Dungeons and Drama was a very cute YA book that seamlessly tied the love of drama and D&D together. I thought that the author handled the concepts very well in a way that wasn't too overwhelming for an audience that might not know the ins and outs of the game. It might be my age, but the idea that the main character was literally not punished for going behind her parents back after that being the premise of the story (that she was grounded and need to work at her father's store) showed a lack of character development and forced me to suspend belief. Other than that, the book was cute and I enjoyed it.

This book was so fun


10/10 my new favorite author. I will definitely keep an eye out for her other books

I could not put this book down if my life depended on it
What I loved
Fake dating trope
Drama club meets dungeons and dragons
The best group of characters
Swooney
I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t stop smiling
Such a fun book!

What an absoultely adorable book! I am normally attracted to the thriller/mystery genres, but as the mom of a theatre kid who plays D&D, the description of this book drew me in. Boy am I glad it did!

Riley is on a mission to save her school's musical, but to do that she'll need the help of her nerdy coworker Nathan. In exchange for his help, she agrees to "fake flirt" with him to catch the attention of the girl he is crushing on. As time goes on, Riley isn't sure if she is still fake flirting, or if it has turned into something real.

I loved the characters of both Nathan and Riley and how they were developed throughout the story. The plot was very realistic and I could imagine it happening anywhere. I really liked that the author didn't feel the need to add any unnecessary sex scenes or foul language to the story. Since finishing this story, I have been recommending it to many readers- teens and adults alike! This was my first book by Kristy Boyce, and I look forward to reading more of her works in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Such a fun and nerdy read! Perfect for summertime! Loved the relationships with the parents and how that undertowed the relationships she was learning o have with friends and new friends. Such a good read.

This book is a fun, entertaining read! The romance was very PG but very cute and interesting to follow as it unfolded. The characters were dynamic and relatable, even the "bad guys" of the story. A great read for anyone who loves to play games or has always wanted to try playing. It was also a great story about a daughter building a relationship with her father after her parents divorce, it touches on some issues that a lot of teenagers could be dealing with while going through their parent's divorce.

I would consider this book a YA rom com. Although I don't fit into that genre, I still really enjoyed it. It didn't read as a YA genre. It was funny and cute. This is a fake dating trope and it was really well written. This follows Riley who has dreams of being a broadway director. One day she steals her moms car and gets grounded so she can't help her high school spring concert out. Her mom makes her work at her dads gaming store. There's a boy named Nathan that she get to cover her shifts in exchange she says she'll help make his crush. jealous and what happens when she has to join his Dungeons and Dragons game...theres a whole lot of drama. It was so good, go read it!

Kristy Boyce's writing continues to impress - I always enjoy her stories, although I liked this one less than HOT DUTCH DAYDREAM, I think the main characters were a bit annoying in this book - YA isn't always my cup of tea, and this book had a few of the elements as to why I don't usually read YA. I know Riley was a high schooler, but she was pretty whiney and some of the conflicts seemed trivial (I really don't think parents would care if their kid was practicing after school for a musical). Additionally, the basis for the fake dating wasn't fleshed out as well as it could've been since sometimes the MCs were fake dating and sometimes they weren't, depending on who they were around. I also thought the other relationship with Nathan and Sophie was weird and misplaced - it made it difficult to believe that Riley and Nathan actually had chemistry and were interested in each other when he seemingly kept pursuing Sophie. I didn't dislike this book for all its faults though, so I'm giving it a middle of the road 3 stars. I did appreciate learning more about gaming, especially since my partner loves Warhammer, D&D, and other games mentioned in the book! Thanks so much for the ARC.

This YA romance was so cute! I hope they write an in-universe sequel with the side characters. The cover is very eye-catching and not generic like a lot of YA romance covers are.

Cute YA novel about a drama teen and a D&D one. Their worlds collide and it is so adorable. Lots of angst and pining with such a perfect ending.

Great fun. I'm not in the YA demographic, but I enjoy her books. Light-hearted, heartfelt stories. Highly recommended!

This actually feels like a younger YA, which honestly there aren't enough of and I love that. It was fun, it was light, it was easy to read, and I am certain that my younger self would have eaten this up. Could have used more of the actual D&D playing, but I think that was intentional for people who aren't familiar with the game.

