Single Player

Author:        Tara Tai Publisher:        alcove press Pages:          320

​★★★★

My opinion in this review is independent of receiving the review copy and is based on my honest assessment.

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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.

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I would like to sincerely thank NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.