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Level Up
Real life doesn’t come with quest markers.
Audrey has been streaming cozy video games—cutesy, fluffy games without combat or peril—on her Play’N channel for years. But when she decides to do a speedrun of her favourite game for the past decade—the combat-filled and peril-ridden fantasy role-playing game, The Stones of Ayor 3—it soon becomes clear to her that she should have stayed in her lane.
Her favourite streamer, @SconesOfAyor, recently did his own speedrun of the game, and in beating his time (barely), Audrey has inadvertently called down an onslaught of gamer bros tearing her to shreds for daring to play an RPG when she’s nothing but a Cozy Gamer—and a girl. The horror.
And while all of that she can handle, what she can’t stand is that Scones says nothing in her defense when his A-hole subscribers start bashing her on his streams. Another A-hole, then.
But when Audrey (literally) bumps into him on the street, she finds herself rethinking things as she gets to know him better. Maybe he’s not an A-hole, after all. Maybe he’s kinda sweet and kinda funny and kinda…hot?
That can’t be right.
While Audrey doesn’t know exactly where she falls on the asexuality spectrum, she’s never found anyone hot before. And Scones—or Damien, as he’s known in the real world—certainly can’t feel that way about her…can he?
With the new release of The Stones of Ayor 4 and a blossoming crush on her favourite streamer, Audrey finds that all the words she uses to describe herself aren’t quite fitting right anymore. How can she be true to herself—and stand up for herself—when she doesn’t even know who she is?
And how could Damien want her when she doesn’t even know what she wants?
Level Up is a cute and nerdy romantic comedy with a little spice and a lot of laughs. (Please be aware that this is an “open door” novel, and includes sex on the page even though the MC is ace-spec—because it’s a broad spectrum.)
Gamer There are a lot of references to video games—both real and made-up for the story—as well as gameplay in this book, but you don’t need to be a gamer to enjoy reading. They are just for a bit of flavour but not the main point of the story.
Audrey has been streaming cozy video games—cutesy, fluffy games without combat or peril—on her Play’N channel for years. But when she decides to do a speedrun of her favourite game for the past decade—the combat-filled and peril-ridden fantasy role-playing game, The Stones of Ayor 3—it soon becomes clear to her that she should have stayed in her lane.
Her favourite streamer, @SconesOfAyor, recently did his own speedrun of the game, and in beating his time (barely), Audrey has inadvertently called down an onslaught of gamer bros tearing her to shreds for daring to play an RPG when she’s nothing but a Cozy Gamer—and a girl. The horror.
And while all of that she can handle, what she can’t stand is that Scones says nothing in her defense when his A-hole subscribers start bashing her on his streams. Another A-hole, then.
But when Audrey (literally) bumps into him on the street, she finds herself rethinking things as she gets to know him better. Maybe he’s not an A-hole, after all. Maybe he’s kinda sweet and kinda funny and kinda…hot?
That can’t be right.
While Audrey doesn’t know exactly where she falls on the asexuality spectrum, she’s never found anyone hot before. And Scones—or Damien, as he’s known in the real world—certainly can’t feel that way about her…can he?
With the new release of The Stones of Ayor 4 and a blossoming crush on her favourite streamer, Audrey finds that all the words she uses to describe herself aren’t quite fitting right anymore. How can she be true to herself—and stand up for herself—when she doesn’t even know who she is?
And how could Damien want her when she doesn’t even know what she wants?
Level Up is a cute and nerdy romantic comedy with a little spice and a lot of laughs. (Please be aware that this is an “open door” novel, and includes sex on the page even though the MC is ace-spec—because it’s a broad spectrum.)
Gamer There are a lot of references to video games—both real and made-up for the story—as well as gameplay in this book, but you don’t need to be a gamer to enjoy reading. They are just for a bit of flavour but not the main point of the story.
