Another great book from Ali Hazelwood. I really enjoyed that this one was about video games. I like the STEM books she usually writes, but this was a fresh look at another male dominated industry. Reading about the video game that they were making, makes me what to play the game now. I like the main characters and as always miscommunication lead them to be not together for too long. I want a follow up to this story to know how all the characters are doing.

3.5/5

This book did not live up to my expectations. The beginning is a lot of telling instead of showing, so it is hard to actually connect to the characters and their "rivalry". This also was very predictable and cliché; I am all for a cookie cutter romance, but you have to develop your characters enough to actually get us to still root for them. The story also ended very abruptly. All in all, I would have rather this would have been developed into a fully thought out novel, rather than a rushed novella.

Thank you NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

this was so charming and cute — I love me boy obsessed trope. I need a longer version of this. I loved Jessie and Viola from their very first meeting and was hooked. The narrator was so fun and had all my attention. Thank you Spotify and Netgalley for the ALC.

<i>Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks and Netgalley for a chance to listen to an arc of this book! 🖤 </i>

<i>5⭐️</i> Another banger by Hazelwood!!
tropes: miscommunication, nerds in love, size difference | medium steam | audio

<i> favorite bits</i>
🖤 After reading Bride, I have devoted myself to being an Ali Hazelwood Enjoyer!
🖤 Jessie pulling an Edward Cullen and trying to avoid Viola while she has a crush on him cracked me up a bit. He was so obsessed he was zooming away from her at every opportunity.
🖤 This miscommunication was good and since this book is so short it worked!! It wasn't dragged out and they had just enough time to resolve their issues and get their HEA.
🖤 I love the idea of two rival development teams forced to work together.
🖤 Jessie and Viola had such great chemistry when they finally got together!!! I was giggling and twirling my hair!

<i> audiobook review 🎧</i>
I've listened to books Kelsey Navarro Foster before and she always does an amazing job!! Great choice!

<i> final thoughts: </i>
I devoured this!! I need to read Hazelwood's other novellas because this was so good and perfectly paced!

Check out my socials <a href="https://linktr.ee/buffyreads here</a> for more reviews!

This novella has all the hallmarks of an Ali Hazelwood story, but with a gaming twist. If you're a fan of The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, or Love, Theoretically, you'll find this book familiar in tone. It delivers a fresh take on the themes Hazelwood is known for. While the plot bears a resemblance to The Love Hypothesis in one major way, making the ending somewhat foreseeable, the cast of characters injects a lively energy into the narrative.

As for the romance, it's the usual open-door style that Hazelwood readers have come to expect.

The plot revolves around Violia and Jesse, both indie video game developers working at rival studios. They're tasked with adapting a beloved book series into a third video game installment, a dream project for Violia, who's deeply passionate about the series. The catch? She has to collaborate with Jesse's team, with whom she shares a complicated history. Some team members carry grudges, and when a snowy retreat is planned to help them bond, chaos and tension quickly escalate. Will they be able to set their differences aside for the sake of the game?

I found the story delightful and Hazelwood's writing enjoyable as always. While I wasn’t a fan of the narrator's growly tone at the end of sentences, that's just personal taste and shouldn’t deter you from giving it a listen.

Two Can Play was my first book by Ali Hazelwood and after I finished Two Can Play all I thought was, what took me so long to finally start a book by Hazelwood? This was the audio version and the narration by Kelsey Navarro Foster was well above average. She did an amazing job of putting you right into the story.

The story follows Viola who is a video game designer. She works for a company that has a bid to develop a popular IP that she has a close connection to. Her boss announces that they will be co-developing the game with another studio and they will be going on a retreat together for team building. The lead designer for the other company is Jesse who is someone that Viola has had a crush on since the day they met, but Jesse has always shown no interest in her.

I love video games and the way this book is written it shows that Hazelwood is either in love with games or did some serious research because the video game representation was incredible. This didn’t feel like just surface-level knowledge it had so much detail that really helped bring me in.

I loved learning why Jesse seemed like he wanted nothing to do with Viola and I couldn’t help but root for them. This book was so good that it was a challenge for me to stop listening. I had to finish this in one sitting because I was just so invested.

Two Can Play needs to be on the top of your list, and I have moved all of Hazelwood’s books to the top of mine.

Ali Hazelwood continues forcing me to listen to her books in one sitting. I am consistently shocked by her ability to make me care so much about these characters and this novella is a triumph especially due to its page count.
Two Can Play is a cute video game centric romance about two lead game designers of rival companies doing a winter wonderland work retreat. Typical big broody man obsessed and quietly pining for small tiny girl who thinks he hates her. I eat it up evvvverytime.
Definitely recommend for a quick and hot read. Will always read Ali.

