This novel is a bit of a 'Marmite' tale about the contemporary world of gaming, as lived by the two main protagonists Sam and Sadie. Their journey from childhood up to adulthood is woven together by their world of gaming, designing games, fantasy and reality. There were numerous threads referenced throughout - including friendship (platonic and sexual), death, suicide, grief, toxic relationships, racism, cultural and societal challenges, violence, murder, sexual exploitation, chronic illness, disability plus several others.

Within our small group, all middle class white women of a certain age, no criticism here, just fact, half of us did not like the book at all but half said they 'enjoyed it' and would recommend it to others. (Interestingly, the recommendations were mostly for younger family members). Most of us concurred that this particular book illustrates a world that millions of young people probably occupy for hours on end. None of us were in a position to evaluate the technical aspects of the gaming content, but we all felt that 'Gaming' is here to stay and there are probably aspects that we find difficult to comprehend. We discussed our anxieties concerning the global domination of video games extolling violence and the potentially dangerous impact of this on children and impressionable youngsters.  

Notwithstanding the negative aspects of the content we felt that the author is writing about a contemporary reality for millions worldwide and this is definitely here to stay.