She's Got Game

Great Game. If Heffernan's friend Maggie Dallen's latest book was a Hallmark Movie of the saccharine sweet variety, this one is closer to one of the rocky road jalapeno ice cream variety. Still mostly funny, but deals with some weightier issues in a mostly sweet manner with a hint of burn-your-mouth spice. Heffernan takes several risks with her characters that are rare, and that is much appreciated by this particular reader. The narrator is a gamer - and not a video gamer, which has gained a degree of acceptance in mainstream modern society. No, this narrator is a board gamer. And bi. And one of her best friends is demisexual - an orientation I've literally only seen used in one other book. And the driving narrative force is a board game tournament. And there are several weighty issues that could drag the book down, but Heffernan deftly keeps the focus on her primary couple as they haltingly get together. Excellent work, I'm very much looking forward to the next one. Very much recommended.

I'd like to get this out of the way first: I found Gwen extremely frustrating at times (seriously, just talk to the guy!), and I admire Cody for his patience with her.

Besides that, though, the story had so many things that I enjoy in a book: A swoon-worthy hero, two BFFs who kept Gwen grounded (and whose stories I can't wait to read!), a geeky game tournament with lots of trash-talk and some serious nail-biting the closer we got to the finals, some twists I did not see coming, and some really nice wordsmithing painting a vivid picture (no, not a Monet...).

I'm really looking forward to reading Shannon and Holly's stories!

One of the great things about this series is that for each book the authors give a list of trigger warnings: discussions of rape and assault, domestic violence, addiction, suicidal tendencies, phobias, bullying, cyber harassment, violence, and more.
If I can add to this, give it a bit more specificity... rape & abuse discussions and brief flashbacks, PTSD from rape/abduction/torture, drug & alcohol abuse, talk of attempted suicide, sex addiction

So... welcome to Gamer Girls. 

Let me start by saying this book is the first in the series, but it feels more like a prequel to the rest of the series and you don't need to read this one to understand the rest of the series. I mention all this because I believe this is the darkest book in the series yet (I've read #1-#5). This book deals with the aftermath of an abduction and attack while the other books don't. This isn't to say the other books aren't dark and bad things don't happen, but there is a bit more lightness to those books and no one is attacked and tortured like Dez. 

Ah, I should probably talk about this book, huh? Okay, so it is dark, trauma is definitely explored here, but damn it is a good book. Reading about their struggles and how they grow to trust one another, how the come back to try actually living is... just thinking about it is threatening tears to fall. It is an addicting read. I don't read many books about woman gamers and even fewer about woman game devs. Dez is a developer, programmer, and all around badass. She is a legend in the making. She's knocked down, she's knocked out, but with the help of a support system and her new family she is coming back even stronger. 

Some things I want to note: her trauma and PTSD don't just disappear. Love doesn't conquer all here, so it feels really realistic in that regard. Found family is such a strong theme throughout not just this book, but the series. There are LGBT+ characters in this book and in future books. 

Reading this book made me want to go out and take on the world. It is heartbreaking and inspiring.