Play It Again

By: Aidan Wayne

Narrated by: Sean Crisden

Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

The videos are fun. But it’s the host who has him coming back for more....

When Seattle-based blind YouTuber Dovid Rosenstein finds Sam Doyle’s Let’s Play channel, playitagainsam, he’s instantly captivated by the Irish gamer. Everything about Sam is adorable, from his accent to his personality, and Dovid can’t get enough of his content.

Dovid’s glowing shout-out on Don’t Look Now, his own successful channel, sends Sam’s subscriber numbers skyrocketing overnight. He has more comments than he can read. And while the sudden surge in popularity is anxiety-inducing, Sam decides it’s only right to dedicate his next episode to Dovid...which soon leads to a heart-pounding exchange of DMs.

They may have never met in person, but Dovid’s never felt this close to anyone before. What they have feels worth exploring - no matter the distance. But is it possible to already be in love with someone who’s half a world away?

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

©2019 Aidan Wayne (P)2019 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Give me the mushiness ALL the lovely mushiness!

And the award for my favourite fictional YouTube couple goes to: Sam and Dovid #Dovam

Haha, totally going there. This just hits soooo many things for me that are the perfect storm. M/M, YouTube, online chatting, disability, communication to build a relationship, positivity, self-esteem, the perfect balance of fiction and reality, an accent (great narrating by Sean, totally had me hooked!) passion about doing what you love, ect. This book covers a lot. But it all just works together flawlessly. Even things I sort of don't care for like long distance relationships just worked.

This is not a serious or angsty book, though it covers some deep subjects. In fact purely a light slice of life romance that is all kinds of feels and mushy cuteness but with enough reality to soildly ground it. I would totally be subscribed to both of these guys! I was already fan girling all over the place listening to this. There was a lot of time and research that went into this book and it pays off (though wishing there was just more of it, haha). I really enjoyed this and will definitely listen to it again! And definitely keeping an eye out for this author!

Charming Slow-Burn Romance, Crisden is Perfect

I had the best time with this one! Plus now I'm three steps closer to understanding what's up with my kids watching other people play video games.

Play it Again is the first book I've read by Aidan Wayne and I'm definitely impressed. They developed the characters beautifully, there's humor and a bit of angst, and the romance is as charming as it gets.

I'll admit, I cheated a bit on this one. When I saw how fast this novel got turned into an audiobook (and narrated by Sean Crisden, no less) I listened to it instead of reading it. I think that worked better for me since my understanding of DMing and Vloggers is basically nil. Mr. Crisden does an excellent job with the voices for these two young men. I especially enjoyed Sam's sweet and understated Irish lilt. Well done!

Sweet and romantic

The book was very nice, the main characters were so cute together. Their relationship grew slowly but surely, their first meeting was very sweet. The only negative was the long bits of text messages.
Sean Crisden read amazingly, especially the Irish accent.

Worth it for the Irish accent alone

I’ll admit that my take on this book may be colored by how utterly charmed by Sean Crisden’s narration I was (who knew he could do an Irish accent?). I love books where the characters meet online, and I thought this was a lot of fun. I see other reviews calling it boring, and while there certainly wasn’t much action (in or out of the sheets), I enjoy a sweet, low-key book once in a while. I liked seeing Dovid and Sam grow from a tentative friendship to love, though I question a little bit that (minor spoiler) someone to whom sex was important would be content with kisses and cuddles when the other said he was willing to attempt more.

I Would Definitely Play It Again

The audiobook, I mean. God, this was such a cute listen! Both Dovid and Sam are such endearing characters, though the former is a little rough around the edges. Wayne’s novel is very well-researched—it navigates social media and YouTube culture so fluidly—and it is gushing with character chemistry. I will say that not a lot actually happens—the plot isn’t riddled with drama or much conflict—but that isn’t to say it’s bad, by any means. Would I have liked a little more? Sure. Would I still listen to it again? You bet (per my first sentence)!

Loved it!!!!

Aidan Wayne did a wonderful job writing this book. In my opinion I would love to see a movie of this book because how much I feel in love with Dovid and Sam, and I know others will too. Aidan Wayne wrote a gay romance book with relatable characters in the sense that there was representation for more than just gays and straights. I love it! I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

This is super sweet

It’s super sweet. There is no sex, honestly other than some language I’d say it’s around pg-13. Normally I’m not the biggest fan of straight up romance, I like mystery, thriller stuff. I also enjoy a good dose of smut. But this was absolutely charming and I loved it. And Sean is a brilliant narrator. It was so much fun. It left me feeling happy and warm.

I liked it.

I really enjoyed this and finished it in one day. I liked all three characters and their banter. Did not miss the sex parts. And appreciated the few lines of spoken text whenever they did a video, because it made me feel connected with Dovid, who also enjoys only the narrative on YouTube.

On the narration, I have some thoughts. If people write to each other, please keep up the characteristic voices! I liked how he did a computerized voice when Dovid used Text-to-Speech. But the long discussions in just one, stilted voice were annoying. And I might be wrong, but I felt like sometimes he forgot the Irish accent.

Apart from that, I have a secret wish I now share with the world: please, one author out there, start a new trend! Whenever protagonists are exchanging written text, stop mentioning the whole mailadres, directions, subjectline, username76535782736582947589, and all that jazz!

Adorable!

Just as adorable as I remember from reading the ebook, only made better by Sean Crisden's fabulous narration. Will def be listening again.