Playing Through Every Choices Book, In Order (Part 50: LoveHacks 1)

Hey! Today we take up a job at a company that only puts out clickbait articles! Basically the Choices version of Buzzfeed, I suppose? We also link up with our old college bestie and his friend group, and adulting ensues! Fun? We'll see...

Next time, we attempt to start our own blog to rival our former clickbaiting employer, but things aren't all peachy. Hijinks are sure to ensue at every corner!

Link to previous reviews: https://www.reddit.com/user/stresseatingdog/comments/sj3s3m/all_choices_reviews_megapost/

SPOILER WARNING, AS ALWAYS

LoveHacks, Book 1

M/C: Tina

Final LI: Mark and Ben

Favorite Chapter: Chapter 17

Favorite Character(s): Sereena, Brooke, Horatio, Cole, Amir, Mark, Ben, Leah, Tara

Least Favorite Character(s): TJ

Overall Rating: 6/10

Review:

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be “millenial”. So much of it is just millennial humor, and it hasn’t aged super well in my opinion. A lot of it is still hilarious though. I like how you get to play from multiple character’s POV’s, and not just M/C’s. It felt more immersive. I also like how M/C isn’t the only character with a LI. Speaking of LI’s, Ben is so awesome and I love him, but I can’t get over his neck. It’s like…jutting out a little, and it bothers me more than it should. Mark is awesome, and I love the whole Ross-Rachel (but less toxic) vibe I get from his and M/C’s relationship, should you choose to pursue him. Leah is kind of a non-presence for most of this book, and I wouldn’t blame non-straight/bi male and lesbian/bi female players for forgetting she existed as a character, let alone a LI. Horatio and Tara are cute, and I like how she compliments his energy lol. Cole is alright bi rep, and his relationship with Amir is the only m/m pairing possible in this book and its sequel. However, I feel as though Cole and Amir are the most neglected pairing in this entire series. They get to kiss once, in a diamond scene, and then Amir appears less than any of the other side character’s LI’s (Aliyah, Kio, Tara). Hell, those three all got far more focus on them than Amir did. It just feels weird that the one m/m pairing is also the most neglected, and on top of that, the game has so many scenes with Cole lusting over women and like none with him expressing his attraction to men. I get that some bi men prefer women heavily over men, but Cole almost never expresses attraction to any man outside of Amir, who he has minimal interactions and scenes with. On top of that, this series is genderlocked, and that’s an automatic no in my book, since this series has no great reason to be genderlocked. M/C is also bland, in my opinion. All in all, this book is just ‘meh’. It’s funny enough, but that can’t carry a book in my opinion.