I'm not a gamer. That didn't stop me from loving this feisty, engaging tale OR keep me from rooting for Divya and Aaron through their trials online and off.

Divya - or D1V, as she's known online, is a gamer who has been successful as a live-streamer - and very much a testament that not everything you see online is real, as her sponsorship money and sponsored products all go to paying the rent so her mom can finish her medical degree. She has top of the line equipment, thanks to corporate sponsors, too.

Aaron is a gamer too, but his equipment is cobbled together from parts he finds discarded and can pick up cheaply. He dreams of being a writer for video games, and has been working with a developer to bring a new game to market (although he's still waiting to be paid, thank you very much.) His mom, on the other hand, has higher aspirations for him.

I loved this book, and Smith reeled me in with believable, relatable characters. I appreciate the diversity, and I appreciated the online bullying storyline as girl gamers (players and designers) are often not respected in the (masculine) gaming world. The online bullying extends to doxxing and real-life violence that affects Divya, her family and Divya's friend and gaming partner, Rebekah.

The characters and their relationships are strong and well developed. I appreciate that the relationship between Aaron and Divya starts out as a friendship and anything more takes a back seat to the rest of the story. Divya's fight is empowering and had me rooting for her (and Aaron) to the end.

This is a story that my feminist (non-gaming) teen will devour! ( )

This is the book you hand to: teens who have been harassed, stalked either online or in real life, teens who have been abused, teens who have been made to feel less than for any reason. When they read it, they will find parts of themselves...Their aloneness, anger, despair, helplessness and ultimately their hope. It's just that powerful and good. It should be available in ANY library serving teens. I loved it big time! ( )

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I was originally supposed to read and review this book for a blog tour, but then we moved and it fell through the cracks. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook for Don't Read the Comments, so I'm going to count this one as a win! The narrators were fantastic and really brought life to Smith's words. They lent an authenticity to the story that I don't think I would have been able to produce on my own.

Divya is struggling with trolls, online bullying, cyber stalking, and so much more simply for being a female gamer, and likely because she was also a person of color. I really loved how she was portrayed, and how realistic her experiences were. She was scared for herself, her mother, and her best friend, but she also didn't want to let the trolls win their absurd war. They were driven by hate, and their actions had lasting consequences on people's lives. It wasn't enough to destroy D1V in the virtual world, but they wanted to hurt her in real life as well.

It's scary because it's true. I'm happy the author chose to shed light on an issue that plagues a lot of people, but one that doesn't receive enough attention. The actions of trolls and online bullying are seen as harmless, because it's just words on a screen right? Death in a game isn't death in real life? Unfortunately, that's not the case. People's actions online can have a drastic impact on a person's life. Children have committed suicide after being repeatedly bullied online, and it's an issue that more people should take seriously. Words matter. Your online presence matters. You can't just do or say whatever you want behind your computer screen, because what you put out into the world has the potential to hurt someone else.

I really liked both Divya and Aaron, and enjoyed their individual stories. They were a little underdeveloped, but still amazing characters. I wanted to know more about their families, and what their lives were like before gaming, but we mostly see what they're dealing with in the present. There's very little reflection or rumination, and I wanted to learn more about what drove them to their present situations. I also wanted a more gratifying conclusion, and wish certain people had been brought to justice (especially for Divya's best friend). I know it's impossible to catch every troll, but I still wanted that for D1V.

The gaming aspect was something I really related to as well! I love playing video games (mostly RPGs), and recently brought out our old SNES for the kids to play on (desperate times call for desperate measures). Our son loves to play Donkey Kong Country, and the girls get excited about Mario Paint. The game the book centers around is called Reclaim the Sun, and I wish it really existed. It's definitely something I would play! I loved how immersive it was, and like the idea of endlessly exploring planets with unknown content. Smith should see about getting his fictional game made into one people in the real world can play! I think it would be very popular. :)

If you're looking for a satisfying story with wonderful characters, Don't Read the Comments has both. The author touches on tough topics, while also conveying the importance of friendship, family, and standing up for yourself and what's right.

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Sooo good. Review soon ( )

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Don't Read the Commends is a YA book that is incredibly timely, realistic, and well done.... but wow is it a hard read at times. Frankly, this book is a horror novel about what the internet and social media are like for women in this era of Gamergate and trolls. Don't get me wrong--I loved the book and I am absolutely adding it to my shortlist for the Norton Award for next year--but I also pushed through reading it as fast as I could because there's no denying it was triggery.

Divya is a passionate teenage gamer with a streaming channel and social media presence. Her increasing clout have started to garner her much-needed promotional items and sponsorships, but also, trolls who don't want a girl--especially one of color--taking up space in 'their' world. When a troll mob ambushes Divya and her devoted Angst Army, that's horrible enough, but when the threats become physical in reality, that's something else.

Meanwhile, gaming is Aaron's whole life--or would be, if he didn't have to put in hours in his mom's medical practice. His real passion is writing the plot for a new game publisher-start-up (though it'd be nice if he could get paid) and playing loads of other games, too. When he and Divya meet in-game, they strikes up a friendship that feels absolutely genuine--even as troll attacks against Divya escalate and her life begins to unravel.

Smith really nailed every element in this book. Every character and relationship resounds with truth, from Divya and Aaron's adorably geeky connection to their love and exasperation for their parents. The gaming world comes across with 100% realism. As an old school gamer myself, I ADORED the shout-outs to old and dear favorites of mine like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III (with a necessary note that this is the original American Super Nintendo release), plus casual mention of things like roms to play old games. Some revelations about Aaron's dad were especially delightful.

Of course, part of the realism is the horror aspect: trolls, doxing, and the persistent harassment that women endure online. This is all sadly accurate, too, but I love how Smith brings everything together in the end with thoughtfulness and care. Nothing about this book is sugar-coated and easy, but there's still a spirit of hopefulness that is necessary in their world and in ours. ( )