I really loved this! Queer rep, romance, nonbinary vibes. Excited to see more representation in romance and also excellent narration!


!This was so great!

Contemporary romcom FX romance, gayming focused. Natalie Naudus narrating is always a hit.

I like this trend of turning office romances into nerdy gaming offices - finally! Lingo and convos I can understand! Friday DnD games. I found it fun that this leans into the queer norms. Of course if you're gay, you end up dating/meeting someone else's ex and they of course still hangout platonically.

I must be in my millennial cringe era because Cat (she/her) was OTT but in a "at least she's happy and being her authentic self" kind of way. Let them all be cringe and happy and free.

I liked that Cat couldn't keep up her mask to try and please Andi (she/they), and that she was fired up about something all the time. Finding someone where you just feel like yourself without really knowing why is so great!

I appreciated that with time, Andi started to be vulnerable and let the wall down. Explaining her doxxing and reason for ghosting an ex. The fear of not being able to feel safe in your home. That'll clam you up and have lasting trauma impact. Andi was victim of not being able to explain themselves well and also being more on the serious and quieter side. Miscommunication and both leads interpretation the same interaction differently is the plot.

However, I had so much fun listening. Natalie Naudus is such an excellent narrator. Lots of life and heart added in with the voices. I feel for the leads that internalize a lot. Miscommunication, when done right, is a trope I enjoy.



If you like gayming, don't mind the unhinged 'of course they keep running into each other for plot reasons' romcom writing, are ok with OTT leads at times, and miscommunication trope that causes frustration/anger (not really enemies to lovers), I'd suggest this!

Also very slowburn on the romance (also loved)!


CW for doxxing, sexism, microaggressions galore from cishet white dudes, hostile work environment/retaliation in work setting.

I wasn't sold within the first bit but I guess I always struggle with a slow burn. In a book where you root for both main characters and hear both perspectives, I feel like no part was missed. I'm glad it exists to give hope to all of the awkward, nerdy lesbians out there.

This title archived before I was able to download it, but the good news is I was able to borrow a copy from my local library. The story was both engaging and believable, with a classic enemies to lovers workplace romance vibe (with one of them being ice queen thrown in for good measure). However this book didn’t feel tropy, as Tai spent a lot of time fleshing out her characters and developed great chemistry between Cat and Andi.

Add to this Natalie Naudus’ proficient and always entertaining narration, and I was smiling from start to finish. A really wonderful introduction to this author and one I look forward to reading more from in the future.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an alc!

i’ve been really enjoying reading books about gaming developers and gaining an insight to the industry. i was blown away by this queer debut about two gaming developers and the importance of romance in gaming! i also really loved all the fun pop-culture easter eggs.

as for the audio, the narrator did a fantastic job!

Single Player is a combination of awful meet cutes, workplace rivals, and the advice to never meet your heroes. This dual POV romance allows us to not only see the misconceptions we have of people, but also to appreciate the character journey of both Andy and Cat. We can see how hard Cat is trying, but also how guarded Andy is. How much Andy is afraid to let people see them and, at the same time, how much Cat wants to be seen. We see these misunderstandings that just pile up between two people who are so similar.

Natalie Naudus is one of my absolute auto-buy narrators so this was an instant add to cart for me. It's actually the reason I picked this up and I love how Naudus was able to infuse the vulnerability in Andy's character. Andy is very much still impacted by the events of the past and so for Andy, there's this sense of fear and vulnerability to each movement.

In an industry as tough and callous as gaming, it's hard to find success let alone romance. Cat Li has a fresh new start as a love story writer just as Andi Zhang, infamous writer in the community, tries to shut down any love story on the game she's Narrative director, as well as Cat's new, stubborn, and sexy new boss. Although they start off as rivals they come closer and maybe become more than friends?

I found "Single Player" fun, Cat coming up with a fake dating plot accidentally with Andi's ex really added to the tension. There is miscommunication but it's understandable. Both stand to lose their credibility and livelihoods if lines are too far crossed but at the end of the day they meet each other where the other is at. Looking forward to seeing more from Tara Tai!

Audiobook narrator Natalie Naudus performed this book amazingly! I usually hate with a book has dual POV's but the audiobook is read by a single person, but Natalie has different voices for each protagonist!

This romance is unique! It's got the enemies to lovers trope, but the climax doesn't involve the two protagonists having miscommunication. And the video game Easter eggs are lovely. As a non-gamer, I really felt like they added to the story without being overbearing/confusing. I'm looking forward to Tai's next book!

LGBTQIA: nonbinary (she/they) and lesbian

As an Asian, sapphic woman who enjoys games, I really appreciated this book! Huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Since I rarely read contemporary romance (I usually gravitate toward romantasy), I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying it! The writing flows beautifully and is easy to read. As an audiobook, the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters and dialogue to life.

I also loved the enemies-to-lovers arc, it successfully built tension and raised the stakes within the characters' dynamic.

At first, I really didn’t like Andy’s anti-romance stance. While I understood where she was coming from, it felt off-putting and gave me “not-like-other-girls” vibes. The truth is, many women genuinely enjoy romance in media, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Liking stereotypically feminine things isn’t bad, and those who don’t aren’t inherently better than those who do.

I absolutely loved Cat, though. I related to her passion and agreed with her perspective, romance can be a powerful tool for exploring character dynamics and relationships.

The portrayal of pressure from Asian parents was also incredibly accurate, especially the expectation of “marrying before 30.” Cat is lucky to have queer-positive parents, but in reality, many of us are still expected to conform to the nuclear family model.

My nerdy heart couldn't handle it. The anxiety I felt in some of these situations and cringe of how conversations occurred, felt too real. I loved this take on a romance. Highly recommend.

