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!

Single Player, drives readers into the lives of gaming industry characters as the deadline for their release quickly approaches. Cat, a shy, self-conscious and introverted romance writer is brought on as an intern to carve out a romance subplot for a game in development. Head of the team and lead writer is Andi, a nonbinary fiercely driven and serious person whom is actually very much against the idea of bringing romance into the game.

Cat and Andi are polar opposites and while I think enimes to lovers fit this pair, I couldn't help but think of them as a grumpy/sunshine pairing.

Cat and Andi's friendship starts off on the edge of a sharp cliff over their disagreement over romance in the game. But as we get to know them both, readers will realize that they have more in common than they know.

Cat's people pleasing and talkive personality masks her self-doubt and fear of being alone without ever having found someone to love who loves her back. She navigates her life going through ranked and situational responses and scenarios that players usually encounter in video games😆( Now I do something like this but not in like game form. What does that say about me?)

And Andi is focused on the bigger picture of things. Only pausing their focus to sleep and play DnD on the weekends. Having been burned badly by love and the industry in the past, their straight(not literally🙃)and narrow approach to life hides the pain, hurt and panic they carry.

There's something to be said about a story that delivers a slow-burn romance but also character developments that happen before <spoiler> the main couple actually become official</spoiler>

In my opinion, Single Player will have all millennial game lovers praising and cheering this book. The game and character nods blended into the story always had be smiling.

And I loved all the characters in this bool but Cat and her one-off catch phases topped it off for me.

I don't know if there's a TW option for this but there's a lot of anti-nonbinary talk and anti DEI in this book. Even though I am not in the gaming industry, I could see a lot of the toxicity of the CiS white characters as being based off of reality

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio ARC of Single Player by Tara Tai! This book follows two nerdy video game designers, each a bit of a mess in their own way, both relatable and easy to love. I am partial to a grumpy/sunshine romance, and this one delivered-- it was funny, charming and sweet.
Narration by Natalie Naudus was a perfect fit!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the audiobook for this title.

Listen, my fellow Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood romance enthusiasts. Do you love those novels for how they allow the reader to simulate various workplaces as a delectable bonus to great character development and romantic tension? Then PLEASE do yourself a favor and give “Single Player” a try. As a nerd and game fan, this novel really fits my niches, but it is still a great immersive romance for those who have not so much as picked up a Wii remote; so long as you can stomach the constant gamer references.

The rate of revelation of the underlying plot driving the narrative (which isn’t romance, by the way) was done beautifully. I wish the final reveal was further fleshed out rather than being wrapped up with a bow in an epilogue, given that that driving plotline is the real meat and plot twist of the story. But I’m not so mad about it because I still enjoyed the ride to get there. I didn’t have to force myself to pick up this audiobook again and again—I kept wanting to pick up where I left off to see where our characters were going to end up. The fake dating sub-plot was a little infuriating, but it lends itself to the overall plot and drives our leads’ character development. I believe that part of the pain of that sub-plot is protagonist Cat’s overall “loser” “weirdo” schtick, which sometimes was laid on a little heavy for my taste. That being said, I understand it for her character riddled with insecurity and people pleasing which is developed throughout the novel, so again I’m not that mad about it. The side characters were all very intriguing but kinda left out to dry. Maybe in the future they could have books of their own? But these complaints are what docked my 5 star rating to 4. Anyway, live laugh love Andi and learning about game devs.

DNF at 42%.
It was fine ! liked the setting , premise and narration but I just didn't care about the characters or story enough to keep on going . I want to be better at dnfing when a book starts to feel like a chore.
Big Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

Oh my goodness I love this book a ton!

Cat is so much fun and man it feels like I had my personality dragged into a character. She starting writing romance for an up and coming choice based game, encountering a game dev she idolizes...who hates her after their brief meeting, and because they don't want romance in their tale. Meanwhile, she starts dating Sally, who... isn't the best match. But they launch into a fake dating scheme to make Sally's ex jealous and please Cat's parents.

Meanwhile, the other dev, Andi, is diving into her own game after being used by an old company for "yay diversity" points while dealing with a creepy boss, which led to the world of the internet tearing them to shreds.