This was completely delightful. I love every single one of Kristy Boyce's YA romances and this was not an exception. The interiority of her protagonists and the swoon-factor of her romance scenes are both on point. This fake dating book, filled with lots of geek and musical theater culture, is practically perfect.

After theater-obsessed Riley is caught driving her mom's car to go see Waitress the musical in Columbus (without a license!) she is grounded indefinitely. Her divorced parents decide to punish her by making her work in her father's gaming store. When her ex boyfriend comes into the store, Riley lies that she is dating one of her classmates and coworkers, Nathan, the cute D&D aficionado. She convinces Nathan that the ruse will also help his crush pay more attention to him. In order to make the relationship seem more real, Riley joins the D&D group and finds herself liking the game -- and Nathan -- more than she expected.

There were two different sides of me that read this novel. The first side struggled to get into this book and found it to be on the younger side of young adult. The second side of me absolutely fell in love with this book the moment the tropes entered the scene. What can I say? I’m a romance reader who loves seeing different scenarios involving fake dating.

However, my opinion still stands that this book falls on the younger side of young adult. The ages of our characters aren’t fully confirmed, but based on context clues they fall between the ages of 15 to 17. (Nathan has his driver’s license, while Riley is close to getting hers.) The writing style was akin to middle grade—where the emphasis was on the character voices and plot, but not necessarily details and depth. I was surprised to see how well that style worked for me. It helped add to Riley’s voice, the story’s plot, and the writing was enough to still draw out the emotions of this book.

Another element that drew out emotionality was the utilized tropes! Of course, we have the fake dating set up (so both Nathan and Riley could make other love interests interested in them), and I am a sucker for that trope. But I want to focus on the slight use of the miscommunication trope here. Normally, that is used for the third act breakup and that was no different in this plot. But, unlike with adult novels, I found the trope worked incredibly well here—arguably, better than any adult book I’ve seen use it. And that was due to the age and maturity of the characters. Let’s be real: when you’re in high school, there’s a lot going on. Hormones are raging, emotions can be volatile, and you’re still figuring out how to express thoughts and emotions to other people. Every time Riley held back her true thoughts and feelings—thereby using the miscommunication trope—it felt honest.

I was surprised by the amount of giggly emotion I felt throughout the book. I was not expecting to feel all the warm fuzzies and that is due to Riley being a strong main character. She knew what she wanted, was honest with herself (even if she held back her feelings from others), and chased after her dreams. But she was also balanced out well with Nathan, who was truly one of the sweetest teenage boys I have read about. (The temple kisses? The back hugs? *swoons*) Watching the two of them balance each other out, push each other to try new things, and support each other was incredibly sweet to experience.

While I may not be a D&D player, this novel made the concept of the game accessible and fun to read about. I loved being a part of Riley’s character journey as she worked toward her goals and found love along the way.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book is sweet and fun, for drama nerds and gamer nerds alike. I adored the progress of Riley and Nathan's friendship. I loved seeing the gamer community so perfectly represented. And that's someone who loves gaming can love board games, D&D, video games, tabletops, etc. I think I liked the gaming aspects more than theatre kid aspects. Those parts felt a tad like an episode of Glee, but I still enjoyed it. I love the comparison of roleplaying and theatre. Overall, an enjoyable read!

I really enjoyed this sweet story! If you’re looking for a quick, fun YA romance full of broadway musical and D&D/gaming references, look no further!! The characters were likable and felt like real people and the fake dating trope was perfectly presented. There is even some real depth when it comes to the familial relationships and friendships. I would love to see more from this gang!

I read this one because my high schooler is getting into D&D and he wanted to know if he could read it. I said yes! This YA romance is so adorable, and I love a fake dating trope!

This was such a cute read! I have been recommending it to those coming in for dungeons and dragons stuff or theater kids. The story was very sweet, the fake dating awesome.

Dungeons and Drama is a fun teen romance. It mixes relatable teen coming-of-age with gaming and family drama, making it both funny and touching. The characters feel real as they deal with friendship, love, and figuring out who they are. The main characters have a smart repartee, and the story is easy to relate to. If you like stories about young love with a nerdy twist, you'll enjoy "Dungeons and Drama."

As a reformed theatre kid, did I cringe through 50% of this book? Yes.
Did I kinda hate seeing myself as the D&D nerd that I currently am? Yes.

Did I think that the story was cute and stereotypically accurate? Also yes.