Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she's grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can't waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan's Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn't require as much acting as she would've thought...

————————————————————

Tropes:
🐉 Fake-Dating
🐉 Enemies-to-Lovers

Where to start………
I absolutely loved this story. It was the perfect YA romance.
Riley loves musical theatre and gets sent to work at her dads gaming store after joyriding in her moms car.
Nathan works and spends all his extra time at the gaming store.
The two of them could not be more opposite - but you know what they say - opposites attract.
This was a cute, cozy, and nostalgic read. All of the characters were lovable and the plot was followed through and through.
Before starting this book I thought it was going to be cheesy - I’m so glad I was proven wrong. It was not cheesy. It was a super cute YA romance that put me right in my feels.

I hope to see more of Riley and Nathan in the future.


⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Such a cute book! I love the fake dating trope. Throw in musicals and nerdy role playing games, and it just elevated everything! Adorable! ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Riley and Hoshiko are best friends and obsessed with musical theater. So when Hoshiko's car breaks down on their way to see Waitress, Riley "borrows" her mom's car and drives her and Hoshiko there. But Riley doesn't have a license, so the parentals are furious.

Riley and her mom are tight, but her mom's design business is busy so she can't keep an eye on grounded Riley most evenings. So Riley is forced to work at her dad's tabletop gaming store as punishment, even though she's never seen most of the games on the shelves.

When her ex-boyfriend goes to the store with his brand new girlfriend, Riley panics and says she also has a new beau. But when no name jumps to mind, she blurts the first thing she can think of -- fellow game store employee Nathan. But Nathan has a crush on a girl from his D&D game, so Riley comes up with a deal. She'll flirt with Nathan at their D&D game so the other player will be interested in him, and Nathan will pretend to be her boyfriend at school where her ex can see them.

Romance readers, you'll know where this is going...

Recommended for teens (and adults) who are into musical theater, or gaming, or both. Romance readers who like the fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes, and those who are here for the will-they-won't-they buildup instead of steamy romance will also enjoy.

Romance rating: G (kissing and cuddling)

Representation: main character with divorced parents, Asian-American side character, gay side characters

When Riley gets grounded and is forced to work at her dad's game store, little does she know she is about to fall into a dilemma of her own making: a fake-dating scheme.

I really enjoy books that employ the fake-dating trope. It's usually fun, humorous, and keeps me guessing about when the train-wreck will happen, when they'll go from faking to feeling it for real. Boyce does this dance well, and her characters are so adorable, it was really fun to see them play off of each other and, eventually, fall for each other.

As someone who plays a lot of D&D, I really enjoyed this aspect of it. I love musical theater, too, so I liked seeing this combo of interests. I also enjoyed how different from each other Riley and Nathan are, which leads to some fun rivalry and a bit of enemies-to-lovers thrown in.

The story is fun, light, and full of drama. I would say that it's also predictable, but I don't mind it in this case because it's a rom-com and, to a certain point, all rom-coms are predictable. I was entertained, which is the important thing. I love all of the characters and I think that the writing is good. The story kept me engaged and I was rooting for Riley and Nathan the whole way.

I would recommend this book to any romance lover, especially if they're either into musical theater or D&D, and if they happen to like fake-dating, this is a bonus!

This was an amazing read, I devoured this book in 2 days. The premise for the book is so cute and different. I'm not into Dungeons & Dragons myself (I've honestly never tried it out so maybe I would be if I did) but the idea that someone who is into drama and musicals getting into role playing doesn't seem like that far of a stretch. I love an enemies to lovers story, and this one did it well. There are a lot of times in this book when they almost poke fun at everything and I appreciate that kind of humor. The characters were done really well and I loved the journey that the characters took. I love the friendship in the book, both the guys and girls. This book could appeal to so many people even, it has so many qualities that lead to a good story. I've already been recommending this book to people that I know, I'm so excited about it.

I can't honestly think of anything about this book that I would change or improve upon - it was just that good.

Thanks to #netgalley for an advance copy of #DungeonsandDrama by Kristy Boyce to read and review.

𝘈 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘺... 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵.

𝘋𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 features Riley serving out the consequences of her reckless behaviour in her dad's Videogame shop and faking a relationship with fellow coworker Nathan in a mutually beneficial agreement to make his crush jealous and fend off her jerk of an ex.

- ~ -

Riley was a little crazy when it came to musicals and all things theatres. Dramatic would be apt. But she fell just as crazily for the infuriating and enegmatic Nathan.

Nathan had no business being this swoony in a YA romance. He always pushed her buttons for the better and embraced her extra. Even played the jealous boyfriend role too convincingly some might say.

The way the story played out with the perfect balance of passion for their respective hobbies and figuring out new stuff together and apart was incredible.

