Book review - Don't Read the Comments

Title: Don't Read the Comments
Author: Eric Smith
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
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Rating:

a solid reminder of our reality

Summary (provided by publisher):  Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.
Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.
At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…
And she isn’t going down without a fight.

My opinion: Many of us want to be famous. Smith's book reminds us that fame isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Cruel comments are, any more, a standard part of reality. They're something we feel like we just have to deal with. Smith draws the line between bullying and criminal behavior. Bullying that leaves the cyber world behind and enters Divya's real world with physical attacks and threats. The reader is asked to consider at what point bullying crosses that line. That conversation alone makes this worth reading. So too is the conversation it prompts between characters about privilege. Wealth, race, gender, sexuality. We see the different kinds of privilege at platy and the ultimate conclusion that we can never fully understand another person's experience and challenges. While the plot is a bit predictable and Aaron's perspective sections felt unnecessary, its ultimately a solid read with a fair amount of heart.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley