In this dual POV romance, Cat starts working at a video game company, hired to add in romance plot lines to a fantasy game in progress. Her boss is Andi (who uses she/they pronouns), who is skeptical of the addition of romance to the game, to put it generously. It’s the result of a “suggestion” by higher ups to make the game more marketable to women. After a disastrous first meeting, things only get worse between Cat and Andi, and despite their efforts to be professional, they can’t seem to help being snarky with each other. As they keep getting thrown together, both at work and outside of it, they begin to realize there might be something else developing between them.
In the first few chapters of Single Player, I was on the fence. There were some silly elements, especially when it came to Cat, that felt over the top for me at first. (For example, she thinks, “I feel like an angry potato whenever I’m around Andi.”) Also, she immediately picks a fight with her new boss, which is a stunningly bad decision, especially when that’s apparently out of character for her. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, because Cat—and the story as a whole—really grew on me.
Cat and Andi have a lot in common. They’re both trying to make it in an industry that’s hostile to queer women and nonbinary people of colour like them. (It’s been especially horrific to Andi, who was the target of a lot of harassment from “fans” simply for not being a white dude.) They both feel insecure in romance. Andi feels like she’s too “difficult,” especially now that she has PTSD from being harassed and doxxed. Cat is insecure about being “weird”, geeky, Asian, and fat. (There’s no talk of diet or weight loss, though, which I’m glad for.) Eventually they begin to see and appreciate exactly the things about each other that initially had them butting heads.
As you’d expect, there are lots of video game references, some explained and some not. We also learn a lot about the plot of the game they’re making, including a few of the romantic subplots. Both Cat and Andi are obviously passionate about video games, and that isn’t just contained to work. Cat even begins to treat dating (someone else) as a video game just for the achievement of being with someone when her parents visit—she may be bad at real-life dating, but she knows how to pick from dialogue options. There’s even some Dungeons and Dragons included, though I wish we had seen more of it!
While I had some hang-ups at the beginning, I ended up really liking this. It can be a little silly or cheesy at times, but it’s fun. I like the dynamic between Cat and Andi as well as the video game references. I was not expecting to tear up at a line that ends with “git gud,” but here we are. I’m only a very casual gamer myself, so I can’t speak to that aspect, but I had a great time with this one, and I’m glad to see my 2025 romance reading starting off strong.
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