- GenresRomance
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2025
1 person is currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Paisley Rose
4 books4 followersPaisley Rose is a Canadian author who loves to write about weirdos falling in love. When she’s not binge-reading or binge-writing romances, she’s probably being bad at video games, watching the same YouTube video for the seven-hundredth time, and/or feeling guilty for not making art very often. She lives in southern Ontario with her partner and their three sad houseplants.
Visit her website (linked above) for an accurate and up-to-date list of her books.
Visit her website (linked above) for an accurate and up-to-date list of her books.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Want to read
October 17, 2025gaming + asexual fmc? this could be good (please people, read it so i can read your reviews)
October 19, 2025
4,5 stars.
A fun and geeky romance, what's not to love?
I love reading people becoming more themselves and finding their people, in whatever form. And this delivered on both fronts. It also made me remember how messy being in your twenties is like. I did find Audrey a touch juvenile at times, but then the next moment I found I was laughing with her.
I also loved how the romance had time to build. Figuring out how you might have changed is as hard or harder than figuring out who you are, and I'm glad Audrey got to do it at her own pace.
It also made me miss parallel-playing games with friends. (Do I want to play a game that doesn’t exist now? Mayhaps. (For the record, I’d try playing rakehell first.))
A fun and geeky romance, what's not to love?
I love reading people becoming more themselves and finding their people, in whatever form. And this delivered on both fronts. It also made me remember how messy being in your twenties is like. I did find Audrey a touch juvenile at times, but then the next moment I found I was laughing with her.
I also loved how the romance had time to build. Figuring out how you might have changed is as hard or harder than figuring out who you are, and I'm glad Audrey got to do it at her own pace.
It also made me miss parallel-playing games with friends. (Do I want to play a game that doesn’t exist now? Mayhaps. (For the record, I’d try playing rakehell first.))
October 19, 2025
This was actually so cute. I don't know much about being ace, but this book gave me some good insight in that it's not black and white; it's a spectrum and can change. Love when I learn new things about people from books. ❤️
The gaming aspect is fun. I'm a big cosy game person (acnh anyone?), but don't stream. So, it was fun to read how the two mc's played and streamed together, not just cosy games, but rpg's as well. I've never played an rpg before, but now i'm kind of tempted thanks to this story.
The romance in this and subsequent spicy scenes were done SO well. The fumbling and awkwardness from being with someone new felt realistic. I enjoyed this so much and would love to read the next book. ❤️
The gaming aspect is fun. I'm a big cosy game person (acnh anyone?), but don't stream. So, it was fun to read how the two mc's played and streamed together, not just cosy games, but rpg's as well. I've never played an rpg before, but now i'm kind of tempted thanks to this story.
The romance in this and subsequent spicy scenes were done SO well. The fumbling and awkwardness from being with someone new felt realistic. I enjoyed this so much and would love to read the next book. ❤️
October 19, 2025
I can't think of anything funny to say to that. I can't do anything but stare at him, at his face, at his mouth, so close to mine. I get an ASMR-like tingle at the back of my head when I watch him absentmindedly lick his lips, and it travels all the way down my spine. I feel anticipation prickle at my skin like static electricity, and I barely even have time to register the thought before I act on it.
Full disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book, but my opinions are entirely my own.
Audrey is a streamer who specializes in cozy video games. Her all-time favorite game is an RPG named Stones of Ayor 3, but she's hesitant to stream SOA3 on her channel because it's not what her viewers expect of her. The one time she streamed a speedrun of SOA3, she ended up with hate comments from fans of her favorite streamer-turned-nemesis, SconesOfAyor, just because she bested Scones' time.
When she literally bumps into Scones - aka Damien - in line for the release of the deluxe edition of Stone of Ayor 4, she's initially furious with him. But as they chat while playing SOA4 over the next few days, she's surprised to realize that she may have been wrong about him being her nemesis - and that he might be hot. The latter realization is especially surprising given that Audrey is on the asexuality spectrum and has never found anyone hot before.
