all4spite's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kajsaschubeler's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished Press Start by Rosie Sinclair and Jonathan Lopez. This book includes a wide range of LGBT+ characters, a lovely friend group, and a giant blast of a summer holliday adventure.
Loren gets the game HoloHeroes for her birthday. It's a game that uses VR to create an extra layer on top of the normal world and it's the game.
Loren's mother works too much and too hard to pay the bills so Loren decides to enter a HoloHeroe race. If she wins, she will win $200, and maybe that will buy her mom a hard earned break.
At the race Loren meets Irene who soon includes her in her own friend group, and Sergio who has a plan of getting Loren all the way to the HoloHeroes nationals.
I really enjoyed this book, and it took me less than a chapter to add it to my list of favourite books. The way everything is described, created a vivid visual in my head and reading the HoloHeroes matches felt almost like seeing a magical fight scene from a well founded, well made fantasy series.
At the se time, the writing was humorous, and at no time did I feel the characters were treated like less than well rounded human beings (something you don't always find when the main crew of the book is 16-year-olds)
Loren gets the game HoloHeroes for her birthday. It's a game that uses VR to create an extra layer on top of the normal world and it's the game.
Loren's mother works too much and too hard to pay the bills so Loren decides to enter a HoloHeroe race. If she wins, she will win $200, and maybe that will buy her mom a hard earned break.
At the race Loren meets Irene who soon includes her in her own friend group, and Sergio who has a plan of getting Loren all the way to the HoloHeroes nationals.
I really enjoyed this book, and it took me less than a chapter to add it to my list of favourite books. The way everything is described, created a vivid visual in my head and reading the HoloHeroes matches felt almost like seeing a magical fight scene from a well founded, well made fantasy series.
At the se time, the writing was humorous, and at no time did I feel the characters were treated like less than well rounded human beings (something you don't always find when the main crew of the book is 16-year-olds)
a_mo_zing's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. I think its writing leaves room for improvement, the plot could be tighter and more engaging and sometimes I felt like there were odd holes in the story telling that should've been explained before but instead I stumbled over them.
But in the end I just really had fun reading a book where no big stakes awaited the characters. In any other constellation it would've been boring but seeing as the mc is nonbinary and the book features a nb/w romance.... I'm just really happy it exists. I love high stakes books of queer characters claiming their lives as heir own but I think we also deserve books like this where nothing happens and everyone is happy.
But in the end I just really had fun reading a book where no big stakes awaited the characters. In any other constellation it would've been boring but seeing as the mc is nonbinary and the book features a nb/w romance.... I'm just really happy it exists. I love high stakes books of queer characters claiming their lives as heir own but I think we also deserve books like this where nothing happens and everyone is happy.
acemalarky's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I picked this up on a whim because hey, I could always use another book to read right now, and with sweet queer rep as well? Sign me the heck up
It's a very low stakes plot, which is refreshing as all get out. Just a young kid who's recently moved home, making friends playing a new game. When they enter a race on a whim and win with a really clever out-of-the-box thought, they get challenged to take it to a national level by the runner up to the last national competition, without really realising that's who it is? So they do, partly because why not, and partly because they figure they can use the prize money to help their mum, who's working long shifts and covering for co-workers to cover the cost of their recent move.
The basis of this book is v much the friendships they make along the way (and the girlfriend! The casual coming out (by accident which is such a mood lmao)). When the characters do come out, there isn't a fuss made over them, which I really appreciated. They're allowed to exist without having to explain themselves.
The rivalry is also less of a "I want to tear you down because your new way of doing things is wrong" and more of a "hey, wouldn't it be great if more people could play this game" inclusive gesture and it's just. so nice to read them all uplifting each other as they do.
Also? The mechanics of the game at the centre of this book are really cool! I want to play it so bad like, so if... someone would like to get on that... ;))
It's a very low stakes plot, which is refreshing as all get out. Just a young kid who's recently moved home, making friends playing a new game. When they enter a race on a whim and win with a really clever out-of-the-box thought, they get challenged to take it to a national level by the runner up to the last national competition, without really realising that's who it is? So they do, partly because why not, and partly because they figure they can use the prize money to help their mum, who's working long shifts and covering for co-workers to cover the cost of their recent move.
The basis of this book is v much the friendships they make along the way (and the girlfriend! The casual coming out (by accident which is such a mood lmao)). When the characters do come out, there isn't a fuss made over them, which I really appreciated. They're allowed to exist without having to explain themselves.
The rivalry is also less of a "I want to tear you down because your new way of doing things is wrong" and more of a "hey, wouldn't it be great if more people could play this game" inclusive gesture and it's just. so nice to read them all uplifting each other as they do.
Also? The mechanics of the game at the centre of this book are really cool! I want to play it so bad like, so if... someone would like to get on that... ;))
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