This is a book that, let’s be honest, has been everywhere in the book world in 2023. The cover is absolutely stunning, so it has definitely been hard to miss in the bookshops. I won a beautiful copy of the paperback over on Instagram and decided that I would select this book as the story for the October prompt of ‘The Unread Shelf Project 2023’ – Influence.
This novel is beautifully written; the characters are so well crafted that you are immersed in this world as a reader. I mean, computer games are not my first love, but reading this book you can see why they can mean so much to so many, and the passion that they can incite in people. This is a tale of love, but that love does not have to be romantic – it is the kind of love people find with those who have a passion and experience that bonds them in a way with which they may not be connected with anyone else.
This is a slow-burn story, following the lives of Sam and Sadie, thrown together and kept together, via some bumps in the road, by their love of computer games. There is some tragedy along the way – and moments that test their friendship and their love, but there always seems to be something that can draw them back together. Even when their lives seem to take completely different paths.
I am pleased I read this book and I can see why it is a favourite for so many. However, for me, it was a little long; when I had to take a little break from reading it I did not miss it, although I absolutely knew that I wanted to finish it. The ending was also perfection – the sort of ending that leaves you make some of your own choices about the future of the characters and allows you to create what you will from what you know.