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A review by leonidskies
Streamline by Lauren Melissa Ellzey
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.
I liked bits of this book but tired of others. It was a cute romance, though I'll admit it was because I 100% assumed the whole time that this was a romance with a trans lesbian. The warmth and good feelings from the later parts definitely made that part the highlight of the book, but the build-up was disappointing in comparison.
I really liked the way autism was written about in this book - it was easily the strongest part of the way the story was conveyed. I also really liked the importance of friendships and family relationships alongside the romance aspects.
However, the rest of the book was lacking in several aspects. The editing especially could have done with some work - there were a handful of continuity errors that occasionally pulled me out of the story when I noticed them, and I sometimes lost the thread of what was going on. I also didn't quite click with the actual MMORPG setting or the rules of the streaming platform, though especially the former - there were parts that felt a little like the author had adapted prose from other writing from the perspective of a character within the game's setting rather than it being about playing a video game, and that didn't work for me.
Overall, while I wish a greater portion of the novel was more openly featuring a trans woman, this was a pretty cute read. Not super my thing, but it might work better for fans of gaming-based romances.
I liked bits of this book but tired of others. It was a cute romance, though I'll admit it was because I 100% assumed the whole time that this was a romance with a trans lesbian. The warmth and good feelings from the later parts definitely made that part the highlight of the book, but the build-up was disappointing in comparison.
I really liked the way autism was written about in this book - it was easily the strongest part of the way the story was conveyed. I also really liked the importance of friendships and family relationships alongside the romance aspects.
However, the rest of the book was lacking in several aspects. The editing especially could have done with some work - there were a handful of continuity errors that occasionally pulled me out of the story when I noticed them, and I sometimes lost the thread of what was going on. I also didn't quite click with the actual MMORPG setting or the rules of the streaming platform, though especially the former - there were parts that felt a little like the author had adapted prose from other writing from the perspective of a character within the game's setting rather than it being about playing a video game, and that didn't work for me.
Overall, while I wish a greater portion of the novel was more openly featuring a trans woman, this was a pretty cute read. Not super my thing, but it might work better for fans of gaming-based romances.