Life is Strange: Steph's Story

by Rosiee Thor

The official origin story of LiS fan-favourite Steph Gingrich featuring LGBTQ+ romance, inevitable heartbreak, and the punk-rock beginnings of Drugstore Makeup.

Setting the stage for her appearance in Life is True Colors, this official Steph Gingrich novel sheds light on the Drugstore Makeup years and the story of how Steph crash-landed in Haven Springs, Colorado.

Steph Gingrich has finally run out of couches to surf. Now she's back at her dad's place in Seattle to figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

When running an RPG session for her local gamer café, Steph meets Izzie. Izzie is a punk, a girl who likes girls, and a hella good guitarist. Steph finds the punk life is exactly what she needs, she loves the music, the art and the fashion, but most of all she likes the girl. Entranced, she offers to drum for Izzie, forming the band Drugstore Makeup.

A hit in more ways than one, Drugstore Makeup compete in a battle of the bands before deciding to tour the offbeat punk venues of America. But Steph and Izzie soon find themselves on different wavelengths, unable to communicate, and wanting different things.

Genres: Fiction, Queer, Young Adult, LGBT, Audiobook, Contemporary, Romance

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2023

About the author

Rosiee Thor began their career as a storyteller by demanding to tell their mother bedtime stories instead of the other way around. They spent their childhood reading by flashlight in the closet until they came out as queer. Now, they write stories for all ages, including young adult novels Tarnished Are The Stars and Fire Becomes Her, the picture book The Meaning of Pride, and tie-in novels for franchises like Life is Strange and Firefly. Their short fiction appears in many anthologies, including the Lambda award nominated Being Ace, and they are the editor of Why On Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology. Their debut cozy mystery, The Dead & Breakfast, is forthcoming from Berkley Press. Rosiee lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and an abundance of plants. You can find them online at www.rosieethor.com or on social media @rosieethor.

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered that you wouldn't like to give up lust, it makes me wonder if you'd ever give me trust / I heard you think I'm not the quickest catch, but you know I've got your flame (Powder Blue & Cascine Park – Yumi Zouma).

Hi, I’m here to ramble... a lot! It seems that my obsessive tendencies having completely taking a hold of me this month, and I figure that instead of fighting it, I might as well see where this takes me. Hold up, let me back up a minute and explain, despite all the fans complaining about “lore discrepancies,” I’ve been really liking the Fallout show, so now I’m replaying Fallout 4 for the hundredth time. Because I’m currently going through (and getting emotionally decimated by) the Life is Strange games, I’ve now decided to read a full length novel starring one of the side characters in the series, Steph. And despite her starting out as a side character, that doesn't change the fact that she's still the best character. She's a cool chick, but not in the Gillian Flynn way, but rather because she's not ashamed of the fact that she's probably the nerdiest character I think I've ever seen in any kind of media. And let me tell you, even though I went into this solely because of my familiarity with the property, I know for a fact that I would have ended up loving this book outside of my love for the Life is Strange video games regardless. It's that good, and by its own merit too. This book reinvigorated that “reading spark” inside me and now I just want to read everything. Seriously, I’m not lying! I was going down the oldest page of my “tbr” here on Goodreads because I feel like I can now tackle any literary challenge put forth in front of me now! No twenty day library hold can hold me back, I’m invincible!! Alright, alright… alright, I’m calm again. Let's chill, let's settle down. Life is Strange: Steph’s Story is a novel tie-in about Steph Gingrich, a minor character from one of the earlier games in the series and is later the love interest to Alex Chen from Life is Strange: True Colors. This book chronicles her life in the in-between years where following the devastating hurricane that destroyed her hometown of Arcadia Bay and took her mother away from her, she then moves to live with her father and has to decide what she wants to do with her life while also battling against unresolved trauma and depression. Drifting through the months, she then falls into step with Izzie, a rocker chick equipped with an unquenchable thirst for making it big and a decisive nature that intoxicates Steph. She can’t help but get lost in her orbit! Sure, at first the overall prose was a bit too “John Green”-esque for me, and while that would normally be the most devastating of insults I could bestow upon a work of literature, I will say that I was watching this YouTuber reread Paper Towns and they were going through all the chapters (problematic and not so problematic)… and I’ve got to admit that it made me instantly nostalgic for when I used to love his books. So just this once, comparing Life is Strange to a YA John Green book is the great compliment of the ages.

I can safely say that Steph’s Story is the best book tie-in from another medium that I’ve ever read, watched, or played! And while that’s not saying too much considering the only competition this book has in that department is that Mass Effect prequel book that I would have assumed was written by Chat GPT had it not come out fifteen years ago and those shitty Assassin’s Creed books, I still think Steph’s Story stands all on its own simply because it doesn’t sweat itself with being bogged down by all the lore given to us with previous entries in the series. See, Life is Strange games partly owe their popularity due to their adherence to the player’s choices, and how said choices all have dire consequences throughout the story. You know the drill, do you save this guy or don’t bother because he was a dick to you earlier, do you hook up with the weird incel nerd boy or the cool alternative girl who'll graffiti any surface she can get her hand on, etc. etc. it’s all up to the player. But here’s the thing, games that heavily rely on choice often shoot themselves in the foot, so to speak, because it’s damn near impossible to write sequels or tie-in novels because the writers are always so afraid of upsetting fans that have their own favorite choices, so they always just end up tip-toeing around certain choice heavy decisions in order to try appeasing fans. For me, the problem with this is that they almost always end up appeasing nobody in the end, and we just end up with a nothing story that could have been something had the writer just made a decision that would help create a cohesive narrative rather than being afraid of the precious fan’s feelings. Speaking of choice based video games, I hear they’re making a new Mass Effect game, and everybody's getting up in arms about how it shouldn't be a sequel simply because all of the endings of Mass Effect 3 have wildly different outcomes, and they think that if the writers make one canon, it would ruin the story for those who might have chosen differently. Yeah well, I’m of the opinion that the writers should just choose the best ending (the “destroy ending”) and be done with it. Let’s go from there. Anyway look, all I’m trying to say here is the reason why I enjoyed Steph’s Story so much is that Rosiee Thor made certain choices (the best choices in my opinion) from the first Life is Strange game and went from there to make the best story possible. None of this bullshit "Duffer Brothers" ambiguity, Max and Chloe got together and lived happily ever after in queer bliss despite the hurricane that ruined Arcadia Bay. The end.

