Her secret? She plays anonymously as a guy to avoid harassment from other male players. Even her online best friend—a cinnamon roll of a teen boy who plays under the username Sourdawg—doesn’t know her true identity. Which is fine, because Kiki doesn’t know his real name either, and it’s not like they’re ever going to cross paths IRL.
Until she transfers to an elite private school for her senior year and discovers that Sourdawg goes there, too.
But who is he? How will he react when he finds out Kiki’s secret? And what happens when Kiki realizes she’s falling for her online BFF? (Pub Date: Nov 28 2023)
Kiki has been friendly with a guy online who doesn't know she's really girl and she never figured out how to tell him, which becomes a huge issue when she finds out he goes to her new school where she's been bullied into submission to their ultra-conservative rules.
3.5 rounded up.
I wasn't aware this was part of a series with the other only book I'd read by this author, but I don't think it will make you feel like you're missing anything. Well, unless you take it into account the first book was more interesting. The comparison was inevitable when I loved so much that one and felt like this lacked a lot of the charm that had enticed me.
I think one of the problems is how long it takes for us to get somewhere. I wonder if the author wasn't very sure what would be the main plot or changed idea as she wrote. I can't spoil you but there is one development I think would have brought more if it had happened earlier on. The story is very lukewarm and because this only comes up later, it feels like it's too late to do anything substantial.
At least, this isn't a book that drags. Events keep happening and they do add to the character building and the plot. I felt super bad for Kiki and for what she needs to go through at her new school. It's unbelievable that I actually believe such place and characters can exist. Still, it's baffling. I also liked how you don't immediately know who her online friend is, even if we've seen this trope a million times before. It wasn't even that it was a fresh take, just that it was well executed.
Still, I miss the magic I found in the author's previous work. That one was just so funny, exploring the Indonesia culture in the perfect way to fit the plot. Didn't See That Coming still talks about Indonesia, but Kiki not being an outsider and her school, the main scenery to the story, not being the most common there maybe took its toll. I'm not convinced those are the only differences to blame, though. Of course you can't expect an author to parade their country every book and still keep it fresh, I do get that. But that was really what I had liked her for before, so it's too bad.
The book does deal with serious issues that will be as universal as it can be to teenagers, and the conclusion was also excellent. Despite the problems, it was still a fun and quick read I couldn't stop. I'm sure other fans of romcom YAs will enjoy it as well.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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