How We Play the Game
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Competitive gaming and fake dating combine to create a razor-sharp romance perfect for fans of Twelfth Knight and SLAY.
Zora Lyon plays to dominate. And as a no-nonsense, strategic prodigy of Wizzard Game's viral battle royale, she has all the skills she needs. So when Wizzard offers their top players a chance to participate in a summer academy designed to crown a national champion, Zora knows she has what it takes to be the last player standing.
But Wizzard isn't just looking for winners-they're looking to create viral gaming superstars. Suddenly, Zora finds herself competing against famous esports influencers who can play the game and boost their follower count. That includes Ivan Hunt, the insufferably good-looking fan-favorite streamer, whom she betrayed to cement her spot at the academy.
As their matches broadcast to Wizzard's fanbase, Zora's ruthless playing style and obvious lack of streaming experience immediately sends her to the bottom of the class. With her dreams of impressing Wizzard's cofounder Brian Juno in jeopardy, Zora will do just about anything to fix her image-even if that means pretending to date Ivan to gain some popularity points. What can go wrong with a little white lie?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rival gamers competing for a chance to make it big in the e-sports world must team up to achieve their dreams in this playful rom-com by Nedd (Don't Hate the Player). Eighteen-year-old Zora is a top player of Wizzard Gaming's battle royale strategy game. Upon learning that Wizzard is hosting a summer academy—a pseudo–boot camp designed to provide participants the tools to kick-start their own professional gaming careers—Zora resolves to attend the program at any cost, including betraying her battle partner in the arena. Having successfully secured a spot at the academy, Zora is shocked to realize that her former partner Ivan—a "washed up e-boy" facing backlash for his past involvement in toxic gaming culture—has also been admitted. After Wizzard stream viewers dub her an unlikable "ice queen," Zora approaches Ivan with a proposal that they fake-date each other to repair their foundering reputations. The reality show competition backdrop amplifies meta gaming references, cheeky banter, and Gossip Girl–level drama that occurs both on the virtual battlefield and behind the scenes. The result is a streamer-era romance that offers a sharp critique of how influencer personae and hustle culture can blur the line between work and play. Ivan is white; Zora is Black. Ages 14–up.
