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

Adorable! I was transported back to high school in this YA romcom full of fake dating fun and games. Cue all the innocent butterflies and swoon-y giggles. ☺️

This was such a sweet nerdy book. Perfect for younger YA readers. The light-hearted romance and teasing banter between characters was very well written. I also loved nods to both theater and gaming nerdoms.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC!

This book was a decent YA romcom. I liked the nerdy romance aspect. I liked the moments of humor and banter. Overall, it's an enjoyable read if you're looking for a lighthearted story, it is on the younger-YA end, since the characters were 15-16 and the writing at time felt more juvenile. Because of this I wouldn't recommend it to my friends but to like my younger niece whos in high school.

This is such a fun little fake, enemies to friends to lovers type romance for all those who were in drama or D&D or some other nerd pursuit. Riley is a total drama geek, so much so that she “borrows” her mother’s car to drive to see a Broadway play, despite the fact that she doesn’t have a driver’s license. For her punishment she must work at her father’s game shop, which she has absolutely no interest in.

It is all a little complicated, without a scorecard, but Riley has an ex who is pretending that he “cares” about her, and Nathan is in love with a cute girl who is playing with his heart. He works at the game store. So Riley comes up with a plan to make Nathan’s girl get jealous, and get her ex to stop checking up on her.

And mix that all up with D&D campaigns where Riley takes being a bard to heart by singing broadway hits.

I do like the idea that the two levels of nerdom can come together so well, and the author says she based it on her own life, of stumbling on D&D from the drama side of things, and ends up marrying one of the guys she met while doing so.

The emotions are all realistic, and the estranged father turning out to be not as estranged as Riley thought is a good bit as well. Don’t be turned off by the cover, as far as I know no lute playing happened in the story, but it does draw the eye in.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 9th of January 2024 from Random House.

I picked this book up because my school has a DnD club so I thought I’d give it a shot to recommend to them, but I actually ended up loving it. I mean the cover is so cute, I should have known. But then the characters were adorable and the romance was so sweet. I love finding books that show healthy relationships even in the teen years and this one was so fun.

A Delightful YA Read!
This is, by far, one of the cutest YA books I have read in a while! The fake dating, D&D, and drama were all so enjoyable. I had a lot of fun reading it, and the characters were a blast too! I’m very much looking forward to more from Kristy Boyce.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free advanced copy of this of Dungeons and Drama in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun read! I’ve never played dungeons and dragons but my brothers have and especially after reading this I can see the appeal. This was a good read that was light and fun with good characters and growth. It felt very age appropriate for high school and was all around enjoyable

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce is a sweet and delightful YA romance you will not want to put down. The story draws on familiar tropes but the characters are so fun that their antics seem new and engaging. This is a perfect read for anyone who wants to relax and enjoy a good story.
Kristy Boyce sure knows how to write light hearted, feel good romance novels that always capture my heart, she writes the most realistic characters.
This is a very cute romantic comedy YA Contemporary with easy-to-root for characters and excellent character development.
A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks that was an absolutely adorable read.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Delacorte Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Oh man, this book was a DELIGHT. Dungeons and Drama was everything I didn’t know I needed. Fake flirting. Jealousy. MUSICALS! Gaming?! What a beautiful recipe for success.

As a theatre girl myself, I felt immediate kinship with Riley. She is such a bold, character and I adore just how unapologetically herself she is.

The chemistry between Riley and Nathan had me absolutely swooning. I was absolutely kicking my feet and giggling the entire time. This is one I will definitely be recommending to everyone I know.

What a cute book! The premise was very cute and I loved the parallels between LARPing and theater. Growing up I was very much on the Dungeons side of Dungeons and Drama but as I got older I appreciated the insight into the seriousness of theater.

For the teen audience I loved that it explored relationships between divorced parents and how kids can navigate that, but in a more lighthearted way. I was a divorced kid and my parents legit tried to get along, so to see that in novel form made me happy.

The romance/fake dating is cute and full of tension. Its also not blown out of proportion and feels realistic. They are good at communicating the rules and trying to help one another, at least until feelings get in the way later... but it still plays out nicely.

This is definitely recommended to the teens who are looking for romance and humor.

Dungeons and Drama is the perfect novel for fans of theatre and table top games. This book has awesome musical references as well as fun nerdy Easter eggs. I love how seamlessly the author was able to combine these two interests. The romance between Nathan and Riley was really cute and I loved the dynamics between Riley and the other store employees as well as Riley and her parents. This book is a really fun & fast contemporary YA romance that you’ll want to pick up as soon as it hits the shelves.

