Freshman Drive

Freshman Drive is less LitRPG as it is science fiction with some kind of nanobot based system. The system encourages better habits like eating well, doing laundry, and maintaining good hygiene. In exchange it excelerates the healing of Deke's sports injury. The stats don't have much context or effect events. He eventually gets abilities to play basketball better.

The story centers around jocks and cheerleaders in a college setting. Deke's nerd friends are the only really likable characters, but the constant references to legally-distinct-Firefly get old. Early on there isn't a whole lot of basketball but in the last quarter there are a lot of games described in detail and I found myself skimming heavily.

I think this book is well written and technically very good, but it's very much not for me. It covers Deke's freshman year of college, so presumably this will be a four book series.

Content warnings: Depression, self harm, domestic abuse, needles, steroids, gross bodily fluid stuff