The characters were so REAL and authentic and flawed (in a positive way). Both POVs of the alleged enemies were so plausible and convincing, I could relate to both of them so much.
There was lots of diverse representation in the book (POC, non-binary, asexual representation f.e., also the main characters seem neurodivergent-coded in my opinion, even if that's not stated in the book) and as someone who has touched base with the gaming industry and internet culture itself the whole part about sexism in the field, the doxxing, etc. also felt very authentic.

What an utter delight!! I loved every second of this audiobook. From Natalie Naudus's expert narration to Tara Tai's humorous writing, I had a blast! For a gamer like me who loves choices-matter RPGs like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, this was a dip behind the curtain into a fictional world of game development that echoes so much truth about the industry. I also appreciated the pacing of the romance so as to avoid the third act breakup but still keep tension high! This is a new favorite and I can't wait to see what Tai publishes next!

A sapphic romance about some nerdy girls working in the gaming development industry and being treated like crap for daring to be queer women in STEM.

Cat (she/her) is a newbie to the industrie who loves nothing more than a good video game with a romance subplot - and that's what she's is here to do, write the romance storylines for the game characters.

At this point, Andi (she/her & they/them) has experienced the worst of it and they are determined to not be pigeonholed again and prove they know what they are doing in this new project. Except when Cat is thrust upon her to be the newest member of Andi's team. Andi wants to prove that a videogame does not need a romance subplot to be a great video game and to attract female players.

The immediate dislike between these characters added excellent tension - revealing that Cat was casually then not then fake dating Andi's ex just escalated that tension! Especially when Cat was added into Andi's D&D campaign.

Once these two set aside their differences and worked together they created video game magic. They pushed one another to step outside their comfort zone and were clearly a perfect match. Then coming together to take down the man just added that extra element needed to elevate the story.

While Natalie Naudus did an excellent job performing the audiobook, as I have said many times - books with same sex love interests still need to have two narrators to clearly define the characters and the POV the chapter is from. I am someone who will pause an audiobook mid-chapter but when I come back to it, I don't want to have to start the chapter over to figure out who's point of view I'm listening from.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tara Tai for the advanced copy audiobook.

I’m not a contemporary romance girly but I loved this! 4.5 stars

I want to start with the audiobook production: it was great! I loved the narrator and they were able to give distinctive voices to each perspective. Sound quality was also good!

If you like video games and romance, you’ll love this. I really enjoyed all the various tropes this story leaned into and somehow the author pulled it off without it feeling like they were doing too much. I’m impressed by that alone. I really enjoyed all the gaming references too! You can tell this author really genuinely loves gaming and understands the fandoms. I think the reference that made me so giddy was UNDERTALE! AHH I’ve never read a book that referenced Undertale and that spoke to my soul.

I also enjoyed the character development. Each character had their own distinct journey they were on while also feeling complex like real people. I appreciate that.

Overall I had a great time reading this one. I think you will too!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ALC!

First of all, you can REALLY tell that the author actually knows their stuff! Sometimes you read books like these and the author has such a surface level understanding of the subject in question that it's obvious to anyone who is a fan of it, but you can tell the author knows video games!! That is a huge compliment to the overall quality of the story.

In terms of characters, I wasn't the biggest fan simply because I didn't feel much chemistry personally, but I think I'm just not the biggest fan of overly done 'grumpy' personalities and felt that Andi's personality made me kind of not care about them much?

But overall I have good things to say about this book and the author's writing style, so this one earns a 4 / 5 stars from me!

I received a complimentary copy of #SinglePlayer through #NetGalley and @Dreamscape_Media in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.
If you're a gamer or a fan of LGBT+ romance, this book is an absolute delight! Single Player is packed with gamer references that had my inner nerd cheering--I loved seeing such vibrant, relatable gaming culture brought to life in this audiobook.
The story starts off a bit slow, but trust me, it's worth sticking with it. The dynamic between Cat and Andi is beautifully developed, with genuine growth and heartfelt moments. And can we talk about the D&D gameplay scene?? They were adorable, funny, and brimming with charm. As a fellow nerd (and small time gamer) myself, those parts felt like a love letter to the nerd community.
Whether you're into gaming, romance, or both, this story is a warm, entertaining read that celebrates connection, friendship, and embracing your passions. Highly recommend!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Lighthearted romance with enough drama to keep you hooked without burning you out. The narrator did a great job of distinguishing between characters' voices.
This story is for every video game nerd that has always longed for their sappy happy ending.

I’m a BIG nerd, and this book is for US!! 😩😩

Let me start by saying that, yes, if you’re not a fan of video games, there are some things you might not fully understand. But don’t worry—it won’t stop you from enjoying or following the story!

The audiobook was well-narrated, but in my opinion, since we had a dual POV, having two narrators would have made it even better.

Overall, everything was well-balanced: the plot, the romance, the choices, and the character development—everything was spot-on. However, I felt that the relationship dragged a bit at one point. I love a good slow burn, but the miscommunication made the pacing feel slower than necessary. That’s why I’m giving it a 4/5 instead of a perfect 5/5.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the audiobook!

A truly original and satisfying read! Tara Tai draws characters we've never seen before into a narrative that is fresh and fun.

Queer video game-geeks reluctantly falling in love.

Single Player follows Cat – a lover of romance, who is hired to incorporate love stories into Compass Hollow (a video game in progress) – and Andi – who is determined to keep love out of the game. Naturally, they dislike one another.

Not to worry, though; Andi’s ex and Cat go on a date, which leads to fake dating, which of course leads to close proximity due to a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons.

This felt very “Solid” by MUNA. I enjoyed it. The audiobook’s also narrated by Natalie Naudus, which definitely didn’t hurt.


Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ARC!