I received an audiobook copy of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

ComicCon, gamers, and nerdy all caught my attention when I first heard about Lauren Helms‘s debut novel Level Me Up. I was a gamer growing up, and it is my dream to one day attend ComicCon because I am that kind of nerd 😀 However I didn’t love this book the way I thought I would. The beginning really sucked me in, but it quickly fell flat. It was just an okay read for me made better by a fantastic narrator.

Morgan is a mess of a character. She’s a broken, distrustful young woman who doesn’t love easily. Having been hurt one too many times, Morgan keeps men at an arm’s length and rarely has a steady relationship. Because of her mother dying as a teen and her father basically checking out after that, she feels unlovable and her self-confidence is lacking.

Dex is just the opposite. He’s confident, a little on the shy side, and not at all the nerd I expected. He is a professional gamer and gets paid to do what he loves for a living. He lives with the guys on his team and is the consummate bachelor until he meets Morgan at ComicCon. Dex is your typical guy, and I found him endearing.

What I Liked:
• Dex and Morgan together make a good couple. They compliment each other really well.
• I liked the gamer aspects, however few and far between they were.
• The friends, who I assume will be getting their own novels. I’m intrigued by the pairing off of these couples.

What I Didn’t Like:
• The constant back and forth. One chapter Morgan was talking about needy girls and how she hated them, yet she becomes them. I lost count on the number of times she pushed Dex away.
• Info-dumping. There is a lot of this that happens at random points of the story. Like Morgan thinking about her relationship with her dad during a scene with Dex.
• Unnecessary drama. I get it that drama is a part of contemporary romance as it builds the characters and the tension for the sexy scenes, BUT there is a line between just enough and too much. It’s crossed here.
• The ending felt rushed, really the entire book, but the ending specifically. I won’t give details because spoilers, but if you’ve read it, what did you think?

Overall Level Me Up was just an okay read for me. The narrator really helped to engage me in the story. Otherwise I think I would have had a hard time completing the book. While this story didn’t work for me, I am curious to read more of the series as I liked the friends, especially Gia and Simon. I want to know the history there 😀 I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a short contemporary romance.