These two fall in love while trying to hash out the romance plot line for the game, get back at shitty dude-bros, and dealing with corporate shenanigans to come out on top. I loved all the little twists and turns to the story, watch Cat and Andi grow both together and on their own, and of course, the sheer amount of nerdy references throughout the book (I saw that Undertale ref!)

If you want a fun and nerdy queer romance, this is a great one, and I know its only 22 days into the year but it might already be on my list for favorite book.

What an absolute delight!

What if you were in the writers room of Baldurs Gate 3? I feel like this is where the vibes are. Because the addition of romance in video games and women being an "untapped" market, is very true and I appreciate how the cautionary elements of video game fandoms can be ruthless and the harm that doxing a person can be. Love the queer rep, the asian rep and casual body diversity rep as well.

All in all it was fun, and the enemies to lovers was executed well, and the audiobook was a really great time.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audio copy.

4.5 What a cute book, set in the world of video games, our main characters are forced to work together to write a video game narrative Cat who is there to write a romance storyline into the game, and Andi who is anti-romance because they have been burned by romance in the past. My favorite part about this story is that it felt authentic, especially how Andi and Cat react to many situations happening to them. It was nerdy in the best way possible. The audiobook narration by Natalie Naudes was amazing. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an Audio ARC for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Tara Tai’s Single Player is a delightful and meta enemies-to-lovers story set against the vibrant backdrop of game development. Cat and Andi’s dynamic is electric, with the perfect balance of tension and vulnerability as they navigate their clashing perspectives on love—both in games and real life.

I especially loved how the workplace setting mirrored their relationship, as they worked on crafting a love story for Compass Hollow while living out one of their own. The absence of the classic 3/4 breakup was refreshing, and the slow burn allowed their connection to grow authentically. Watching them team up against a common enemy added depth and made the resolution even more satisfying.

This debut is a gem for fans of gaming and romance alike, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Tara Tai.

I absolutely loved this audio gamer romance book! I will always be up for a gamer inspired romance, but to have one with two Asian characters and a queer romance at that? I'm so excited to read more from this author- this was such a fun read and it had my whole heart with the setting inside the world of gamers and game development.

This audiobook was a great way to start 2025. First, the narration was fantastic. I haven't heard any narrations by Natalie Naudus before, but she did a great job of giving the characters different voices so it was easy to tell who was speaking in dialogue. She gave each character emotion and made the story even more enjoyable than what would have been on the page.

The story was amazing. There was a long slow burn between the main characters, Cat and Andi. They start off hating each other and ever so slowly find that they are each other's person. When they finally get together, it is so sweet and passionate. It is a great story overall.

Spoiler...I wish the baddies in the story had gotten what they had coming to them instead of just getting away with things. That was the only portion of the whole story that I objected to. Otherwise, this is an excellent story and an even better audiobook.

Cat loves romance in video games, so she is ecstatic when she is hired as a writer for an upcoming game called Compass Hollow and put in charge of the romance plots. Her new boss, Andi, never misses an opportunity to remind her that they find the addition of romance to any video game to be entirely unnecessary. Though the two of them constantly clash, they seemingly can’t stop running into each other outside of work. Can two people with such different tastes come to an understanding? Or are they - and their game - doomed from the start?

This book had a good balance of characters and story. The plot felt like it had real stakes that would affect the characters, and the author did a good job of tying it into the character growth and romance, though characters who were meant to be antagonistic were a bit simplistic compared to the main cast. It did help to make them easy to root against, so I consider it a fairly minor issue. The audiobook format was good, and I quite like Natalie Naudus as a narrator. Her character voices, however, were excellent as always.

I really enjoyed the two main characters and I thought that their relationship was realistic in how it developed over the course of the book. I’ve mentioned before that I find enemies to lovers to be quite tricky in modern settings, but I think it worked well here. There were times when the nerdy/pop culture references got to be a little bit too much and took a little focus off of the scene, but overall I greatly enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend this for fans of similar titles. Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC. This is my honest review.

4.5/5 Fantasy DILF game release when??

