Just when Melody thinks she’s made the worst career move of her life, her luck changes. While joking with a friend, she creates a mobile game that has male strippers fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Suddenly Melody’s “joke” is her studio’s most high-profile project—and Melody’s running the show.
When Nolan is assigned to Melody’s team, she’s sure he’ll be useless. But as they grow closer, she realizes he’s smart and sexy, which makes Melody want to forget he’s her intern. As their attraction deepens, she knows it’s time to pump the brakes, even with her Korean parents breathing down her neck to hurry up and find a man.
With her project about to launch, Melody suddenly faces a slew of complications, including a devastating trolling scandal. Could the man she’s falling hard for help her play the game to win—in work and in love? (Pub Date: Aug 18, 2020)
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much, but Melody's adventure to release her game actually kept me turning the pages.
3.5, rounded up to 4 stars.
Melody finally gets a chance to prove herself in her new job, producing the game she pitched herself. But the news leak too soon and that makes her the target of cyberbullying. Without support from her boss, she needs to gather her allies and never give up, and the new intern she hated at first sight may be a bigger help than she could imagine.
I've read another Suzanne Park book before but it was a YA and, although with time I could identify points in common (more obviously, the Korean parents), in the beginning, it make me feel like checking again if they're really the same person. I enjoyed both stories, but this one felt much more solid. So if you've read The Perfect Escape and are feeling iffy (not sure why you would, because it was still a good, refreshing YA), just give this a chance.
Nolan is really perfect as book boyfriend and I think the title may be misleading. Of course Melody didn't like him at first but that didn't last enough for us to even put the book in the from-enemies-to-lovers trope. He's super cute and supportive, and what gets in the way of them being an item is the fact that he is her intern, working directly under her thanks to the game project. Despite the word intern, he's actually some months older and he's just started in the company, so it's not as awkward in practice and it seems to be. It's still unlucky for Melody, because he seems to hot and charming.
The book discusses a lot prejudice against women in gaming, to a point the police are involved (and not helpful at all). I can't say if all the backslash on Melody creating the game is credible because I definitely don't know the industry, but cyberbullying sure sounded scary. I loved how this was written. The vigilantes part, though, made me frown a bit, but it was still exciting.
Although this book felt more controlled than The Perfect Escape, I still think there was something wrong with the rhythm. The read doesn't drag, don't worry, but sometimes we'll get some time skips, at others, loose ends. For example, Melody signs a contract that she's not to reveal anything about how her company ratio of men and women is uneven. Some chapters later, she's giving a statement joking about the few women existing in the company. The jokes were hilarious but this bleep on her part goes unnoticed. To be honest, that whole scene existed only for her to make those jokes. Funny, but also useless. That is one example of what is recurring in the book, things happening without repercussion. Those loose ends and the way the narration dealt with the passage of time made the book seem a little rushed, but didn't get in the way of the fun or of the main plot.
I recommend this book to those who like reading about strong women but who didn't think they were strong until they have to be. Of course, there's romance too, and it's cute.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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