3.97 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Absolutely funny and adorable! I’ve been interested in joining a D&D campaign for awhile as I got older and reading this book with details about the game makes me want commit even more. I loved the story arch surrounding a group of high school kids working and playing at a nerdy game store shop because its similar to my own experiences from college. I think Kristy Boyce created a whole new interesting book troupe that was different than most of the romance or high schooler books I have read before. I liked the concept of a nerd and drama geek working and then eventually getting together to help each other out. Honestly, I think both personalities go hand in hand in a way, which the author also addressed.

Overall, I absolutely loved the story and plot turns. The characters were well-written with their own unique traits and personality that intermingled with each other while gaming. While the story’s setting in high school gave me cringe-worthy nightmares, I liked the nostalgic parts of the friend groups and nerds gaming to have fun. Brought back a lot of fond memories of times I’ve had with friends in high school and later in life. By far, Dungeons & Drama is one of the best books I have read this year!

UGH! This book is being added to my bookstore cart at this very moment. I will be recommending it in the future!

Kristy has done it again in completely capturing my heart with the most swoon worthy couple! I've always been a fan of fake dating, enemies to lovers, and slow burn, but toss in theater drama and D&D games, and I was in before I even started.

Riley gets punished after stealing her mother's car and is forced to work in her dad's gaming store with Nathan. It's there that Nathan and Riley drum up a fake dating scheme to get back at Riley's ex and help Nathan win over a toxic girl he has a crush on. The scheme also produces the cutest fake couple that I can not get over.

The story is strong, the characters bounding off the page into the real world. I kept sending sentences of the book that blew me away to my own boyfriend, the D&D nerd to my theater geek. The book holds a magical captivity on the reader, refusing to let them go and making you want to reach that heartbreaking ending before the happily ever after.

I could not put this book down! I finished it in 3 days and loved every minute!

Riley's life is flipped upside down when she's forced to work at her dad's gaming store as a punishment. Her life only revolves around musicals, drama, and becoming the assistant director to her school's spring musical. Her coworker Nathan is the complete opposite being interested in anything game related and being far away from school functions. While these two clash in both personality and style, eventually they find common ground while lying about their fake relationship.

This book is full of silly situations, fun friendships, and an enemies to lovers romance that felt way too long in the best possible way.

If you love dungeons & dragons, romance, and comedy this book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for allowing me to read an eArc in exchange for an honest review. All the views and opinions expressed in this review are purely my own and not affiliated with any brand.

Nerds unite! I LOVED this book so much! My only thing is I was hoping for even more D&D. I have not personally played and don't really understand how D&D works, so I was very intrigued by this story. After reading it, I really want to learn more about D&D. Kristy Boyce does an amazing job writing a compelling and interesting book that fans of musicals and fans of D&D would enjoy! You don't have to know anything about D&D to enjoy this book! I would absolutely recommend the book! Do yourself a favor and read it!

Small Business BookTok ARC Reviews: "Dungeons and Drama" by Kristy Boyce

Note: This ARC was given to me for free by the author and/or publisher and I am reviewing this book voluntarily.

Riley is a theater kid and musical lover with big dreams of one day directing a musical production. When Riley is sent to work at her dad's game shop for 8 weeks as punishment for borrowing her mom’s car without permission one night, she meets Nathan, an employee and D&D enthusiast. On top of everything else, Riley has to worry about saving her school’s musical and trying to get back at her ex-boyfriend. Both in relationship conflicts of their own, they make a deal; she’ll flirt with him to make his crush jealous and get her attention, and he’ll flirt with her to make her ex jealous and leave her alone. Can Riley keep up the charade, make her ex jealous, and find a way to save the school production while working at the game shop after school? They rolled the dice on a deal, but they didn’t know they rolled on Romance!

Musical lovers, theater enthusiasts, and Dungeons, and Dragons fans, this is 100% the book for you! This was such a fun YA Rom-Com to read! Growing up with theater camp and being a musical theater lover myself, I connected with not only the narrative, but also the nostalgic musical theater nods and references. Dungeons and Dragons is also mentioned a good deal throughout the narrative as well as some chapters either go into some details about campaign dynamics or they might give nods and references to certain D&D classes and species. The message of the narrative itself also acts as an important commentary on responsibility and how we should balance our priorities, or balance the things we want to do from the things we need to do in life. 

Riley and Nathan were also interesting characters to follow throughout the narrative. While their chemistry started a bit messy, we see how their relationship progressed for the better throughout the narrative and how both characters brought out the best in each other. While Riley and Nathan were complete opposites of each other, they were able to bond, understand, and learn from each other’s interests through a common passion built on creativity and community. D&D and Theatre, in some ways, have common grounds as both the game and the profession involve dedication via acting, understanding the world-building and characters of the narrative the participant is working with, improvisation, annunciation, (or projection of volume), direction, and teamwork. Some D&D campaigns have even gone on to become movies and television hits such as “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and “The Legend of Vox Machina”! If you’re looking for a fun, wholesome YA book with tons of Rom-Com hijinks with a dash of theater and gaming nostalgia, don’t miss out on this book when it hits online shelves on January 9th, 2024!