Oh yeah, did I even tell you that this is a break-up story rather than a true “happily-ever-after” romance? Because it is, I’m afraid. And while I know that this could be a turn off for a lot of readers, I still think that this book is sufficiently romantic enough in a “tragically heartbreaking” kind of way, and makes sense in Steph’s character development leading into her role in True Colors. It would have been the easiest thing for the author to make Izzie feel like a placeholder girlfriend for Steph until she meets Alex, but by adding a heavy dosage of “what could have been” flavoring to Steph and Izzie’s relationship, it gives the story a sense of gravity in a 500 Days of Summer kind of bittersweet. I don’t know, I’m just pleasantly surprised here because I’m not used to side stories being given this level of consideration, as they usually just feel like skippable filler in the same vein of those hundreds of episodes between Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden! Now, this could very well just be because I’ve played True Colors and I already know for a fact that Steph and Izzie don’t end up together, but one thing I liked about this book is that by centering the entire narrative around Steph’s relationship with Izzie, the highs as well as the lows, Rosiee Thor was able to give the story enough emotional weight that helps to develop both characters in a very real way without making the book feel like the “extra material” that it very much could have been. In other words, Steph’s Story is less Plus One starring Jack Quaid and more Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in that sense. Or in literary terms, this book isn’t so much Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, but rather The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth. Besides, with the benefit of hindsight, the author is also able to sprinkle in hints that Steph’s relationship with Izzie was somewhat flawed to begin with, as it’s easy to spot the bread crumb trail leading to their eventual departure. Sure, it's a bit more complicated than that, but in my opinion, their relationship can be boiled down to this; Steph likes to do a lot of different stuff and Izzie… doesn’t. She likes one thing, and that’s being in a band. There are more layers to it though, because from the start their relationship seems a bit too co-dependent for it to be healthy. You know that Prince song “I Wanna Be Your Lover” where he goes, “I wanna be your brother, I want to be your mother and your sister too”? Yeah well, Steph and Izzie have that kind of all-encompassing love that leaves no room for anyone else. It sounds romantic as hell in a song, but not so much in practice.

“The year is only fifteen days old, but I’m already sick of it.”

I also liked how the prospect of Steph and Izzie going to Haven Springs (the setting of True Colors) takes on an almost “doomed prophecy” role within the narrative (similar to how the town of Arcadia Bay is threatened with a giant tornado or hurricane or whatever it is in the first Life is Strange game) because even though traveling there seems completely harmless or even beneficial to their fracturing relationship, we know that eventually Steph ends up staying while Izzie continues on elsewhere. It kind of reminded me of how in Song of Achilles (it always comes back to that damn book for me!), Patroclus and Achilles are given a vivid prophecy of Achilles dying after he kills Hector, and Patroclus begs Achilles to never go after the man, to which Achilles always replies something along the lines of “why should I? He's done nothing to me.” and… yeah, I think we all know how that ends up. And it makes sense why Izzie wouldn’t want to stay in Haven Springs as well, as being the only trans person in a small town isn’t exactly an ideal picture of safety, you know? In fact, in her one line cameo in Wavelengths, she literally says as much! I have an aunt who moved over to Wherever-the-Fuck Washington (find that one on a map) where I assume the residents wake up every day and sing in harmony “They read the good book from Fri till Monday. That's how the weekend goes. I've got a dream house I'll build there one day, with picket fence and ramblin' rose,” and she’s always asking us to go drive the five hours it would take to go visit them, and it’s like… do you think I want to be the only queer Asian dude for a hundred miles in each direction. No thanks! Besides, I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night looking for the bathroom and stumble in on the room where the big reveal is that the meat we were eating at dinner was people meat. Dun dun dunnn! I don’t know, maybe I watch too many horror movies, but what I’m getting at is that when you’re queer or a minority (or both in my case), it’s of the utmost importance to avoid putting ourselves in a Get Out situation. And as if to highlight Haven Springs’ deceptively “kindly small town” nature, I also thought it was kind of funny how in the game, before Alex shows up, her brother Gabe is literally the only Asian in the town. Don't get me wrong, I love the setting in the game proper, but I'd still be out there looking for my people! It reminds me of that one scene in The Walking Dead season six where there’s randomly an Asian dude on the bad guy's side who inexplicably has a strong southern accent? Like… what are you doing out here, my brother!? Why are you speaking like that!? Maybe his ass was in the Sunken Place, who knows.