I was fully drawn into the book by the cover. Add DnD into a book and I am intrigued. Add a cute cover and I am going to dive headfirst without even knowing the premise. But, I am glad I did. It was such a cute read and I love getting DnD into the hands of more YA readers.
The fake dating trope is one of my favorites, it is right up there with enemies to lovers and this story had a little bit of both. Riley and Nathan were cute and messy and ridiculous.
I struggled a bit at the beginning with the writing style. I don't always love the first person POV and the writing felt a bit unpolished, but as I started to enjoy the characters and story, it was easier to get to read the POV.
I loved the inside look into the comic book store, showing how the store was far more than just a store. Rather showing that it was a community, a meeting place for players of all kinds. It was a culture of its own and a found family.
I also really enjoyed the push to show the value of arts and how much students would lose if something like the spring musical was taken away. As well as, how much the kids could pull together to keep the show alive, if given the option.
Along with that, the family dynamics of the book were a huge part of the storyline that i really appreciated. It was messy and complex, but it was present. I also appreciated the found family aspect. (Spoiler free).
.

Title: Dungeons and Drama
Author: Kristy Boyce
Release Date: January 9th, 2024*
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Category: YA Romance

Synopsis: 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...
Quote: “Is this really your idea of flirting?” he whispers.
“Mildly insulting you and watching you try to hide your annoyance? Actually, yeah.”

The UnReel Take:
Story: 7
Writing: 6
Characters: 7
Setting: 5
UnReel AR: 6.25

Bottom Line: I don’t often read YA Romance because…well, I’m old. But this, despite the very stupid title, was actually a little delight. Like, a hot water bottle on the heart. The teenagers are realistic (read, dumb) but they grow and interact like real people and the romantic aspect is just adorable. Also, there’s a dad who is neither useless nor needless condescending and that is freaking unusual in YA lit these days. If you’re feeling done and need a little bit of sunshine in your day, pick this bad boy up. But please, keep the singing in your head.

Ideal Reading Location: Really anywhere, but try to find somewhere you won’t look like an idiot giggling out loud.

Drink Pairing: Mountain Dew, as all gamers could’ve guessed. Code Red is also acceptable.

When Riley, theatre teen extraordinaire, is sentenced to spending afternoons working at her dad’s gaming store, for stealing mom’s car and driving to see a musical, she thinks it will be immensely boring and silly. Life is about singing and dancing! Enter a D&D crowd, some fake dating to make someone(s) jealous, and for Riley, the opportunity to sing and act, and you have an absolutely delightful book.

I love D&D and I love musicals and fake dating tropes are one of my favorite, so this book brought me so much joy!

Honestly, my favorite part was Riley’s willingness to TRY…she wasn’t a asshat about working in her dad’s store and was friendly, and admitted that she was enjoying herself, and some aspects of gaming. It was refreshing to see this maturity (which seems to be completely absent in many YA books.)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Dungeons and Drama is such a cute YA romance. It's perfect for fans of musical theater and D&D, or anyone considering venturing into those worlds. I loved Riley's voice, determination, and style. She probably should have had a fashion insta- I know who she could collab with. The entire cast was very lovable and everyone had distinct voices. The romance was adorable and I was rooting for Riley and Nathan the whole time.

This book was absolutely adorable! YA romance goodness! I adored the characters in every way. As a choir kid and big time nerd, I was so here for this book. Gaming and drama club? A mix that works so well. It was such a fun, easy read. Definitely a book you can devour in one sitting! Sweet to the core.

In this book we meet Riley, a musical lover and aspiring Broadway director, who finds herself in hot waters with her parents after taking her mom’s car without asking and driving without a license, to get back in their good graces she is now forced to work in her dad’s game shop. After a run in with her ex-boyfriend she ropes in Nathan, a coworker and not a fan of her, to be her fake boyfriend in exchange she will flirt with him to get his crush to notice him.



While it was a short fast read the author does a great job to flush out the FMC. Her love of musicals and her close relationships with her mother and best friend shine throughout the book. Her persistence in saving the musical in her school and slowly discovering her new feelings for Nathan was fun to read and kept me entertained and guessing what could happen next. The ability to have an FMC that isn’t just one dimensional but has goals and is more than just a romance but is still able to deliver a cute slow burn romance that makes the reader feel warm and fuzzy. Chefs kiss.



While romance between Riley and Nathan is a big part of this story the relationship between Riley and her father was a nice surprise. Riley’s struggle to reconnect with her dad and finding appreciation for the shop and this world her dad loves wasn’t what I expected when picking up this book, but it was what I needed.



While the D&D might put off some people from reading this, I can assure you that it’s not overwhelming and the author does a great job of both making it interesting and entertaining.



Solid four stars.



Thank you to NetGally and Random House Children’s Delacorte Press for this e-ARC for an honest review