Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Loathe at First Sight

I read this book without knowing anything about the plot. From the title I thought this was an enemies to lovers trope and that expectation fell a little flat for me. Although there was some tension in the beginning with Nolan and Melody, the hatred between Melody and Asher was so much stronger that for a while I thought they’d end up together. I loved the representation of women, especially Melody as an Asian women, in gaming. Melody’s experience navigating a predominantly white and male industry was realistic and she faced a lot of racism, sexism, and harassment, which at times was captured in such detail that it was hard to read, even though I know this is a realistic portrayal.

I appreciated Melody’s character growth from complete aversion to getting help to practicing asking and accepting help as the book progressed. I enjoyed Nolan, Candace, and Jane’s characters too. For the bulk of the book, Melody experienced negative comments about her body from her mom, Jane, and internet trolls. Near the very end, it was revealed she was a size medium and her BMI was 23…
The passage of time in the plot was hard to follow and overall this book was a slower read for me.

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kdailyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-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? No

3.5

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stasquatch's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

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cinderellasbookshelf's review against another edition

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funny reflective tense fast-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

After watching Free Guy on repeat these past few days, I wanted to read something related to gaming but set in a realistic environment. And that's how I decided to read Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park.

This book is a good fast read from start to finish. It gives an interesting look into the gaming industry, but more importantly through the perspective of its female Asian character, Melody Joo. I found myself rooting for Melody throughout all the challenges she faced while working in a fast-paced, highly male dominated, and, truthfully, toxic work environment. A lot of the conflict of the story relates to the real-life infamous Gamergate campaign that happened several years ago and are some of the hardest chapters to read because of what Melody has to endure. I thought Suzanne Park was able to show how toxic and misogynistic the gaming industry can be without it being too preachy and by balancing it well with a strong and driven character who is unwilling to be bullied, but is also still human and not immune to its effects.

Apart from this, there are a lot of lighter moments brought on by its cast of characters such as Melody’s friends, Candace and Jane. At first they felt out of place for this book, but I soon realized they give another side to showing Melody’s life outside of work. Their scenes together were funny, especially when they tried to help Melody find strippers who could promote her game at an upcoming expo.

I also liked the romance between Melody and her co-worker/intern, Nolan Mackenzie. The two characters start off on the wrong foot, but gradually become friends that could lead to something more. It’s not steamy or as tension building compared to other workplace romance set books, but I actually preferred it this way because it didn’t have to go in that direction. The friendship between the two and how it develops was perfect in my opinion and worked well with the story as a whole.

If anything, I would have liked to have seen more in-depth behind the scenes aspects of the work that goes into creating and developing a game than what was mentioned or sometimes quickly glossed over. I really liked the GameExpo scene though and thought it was one of the many funnier and lighter moments this book had. The ending was great too and felt earned.

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.5

Every character in this book was totally unlikeable. They read like caricatures instead of real people with any depth.

In many cases, it feels like the author favoured cheap jokes or punch lines over telling a complete story or creating any real layers with the characters or plot.

Nolan and Melody's relationship has no real substance and just feels like a generic office attraction (and that she's attracted to him because he's not a complete loser like every single other person she works with?).

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nemaria's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

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ratqueen's review against another edition

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funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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teakanimo's review against another edition

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lighthearted tense

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

2.0

long winded--as in using too many words to restate things like dumbed down for reader. plot seemed promising and i like the author but it felt like i was playing stereotype bingo. too many mentions of Sheryl sandberg. characters are caricatures. the body shaming/mild fatphobia throughout (out of nowhere almost) and the repetitive mention of racial slurs did not add to the story.
cute story idea and main characters but it just didn't land.

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