Anyway, True Colors is still my favorite of the games because… well, it was the first of them that I played, but also because it features a bisexual Asian main character, Alex Chen, so I related to that or whatever. I also dress like her, so that was kind of weird and endearing at the same time. But outside of that fact, it’s just nice to have some diversity, you know? Because damn, I know it takes place in Oregon, but playing through the first game seriously started looking like that one picture of the Killing Eve writing room! Also, with Alex, True Colors is also the only game in the series that doesn’t have some Genshin Impact ass body diversity, so that’s pretty cool. Otherwise, maybe I relate to this book specifically on a more personal level because most of it is set in Seattle, a city where I'm from and where I am. Trust me, it’s very rare where I read a book or play a video game that fully represents the true Seattleite experience. And I don’t mean seeing an abundance of allies and welcoming queer spaces (I wish), but rather being surrounded by folks dressed like Portugal The Man. Haim looking ass. I mean, I’m not one to talk, really, seeing as any given day I could be seen dressed like either George Costanza or the “There’s Nothing Holding me Back” music video. But yeah, circling back around to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, people always talk about how the ending is wrongly interpreted as a hopeful and romantic one, pointing out how the movie chronicles a doomed relationship from the outset in how Joel and Clementine are inherently wrong for each other (often using a deleted scene where an older Clementine is bringing in more of Joel’s belongings to go through the procedure in forgetting him again, implying that this has happened many times over the years), but I’d argue that the fact that they knew all of each other’s flaws and still decided to give it another go is incredibly romantic. Just saying “fuck it” and going with the flow despite clear warning signs has always been a prevalent aspect of the Life is Strange series, so it’s cool to see it once again in a more grounded setting with Steph and Lizzie. But it also had me wondering... are they good? Like, music-wise, I mean. Sorry, whenever I’m reading a book featuring a band of some sort, the first question I always ask is what kind of music they play… and whether or not it’s shit. Because the thing is, authors tend to get kind of cagey about specific genres and usually opt out by describing the characters as being in a generic rock band. You know, as if it were still the 80’s and rock music could sell records. Pshh, yeah right.

I had this exact problem with that one book called White Noise by Lark Taylor (shirtless dude on the cover, you can't miss it), and because the novel never really specified what kind of music the characters were playing, I just spent my entire review talking shit about what I assumed their music taste was. Call me Anthony Fantano the way I'd give Caffeine Daydreams' latest album a "light 6" heh heh. What can I say? I’m the worst kind of music snob, it comes with the territory of being from Seattle. So yeah, one cool thing about Steph’s Story being based of a visual medium is that the games already have soundtracks, so I can just go boot up True Colors right now and listen to the jukebox in The Black Lantern and see what kind of vibe this book is going for. In the DLC, Wavelengths, you even get to play as Steph, where she works as the manager of the record store and daylights as the town DJ as well. It's fun because you can choose all the different indie songs to grace the ears of all four residents of Haven Springs! Pretty cool, huh? Because let me tell you, I dig the music in these games, so I think it’s safe to say that I would also be a Drugstore Makeup Stan (that's their band name). Though… I will say that if I were on a road trip with Steph and Izzie, I’d probably get tired of all the indie music after the first couple hours or so. Across the country with only the most obscure shit that two hipsters can find!? I can hang for a little bit, but like, somebody had better put on Mariah Carey soon or I’m going to start a fight! Anyway, what I was trying to say before I so kindly interrupted myself with random thoughts is that I think a piece of art is always strongest when it has some kind of musical identity attached to it, as it adds an extra layer of emotional depth in my opinion. Guardians of the Galaxy has that 1970’s “dad rock” "yacht rock" thing going for it, Fallout has the melancholic Ink Spots and other overly censored 1950’s doo-wop to contrast nicely against the excessive violence, and Life is Strange has all the songs you’ve never heard of that you can’t even find on Spotify by indie bands called shit like “Devil’s Tampon” or “Ass-Eating Vending Machine” or whatever. No but for real though, I’ve always loved it when I can heavily associate certain music with whatever show or movie I’m watching, game I’m playing, or book I’m reading because it helps the work as a whole remain in my mind forever. Like some Manchurian Candidate type shit, just play a song I first heard around time I was reading a wonderful book and I will instantly be transported back to that time! Eyes all focused like The Winter Soldier. That’s literally the main reason why I even put song lyrics at the top of my reviews anyway, it’s because even if I can't think of all the specific details, I’ll still always remember the way it made me feel at that place in time. And in that regard, I’m always going to remember the song this book sounds like.

Half a moment living in the sunsets of our youth / I kill the world, was it enough to turn us loose? / You never notice when my breathing gets loud, but give yourself a break.

[Leon Enciso]

:)

[Emily Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 ⭐️ FINALLY!! So glad to see more trans lesbian MC’s! A solid edition to the Life is Strange universe

I can’t tell you HOW excited I was to get my hands on this. It’s nice to see far more of Steph’s character and her growth after the events.

This book is definitely very angsty. It’s about finding yourself, growth and of course, BANDS.

The writing is really solid and well structured- I finished this one off in a matter of days.

Don’t go into this expecting a fluffy romance, go into it expecting two characters who are young and learning where they fit into this world. The band felt fairly background to this, with the main story focussing on learning how to heal and communicate.

Saying that I did mark it down slightly because I wanted to see more of that band side, and a lot of the arguments/ issues faced were occasionally repetitive at times.

I also wanted more from Izzy, I think sometimes her choices didn’t make much sense and felt over dramatised just for the sake of it.

Other than that I enjoyed the read. It felt nice just having a book about growth (and growth always is a little rocky) and you really get the feel that the author knows this universe and it’s characters thoroughly.

Rep// Lesbian MC, Trans Jewish Lesbian MC, many queer SC’s, Ace SC, Non-Binary SC.

Thank you to Titan Books for providing me with a copy for review.

TW’s listed below please skip if you don’t want spoilers.








Tw//CW// Transphobia (constant theme though nothing too heavy), Abandonment, Loss of a parent (past), Depression, Seasonal affective disorder, PTSD, arguments.

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so. To begin with. This isn't good. Genuinely would have this at 2 stars if not for chapter 16 literally spelling out the main themes and conflicts, and the general Life is Strange nostalgia kick I've been on lately. The writing is bad. The characters are pretty much all annoying. The TTRPG segments (tabletop role-playing game for the lucky cool kids that haven't made D&D their personality since age 15; this is a call out for Steph, the main character, but also myself - humbling) are also annoying. The entire thing reads as a very indulgent fanfic which, by itself, isn't bad. Fanfiction is indulgent in nature and some fanfics should straight up get a Noble prize and a Hugo award and whatever else awards there are. But this reads as a fanfic posted on . The real ones will know.

