Natalia delivered another incredible performance. I was hooked on the story not even 5 minutes into the book! The audio quality was great, no funky business. The pacing was perfect for me, I didnt have to set it up to go slower or faster and Natalia did a great job clearly establishing the different voices for Cat and for Andi. I could not stop smiling while listening to the book and laughed out loud in public several times, the weird looks i've gotten were worth it. Great rom com with interesting characters and this audio book made it even better.

Great narrator that captures lots of emotion!

This story grew on me as I read it. At first I had no idea how these two were supposed to fall in love, as they were hardly in the same room or alone together. Then you had this instinctual type of protectiveness slash envy from the boss.
I feel like it took a while for the romance to take off but I did enjoy all I learned about game making and the story building behind it all.
The big story of romance writing taking skill and creativity is really important.

We don't get many books about video games - and we get even fewer LGBTQIA+ books set in the video game world, so I was super-excited to get an advance copy of this one from the publisher. While the plot doesn't break new ground in terms of surprises, the vivid characters and the unique gaming-industry backdrop more than make up for it. If you're a fan of workplace romances, gaming culture, or witty banter, this book is definitely worth your time.
 
The book focuses on Cat Li, an overly enthusiastic and hopelessly romantic writer who has finally landed her dream job working on Compass Hollow, a major new game. Her task? To bring a swoon-worthy romance subplot to life. However, her boss, Andi Zhang (the other MC), is a no-nonsense narrative director who has no patience for love stories- either in video games or in real life. The clash between Cat's romantic idealism and Andi's pragmatic approach creates a fun enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine dynamic that drives the story forward.
 
From the get-go, Cat is a standout character. She's unapologetically passionate about both video games and romance, which makes her instantly relatable. What makes Cat truly shine, however, is her sense of humor. She's absolutely hilarious, with quips and observations that had me laughing out loud multiple times. Her optimism and determination to bring love to the narrative of Compass Hollow are infectious, and her personality lights up every scene she's in.
 
Andi Zhang, on the other hand, is a more complex character. Initially, their standoffish demeanor and disdain for romance make them seem like a typical "grumpy" counterpart in the classic grumpy/sunshine dynamic. But as the story unfolds, we see the layers behind Andi's guarded exterior, shaped by past trauma and professional challenges they face as a non-binary person in a cis-het-male dominated profession. Their journey - from resisting Cat's romantic ideas to slowly warming up to both her creativity and her charm - is deeply satisfying. The chemistry between Cat and Andi is electric, with a mix of banter, tension, and tender moments that keep you rooting for them. It helps that we get alternating chapters from both character's perspectives, giving us a full-picture view of what is really happening.

Throughout the novel, both Cat and Andi have to confront their personal fears and biases, which adds emotional weight to the story. Andi's reluctance to open up and Cat's determination to prove herself as more than just a "romance writer" create compelling personal journeys that enrich the central romance.
 
As I mentioned earlier, the video game industry is a fresh and intriguing backdrop for a romantic comedy. Tai's depiction of the development process makes the book feel authentic and adds depth to the story. The challenges Andi faces, including recovering from a doxxing incident and trying to prove their worth in a competitive industry, highlight real issues in the gaming world, making the narrative more impactful.
 
That said, the plot of Single Player follows a fairly predictable trajectory. While there are stakes - like Cat and Andi needing to save Andi's career and deliver a compelling game - the outcomes are pretty predictable - especially for rom-com lovers (and that's not necessarily a bad thing).

I both read a paperback ARC and listened to an ALC of this title and loved the narration provided by Natalie Naudus. Naudus was able to give both Cat and Andi different inflections and personalities, so it was never difficult to know which character was in charge of the narrative at any given time. If you prefer audiobooks, I recommend this one.
 
While the novel might not reinvent the wheel in terms of romantic comedy plots, its endearing characters, clever humor, and unique setting make it a thoroughly enjoyable read. Cat's hilarious antics, Andi's layered personality, and the behind-the-scenes look at video game creation all come together to create a story that is as entertaining as it is heartwarming. If you're looking for a romance that combines workplace drama, geeky charm, and a healthy dose of laughs, this book is a solid pick.

As a nonbianary gaming nerd I was really excited for this! I found this to be pretty fun in all honesty. It wasn't so great big moving book but I had fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I found myself beaming and squealing as the two characters grew closer and cheering for them all along. This made me happy and helped me get through the holiday season so it was a solid book all around.

I loved this one! It reminded me of Dating and Dragons a little bit but for grownups. My only gripe is that it was so slow burn I wanted more couple-y time. But I loved the premise and plot, this one is for the nerds!

Narration was decent, though I would have preferred dual narration or a narrator who used more vocal variation, if I got distracted it wasn’t always immediately clear who’s head I was in.

