This was such a cute and romantic romcom book with all of the Gamer and nerdy vibes that you can want. This is definitely an author. I will keep looking out for.

I'm not big on romance, the only kind I read occasionally is of the M/M variety. However, Single Player by Tara Tai, a Sapphic romance with Asian lesbian and nonbinary game designer mcs, sounded too fun to skip!

Sadly, I discovered quite soon that this wouldn't exactly be my cup of tea.

To start off with what I liked, I enjoyed the realistic presentation of game industry issues, especially around racism and sexism. The author also showed the nuances of how financing comes from publishers and thus they own all creative decisions, tying the hands of the real creatives and engineers behind games in the process. When it comes to these issues, the book really shines. Additionally, the writing can be quite witty at times.

On the other hand, I found it weird how extremely basic gaming concepts (like "choices matter" or NPCs) would be explained even though the book's target audience is queer gamers. Some things that might have warranted an explanation (someone might not be familiar with the roguelike genre, for example) were just thrown in though.

I also found that the author goes a bit too heavy-handed on the quirkiness and geekiness, like it's so much that it seems performative and manufactured. I'm a certified nerd but do any of us really drop four references and quotes from different fandoms within a single conversation?

I didn't like how the idea that nerds and gamers are uncool and embarrassing permeates the entire book. It's not 2000 anymore, nerd culture is literally everywhere and it's pretty mainstream now. For example, it's constantly stressed how 'weird' the mc is for playing otome games. I mean, there are literally millions of people like her 🤷🏻 In the same breath, she keeps referring to non-gamers as normies and paints a caricature-like picture of how much the people in her life don't care about games. Like, her family couldn't even be properly happy for her when she landed a job at her dream game dev studio? I'm sure people understand the concept of a dream job, even if they don't care about games 🙄

The narrator switches between the two mcs in every chapter and it's always a first person perspective, which I highly dislike. The two also have exactly the same narrative voice, it's impossible to differentiate between them.

On top of that, there's too much banter; maybe the fault is in me, but I only find literary banter funny about 2% of the time. This isn't one of those cases. I'm ready to admit that most of my issues are probably a me problem: so many elements were present that are actually the reason I dislike romance, but that doesn't mean the book is necessarily bad. I just can't get over the fact that I find every behavior in most romances annoying!

If the setting was anything else, I likely wouldn't have picked it up. If you do like lighthearted romance and you're not bothered by the things I listed as issues, I still encourage you to give this a chance because it might just be perfect for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

✨ Review ✨ Single Player by Tara Tai

Thanks to Alcove Press and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

In this queer romance, Cat and Andi, video game designers working on Compass Hollow, the next video big game, are butting heads from Cat's very first day. Cat’s hired to write romance storylines as a temp, and Andi’s resistant to including these stories, putting them at odds from the first pages. As the story evolves, they start to find more things in common and learn more about each other. This brings lots of glorious nerdiness and queerness with DnD, video games, pineapple pizza, motorcycles and more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/nb contemporary romance
Setting: Denver, Colorado
Pub Date: Jan 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ queer romance
⭕️ enemies-to-lovers
⭕️ women and queer folks in videogames and doing DnD
⭕️ fake dating

I had such a hard time getting through this one. I *love* video games and D&D and thought I would love everything about this book, but I mostly found the characters to be aggravating. I hate that they kept running away from each other! This is a slow slow burn but instead of being filled with longing moments and pining, it was mostly just awkward interactions and avoidance. I enjoyed the ending much more when they finally admitted their feelings to themselves, but it felt kind of sudden, I didn't really jive with the build up for it. I did really enjoy the video game aspect, Cat's plus size representation (though I would've loved to see her figure depicted on the cover) and Andi's characters and non-binary rep.

A standout debut, Tai's command over perspective shines in this dual-POV enemies-to-lovers romance. I believed the narrative arc and the structure of the story was perfect, from the forced proximity to the details about their careers. Loved every minute I was reading it!

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve been looking for a queer gamer romance for a while, and I definitely found it here! “Enemies to Lovers” is one of my favorite tropes!

Listen, if you’re a fan of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood romances, then do yourself a favor and give Single Player a chance, please!