Anyways. Let's talk chapter 16, the saving grace. It has a nice moment between Steph and her dad where it feels like they really connect, but more that, to me this was the moment when Steph also connected with the reader. The tea (or main conflict if you want to be boring) is this: Steph's hometown was absolutely decimated by a tornado and most people died, her mother included. Now she's moved to live with her dad and she's got PTSD and depression. She meets Izzie, who's pretty and a lesbian, and she's obsessed. They're not compatible (different flavours of annoying, if you will) so they fight and make up a lot. They make a band. They lose Battle of the Bands but organise their own tour. Halfway through, they visit the main town for the third Life is Strange game, in which Steph is one of the residents of said town, so to follow the game canon, the author needs Steph to move there. Not in a few years or months, mind you. They get to the town, Steph is like, 'Oh, shit, that's such a magical cool town, I wanna move here' but Izzie is all 'Nah, let's be rock stars, you small-town loser' and they break up. Steph stays in town, sleeping on another character from LiS 3's couch for like a month. He gets her a job. She rents a place. The end.

This was a lengthy paragraph but now I've saved you having to read the book and mind you, Rosiee Thor and I did just about the same amount of telling, not showing, so you're not missing out on some beautiful prose. The "plot" quite literally jumps from point to point like a Wikipedia article. At times I wondered if there was even a plot at all or if this was just vibes. The pace is lightning fast - less than 300 pages for events that span over two years. It doesn't sound as jarring when I say that but trust me, it felt like it.

This is getting so long already yikes and I still have ranting to do. Ok rant speedrun: The D&D bits were awkward and cringe. The many Critical Role mentions were too. Steph's band's songs suck. The ending was rushed and jarringly immersion-breaking; I can allow superpowers within the LiS universe but I draw the line at getting the first job you apply for and affordable renting costs. Also, after reconciling with her friends after a whole book of ditching them for her girlfriend, Steph just moves to a random town and there's no mention of those friends at all. Lol.

Last thing! I swear! There were maybe three lines total mentioning Max and Chloe from the og game which also goes a long way to getting this book its third star. Pricefield just stays winning I'm sorry, their power is too great. Some random OC in the book wrote a song about them and this is, again, very self-indulgent and random, but I like it so I'll allow it.

Idk I'm not going to say don't read this ever. If you like the games, go for it. But for the love of everything, don't trust those 4.05 stars.

[Dahlen Elstran · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book somehow balances being full millennial humor and 2014 tumblr humor, and I spent a solid 60% of the audio book cringing and fighting not to even log it because it was so embarrassingly cringe. But what did I expect. Nonetheless, it sticks the landing and it's always great to see Steph again.

[miss carousellout · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t like leaving negative reviews on books that have less than 1000 ratings because I know this is someone’s dream, to write and publish stories, but I’ll just say it…this book is bad. I’m one of the biggest Life is Strange fans on the planet. So imagine my excitement when I discovered they made a book about one of the coolest characters in the franchise. Let’s just say, my excitement didn’t last long after starting the book.

First of all, the writing is amateur. The style is so bland and boring, it felt like a chore to read. I didn’t think it was possible to find THE Steph Gringrich insufferable and uninteresting, but apparently anything’s possible.

Second, none of the characters have any personality whatsoever apart from being queer. As a queer person, I found this hard to read because I was cringing so much at how queer-identified all the characters were. For example, the part where Izzy is describing how she would design Steph’s house: she would add a pride flag, a welcome mat that says “You’re here, I’m queer,” a live laugh lesbian mug, a rainbow pride centrepiece and collection of Sappho’s poetry on her bedside table. Like wtf? Steph’s entire identity isn’t just being a lesbian. Plus where does it say anything about Steph liking poetry or reading anything in general apart from comic books? Nowhere. But she has to own Sappho because she’s a lesbian I guess. In this novel, Steph has no other defining traits other than being a lesbian and having “coastal town trauma” (cringe). Even her interest in RPG, is never explained, it’s more so a verb, something she does but there’s no story behind why she loves it so much and how it makes her feel. Her love for music is never elaborated on; it seems like she just joins the band to get closer to the girl she likes and that’s it.

The book did the better near the end once she made it to Haven Springs, but I think that’s just because it was easier to imagine characters and setting that were already introduced so beautiful in the game. Even then, the story was rushed. Homie just walked down the street, licked on an ice cream cone and said “Yup, this is where I wanna live” and that was that. I feel like this could have been a much more interesting ending, but it just felt like the author wanted to wrap it up quickly.

Overall, as much as I love the LiS fandom, this wasn’t worth it for me. If you care about good writing, interesting characters and good storytelling, then this is not the book for you. Save your money.

[Leslee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this more than I did as Steph is probably my favorite character of the LiS universe. But about 30 percent in it just became a chore to read until Steph and Izzie broke up near the end. The fights and anxiety were exhausting to me and several times I considered DNFing this book. I didn’t like Izzie. She seemed controlling and just all around terrible for Steph. It’s obvious she gaslights Steph and doesn’t do much to build Steph up. Especially when they go on the big tour - she just turns into a total jerk. What I did love is the final part of the book in which Steph gets to Haven Springs and just finds herself. It’s definitely faithful to the LiS universe, which I appreciate. You can tell the author put a lot of care into this book; I just thought Izzie was not a great person.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steph, one of my favorite life is strange characters and her origin to her rad self in true colors. Love the mentions of the characters from comics and how much she had to deal with in the end of life is strange 1. Of course we all knew her relationship with Izzie would end but damn, not really a good relationship. The last few chapters just made me want to go back and replay true colors all over again. So upset I had a long reading slump while reading this but so glad to be back. To be continued whenever the new life is strange comic comes out 🥰💅

[Ellie Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time in a long time I’ve sat and read a full book in a day. This was such a nice departure from what I’ve been reading at the moment and such a nice way to tell Steph’s story inbetween the LIS games. I really enjoyed getting to know her more and just how things had affected her in the time that passed.

[Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok listen. Y’all are not gonna believe me after this but I’m a massive life is strange fan, like huge. but let’s be honest the writing was never that great to begin with. This book for me just comes across as being pretty cringe in its writing style and pandering, but I might just be outgrowing the demographic of the franchise. All of the times it tries to do some sort of political commentary it’s just comes across as so weird and disingenuous, like do you want me to clap? I also absolutely could not stand Izzie, she’s just an awful character to me. She’s rude as hell for absolutely no reason and I found myself literally rolling my eyes at some of the shit she says. The only real redeeming thing about this book is the call backs to the previous games and characters. That’s it.

[audi · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book made me LOVE and connect with steph even more. learning more about her past and how much the storm affected her life from losing her mom… and seeing her relationship blossom then turn to toxicity with Izzie was definitely interesting, just shows you that two people with completely different expectations of a future can’t work. anyways, Rosie Thor you slayed this thank you 🙏🏻🫶🏻

[Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

»Steph’s Story« nicely ties in with Life is Strange, LiS: True Colors and Wavelengths. It also builds pretty neatly on the Life is Strange Comics while still shining as an independent piece.
And, perhaps most importantly, the first-person narration is brilliant, and I think it really fits Steph as a character.

[KayKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book of 2023. Life is Strange is my favorite video game series, and I love every one of the games. This book was perfect! I already related to Steph from the games but now I realize that she’s the closest I’ve ever related to any character. I’m a little sad that I’m don’t reading this book for the first time. I’m obsessed.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life Is Strange: Steph’s Story By Rosiee Thor is a tie-in novel based on the “Life is Strange” video game franchise.

After loving Life is Strange: True Colors, I was eager for a chance to return to the LiS universe. I’ve rarely fall so hard for a video game setting, and I missed its great stories and its characters. “Life Is Strange: Steph’s Story” gave me something that I didn't get in the games, something I didn't even know I was missing until I read it. The games are awesome, don't get me wrong, but there often isn't time in them to delve too deep into the backstories of some of the principal (and some of my favorite) LiS characters one of them being Steph Gringrich.

“Steph’s Story” puts you in the shoes of a younger Steph Gingrich, the nerdy dungeon master DJ who fans fell in love with in both Life is Strange: Before the Storm and LiS: True Colors. Taking place before the events of True Colors, exploring the years prior to its start and providing a lot more detail on how Steph found herself in Haven Springs. These events were touched on briefly in True Colors itself, but this novel provides a lot more detail.

Almost more of an epilogue to Before the Storm than a prologue to True Colors, “Steph’s Story” is the best of Life is Strange, fleshing out the vaguely supernatural world with a character grounded in reality. The book is a much more smaller experience than True Colors, It’s an intimate look at a period of change in Steph’s life. She moves to the charming, rural town on a whim — or rather, a bet — after leaving Arcadia Bay for Seattle.

I have to admit I’m not familiar with this authors work, but I was amazed how well author Rosiee Thor portrayed the LiS game universe in this book. Especially perfectly portraying the character of a younger Steph. It’s all very simple and well written, a quiet slice of Steph’s life that belies the isolation Steph feels as a young queer woman in a big city with friends and family that are supportive, but doesn’t quite get it. It also tops off the trauma of surviving Arcadia Bay, which left a trail of death, regardless of the ending you chose.

The book is focused on a theme that frequently intrigues me in games, movies, and books: How do the regular people in those worlds, the ones without powers and major storylines, cope with the trauma left in the wake of someone else’s story? We see the answer to that in Steph’s Story, where Steph recognizes that she hasn’t faced down her past; she’s simply left it behind. Fans will see sides of Steph that they've never encountered before, such as how she handles problems—or rather, refuses to deal with them—and how it affects the relationships with those around her, providing some insight on events in her past, both new and familiar to the fans.

It feels as though author Rosiee Thor effortlessly channeled and poured Steph into the pages of this story. like Steph’s voice and the whole thing was put together great! There was so much detail to everything that it felt like I was right their with her through the whole thing! Fleshing out Steph is sure to please and delight Life Is Strange fans, but others will find a gripping relationship that can be messy, fun, moving, and deeply impacted by the characters' past. Aspects that will be relatable to all.

It's a book that you can't set down. Not only do you learn so much more about Steph’s Gingrich but you also learn a lot more about the world of Life Is Strange as well. Many different characters make an appearance within the story, well at least are talked about.

And even if you're not familiar with the world of Life Is Strange. I would still recommend it because it's still a gripping read of a great character tackling issues we all have to face - figuring out who we are and where we belong as well as facing struggles, setbacks, and heartbreak along the way.

Overall, Rich in great characters and rife with tantalising drama, Steph’s Story is a entertaining coming of age story set in the world of Life is Strange games. It’s only a short piece of Steph's life, to connect the dots between LiS: Before the Storm and Alex's story in LiS: True Colors, but it adds some context to her grounded attitude towards trauma, and how the decisions she eventually makes led her to the small town of Haven Springs.

[Sabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I'm a big LiS/Steph fan, my expectations for this book weren't very high, so I suppose I wasn't either disappointed or pleasantly surprised. It's basically a decently written, officially published fanfiction - nothing wrong with that, though there are most likely better fanfics out there. Nonetheless, it was nice reading more about Steph's pre-True Colors life, and I wouldn't mind if more books were published about other characters' backstories.

