Twelfth Knight: A Reese's Book Club Pick

This is a great story featuring two seniors in high school that feel they have very specific roles they have to play. I really appreciated how well the story was told, the characters were developed and diverse, there were a lot of sub-plot lines about friendship, family, finding your personality, learning that it is okay to change but to also stay the same, vulnerability of relationships - of all kinds, and so much more.A great read for anyone's shelf but especially young adults!

Only Olivie Blake can write a YA novel about role-playing gamers and football stars and still fill it with top-notch banter, betrayal, shakespearean quips and a relatable, romantic underdog to root for.I was hesitant when I got this ARC because it is seniors in high school, so the YA-est of YA LOL, but boy was I surprised. (Then I thought to myself, why am I surprised? I die for Olivie Blake’s writing regardless of the subject matter.) I laughed so much and genuinely just had a great time throughout this whole read.Blake weaves topics of toxic masculinity—especially in the online gaming world—as well as other important themes into this romantic comedy seamlessly. Her talent truly knows no bounds. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun read with stellar writing.

2.5While I *love* the premise of this book and had really high hopes for it, I could not get past Viola's awful personality. I love a good grumpy/sunshine trope, but the grump has to still be somewhat likeable and not malicious just for the sake of it. It was incredibly hard to get through her sections of the book, especially in the beginning and by the end of it I felt like I was tolerating her for the sake of the romance rather than rooting for her.I really enjoyed Jack's part of the story, his character was sweet and experienced so much growth. I loved the mix of jock learning that nerds aren't all weird, the acceptance of grumpy personality and honestly he carried the book.

Thanks Netgalley and Tor Teen for the advance copy of this book!The overarching story of Twelfth Knight was cute. I love stories that incorporate video game elements and video game mechanics into them. From TTRPGs to MMORPGs, this book covers a wide range of gaming experiences and gives a decent perspective of it from the inside.What I couldn’t STAND was Viola’s character. She makes her entire personality “I don’t need anyone and I’m fine burning all the bridges because I’m independent.” And then spends the entire novel doubling down on how awful people are while simultaneously being confused why people hate her. Maybe I had too high of expectations for seniors in high school, but I would have liked a little more nuance to them. Jack was okay, as was his sort of girlfriend, Olivia. But Vi was insufferable.

Viola is a nerd who loves her video games. At school, she can't get the student body president, who also happens to be a football star for their school, to take anything seriously. When Jack gets hurt and his friend turns him on to the same video game that Viola loves, he begins an online friendship with her. The only problem is that he doesn't know its her and she definitely knows its him. All this comes to a head when real life collides with video games.OpinionThis is a super cute book on first loves and enemies to dating. It takes two polar opposites and pushes them together to realize they have more in common that they think.I truly enjoyed reading this book and would 100% put it in the hands of my students to read. I do not remember anything more than kissing and that makes me confident that it could also go in a school library.Many thanks to Net Galley and to Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book.