Rating: 5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Tropes to Expect: Fake Flirting, Co-Workers-to-Lovers, Theater Kid x D&D Gamer, Musical Narrative, D&D Campaign Narrative, Love Square, Homecoming Narrative, and Opposites Attract!

 -Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Divorce, Health Scare, Brief Hospitalization, and Relationship Anxiety.

I really really like this book and I think if I was the target audience, I would've absolutely loved it! This cover so many high school age struggles so well.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Riley’s grounded for taking her love of musical theater too far. She’s put to work in her Dad’s gaming store after school and on weekends.

There, she runs into her ex-boyfriend and his new girl browsing the store and finds herself making up a new relationship of her own. One with her fellow employee and school peer, Nathan.

Nathan’s a quiet, reserved gamer. The opposite, personality wise, of the extroverted, brightly clothed Riley. But he has a long time crush on a gamer girl and fake dating Riley might just help (finally) move things along. So, he agrees with her request to fake it.

The more time Riley and Nathan spend together, of course, the more the line between faking it and really feeling it blurs. Riley also finds herself enjoying gaming and forming friendships with Nathan’s gamer friends.

When Riley’s grounding ends sooner than expected and she’s no longer required to work at the gaming store, she’s faced with a roller coaster of choices and emotions her pre-grounded self never would have seen coming.

This was a fast-paced and enjoyable read with a fun cast of characters a, great premise, and a nice splash of gaming and musical theater references. Highly recommend!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A really enjoyable read! I thought the central romance was sweet and well-developed and I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with each other. I did find bizarre that in a book where one romantic lead is into musical theatre, and the other is a fan of Weird Al that the Hamilton Polka did not come up once, but that's perfectly forgivable.

I loved this book! It was so adorable and had me rooting for the characters the whole way through. I especially loved the romantic tropes included and the friendship/found family aspects. Overall a great YA read!

When Riley makes the immature decision to 'borrow' her mother's car without permission (and with out a license) to see a touring performance of her favorite musical, she lands herself in some hot water. Her punishment, designed to help teach her about finding balance between her responsibilities and her passions, is to work at her father's tabletop and card game store. There, some teenage-level hi-jinks ensue including a fake-boyfriend scheme and enemies-to-crushes romance with fellow student employee Nathan. The book also touches on themes involving divorce and parental involvement, learning to prioritize and find balance in your life, and finding your tribe.

I found the teenage characters to be very realistic representations- they make some poor choices and some big realizations, and while they mature over the course of the story the plot always made you feel like these were age-appropriate scenarios. Sometimes YA romance is a little too spicy for younger teens, and the characters are a little too mature in their thoughts or actions to be relatable. This book would be appropriate for any teens, with the romance being of the heartwarming and cute variety (and realistic for the ages of the characters). Beyond some hand-holding and arm-brushing, there is a kiss that is more swoon worthy than spicy. The characters are relatable and likeable, and even though there is some 'drama' including the romantic scenario and the planning of a school musical, you always feel like things are going to work out for Riley, Nathan and the play. There is a health scare with a parent that may be triggering for some readers as a later part of the plot.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

THIS WAS SO CUTE AND FUN!! the fake dating was done so well and the miscommunication added all the angst hehe !! i did feel that the story felt very fast paced, and i would’ve preferred if some of the scenes were developed a bit more so it didn’t feel like it was going bam-bam-bam! but overall the book was a fun read!! the characters were all so lovable and adorable, and the romance was very cute!

Holy moly this book was ridiculously cute I can’t even! Riley is a theater kid who just wants to theater and Nathan is a nerdy boy who finds her annoying. Enemies to lovers and fake dating at its finest! As someone who who is a huge nerd I play D&D, I game, and board games are everything but I’m also a theater kid! I was so giddy as I read this with every reference to beloved plays and game. If your nerdy or a theater kid you will love this cute sweet YA romance

I have only recently gotten into romcoms. And with a love for gaming, I couldn't pass this by without a chance to read it.

Our story follows Riley, a theatre nerd who is forced to work at her dad's game store as punishment. We follow her journey as she grows to love the games and the people far more than she ever expected.

This story had so many fun elements to it - pretend dating, gaming tropes, theatre tropes. Then you add in the complexity of a girl trying to navigate her parent's divorce, her relationship with her dad, high school, and boys.

I found this book to be delightful to read. The characters were very likable, and the relationships intriguing. I enjoyed the plot and the complexities with it and the characters. I found the themes of the book to be very reminiscent of all of the things I love in life.

Thank you, NetGalley, Random House Children's, and author Kristy Boyce for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Release Date: January 9th, 2024