I didn't quite understand the problem between Steph and Izzie, especially from Steph's POV. I get that she experienced trauma, but sometimes it felt like she kept getting upset with Izzie for no good reason (Izzie not wanting to party after a gig? Ok girl some of us are introverts). But still, reading about their struggles was pretty interesting, and the second half of the book is definitely better than the first.

What really drags this down is 1. the sometimes cringe writing that's giving 2012 tumblrina, and 2. the amount of pointless side characters. While the diversity is nice, it kinda seemed like it was there just for the sake of being there. I genuinely don't remember any of the names of Steph's friends or their personalities, they sort of blended together. To me, it seems like the author thought more about all the letters of the LGBTQIA alphabet being included rather than the characters themselves (god, now I sound like an anti-SJW).

Despite the criticism, it was a fun read.

[Jeremy Hannaford · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it was cool to jump back into the Life is Strange universe again, this book does lack an compelling plot. Understandably, tie-ins can be restricted, and perhaps this one suffers from that restriction.
There are some elements to it that do coincide with the narrative aspects of the game series, but it dives more into a pandering side rather than an actual narrative side.
There are some good parts sprinkled here and there, but it's usually weighed down by melodramatic wish wash. And that's saying something considering the criteria of the Life is Strange series.

[Kat Gaunt · Rating 1 out of 5]

It saddens me to say this but I am so disappointed by this book!

I have been a die-hard Life Is Strange fan for many years but this book is NOT it.

So sad as Steph was one of my favourite characters. I found myself wanting to give up reading after only 20 pages but I pursued in hope of some redemption.

I just feel like this book missed the mark big time

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

why was the best part with gabe :/

[ena · Rating 4 out of 5]

someone wrote that this book was definitely not a stand alone as if it was a bad thing but I don't agree. this book is a precious gift for people that loved true colors and steph, this book is a way to expend the game and give more depth to it! it's as messy as it needs to be and I'm delighted by it.
i love how unraveling steph's story made me re-think about the game. i love that we get to experience gabe and steph's early relationship and i love discovering that alex is the reason why it even exists (e.g one of gabe's reddit message)!
i think that the doom of steph's and izzie's relationship tells us a lot about steph's and alex's, and i like that retrospection (i actually made some interesting parallel while reading!!)
sure the story is a bit shaky at times and there is A LOT of puns ! but of course?? it's steph's story... and it might feel a twinge cringe but only because the characters are (not in a bad way). we are following two young characters that are so lost and clueless about themselves that it's somehow painful to watch sometimes... but it really does suit them. i wouldn't have wanted this book to be smart and serious. it would not make sense to me.
the only downside of it is izzie's character, she's not deep enough according to me, there is a lot of potential in it and i think she deserves so much more space to exist! she does not have enough space to make sense and i think that why we might find her dramatic. but even this lack of development makes sense in the context of the book: steph has so little space for izzie in her head at this point of her life, it would not make sense for her to take more space in her story.

another very strong point of the book is how much queer representation it fits without it seeming too much! i loved that steph's friends were so smoothly introduced and so openly queer. (special point for the ace and poly representation <33)

edit: ok i hadn't finished the book when i wrote the review and steph's first day in haven without izzie might be fan service but i'm buying it up! sure it feels a bit streched her meeting everyone and being oh so smitten practically the whole time but i think it also makes sense! because steph is fragile and sees hope in haven springs... i guess as we know how anxious she'll get afterwards i'll let the syrupy sweet slips...

[Eoin Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Life is Strange: Steph’s Story” by Rosiee Thor is a captivating addition to the beloved “Life is Strange” universe, focusing on the character Steph Gingrich. This novel delves into Steph’s life, exploring her journey of self-discovery, love, and the challenges she faces as she navigates her identity and relationships.

Thor’s writing beautifully captures the essence of Steph’s character, making her experiences feel authentic and relatable. The narrative is rich with emotional depth, portraying Steph’s struggles and triumphs with sensitivity and nuance. Fans of the game series will appreciate the deeper insight into Steph’s backstory and the way her character is developed.

The book also excels in its depiction of the setting, seamlessly blending the familiar world of “Life is Strange” with new and intriguing elements. Overall, “Life is Strange: Steph’s Story” is a must-read for fans of the series, offering a heartfelt and engaging exploration of one of its most beloved characters.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Life is Strange! Any addition to the world of Life is Strange is very welcome indeed!

This book fulfilled its purpose: it fleshed out Steph Gingrich's backstory, and this in turn makes the moments I've already experienced with her in the games even more impactful.

Now I may be entering spoiler territory if you've never played Life is Strange: True Colors, so turn away if this book is your first time meeting Steph! I've never read a book where I knew, going in, that the relationship was doomed to end. It made me pay attention to the communication style between Steph and Izzie - the way friendships slowly changed, the way Steph was changing, etc. What was going right versus the much more what was going wrong. And I just really enjoyed the insight I got into Haven Springs! Reading full scenes that gave context to short audio clips of Steph's memories made this book very worthwhile for a long-time fan. Sometimes I'd even imagine a "This action will have consequences..." in the corner of my mind as I read through.

[Jaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐- 3.5
I don't have much to say about this. I enjoyed it. The writing was a bit cringe at some times but for the most part, it was an all around good story for a fan fav character. It's a must read for any life is strange fan out there. :)
(Oh also- it's "Blackwell Academy" not "Blackwood Academy")

[Gigi Sully · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved the video games of Life is Strange then you’ll love this book 5/5!!!!

[ganseyuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

thanks to izzy that steph was so done she stayed in haven springs

[Marta (bookishly.awkward) · Rating 3 out of 5]

[EN] It reads like an average YA (which I kind of expected) but the little bits and pieces from the LIS universe made me happy (which I was really hoping for). So maybe just don't bother if you've never heard of LIS before

[PL] Czyta się to jak przeciętne YA (tego się spodziewałam), ale wszystkie małe nawiązania do LIS mnie uszczęśliwiły (tak jak miałam na to nadzieję). Po prostu nie warto chyba po to sięgać, jeśli nie ma się pojęcia o LIS.

