Looking for Group is a contemporary m/m romance novel written by Alexis Hall. I came across this book on my quest to read all things Hall. I knew it was going to be a bit different from the books in the Spires series or the Arden St. Ives books, but the gaming theme piqued my interest.

Drew is a university student in England who spends a lot of time playing an MMO called Heroes of Legend. After some in-game drama, Drew joins a new guild, and strikes up a rapport with a new guildmate. He thinks that she’s really cool, and he likes chatting with her. He’s developed a bit of a crush, and then he finds out that his new friend is a boy.

Drew realizes that his feelings haven’t changed. He’s never considered his sexuality before, and always assumed that he was straight. But then again, he’s never felt the way about another boy in the way he feels about Kit.

They both go to school in the same city, and so they meet, and it’s not as weird as Drew expects it to be. They’re together, but an in-game friendship is not the same as a real-life relationship, and they both have issues that they need to sort out.

A good portion of the book contains dialogue from chat logs and descriptions of in-game battles. Readers who aren’t familiar with that sort of video game might be a little lost, but it’s fairly easy to pick up the gist of what’s going on. Readers who are familiar with appreciate the little jokes and asides that Hall has included.

Another aspect of the book that is different than Hall’s other books is that the love scenes are mostly fade to black. Hall writes absolutely amazing love scenes, but I think that stylistically speaking, fade to black works perfectly here. This helps the reader focus on the emotional connection that Drew and Kit share rather than their burgeoning physical relationship.

I would absolutely recommend Looking For Group. I don’t think it was written as such, but this book could totally pass for YA if it wanted to. It’s sweet, and tender, and there’s so much sorting out feelings and juggling friends and new relationships, and new discoveries- all with a gaming backdrop.