Loathe at First Sight

I'll preface this by saying I am not usually a rom-com reader and might not be the right audience for this type of story.

Let's start with the pros:
1 - This book is an Own Voices novel by a Korean-American author. I love that!
2 - The story is centered on a woman working in the video game industry, a field typically dominated by white men, and succeeding.
3- This book does not shy away from calling attention to the horrible treatment of women in the gaming industry, or any tech industry really. It is well-known that women in tech receive unwarranted harassment and threatening language from both male colleagues and tech users/gamers. I like that the author chose to shine a spotlight on this aspect of the tech world.
4 - It was a quick, easy read.

Now, the cons:
1 - Melody, the main character is SO annoying! As the heroine, we're meant to root for her, a non-white woman making her mark in a traditionally male-focused industry. However, she is so completely unlikeable that it was really hard for me to care about her. She throws childish temper tantrums, and is completely dismissive of her coworkers and peers. But before you think she is the only problem with the story, there is con #2.
2 - The blatant sexism and misogyny. Obviously, as this story takes place in the video game industry you have your typical “tech-bros” who treat Melody like crap. While I'm glad that the topic, which is a very real thing that exists in this industry, is not glossed over, it could have been handled better. The reader is continuously beaten over the head with it when it is something that could have been handled with more nuance in this particular genre. I feel it would fit better in a more serious genre, not a rom-com.
3 - A rom-com with no chemistry between the MC and the love interest. Their attraction feels very forced and it's difficult to understand what draws them to each other.

The book was well-written and had a lot of potential, but I think the ideas needed a bit more polishing. And as a rom-com, the romance aspect could have been better developed. Overall, this was a good book, not a great one. I'm glad I had an opportunity to read it, but I don't think it's one I would return to again. I would give this 3.5 stars.