To start off I will say, I quite enjoyed this book. Overall it was a cute romance, and that was what I was looking for. That being said, there were some issues I had. First, the main relationship is between a Manager and their Intern Employee, while there are many other reasons the characters think of for why they can't get together, this power dynamic is hardly a throw away thought once or twice. This dynamic broke up the Try Guys, I was expecting it to be a bigger hurdle to get over. Second, apparently the universe's only goal was to get these two together because the amount of 'coincidental meetings' that happened required a bit of suspension of disbelief. I listened to the audio book for this and Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job of switching her voice between POV chapters. The writing was well done, the geeky references were fun, and the periodic 4th wall breaking wasn't too off putting. The intimate scene was enjoyable and just the right length and descriptiveness. All told this was a nice romance with a fun geeky twist.

This book was just incredibly wholesome. I am an avid gamer and married to an enby game developer, so I read this arc thinking it would be right up my alley and I was right! The references to games were so seamless and I almost died when Hatoful Boyfriend was mentioned. Overall the writing and prose is so fun and engaging and there is a really fresh take on fake dating in this! Cat is so lovable that even when I was facepalming at some of her choices, I was still right there with her rooting for it all to work out. Also did a mention there’s a mid or plus size MC!? Like YES. Absolutely recommend this book. It was my pleasure to read this arc.

Very interesting to have fake dating but not have those two characters be the end game.

I loved the gamer atmosphere of this book! It was prominent within the story along with the forming romance and as a nerd I appreciated that. The references were great and gave fun easter eggs (if you will).
Cat and Andi were great to follow in their own right, but I think it lacked a little on us readers being able to actually see them together. Wish there were more scenes in that regard, but overall the office enemies to lovers was fun!

I picked this up entirely because Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite narrators, but this turned out to be a delightful ride in its own right. This story strikes the perfect balance of a tight love story as well as oodles of representation for QTPOC in the gaming industry and the challenges they face. The author vividly and seamlessly creates a landscape of character I feel like I personally know at the intersections of various microcosms of gaming and queerness, and all the baked in attitudes and microaggressions. All in all, it's actually quite a simple and sweet sapphic love story, with perhaps a few too many wedged in gaming references, that you can't be mad about if you're someone who's even remotely gamer-adjacent. If you are a tabletop gamer or a videogamer, you'll probably get a lot more out of the veiled references of real-world controversies around specific games and queer identities and romance options and gaming conventions. Basically, if the much lauded "literary" book "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" was too angsty and rambling for you, this is the perfect less pretentious, more romantic replacement. Also this happened only twice, but the narrator pronouncing Enby as "en-bye" was kinda jarring given one of the protagonists and the author are both nonbinary, and audio production should've caught this.

Oh my god I absolutely adored this book! I loved the depth from the main characters to their arcs to how well gaming culture was weaved into the story.

Is there a trope for grumpy x awkward? Because I wouldn’t call Cat sunshine, but she was so accidentally awkward in their early interactions that I became obsessed with them together. It wasn’t like the cringe, second hand embarrassment kind of awkward, but the has me smiling stupidly at my phone and wanting to push them together because I couldn’t get enough of them kind of adorably awkward. (Is that a thing? Idk but it is now 😅)

This story features gaming heavily in the plot, so I was a little nervous. While I do play strategy board games, I know next to nothing about video games (or D&D) and feared things would go over my head, but none of it did! Everything was explained well and I felt fully immersed into this world. I honestly want to join their next D&D campaign 😂

And while I do feel the ending was resolved a little too easily, I also don’t care. I loved these characters and they already have enough to deal with with past traumas and current fears and insecurities, I’m glad they didn’t have to go through a brutal fight against the final boss. I liked that it stayed on the lighter end as far as conflict resolution goes. And I loved the epilogue!

And finally, since I listened to the audiobook, I also want to point out that the narration was excellent. Natalie Naudus brought so much life to the characters and absolutely crushed it.

This is a debut novel so sign me up for whatever Tara Tai writes next!

I really enjoyed this book. The narration was fantastic! I liked the suspense on who the villain was in the story, and how the main characters handle it. The video game aspect was fun to listen to.

Single Player is an absolute delight. I adored the take on the gaming industry, and seeing the story unfold with both a drama around the development of the game *and* with a sapphic romance from both Cat and Andi's eyes was so much fun. Such a heartwarming romance and I loved the development of both Andi and Cat throughout the book. Single Player had the most grounded romance characters I’ve read in a while and so many fun easter eggs for anyone who games. That being said, I think you could absolutely enjoy this novel without gaming background though as it isn’t heavy-handed. Natalie Naudus, the narrator, perfectly embodies both Cat and Andi, providing each of them their own unique voice and I now cannot imagine either character sounding any other way.