Level Up is an adorable, fun exploration of figuring out who you are and what you want, and how those things can change over time. Audrey is nerdily relatable, Damien is the sweetest, most patient boyfriend of all time, and all of their friends are fun. The romance is fumbling and awkward but cute, and the spicy scenes, when they arrive, are well done.
The story is interspersed with dialogue options from SOA3 and SOA4, excerpts from SOA fanfic, and reviews of the SOA series and various other (fictional) games. I really wish some of these games were real so I could play them!!
Full disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book, but my opinions are entirely my own.
Audrey is a streamer who specializes in cozy video games. Her all-time favorite game is an RPG named Stones of Ayor 3, but she's hesitant to stream SOA3 on her channel because it's not what her viewers expect of her. The one time she streamed a speedrun of SOA3, she ended up with hate comments from fans of her favorite streamer-turned-nemesis, SconesOfAyor, just because she bested Scones' time.
When she literally bumps into Scones - aka Damien - in line for the release of the deluxe edition of Stone of Ayor 4, she's initially furious with him. But as they chat while playing SOA4 over the next few days, she's surprised to realize that she may have been wrong about him being her nemesis - and that he might be hot. The latter realization is especially surprising given that Audrey is on the asexuality spectrum and has never found anyone hot before.
Level Up is an adorable, fun exploration of figuring out who you are and what you want, and how those things can change over time. Audrey is nerdily relatable, Damien is the sweetest, most patient boyfriend of all time, and all of their friends are fun. The romance is fumbling and awkward but cute, and the spicy scenes, when they arrive, are well done.
The story is interspersed with dialogue options from SOA3 and SOA4, excerpts from SOA fanfic, and reviews of the SOA series and various other (fictional) games. I really wish some of these games were real so I could play them!!
October 17, 2025
I enjoyed this book! It's not the most polished writing I've ever read, but the voice is funny and irreverent and very, very online. I appreciated the way the book gave its central relationship room to breathe, more so than most romance books (as in, the getting-together doesn't happen right at the end). I also liked the way the story honored Audrey's journey of figuring out the nuances of her queerness during the latter part of her twenties, dealing with the aftereffects of having come out publicly with a label that felt true at the time but later turned out not to be fully accurate. That's an experience that I haven't seen in as many books as I'd like. I also really liked the side characters, especially the character arc that Audrey's sister has and the way that sibling relationship is portrayed. Overall, I wouldn't say this book is High Art, but it's a fun read. (Also, I've never played a video game in my life, and my lack of familiarity with video games did not at all hinder my enjoyment of the book. The main characters are gamers, but you can enjoy the book even if you're not!)
October 19, 2025
this was such a wholesome, creative, fun and sweet read. I'll definitely read it again! Both MCs were relatable, fleshed out human beings, with flaws and insecurities and not some one dimensional stereotypes, which sadly is often the case with romance books. I loved watching them falling in love. I loved reading Audrey's journey of self discovery and all her inner thoughts (again, soo relatable!!!). I loved all the excerpts between the chapters and how they gave a little hint at what might come next (also I'd love to play Cloud Quest, what a great idea for a game??!!). Damien is now definitely one of my top five book-boyfriends. And extra kudos for naming those two cats Bitte and Danke, that made this German gal very very happy!! :)
A sold five star read and so far, my favourite book of the year ❤️
A sold five star read and so far, my favourite book of the year ❤️
January 26, 2026
What an extremely cute and fun romance! This is not my usual kind of book, and Audrey and Damien are not the kind of characters I usually enjoy reading about (i.e. introverted, anxious nerds, but I knew what I was getting into); that said, they are both realistic and relatable, and their romance is adorably sweet. I also loved all the references to real video games and the worldbuilding for the fictional ones. The lore inserts between chapters were a treat.
October 30, 2025
My new favourite book of the year, thank you TikTok recommendations.
January 4, 2026
3.5 🎮
copyright frendly baldurs gate
copyright frendly baldurs gate
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews