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.

Be back soon, I’m going to get my friends together and start a D&D campaign.

~special thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 Stars

Thank you to Delacorte Press for the ARC to read and review.

I did pick this up based on the cover and the fact it has D&D and Theater in it and I’m not disappointed. It is your typical YA fake dating romcom and it doesn’t do anything that super stands out but it also doesn’t do anything poorly. I am a person that pretty much strictly reads romance so it is hard to do something impressive especially for YA romance so I don’t fully hold that against this book.

Riley gets grounded and forced to go work at her dad’s game shop but then she learns that her spring musical may be canceled and can’t let that happen. She has to find a way to manage working everyday at the game store and being the leading force behind saving the spring musical. But when she makes a deal with her coworker, Nathan, to fake flirt and date to help them both out she starts to realize that maybe her feelings aren’t all fake.

I really didn’t like Riley for most of the book, she doesn’t seem to have any regret for what got her grounded in the first place. She stole her mother’s car and took it hours away with a friend to see a musical, without a license and she had no regrets for her actions. She also repeatedly lies to her parents still and doesn’t take anything she has done that could have hurt or killed people seriously. I did theater all 4 years of high school and it was the only extracurricular I did so I understand it being a focus but it was pretty much her only focus until she started the fake dating thing with Nathan and started to join the D&D game which she still somehow made theater based.

The relationship between her and Nathan felt kinda forced and I just didn’t feel the chemistry. I kept being confused about why they would do certain things when it didn’t seem like their feelings were at that point yet and it felt fake even as a reader so when they finally got together it didn’t really make sense.

I didn’t hate reading this book and I think if I found it a few years ago when I was more in the height of loving YA, I would have loved this but it didn’t work for me now but I do think a lot will enjoy this.

-Fake Dating
-Opposites Attract
-Playful Banter
-Strong Friendships
-Grumpy Sunshine YA Edition

If you enjoy reading books in the YA genre "Dungeons and Drama" should absolutely be added to your TBR. I read this book cover to cover in one session, definitely an unputdownable cozy read.

I thought the plot of this book was so cute and fit perfectly in it's intended genre. The main characters felt very authentic and I really enjoyed their playful banter and strong friendships.

I will definitely be recommending this book and I've pre-ordered a few copies to gift to family.

Thank you Kristy Boyce, Net Galley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Dungeons and Drama was perfect! This YA book has it all: friendship, growth, romance, musical theater, and D&D! I really hope there’s a sequel and in the meantime I’ll just reread this perfect book!

THIS WAS SO CUTE. Nerdy boys who larp and girls who belt out show tunes while playing D&D is now my favorite trope ever. I laughed so much during this. Like, out loud “this is ridiculous and I love it” laughter. Riley is a force. Nathan is a cinnamon roll. I loved this so much

*Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.** 4.5-4.75 stars. Heartwarming, showstopping, and dazzling. As an avid D&D player, I was ecstatic to join a new player on her journey. And as a YA reader, I swooned a couple of times throughout this book. I swear my heart fluttered! #thisMCisawesome

I enjoyed this read a lot! I don’t have much negative to say about this book! Also I’m completely obsessed with the cover!

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 3o% of the way through.

I really could NOT stand the main character Riley. She is...a drama club personified. The only thing on her mind is drama club and nothing else in life.

I could not believe she STOLE her mom's car and drove hours to a nearby city with her best friend to see a theater production! And Riley doesn't even have a driver's license! That intense rule-breaking really made it hard for me to like Riley--she still didn't think she did anything wrong.

The punishment (working at her dad's comic store) did not remotely fit the crime. Nathan also seemed like a huge jerk so I guess it'll work when they're together but for now, I just could not get over how self-centered Riley was.

Technically the writing is fine and the D&D stuff is accurate but man, could not stand the protagonist and her future love interest.

This was cute! I can't say I was a huge fan of our heroine, but she definitely won me over in the end. I think it will definitely hit all the marks with nerdy teens who also love a little romance. It's very cool to see D&D popping up more in teen novels, and I definitely enjoyed this one.

