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beautifulpaxielreads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Two Can Play That Game (TCPTG) is a complex and deeply satisfying novel, covering many topics - among them family, friendship, culture, and of course, games (of many kinds!).
Sam Khoo is a promising young indie games developer fresh out of high school. She has dedicated the past year of her life to creating her passion project, Vinculum, which she hopes an indie games company will pick up and develop further for a public release.
Sam is desperate for exclusive tickets to a game design workshop which she believes will kickstart her career. Those hopes are dashed when Jaysen Chua (who Sam privately renames Jerky McJerkface) sneakily snatches the last one. Infuriated, Sam challenges him to a video game face-off with Jay's stolen ticket as the ultimate prize - otherwise, she'll ensure the Asian Gossip Network is informed of his treachery.
But it isn't only Sam's gaming life under pressure. Although they love her deeply, Sam's parents don't really understand her passion, preferring her to take up her university scholarship and eventually enter into a more financially stable career in the corporate sphere. Sam is torn between being a good Asian daughter and pursuing her dream of game development. But are these two things mutually exclusive? And where do her developing feelings for Jaysen fit in?
As I said earlier, TCPTG has a lot going on, and at times I felt Leanne Yong tried to fit in too much. It did feel sometimes that readers were being told about how a character was feeling rather than being shown that.
But ultimately that did not detract from my enjoyment. The pacing is fast, the dialogue snappy and snarky, the characters true to life and realistically developed, and the complex intersections between culture, family, friendship and ambition were thoughtfully handled. You don't even have to know a lot about games and gaming culture, as it's all pretty well explained - Yong, who also designs escape rooms for a living, clearly knows her stuff.
An enlightening and highly enjoyable read.
Sam Khoo is a promising young indie games developer fresh out of high school. She has dedicated the past year of her life to creating her passion project, Vinculum, which she hopes an indie games company will pick up and develop further for a public release.
Sam is desperate for exclusive tickets to a game design workshop which she believes will kickstart her career. Those hopes are dashed when Jaysen Chua (who Sam privately renames Jerky McJerkface) sneakily snatches the last one. Infuriated, Sam challenges him to a video game face-off with Jay's stolen ticket as the ultimate prize - otherwise, she'll ensure the Asian Gossip Network is informed of his treachery.
But it isn't only Sam's gaming life under pressure. Although they love her deeply, Sam's parents don't really understand her passion, preferring her to take up her university scholarship and eventually enter into a more financially stable career in the corporate sphere. Sam is torn between being a good Asian daughter and pursuing her dream of game development. But are these two things mutually exclusive? And where do her developing feelings for Jaysen fit in?
As I said earlier, TCPTG has a lot going on, and at times I felt Leanne Yong tried to fit in too much. It did feel sometimes that readers were being told about how a character was feeling rather than being shown that.
But ultimately that did not detract from my enjoyment. The pacing is fast, the dialogue snappy and snarky, the characters true to life and realistically developed, and the complex intersections between culture, family, friendship and ambition were thoughtfully handled. You don't even have to know a lot about games and gaming culture, as it's all pretty well explained - Yong, who also designs escape rooms for a living, clearly knows her stuff.
An enlightening and highly enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Alcohol
sophiesmallhands's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was next-level excited when I found out about Leanne Yong’s debut book, Two Can Play That Game, only a few months before its release! Demi-sexual MC? Game development/STEMinism? Malaysian/Australian banter?
The story starts out introducing our main players early; Sam Khoo has been waiting for the release of a super rare ticket to a game design workshop, only to have it snatched from her hands by Jay Chua. Sam takes advantage of the Asian Gossip Network to leverage a deal with Jay; whoever wins the best out of five classic video games 1v1 gets the ticket or Sam will tell everyone what a jerk he is.
Not only is reading Sam and Jay play through their competition great fun (all the games are based on real games!) but meeting Sam’s family and becoming invested in Vinculum (the game that Sam has been developing herself for years) really sucks you in. This is not just a romance story (though Jay is a refreshingly different YA love interest), you’ll also get sucked into the slightly fraught relationship Sam has with her younger “more Australian” sister, and Sam trying her best to fulfil the good Asian Elder Sibling and being the most “gwai” (good/filial) daughter by getting a successful career. I also loved seeing the banter between Sam and his younger, autistic brother Ansen – the autism rep is done sooooo well here and is such a stark contrast to the stereotypical male autism rep most of us are used to seeing.
A big part of the story is Sam’s game development of Vinculum to present at the Upcoming Game Developers Expo. While I know nothing about coding, I completely related to Sam’s possessiveness of any free time to spend perfecting what will hopefully be her ticket into a career that is her passion.
You can tell Leanne has poured her heart and soul, not to mention game design know-how, into this story! I can’t say too much without spoilers, but two chapters in particular broke my heart, but Leanne still manages to finish the story on a hopeful note and a satisfying ending. This will probably be my top YA read of 2023!
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Vomit, and Alcohol