A review by bookishmillennial
Single Player by Tara Tai

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial 

I listened to the audiobook on Libro FM and thought this was a lovely, cozy romcom that spoke to my experience being an Asian woman in a cishet white male-dominated space, albeit a different industry. I am not a gamer (well, I want to stop saying this actually, because Tara Tai said anyone who plays any games is a gamer), but this was so fun and I feel like it paid homage to gamers, video games, and marginalized folks in these spaces really well. It actually really made me want to play more games!! 

I loved the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between Cat (she/her) and Andi (she/they) as they developed a romance for the game Compass Hollow (and obviously one offline between themselves lol). The corny puns that used gamer-themed language felt sweet and goofy, and though I'm sure others will hate them or cringe, I thought they were fun! For example, "it was like mana was being regenerated," or something along those lines lol. I recognize it sounds cheesy, but you're reading a romcom. Accept the cheese!!!!

I related to Cat's awkwardness and treating every interaction like a video game dialogue option hahah. She was so hopeless, yet adorable and learned to speak up for herself and advocate for romance in the video game industry. Andi's commitment and reverence of video games prevented her from recognizing the value of adding romance to Compass Hollow's story and of Cat too. However, I appreciated their arc of getting out of their own way, and expanding their perspective.

The villainous characters in this story were as awful as you'd imagine privileged dudes in a video game company to be, but the ending was really satisfying heheheheehehe.

I think Tara Tai's extensive exposition (which was more in the beginning of the book) will lessen as they write more, but I'm really looking forward to what she writes next! 

steam scale: 2 out of 5
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