Love, Comment, Subscribe

Very cute! I'm really enjoying this author's work.

The love story was endearing and captivating but felt very high-school. My main gripe with the book is that Lily's (female MC) entire motivation was some dumb high-school drama about being excluded. I wish Lily had more depth and nuance in her character. I understand I might be harsh and that the youtube/influencer game resembles high school as it also focuses on popularity and numbers. I will grant Lily's character that but that fact honestly only made me realize that I didn't really want to read about a protagonist who still bases her self-worth on those shallow social interactions at twenty-eight years old. It probably would have worked better had the author included some scenes about exclusion when Lily was in her early 20s. A story that elevates fleeting encounters and getting approval from people who peaked in high school as the main markers of a life well lived strikes me as a rather hollow tale. I prefer reading about characters with a richer set of life experiences and more substantive relationships that shape who they are becoming. on the other hand, I enjoyed reading about Tobin and the rest of the nerd herd. They are the kind of people I would like to read about more.

Read in honor of my high school 10 year reunion coming up this November. Unfortunately for me no Nerd Herd w/lingering sexual tension to fall back on.

Also burnout is no joke

Books, Coffee & Passion

Lily is a hard-working, very driven beauty YouTuber. She's struggling with her content and she's fighting hard to get more subscribers and fulfill her dreams: getting a palette in collaboration with a great brand and ultimately getting her makeup brand. She's willing to do everything she can, even collaborating with her high school frenemy: Tobin. 

Tobin Bui is a very funny, creative, gamer YouTuber. One of his videos went viral and he's struggling with the pressure of posting funny content regularly. On top of that, his parents keep telling him he doesn't have a real job and he should go back to college. When Lily contacts him, out of the blue, and asks him to do a series of videos with her, he doesn't think it'll work. He thinks she'll probably kill him... but he ends up giving in.

I had so much fun while reading this book! I watch YouTube almost every day, mostly beauty and booktube channels and I also love gaming, so I was super excited about Lily and Tobin's romance. It starts slow, but as soon as Lily and Tobin start making videos together... their chemistry is off the charts! I loved these two together, their banter, the way they complement each other, their obvious attraction, they were so, so, so sweet together. I also enjoyed the representation, the details regarding a content creator's work and schedule, the importance of mental health, and how essential it is to stop and take a break. 

The conflict, near the end, was a little predictable and I was a little disappointed in Lily's reaction. Not too much, though, considering it made sense for her to react that way, but Tobin was so sweet... I wanted her to react differently. Fortunately, Lily came to her senses very quickly and I loved how she chose to apologize.  

Love, Comment, Subscribe was a fun read! It was sweet, cute, entertaining with unique, fantastic characters and steamy moments. A perfect slow burn, frenemies-to-lovers romance. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.