The story begins with Cat, a former accountant who now works as a video game story writer, starting her first day at her dream job at Compass Hollow. There, she meets her boss, Andi, who wants nothing to do with romance—either in the game or in real life. The two immediately clash. They’re working on a game that, to me, felt a bit like “Baldur’s Gate 3,” and Cat wants to incorporate romance storylines, while Andi thinks it’s unnecessary.

I really enjoyed the gamer references and the DND-like scenes in the book. There were definitely moments that had me laughing and smiling. However, the book could’ve used a bit more editing—after the convention trip, it started to drag a bit.

I liked both characters, though Cat sometimes seemed a bit immature. But Andi’s reactions to her helped balance that out.

This was such a great and fun debut novel! I loved the Asian American rep, LGBTQIA+ rep, sapphic romance, and gaming rep! I really enjoyed the characters and their growth from the beginning to the end of the story. I also REALLY loved how the cis white men got what they deserved in the end. Will definitely be reading more from this author when it becomes available!

Wound up listening to this post-pub date on audio and thoroughly enjoyed!

What I liked:
- Asian-American/queer/NB rep
- being queer was not the conflict
- the DND sub-plot
- gaming fems and thems!!! and the gaming development in general

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

Apologies for the late review.

I liked the premise and I thought it would be good. It was ok. Not as enjoyable as I thought it would be.

But there are other aspects of this book to explore such as gaming and women in STEM and broken relationships. It explores deeper interior conflicts between partners and familial issues as well.

I wanted to love this book. The premise is so cute! I think the pacing was a bit off. And while I really enjoyed Cat and Andi’s individual character arcs, they took quite some time to get there. Overall it was enjoyable.

This was a fun read! I enjoyed so many different aspects of this book. Firstly, it wasn't obvious to me from the cover (because yes I judge books by the cover) that this is a sapphic romance. Friends, I should have known! It was beautifully written and the characters felt really real. Second, I am not super keen on video games BUT the story that the author weaves of the two leads and their work with the video game narrative and romance sub-plot was really interesting and opened my eyes to the depth and complexity of work that goes into designing games. Third, linked to the second, I learned a LOT of new words, and not big ones that I had to look up - but video-game world specific language. At first I wasn't sure but I really liked how it brought authenticity to the story and believability to the character's dialogue and way of being. Tai has written some really great characters and put the spotlight on women in gaming that I never thought I'd be drawn to or enjoy and voila - here it is!

Thank you to Alcove press and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

3.75 stars

This is a cute, queer, enemies to lovers, work place, slow burn romance, that even has a little bit of fake dating in it. I love both Cat and Andi, and thought the dynamic between the two was written very well. The tension was written so that when it snapped it was such a great point of the story. Two video game writers?? This book if perfect for the nerdy romantics out there.

This is a delightful and lighthearted romance that is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy queer, contemporary love stories, particularly those who appreciate the intersection of gaming culture and identity, and are looking for a fun and uplifting tale of enemies-to-lovers romance.

HOLY PALUTENA! THIS WAS A STELLAR DEBUT!!!
✨🎮💕

I am happy to announce I have a new book crush, & you will too once you read this!
ANDI ZHANG IS 🔥😍

Next time you’re out book shopping, this is one you MUST want to pick up!

“Single Player,” reignited my love for video games. In fact, I am sad I’m am currently pushing through having trigger finger & unable to pick my switch up. This story has me craving the feeling of getting lost in a game.

“Single Player,” features 2 main characters who are both highly driven & wildly talented. I admire Cat & Andi’s passion for their jobs & their love for gaming. Cat is hired to write the romances for characters in the game that Andi is developing. The way these two meet for the first time had me giggling & kicking my feet (pretty much the whole story had me that way lol).

Something I absolutely loved about the writing in this story is all the micro-yearning/noticing of little things. “I fixate on the striations of fabric hugging her lower ribs.” “My brain is still hung up on the way Cat smelled when she brushed past me.” YOU DON’T JUST NOTICE THE LITTLE THINGS ABOUT ANYONE, YOU BOTH ARE CRUSHING!!!!!

Tara did a lovely job with the gaming references. I feel like they add so much comedy & heart to the story. Even if you aren’t well-versed with gaming or DND references, this is still a VERY enjoyable read.

Natalie Naudus narrates the audiobook for, “Single Player,” PERFECTLY. If you are looking for a sapphic rom com to listen to, this is a great choice!

Read this if…
You want a sapphic workplace romance with high tension that will have you laughing out loud.