In addition to the main characters, the side relationships really helped make Cat and Andi feel whole and not fully defined by the romance narrative. Early in the story, the Val/Andi relationship humanizes Andi and helped me look past how serious she took herself, seeing how Val interacts with her let me see Andi more relaxed without putting on the front that she needed to take on at work. Similarly, Rosalie and Cat were another favorite pairing for me - Rosalie's coordination and friendship with Cat was just lovely.

There were so many scenes that stuck with me and I don't want to spoil anything - but I will say the argument in the bathroom was just the best. There are excellent plays on some of the typical romantic tropes - something to delight any romance reader for sure (have I said delight enough yet?!)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy. I wholeheartedly recommend Single Player to kick off anyone's 2025 reading journey.

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 Dreamscape Media, NetGalley and Tara Tai for the advanced copy audiobook.

If you love a sapphic, enemies-to-lovers workplace romance with diverse characters, this one is for you!

Told in dual POVs, the story follows Cat, a romance-loving writer and gamer, and Andi, her sexy yet infuriating boss. Cat is hired to add romantic elements to a highly anticipated video game, but she immediately faces resistance from Andi, who is fiercely protective of their work.

Andi, a talented game developer, faced internet trolling after the success of a game. It was revealed that Andi isn't just another white dude in the gaming industry, but is a person who alternates between she/her and they/them pronouns. Used to a single-player lifestyle, Andi struggles with trusting others—but Cat’s talent and passion eventually break through those walls.

As sparks fly between them, Cat uncovers a plot to destroy Andi’s career. Forced to team up, they fight to save the game—and Andi’s reputation—all while falling hopelessly for each other.

This was such a fun and entertaining audiobook! If this premise sounds up your alley, I definitely recommend picking it up.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC!

Fun sapphic romance for gamers (that also features a genderqueer character)! If you’re not a gamer, there will definitely be parts that don’t make as much sense to you but non-gamers can definitely still enjoy this.

3.5 stars!

ALC Review: Single Player by Tara Tai
Pub Date: January 7, 2025
Narrator: Natalie Naudus

A sapphic, game developing, enemies to lovers workplace romance?? Say less! And I'm so happy to say that I really loved this one! It's definitely one of my top sapphic books I've read this year.

I really enjoyed the relationship development between Andi and Cat. Andi is somewhat standoffish after being doxxed a few years ago and struggles to open up or rely on others. But slowly over time, she learns to trust Cat and open up to her. This story is romantic and complex but also sweet and understated. I really liked the workplace setting and the third act conflict felt well fleshed out and didn't result in a breakup! There's a really satisfying outcome for a crappy character.

And of course, I loved the narration by Natalie Naudus. Though I usually prefer dual narration for a dual POV story, I never had a hard time telling which POV I was in and a large part of that was due to her narration!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Tara Tai’s Single Player is a refreshing addition to the sapphic romance genre, blending nerd culture with heartfelt storytelling. While the narrative begins at a measured pace, it gradually builds momentum, rewarding readers with a story that is as charming as it is unique.

The romance at the heart of the novel is sweet and understated, offering a delightful contrast to the more common tropes seen in LGBTQ+ romances. Tai’s characters feel authentic and relatable, particularly for readers who see themselves in the geeky, game-loving protagonists. The gaming references are a standout feature, adding depth and nostalgia, especially for those familiar with the titles mentioned (including a fan-favorite that adds a personal touch for some readers).

What sets Single Player apart is its ability to weave gaming culture into the story without overshadowing the emotional core. Tai deftly balances lighthearted moments with sincere exploration of identity, connection, and love.

Though it might take a little patience to get into the story, the payoff is worth it. Single Player is an endearing read that will resonate with gamers and romance fans alike. It’s a testament to the magic of finding love where you least expect it—both in the digital and real worlds.

I received an advanced listening copy of the audiobook for review. This is my own opinion.

Cat and Andi are workplace annoyances to lovers. Cat’s trouble with dating IRL makes her want to write more romance in games—defined paths and playing a character just make sense. Andi is the complete opposite, especially after being doxxed and subsequently dumped.

What I find interesting is the way the traumas of these two characters (Cat by her family’s constant comparisons/belittling and Andi by her boss/the doxxing) are presented. Neither really addresses those things but leaves them as more of a constant undercurrent, the background art if you will, for the way they move through their lives.

Full of game references (that I as a baby gamer only partially understood) Single Player is entertaining and still accessible for those of us who don't speak the lingo. I definitely recommend this to my gamer nerds and sapphic romance readers alike.

Also, Natalie Naudus is a gem.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape for the ALC!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I loved this. Felt fresh and unique.i read alot of queer books and pretty sure this is one of few 2 Asian queer folk. I loved the fake dating, boss employee. It took awhile for the steam but definitely had me sweating.

4.5/5☆

Sapphic gamers - literally say less! This was so freaking cute. I really can’t think of anything I’d want to see change in this story. I’m so excited to see what the author does next because this debut is ah-mazing!