Viola and Jesse are video game designers at rival companies. The companies need to come together though to create a new game based on a beloved book series, so they plan a retreat. Viola and Jesse met a long time ago, but now, because of a misunderstanding, they don’t get along. But the forced proximity and a mutual love of the book series will force them to talk to each other and admit their real feelings. This short audiobook was well written, but the miscommunication was annoying especially considering how open Viola seemingly suddenly decides to be in this book. With the way her character is presented, it seems they could have worked through their issues far earlier than the implied years it took for them to be at this retreat together. There was no room for character development or explanations though in the short narrative. The video game storyline was more intriguing than the realistic story, and the book could have probably benefited from being longer and drawing more parallels between the video game and the contemporary storylines. The narrator was great though. Kelsey Navarro Foster is versatile, and she can make any story come to life.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced audiobook copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I enjoy this novella, it felt a bit like a copy and paste of several other Ali Hazelwood books. Cute, nerdy girl in stem, is secretly in love with a tall, nerdy guy (in the same field) who "hates" her. Then she later discovers he's been secretly in love with her for years. After Ali huge departure from that formula in Bride, I was expecting something a bit different

Another great read from Ali! Viola and Jesse’s story was fun, fast paced and had me hooked from the very beginning. They are rivals from different companies who have the opportunity to work together to develop a video game. When their teams get sent on a retreat as a part of a team building exercise Viola discovers maybe Jesse doesn’t dislike her as much as she originally thought. This had good tension, good chemistry between the two main characters, and forced proximity which I love. The narration was done really well, too! Overall, I enjoyed this one! If you’re looking for something cute and quick this would be perfect for that! Thank you to netgalley for the ALC!

I was so excited when I was approved to review this ALC from Ali Hazelwood. She's been a favorite of mine & in my eyes, she can write the heck outta great banter. This audio novella is no exception. This story is giving "Love Hypothesis" vibes in the best way. The story and vibe of this book go right along with her STEM series & I was all here for it.🙌

This is a fun, fast-paced story. It has your classic miscommunication trope. The main characters, Viola & Jesse, are rival video game designers. Their two companies merge & they are forced to collab on a project working together. Their two teams are sent to a company retreat to try and work out their differences and find a way to make this transition smooth & accomplish the task at hand.

Viola & Jesse are forced into situations where they have to talk & work together & slowly the miscommunication barriers come crashing down. There's definitely chemistry between these two, and who knew it was a sizzling love/hate attraction??? Ali gets down to business people, and there are quite a few little spicy scenes in this short audio.

🎧Let's talk narration... Kelsey narrates the whole novella, bringing not only Viola's character to life but also Jesse's & several other side characters. Kelsey is delightful whenever she voices female characters but really brings out the quick wit & biting sarcasm of Jesse. Her male performances are always a highlight for me. When these two finally do get together, it's steamy, hot, and frantic. OG Hazelwood fans will love this story, especially with NO 3rd act break up.

If you're looking for a quick listen that easily blends humor with chemistry. This audio novella is most certainly for you. Kelsey is absolutely terrific, and Ali Hazelwood fans will most likely love this one!

The title is available on October 1, 2024

Thank you. Spotify Audiobooks, Net Galley & Ali Hazelwood for providing this advanced copy to listen to. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a fun read!! Short and sweet for sure!!

In classic A.H form you can expect a dark haired 6ft+ man who doesn't have the best social skills and tends to not be able to read the room l and a average height brunette who is incredibly talented at her job

Ali had the opportunity to do the most brutal but poetic plot twist on this story and I honestly wished it happened. It would've been such a good twist and a reflection on the characters with the mirror of the game they're creating would've been such a brilliant end, sadly this didn't happen. It had a lovely beautiful ending though.

Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks and NetGalley for an early review copy.

Ali Hazelwood tackles the video game industry in this audiobook novella about two rival indie game companies to develop a video game based on a fantasy book series. Viola and Jesse are both lead designers at their separate companies and have been tiptoeing around each other since they met. As they are thrown together to work on the adaption of their favorite book series, they both learn that maybe they had the wrong first impression of each other.

I absolutely adored this audiobook and I wanted it to be longer. While it follows the typical beats of Ali Hazelwood's other novels, the audiobook format really worked for the story as Kelsey Navarro Foster's delivery is perfect.

