ROLE PLAYING

Chris Brinkley and Elyse Dinh pair up for a delightful performance in this fresh nerdy romance. Maggie is 48 and a new empty nester who channels her emotions through an online role-playing game. She becomes close with her guild leader, a friendly healer named Aiden, but is shocked when they meet in person. Aiden isn’t the college-aged player Maggie thought—he’s a 50-year-old man who is caring for his ailing mother. Dinh’s and Brinkley’s performances have the right intense beats when narrating gameplay. The romance unfolds more slowly so that listeners can savor its moments. Both narrators depict the genuine struggle faced by characters who are coping with life’s new chapters and finding joy in unexpected places. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2023 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2023]