paced then I expected it to be but it works well as it doesnt leave you waiting for answers. I love a misunderstanding and of course the ending is so well done. My favourite scene though had to be the moment with her dad. A sweet fun story.

The concept was hard to pull off and I don't think it was for me.

A huge thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not someone who is really into gaming, but the concept of this book is really cute. However, I did find that the romance was lacking. This book is meant to be a fun and geeky romance about gaming, YouTubers, and two people trying to navigate the world around them. This book definitely isn’t for everyone. If you are into gaming and the gaming world, you may really enjoy this book!

A quick easy read rom com story. Wasn't really for me as I like a bit more story or twists but never the less was enjoyable.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I've really got into fun contemporary romance recently and I thought one based on gaming and streaming would be right up my alley but I DNFd at Only 5%.
The writing was so bland and tell not show that I almost felt I was reading a non-fiction documentary style Or even a translated fic.
In one chapter we get "Sam applied to the competition. She knew she'd never win. It was a bit of fun."
Next chapter "Sam was surprised she got past the first round. She would probably not win."
Other than the fact we missed all of the actual leadup- Short. Punctuated. Sentences. Drive. Me. Crazy.

I couldn't even warm to the characters as they were purely reactionary.
I was so bored it was a real struggle to keep reading.

This one was a lovely read. I really enjoyed reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me

I really enjoyed this read - a sweet mix and really reminisnt of You've got Mail. Loveable main characters which I felt I could really connect to.

Would have loved a little bit more of the gaming content and building the relationship with the characters inside the game rather than us just been told that they had good chemistry

Overall a sweet book that I would defiently recommend.

Thanks to HQ digitel and Netgallery for this eARC in exhange for an honest review

Great easy read Ron com . It was sweet and adorable story line . It was one of my favourite read so far . It was funny and amazing

When I started reading this book i really liked the concept behind it - falling in love online (it gave me Cinderella Story vibes) - 90's kids will know. However i really struggled to buy into the characters. Nothing really happens until the very end of the book and i much prefer fast paced books.

That being said, it was a good book and i did enjoy reading it.. would i recommend it? Not as a must read, but definitely as an easy read.

I wasn’t sure about this at first, gaming isn’t really my thing. But I really got into the story and how having an online persona can help with confidence.
I loved the parallel stories running through this

Very relatable and if you're not a gamer, you'll be fine.

All characters are believable and relatable and i found myself actually rooting for them.

I can imagine this being on Netflix.

The chemistry that developed between Sam and Luke added so much cuteness to this story! It was so fun to watch as their online gaming lives slowly (and then suddenly) collided with their real lives. There was a lot of internal conflict for both of them to deal with in this story, as well as struggling to sort out their jobs that they were so passionate for.

Sam and Luke were both really interesting characters. I enjoyed reading about their work, friendships, dreams, and hobbies just as much as the scenes showing their relationship. They were so cute together, being encouraging and supportive even when ~feelings~ were causing confusion. I was shipping them just as much as Kim was throughout the story!

I didn't really understand how the gaming system worked (and if it would even be possible in real life), but I chose to ignore that and enjoy the great descriptions of their gameplay and the cool setup of SyrenQuest. I also loved the involvement of Luke's gaming friends and the discussions about more difficult topics like trolls, bullying, and sexism within the gaming community. The balance of this book was really well done, incorporating gaming, work passions, and the blossoming romance between Sam and Luke.

I LOVE a love triangle that's really just two people and their alter-egos, ahhhh! Add in a video games element and I am sold! Oh Sam... Sam, Sam, Sam. I just love that she's in love with "Blaze," not realizing he's her coworker all along. If you're not into gaming, this book might not be for you as there's a fair amount of gaming related detail. I also wish it was steamier, but for those of you who love closed door romances, this one's for you!
This was such a cute book and I look forward to reading more by Jeevani Charika!

Playing for Love is a fun and light hearted read. Drawing you in from the first page it's a lovely romance that unfolds nicely and leaves you smiling.

This was a fun read! I loved the premise of it, being a gamer myself and thought that it was quite a cute story.

If you're looking for a quick, feel good romance then this is definitely the one for you!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review