[Alberto Azúa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steph, the girl who is a little weird, emotionally stunted, proud to be herself, and someone who doesn’t know that her emotions matter and that she should look for happiness for herself and not to others’ satisfaction or guidance

my literally me character.

[Danyel Bookworm Gaymer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.2

I adore the Life is Strange universe, from the games and even dabbled in the comics. I just love the characters and vibes of it all. So we finally get a novel and from one of my favorites POV, Steph.

Steph is in Seattle after college and after the events of Arcadia Bay. Still grappling with the grief of losing her mother, friends, and town. She meets Izzie, A rockstar queen. They end up in a relationship and forming a band. Is this Steph’s answer to healing or is there something more out there?

As a prequel to Life is Strange: True Colors this fills in and reveals what Steph’s been through right before Haven Springs. I enjoyed the cozy vibes and sense of humor Steph brings to her life. I appreciated the softer quieter moments of grief and just the imperfections of life. Author Rosiee Thor understand the world and characters. She gives this book the great queer indie movie ambiance that fans gel with so much with the series. There’s laughter and heart but also the melancholy. I am moving Rosie’s other novel “Fire Becomes Her” up in my TBR. Overall highly recommend for fans, but it’s also pretty easy for newcomers to enjoy as well as a stand alone. Can even be inspiration for picking up the games.

[Mirlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok let's be honest, you're only reading this if you're already a Life is Strange fan. Which both means you're awesome, and that I or the author don't need to sell you a world. It's a different set of expectations going in.

Like many prequels, particularly ones with established characters right before a main story, you deal with the challenge of the reader already knowing how the story ends up.

So if you've played the 3rd game, you know Izzie I'd an ex of Stephs. In that vein in can be hard to root for them, especially when her love interest in True Colors is so fantastic.

I still really like this book though. It's clear Thor knows the universe. I loved the mentions to Arcadia Bay and seeing the start of Haven Springs while still cementing Steph as her own person.

Like other reviewers have already said, the main weakness here is the fights/issues the couple have are very very repetitive.

I felt pretty neutral about the writing style, it had some of the nerdy humor/dialogue of the games that I loved, but at times did feel like I could have used more stylistically?

Overall, 3.75 stars.

[Dan Gibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I think it's best to preface this review by saying that I love the Life is Strange series of games, and that does massively impact my enjoyment of this book. I would not recommend this book to anyone who hasn't played and enjoyed the games, as if I'm honest, the quality of the writing isn't great. However, for me, a fan of the games, I did get some enjoyment out of it, and the fact the audiobook is narrated by Katie Bentz (the VA of Steph in the games) was enough to warrant me giving it another star.

This is the story of Steph Gingrich, fan-favourite, between the years of the original game (in the universe where Chloe lives, but Arcadia Bay is destroyed), and True Colours. Living in Seattle after the tragic death of her mother, Steph meets the beautiful and captivating Izzy Margolis, and they quickly begin both a relationship and a band. Over the course of the novel, they tour, fall out with one another, and Steph ends up in the small town of Haven Springs, where she meets the friendly and charming Gabe (RIP). Ultimately, there's no surprises if you know the games, but its nice to spend some more time with Steph, and its good to hear Max and Chloe get namechecked (as well as Rachel Amber). Overall, this story helps to provide some good connective tissue between the original games, and True Colours, beyond just Steph's presence.

While I did enjoy this story, I do have some pretty major complaints... and most of them revolve around Izzy, who is an incredibly frustrating character. Her and Steph's relationship seems idealistic at first, but becomes increasingly toxic as the story goes on; in fact, until one of Steph's two-dimensional friends pointed it out, I was worried this wasn't intentional, so thankfully this did become clear and it made me a bit happier about the book as a whole. Essentially, Steph and Izzy form a band, and at that point, their band becomes the cornerstone of their entire relationship, and indeed Steph's whole life. She is convinced by Izzy to quit her job, so they can play full-time. Steph now only sees her friends when they attend their gigs. It becomes clear that everything that Steph likes, is sacrificed so that their relationship can continue.

But oh god, is that relationship a chore. Neither of them are capable of communicating. One incredibly frustrating example is at a Pride parade, where Izzy goes off to speak to her old bandmates. She cryptically tells Steph she needs to talk to her, with the kind of serious tone that everyone who's had (and indeed, lost) a relationship knows spells trouble. She tells Steph that her old bandmates invited her back. No further context. She presses Steph to reply, who says something along the lines of 'oh, well that's what you want I guess', because she assumes she's being ditched... and then Izzy turns on her, accuses HER of wanting to stop playing together, and then tells Steph she loves her, before breaking up with her when she doesn't say it back. This kind of baffling argument is common in this book, and while Steph is no angel, Izzy in particular seems to own a particular brand of hypocrisy that makes her hard to side with.

This all comes together when the pair lose a Battle of the Bands, and so, in order to once again save their relationship, Steph decides they should go on tour. However, during the process of this tour, Izzy becomes standoffish and distant whenever a gig ends (a common theme throughout this book), and then bizarrely starts acting like the whole tour was her idea to cheer Steph up, which... ugh, it just wasn't.

A part that really frustrated me was the very end of their relationship. Steph decides she wants to stop touring, and settle in Haven Springs for a while, and all-but asks Izzy to stay with her. Now, I won't say Izzy is wrong to say 'no' to this, because randomly deciding to stop what you're doing to live in some small town is mental... but Izzy's response really stuck in my craw. Steph has basically upended her entire life for Izzy, and the moment Steph asks for something in response, Izzy replies that 'she'd be the only trans person in Haven Springs, great'. I thought it was particularly fucked up for Izzy to throw the trans argument in Steph's face the moment she wanted something, when Steph has only ever been accepting of her in that regard. Thankfully, their relationship didn't last much longer beyond that.