This book has everything I wanted in a book. Main characters the I love, and simply couldn’t get enough of. And side characters I loved hearing about. It also had Fake dating and enemy to lovers. I loved all the little nerdy references. And just an overall fun story. When I read the description of this book I couldn’t wait to read it. So I was so grateful to Netgalley to get an ARC of this. I think I was only 5 chapters in before I knew this was going to be a book I loved. If you’re looking for a queer romance novel you can’t put down I would highly recommend this one.

4.5

I got sucked in at the very beginning and couldn't stop listening to this book about two video game developers who hate each other, and then don't. I liked both the main characters, which is very rare for me, and I found myself rooting for both of them. Even as a non-gamer, this was a fun, engrossing read that was excellently narrated too.

Wow, this was absolutely delightful! I adored both the characters and the plot, which were crafted so beautifully. The story handled the enemies-to-lovers trope—one that often feels forced to me—with remarkable finesse. The progression of the main couple’s relationship felt natural and believable, making their journey all the more enjoyable. Such a charming and heartwarming read (or listen)!

Thanks, Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.

The dynamics between Cat and Andi and their personal and professional growth sound incredibly compelling. You've captured the essence of their tension, collaboration, and eventual romance while highlighting the struggles faced by queer women in male-dominated industries like gaming. The detail about their D&D campaign adds a fun, personal layer to the story.

"While Natalie Naudus did an excellent job performing the audiobook, I’ve often noted that books featuring same-sex love interests greatly benefit from having two narrators. This approach helps to clearly define the characters and distinguish the point of view in each chapter. As someone who frequently pauses audiobooks mid-chapter, it’s frustrating to return and struggle to identify whose perspective I’m hearing. Dual narration would alleviate this issue and make the listening experience even more immersive."

4.5 stars

Wow I loved this! This is a fantastic sapphic enemies to lovers slow burn, with a bit of fake dating, but there's a twist. I loved both of these characters so much. The balance between the romance and more serious issues was handled so well. I am a gamer and loved all of the references, but I could see some people being annoyed by them. Overall this is a really great book and I can't recommend it enough.

The narration in this audiobook was incredible, the two voices were very distinct which made the story easy to follow.

I am very much looking forward to future books from Tara Tai and I can see them becoming an auto buy author for me in the future.

Seriously one of my top books of the year. I loved all the nerdy references and the D&D campaign and the fat rep and the enby rep!!!!
I LOVED everything. The audiobook was amazing and I have absolutely no regrets reading this book!

I adored this book and highly recommend it!

I was afraid that the book might not resonate with me since I don’t play video games, but I found it relatable despite me not getting all the pop culture references. This book is readable and fun even without a familiarity with the games mentioned.

Cat (lesbian main character) and Andy (non-binary main character) were compelling, and I was rooting for their relationship the whole time. Both characters felt well-rounded to me and like real people. I felt invested in the story and excited to see what would happen next.

Though it was never explicitly stated, I read Cat as autistic. I thought the author did a good job of representing neurodiversity.

This book also included a timely discussion of gender bias in the workplace and online harassment. I thought the author did a good job of including a realistic exploration of difficult topics while keeping the book a fun and romantic read.

I also loved the exploration of fandom culture! I think this book will be relatable to anyone who has been involved in any fandom, even if only online.

Tara Tai is an excellent and talented author. I am looking forward to their future books!

The narration by Natalie Naudus was wonderfully done. I found the narration easy to follow and I thought it conveyed emotional nuance well. The narration enhanced my experience of the story and I’d recommend the audiobook!

ARC Book Review: Single Player by Tara Tai
- antagonists to lovers
- lesbian & non-binary main characters
- fandom culture
- amazing narration by Natalie Naudus
- fake dating

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook!

Single Player by Tara Tai was my first romance of 2025 and a fun one to kick it off with! In this story, we’re treated to fake dating, enemies to lovers (more like grumpy nerd x awkward but swoony nerd), workplace slow burn romance, a touch of spice, and plenty of sapphic/queer/nb rep that I ate up every bit of. On top of that, it’s full of video game, D&D, delicious food, and con references that keeps Tara’s authentic author voice alive throughout. Please add this to your 2025 TBR and read asap because I promise you’re going to enjoy it!