⭐⭐⭐☆
A Pokémon-type game as a basis for starting a romance. An
interesting premise.
Ann, a project manager, and Rachael, a single mom are both
into an Ani-Min game which has ‘teams’ and ‘raids’ that require physical
presence. They meet as one such raid and Ann’s interest is immediately piqued.
Slightly socially awkward, Ann fumbles around to find out Rachael’s sexual
orientation while working around her own crazy office workload and Rachael’s
challenging lack-of-time as a result of being a single mom.
The story is narrated from Ann’s point-of-view so we know
Rachael only from Ann’s perspective and from the interactions between the two
of them. There are times in the middle of the book when Ann seems too closed
and unable (unwilling?) to give anything emotionally to Rachael and to her
colleague, Chelsea. However, at the end she does redeem herself. Rachael is
really likeable which is why Ann gets even more frustrating in the middle.
It is also a little weird that even when the MCs are
together, they first play their game on their phones and then pay attention to
each other. That doesn’t seem like a lot of attraction or excitement happening
between them. Or maybe, we are just a tad idealistic. However, the author has
done a great job with imagining the game.
This is a short, easy read – may not stay with you for any
length of time, but won’t make you feel like you’ve wasted your time either.
(One extra star here for Rachael – we really liked her!)
⭐⭐⭐☆