I will say, outside of these two characters, there isn't much to say about Steph's other friends. They basically have no character traits except being part of the LGBT community; I have no issue with representation, but this wasn't representation done well. When every character apart from her dad is LGBT, with no character depth besides, it just felt like a box-checking exercise, which, if anything, is counterproductive when it comes to representation.

One thing I noted about this book, the author definitely seems to know the LiS universe well, and for me, Steph and Izzy's relationship very much felt like Rachel Amber 2.0. A hipster loner meets the charming and talented girl of her dreams, and then suddenly her entire world revolves around her, and she ends up getting drawn into things that, maybe, she wouldn't have done if it had been up to her.

Oh, just one last point to end this rant... before they break up, Izzy is certain Steph wouldn't last four days in Haven Springs, and tells her she's sure of that because 'she knows her'. When asked to design her dream room for Steph, literally every single thing she describes revolves around Steph being a lesbian. But that isn't Steph, its just the version of Steph that suits her. I'll be honest, when Steph told her straight up that, no, Izzy doesn't know her that well, it did make me smile.

So yeah, not always an enjoyable read, and often a frustrating one... but it helps to explain how Steph ended up where she did, and why she's the person she is in True Colours.

[Nim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was gifted to me and so I felt compelled to finish it as appreciation for the gesture but I would have shelved it after about 20 pages.
I'm another one of those that has played all LiS games, and I've also read some of the comics that were released following Max and Chloe's story.
This book is BAD, it's pointless, and also inconsistent when it comes to the prose.
The first half of the book is written in a very cringy and pandering manner (somehow towards the end the prose improves). The way of introducing characters and describing them is very on the face, something I might have read or written back in primary school. Sorry to be this harsh but it's how it feels. I kept rolling my eyes. I'm not sure how to reiterate that there is no need to describe the clothes, accessories, hair and skin colour of some background character that appears for two lines. It's not relevant to the story and their character doesn't matter because the author decided that they don't matter, so there is no point, it's just padding and getting some points for diversity. You want diversity? Explore the characters instead of just numerating their features! There were some characters introduced that seemed cool but they don't appear again or are only mentioned in name as them being there in the background somewhere. Totally pointless.

The story is extremely thin and sure, we know how her story goes considering the third game but there are many things that could have been done with the gap the author had to play with.
All characters are unidimensional, they only have one personality trait and that's being queer. It was so boring and not going to lie the description that Izzie does of Steph's room in her imagination was the absolute cherry on top. I'll remember it forever because of how much I face-palmed.
I don't feel Steph inner conflict was tackled fully, it was left very superficial in my opinion and at so many points her voice just didn't seem like her, at moments I felt I was reading about another character and not the Steph I know.
There is a repetition of the same issue of the storm and her mother with more or less the same sentences each time, but it doesn't go farther than that. I think her relationship with her father was the best part of it all, in terms of tackling a bit more the issues and having some progress that affected her as it's the case with him having a new partner. Steph's relationship with Izzie is very boring at best and annoying at worst. Steph tells me how amazing Izzie is but the reader can't really see it except for maybe a couple of occasions, like for example when she's described in her full concert gear and how good she looks on stage, I can imagine that, but otherwise I felt at points Izzie was somehow at the centre of the plot and in the background at the same time. There is in-depth descriptions of how she looked of how pretty she was and how Steph wanted to kiss her but then the more important bits of their relationship are kept in a very superficial and quick manner in the form of time jumps. We're shown the drama but not the progress.
I have a feeling the author thought, well, how can I make Izzie having more conflict, oh yeah, I know, let's do a roulette on horoscope stereotypes and see which one can be the baddie...decided! she'll be a Capricorn and I'll use all the negative stereotypes possible to describe her! Her personality is basically those four characteristics of her, things she does and are left there with no questions including her lies and gaslighting, there is really not a good dwelling on her character and she doesn't have any progress in any way. Their conversations are... wait, are there any conversations between them? I feel like other than some comments here and there and some assumptions from Izzie that didn't match Steph at all, I didn't read any deep conversations between the two. This is ok as in a way to show the relationship not working I guess, but it made the story not engaging, boring and predictable. Even if I know they'll break up at least make me root for them for a while? I expected more considering the way the game mentions Izzie when you read Steph during the festival part, like there was bittersweetness and a nice love story, this was clearly not it and I'll keep the idea I had in my head instead of this.
The story gets better when Steph gets to Haven Springs but I feel it's entirely because of Gabe? Like, how did he have more personality than anyone else in this book in the few moments he appears, even on his messages to her before she arrives.
The way she decides to stay in Haven Springs is just as bad as other people have commented, it's very quick, no question, done. Everything is too easy and her friends from before are just left there, most of them even without notice she's not coming back. Even the father's response to this was way too easy. There was definitely room to have done that better.
It's funny that in a world where there are people with some superpowers the most unrealistic bit for me is how she manages to get a job and place in days once she gets to Haven Springs, what was that...
Equally annoying is how she's pretty much introduced or gets a mention of all the most prominent characters of the third game, again for the fan service more than anything. It was very forced.

The moments where Chloe and Max are mentioned are so forced as well and you can see a mile a way it's total fan service. I don't need it and if this book had been good they wouldn't have been needed either.
I'm not into D&D and Critical Role so I don't know how bad those were but I can imagine they were terrible if I take as an example their "punk". Of all the bands and songs mentioned, there were maybe a couple that were actual punk. PARAMORE is PUNK? WHAT?!!! I kept rolling my eyes. It's fine if the author is not into punk but do some research?

Just avoid this, it's not worth it, replay the games instead.