Fun fact, this book was suggested to me by the bookstore owner and had been lying in my TBR for a while. I finally picked it up a few days back and I'm in love. It follows the lives of three friends Sam, Sadie and Marx who create games together.
Things that I liked about the book:
1. Easy and interesting to read, I finished it in two sittings
2. The intimacy and chemistry between the three characters. How they all fit in together so perfectly
3. The inclusion of very subtle social commentary about sexism and racism
4. The fact that the only video game I've ever played is Mario, and the video game aspect of the story never bugged me.
5. The childhood chapters. Reading them made me feel so warm.
6. The vivid game descriptions.
by CityPsychological190
3 Comments
The Mario point is exactly why that book worked for me too. Zevin treats games like a language for friendship, so you can miss half the mechanics and still feel the ache between Sam and Sadie. Marx stole the book a bit, ngl.
i was never fully invested in the Sam/Sadie friendship which meant the “betrayal” never rang true with me.
i thought the video game aspect was a nice touch and a modern twist on well worn creative partnerships, i thought it was very effectively used in the final stages of the book.
I only really enjoyed one section, the NPC, which I thought was beautifully written.
I enjoyed it well enough, but the ending was unfulfilling. The will they/won’t they just kind of fizzles out and I don’t think sells the importance of their working relationship well enough for them not to get together.