Alexis Hall creates an ode to online spaces and the authenticity of the relationships formed therein. As someone who recently made some good friends and acquaintances in a fandom focused Discord server, that theme really resonated with me. In an MMORPG instance, Drew (he/him, persona name: Orcarella) becomes more and more interested in a person with a feminine presenting character named Solace. As Drew and this person grow closer, he must confront questions on whether online relationships are valid and whether he is more attracted to his perception of the person behind Solace is or to that person IRL.

As a queer YA romance, you can expect some tropes, few surprises, and an HEA. It only rarely challenges the reader, most likely those unfamiliar with online spaces. There’s a glossary for gamer terms, which are heavily used, but I forgot most of them and interpreted them on context clues in the narrative. The heavy use of that lexicon could frustrate some readers. This is the third book by Alexis Hall that I’ve read and it might be my favorite. (It’s okay to skip Husband Material if you have other things on your TBR. Soz, AH.)