A major thank you to @dreamscape_media for the ALC & to @alcovepress for the digital ARC through @netgalley in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for this free advance reader copy!

An insightful look into gaming, women in STEM and those who feel unwanted by previous partners 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 was really fun dual POV novel with wonderful enby and sapphic representation.

Hopeless romantic and video game connoisseur Cat Li feels she has finally landed her dream job to work with her hero Andi “Andz” Zhang, developing what is expected to be gaming’s next hit.

But when Andi is the opposite of the person she’s built up in her head, Cat struggles to find her place in the workplace, and she struggles in her attempts to show Andi how much romance can add to a game.

I particularly found Cat’s POV relatable and enjoyed the scenes where her insecurities led to her “acting” like a video game player on a quest. It is highly relatable to feel you must put on a front to hide your true self. In true romantic fashion, Andi could see through this front from the beginning, allowing their mutual attraction to grow.

Tai has given a fresh perspective to workplace romance in this debut novel. I particularly enjoyed the detail with which she explained the gaming development process and gaming culture. As someone who has essentially never played a single video, I was worried I’d be unable to follow along the numerous gaming references. However, through her writing, Tai made sure both gamers and those clueless like myself would be able to follow along.

There is a considerable subplot involving dungeons and dragons, which is another world I have no context for and yet inexplicably enjoyed. I particularly liked the aspect of Cat learning the game along with the reader and never felt my lack of knowledge limited my ability to enjoy those scenes.

This was a SLOW BURN; that was the only part that left me wanting more! These two wanted to deny themselves, and I really wanted them to give in! Ultimately, it was worth the wait.

Overall, I appreciated this debut novel and look forward to reading whatever Tai published next!

Cat and Andi both had difficult relationships. They both live in a Cis male dominated professional world. As they stumble into each other's orbit, it's rocky. Over time their connection grows while they navigate both a messy personal and professional relationship.

Happy release day eve to this gorgeous book! I absolutely loved Tara Tai’s Single Player, and you can get it tomorrow!!

Two video game creators go head-to-head in this delightful, queer enemies-to-lovers workplace romance debut, perfect for fans of TJ Alexander and Helen Hoang.

This book was so much fun! Tara did a phenomenal job of creating a realistic enemies-to-lovers story where you could see exactly where their communication fell apart and why. I loved both of their journeys and the way their growth arcs complimented and pushed each other forward. I’m so excited to read whatever Tara comes up with next!

Overall: 4/5
Spice level: 1.5/5
Tropes: workplace, slow burn

This was a good debut from the author. I read this as an arc last month.

Cat and Andi had this weird chemistry that was very slow to show itself. Cat's temping at the game devour company that Andi helps run, but Andi feels that Cat's in the way while also realizing she's a beautiful distraction.

This book has fat rep, lesbian rep, and non-binary rep.

The pacing is extremely slow to the point where I was wondering when the characters were going to actually get together. Also, if someone isn't a gamer (video or otherwise), there will be scenes that are convoluted and filled with tech jargon that can be hard to follow.

Once the romance arc finally entered the room, it was pretty good, and I felt like this was a decent debut from the author.

Two video game creators go head-to-head in this delightful, queer enemies-to-lovers workplace romance.

^from the publisher and it’s perfect! Thank you NetGalley and @alcovepress for a digital copy of this book to review.

I really enjoyed this book! We have Cat and Andi, two video game creators who have to work together on a new game. Cat was hired to write romance for the game but Andi doesn’t want it. As you can imagine…. It goes over well!

Cat and Andi’s dynamic was really fun, and made me laugh quite a bit. They were so openly hostile with each other, and everyone else around them could see the sparks before they did! I loved Philo and Cat’s roommate Lou for that!

The video game world was really interesting, intense, and opened my eyes a bit as someone who is not an active gamer. I gotta say though that DILF game sounds so fun. Also the D&D campaign sounded great!!

There was actually some pretty heavy backstory sprinkled throughout that I enjoyed. Brought depth to the characters. Insecurity, family dynamics, fear of not finding a partner. Very relatable.

The chemistry was electric and this is a SLOW burn people but so worth it. I thought the enemies/rivals to lovers was done so well here. Love that ending!! And the epilogue!!! A really fun debut that kept me turning pages.

Loved this unique romance novel about video games. The queer rep is also well done. I was drawn into the book from the start until the very end—a quick read for me. Highly recommend!