Gamer Girl

I came across this book while looking for inspiration on a gaming story of my own. Amazon recommended it to me and the name stood out so I gave it a read. Gotta say I was surprised at how hooked it kept me and making me want more and more.You've got this "plain-jane" girl going through a rough adjustment period after her parent's divorce. She gets a WoW Esque-MMO from her Dad and that's where we "meet" the love interest. The dialogue between the two was goofy and cute, sometimes cringy using words like "kewl, and l33t" [mind you this was written in 08 apparently] but I really like how the in-game chat was formatted and the budding feelings between the two did seem genuine. We honestly don't see too much of Fields of Fantasy other than the intro period and how it's the platform for Allora and SirLeo's relationship, but that's fine.The Identity of the in-game love interest becomes hilariously obvious and a tad unrealistic given how many players play MMO's but it's a fantasy, I get it lol.Everyone seems to have their own personalities and you really connect to Maddy's plight when you get into the difficulties with her parents and how her Mother reacts to certain things. I can tell the author has probably experienced or knows someone close whose gone through this.Anyways, the book is geared towards teen girls but Id recommend it for anyone seeking a quick, nerdy-romance read.- 1 star for nicknaming a character "Blackie", other than that I loved it 💖

I thought it showed the heart of a true girl and that's something that I love in books. It shows the confidence of a normal gamer girl truly

I bought this book on Kindle because I heard some people talk about it and I like reading fiction dealing with geek culture. Though I'd never call myself a "gamer girl," I do play video games, watch more LP's than actual television, and even back in my high school days, I was a manga-loving outcast. So you would think this would speak to me on a personal level. I will say that I liked Mancusi's writing style from a technical standpoint and it was easy to get through...the rest of it though was tissue thin, inconsistent, and frustrating.With a title like "Gamer Girl," and the synopsis it has, I was expecting the MMORPG to play a bigger role in the plot, maybe cause Maddy problems at school and home because she can't get off the computer, something like that. The "IRL vs. Online" conflict comes from the love interest, but that more or less solves itself. That's the ongoing theme with all the hurdles in this book. I know it's a light YA novel and isn't supposed to have the same kind of psychological twists and turns as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but it's still unsatisfying when it feels like everything is just happening to the main character and she doesn't grow at the end of it. I mean let's be fair, she was being judgmental of the kids at that school before she even walked in, and the group of bullies validated that prejudice for most of the book. When she gets friends, they sort of just come out of the woodwork and automatically worship Maddy because she's so good at drawing (then said friends more or less solve the major issue at the end for her). So to me, the ending feels cheap and even rushed.The "Haters" had no depth or anything that convinced me they were real humans and not robots created by someone exclusively exposed to high school films from the 1980's. I can't fathom any actual high school where the "popular kids" strut down the halls with someone in the audience to explain their popularity to any potential newcomers that might be there (tell you what though, if you have concrete proof that this indeed happened somewhere, I'll be a good sport and send a bottle of wine in apology). To be honest, I didn't believe any of the characters except the mother. Maybe Maddy on some level, but I would've liked to see more development as a person as opposed to everything coming so easily for her and her friends and family floating around her telling her how special she is. Yes, she was bullied, and that is a horrible, lonely experience, but even that seemed so easy to deal with, in the end. Maybe because a lot of it was in exposition.All that said, I can see how this would appeal to a preteen/teenage girl and why she would like reading this book, but that doesn't change the fact that the author could've done better.

For full review please search "5 Girls Book Reviews" in a search engine and/or Facebook "5 Girls Book Reviews"REVIEW BY: Angel, age 13 yearsMAY CONTAIN SPOILER:This book was a truly relatable read with a twisty fantasy end. Mari Mancusi took this novel to an unexpected ending that I enjoyed!This book was just as great as her other books, so I don't want to spoil it for you.My favorite character is Maddy because I can relate to her in many ways. My favorite part is when Chad and Maddy are at the contest.

I loved this tale. The unique story line, special characters who touch your heart, and problems we all can relate too. As an aspiring author, this inspires me in so many ways!

This book was one of the firs i read of its kind it is a book I will reread again.

I bought this book because I loved the book when I was younger. When I read the book I loved it so thought to get it and give it a read again since I am older. I liked how the girl fell in love with a character in her game and to find out it was a guy who was mean to her in real life.

Love this book so much. I read it so much back in high school

I lent it to my girlfriend to read because of how bad it was. Took her 3 hours. I don't care how fast of a reader you are but that just takes some very strange metaphorical biscuit. Although I will give it this, the main character is so very much like an actual 16 year old girl, really it's almost genius how it is portrayed. But other than that I wouldn't even give it to the fire god ashes.

Insanely stereotypical but an entertaining yet short read.

Amazing product, I haven’t read it yet, but it’s a good one. 10/10 makes me moist.