Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 Audiobook performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

by Ali Hazelwood (October 1, 2024) – [Thank you @netgalley @spotify and @alihazelwood for an advanced listening copy of this fantastic audio-only novella perfect for the winter season! Below is my honest review]

Viola Bowen is living the dream—the video game company she works for just landed her dream contract – to transform her favorite book series into a video game, and she could be the lead designer. The catch? Their rival firm also won part of the contract, meaning she’ll have to collaborate with the competition. And the lead designer on the other team? None other than Jesse Andrews—the brilliant, talented, and infuriatingly attractive jerk who has barely given Viola the time of day for years. To make matters worse, their bosses think the best way to unite the two teams is a team-building retreat at a snowy lodge, where Viola and Jesse end up in rooms way too close for comfort. But as the days unfold, Viola starts to realize she may have been misreading Jesse for years.

If, like me, you’ve loved Ali’s exploration of new genres but still crave her signature spicy nerdy romances, you’re in for a treat! Two Can Play is classic Ali Hazelwood—fun, flirty, and full of chaotic charm. At just 4 hours and 24 minutes, it’s the perfect quick listen. There are flashbacks to past moments between Viola and Jesse but the bulk of the story takes place over five days at their corporate team building retreat. If you like rivals to lovers, novellas, and forced proximity, you are in for a treat!

The narration by Kelsey Navarro Foster is spot on, bringing each character to life with energy and emotion, making this audio experience even more immersive.