Originally released as a Spotify audiobook, Two Can Play exemplifies a significant trend in romance publishing where novellas are produced for audio-first platforms before they are published in written form. According to the Audio Publishers Association, romance is consistently a top-selling audiobook genre, and the accessibility of digital formats has fueled its 30% growth, which outstrips all other genres (“APA Research Facts.” Audio Publishers Association, 2025). This audio-first model often favors fast-paced, dialogue-driven narratives that can captivate listeners. Other popular audio-first romances include Cara Bastone’s Call Me Maybe (2020), Lily Chu’s The Stand-in (2021), and Rachel Lynn Solomon’s The Ex Talk (2021). 

To achieve this, authors frequently employ popular genre conventions, or tropes, which provide familiar and effective narrative structures that are easy for readers to follow. The novella is built upon several of these well-established frameworks. The central relationship between Viola and Jesse follows the “enemies-to-lovers” arc, stemming from a years-long misunderstanding. This dynamic is amplified by the “forced proximity” trope, when their competing companies are sent on a joint team-building retreat to a remote mountain lodge. This classic setup compels the characters to confront their history and evolving feelings. Author Ali Hazelwood has built a distinct brand by placing these familiar tropes within STEM-adjacent workplaces, creating a signature style that appeals to a broad audience. This blend of a specific, modern setting with conventional genre tropes is particularly well-suited for an audio-first format, as it provides recognizable conventions and narrative structure.