This was a fun, lighthearted YA high school book! I don't think I'm the right audience for this anymore, but my younger self would have loved this one. Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

I read this in a day and my only regret is that I’m done with the book. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think I was the right audience for this BUT Dungeons & Drama was such a good read.

This was a really endearing YA enemies-to-lovers / fake dating trope romance with gaming (LARPing and D&D), musical theatre, and an appropriate level of high school drama. Nathan was nerdy and perfect and Riley was bold and authentic. Combined they’re a great duo and I loved their story - miscommunications and all. I also loved the family and friend dynamics. The other secondary characters added an additional layer of interest and community that was engaging to read.

If you like Rachel Lynn Solomon’s YA books, you’ll LOVE this.

This was incredibly cute! The artwork was engaging and fun and the story was light hearted and a joy to read.

4.75! I LOVE a good YA book and that’s what this is!! Literally, this book was so much fun!! When Riley gets in trouble with her parents, her punishment is to work at her father’s gaming store. There is where she meets Nathan and they don't exactly begin to get along. That is until they make a deal to fake date in order to convince Riley’s ex that she's dating and to make Nathan’s crush jealous. But along the way the lines begin to blur and real feelings begin to grow.

If you're a theater kid or love musicals then this is definitely for you. Riley’s passion is theater so there is a lot of talk about it and references which make the book even better. Also, I recommend if you are a gamer or a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons. I love the way the author included the game being played with the characters because it created a found family within all the friends.

Riley and Nathan were the best! The banter throughout the whole book is immaculate. At first, it's very harsh because they dislike each other but as their feelings begin to grow, their banter becomes so adorable. Also surprisingly the angst really keeps you on your toes on what is going to happen. Overall I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House Children’s for this eARC!

This book is adorable and nerdy in all the right ways! I absolutely adored it. As a new D&D player and a musical theater lover this book was everything. I love a good fake dating trope (especially one that works out poorly). I like the growth of Riley throughout the story, with her learning more about her priorities and opening herself up to more interests and ideas. Her drive to find a way to save her musical for the year, the plans she comes up with, its all really wonderful. This story is just a good bit of fluffy nerdy goodness.

What a CUTE YA romcom!! So sweet, so nerdy, loved the character and relationship development. It was smart and funny to boot.

I’m not exaggerating when I say I giggled or smiled during every chapter and the fake dating angst was TOP TIER. Riley and Nathan mean everything to me and I loved reading about their characters as well as all the shenanigans the friend group got up to during D&D sessions. I could ramble about my love for this book more but honestly all you need to know is I LOVED IT! This book also gave me all the nostalgia feels over high school which is so weird since I’m only 22.

This was everything I wanted in a YA book and I haven't felt this giddy reading one in a while, the perfect amount of fluffy sweetness and heartfelt coming of age!

Absolutely perfect. My perfect birthday read.

I loved pretty much everything about this book. It was the perfect blend of all the nerdy outlets I love.

If you're a fan of the following I think you should give this a read:
-D&D
-theater
-fake dating
-enemies(ish) to lovers
-found family friendships
-teenagers that read like teenagers

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! I cannot wait for this book to release and for you all to read it.

This book was the warm and fuzzies that I have come to expect from Kristy Boyce romances. The insight and detail into both the theatre world and D&D was perfection.

This book was so SO adorable. It was fairly fast paced (I read it in one sitting, I honestly couldn't put it down. Fake dating with a D&D/musical theater twist. I found all the characters so charming. Even Riley (our FMC) who could be a little selfish at times. And the romance was so so cute.
The nerd references in this were on point. The entire thing just made me giggle uncontrollably.
5/5 stars. This is going to be one of my favorites.

The perfect fast paced read! I really enjoyed these characters and seeing them grow, especially Riley. I'm not really familiar with musicals (but am a big High School Musical/HSMTMTS fan) or D&D and this book wove these interests together in a way that I think will connect with all readers, whether or not they're a musical/D&D nerd.

4.5 stars/5 rounded up!