This is classic Ali Hazelwood, but with video games. It has a similar mood to The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, and Love Theoretically. If you want the same cake in a different flavor, this is the perfect novella for you! It has all the Ali staples we know and love. There is one key point that is very similar to The Love Hypothesis, so it was easy to predict the ending, but this group of characters, brought a fun spin to the story.

The spice is open door and pretty standard Ali Hazelwood.

Violia and Jesse are video game designers at different indie gaming houses that want to adapt a beloved book series into a third video game installment. Violia has a deep attachment to the series and is excited to work on the project of a lifetime, but the catch is she has to work with another company on the project. it so happens to be Jesse’s company, and not only does she not have a an interesting past with Jesse, but several members of the team have bad blood, so when they have to go on a snowy, team building retreat, all chaos breaks loose. will the teams learn to work together for the sake of the game?

I really enjoyed the story and it's always a treat to read Ali's writing style. The narrator's voice had a growl at the end of each sentence that got old for me, but everyone's preference for voice inflection is so different, don't let that stop you from listening.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I am rating this based of the storyline and the narrators. I’ll get into the rest later. Okay, the story was fun, very intriguing, very entertaining. The forbidden love, hiding our new relationship, workplace enemies, I didn’t know you liked me, I’ve always loved you troupe is really fun. The two characters were very entertaining, both had a lot of personality and both total bosses.

After 68% of the book until the end is.. all bedroom scenes. Then the story ends. 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

And I’m pretty sure this whole book takes place in 2 days.. soo that’s that. I felt this was a sudden end and I wanted more of the story, which you don’t get.

A bit more promise than delivery, unfortunately. Still fun and clever and quirky and all, just not all that deep.

When I tell you I had the biggest grin on my face the entire time... Two Lead Designers of rival video game studios are presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, but in order to make it work... They're going to have to find a way to work together. What better way for some team bonding than shoving 18 people with a whole lot of tension and history on a ski retreat?

The tension.. The angst.. the unrequited love... the long term yearning where you're giddy because you know he so clearly wants her, but she's too blind to see it (Ali Hazelwood has used this trope in every single one of her books, you're crazy if you think she's stopping now).

Although this was a novella, it truly felt like a full fleshed out story (these two have been circling each other for 6 years, so the back story there makes their coupling so believable).

My mans is a nerd in the treat & a caveman in the sheets.

Ali Hazelwood has done it again! I ended up just as attached to these characters as I would have any of her full-length novel characters. I really enjoyed the premise of rival game studios being forced to get along by sticking them all together at a lodge for a week. I also really enjoy the "I think he hates me for no reason" trope when he's actually just down bad and respecting boundaries! I really like Viola and Jesse and can't wait to see what Ali HAzelwood writes next.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This novel was super cute and super fast. I really liked the main characters and felt that even though this was a novella, I really got to know them. While I enjoy the female main character, she felt very similar to all of the other Hazelwood main characters, this worked for me but it might be off-putting for some readers. I found myself wanting more and would have no problem spending more time in this world.

4.5⭐️This is hands down my fave Ali Hazelwood novella. It is fast-paced, has a fun storyline, a pining, down-bad MMC, competing indie video game studios, horny characters, and a snowed-in work retreat (forced proximity!!!!) — what more could you ask for, honestly.

Ms. Hazelwood just knows how to write a guy who yearns and pines so pathetically AND I LOVE IT. I eat it up every single time and I can never get enough. Oh, and I LOVE a drunken confession😫. I truly love a guy who worships his woman and is in awe of her existence.

Two Can Play was hot and steamy, as Ali Hazelwood's books always are, which can sometimes translate weirdly on audio but the narrator did a great job for this one! Literally listened to it all in one go, it was so much fun. I haven’t read an Ali Hazelwood on audio before and it was a blast. I especially loved it for Viola’s internal monologue and ramblings.

I LOVED that this got into the meaning of limerence, and I liked how Ali incorporated its meaning into the story behind the Limerence games. Jesse’s take on the characters and how he saw himself and his crush on Viola in their doomed and unrequited love was so cute🥹I am very glad that Jesse and Viola’s love story is not doomed and they can have their happily ever after.

This definitely left me wanting more though😭 Would not be mad to have a full-length story of Viola and Jesse’s relationship, and I’d love more video game-focused books in the future ngl. I want this in print ASAP so I can highlight and re-read my fave parts. I will 100% re-listen to this regularly... I need more Ali Hazelwood NOW.

Thank you Net Galley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC!🫶