3.5 rounded down.

I really wanted to love this one like I utterly adored the first one, and I just didn't, unfortunately. This one should've been the easiest home run. I dig a sequel that’s still an original concept. No best friend gets her love story, no continuation of the first story, no forced break up to force a sequel (iykyk), just a second original idea from the author in a similar vein. I love when an author finds a niche and gets comfy. (Ali Hazelwood also does this.)

I like a book that isn’t living and dying by the trope necessarily. This one is a little confused as to the pairing. Strangers to friends to enemies to friends… it’s mostly friends to lovers. Which is not my favorite trope because the reason for keeping them apart is usually too flimsy for me. This one made more sense—no dating in the D&D group to make sure things don’t get messy, but I’m torn because this wasn’t really brought up by the group enough for me to make it an issues (it comes up around 70% when Quinn and Logan decide to test the waters of the group and they’re just like, lol thank god we don’t have to worry about that! with minimal backing on it. And the thing is, Quinn is new. This wouldn’t be a longtime besties to lovers thing. So they’d have that to stand on. Y’all barely know each other, how do you know this will work out fine?) but potentially if it had been brought up more, I would’ve rolled my eyes at the mild absurdity of it happening a grand total of once before. From Quinn’s side, I wish her ex-friends had been more ruthless. Like, really bullying her rather than just icing her out of their group. Something more to make me really believe she thinks she can’t go through that again. Even Kashvi turning out to have a crush on Logan was weak (but how it was ultimately handled was chef's kiss). And it should’ve been big and perfect since that’s how Quinn lost her first group, but it comes out of nowhere and feels like “DRAMA! We need more DRAMA!”

Quinn and Logan keep actively fighting their feelings from the beginning which comes off as the annoying aspect of FTL to me. They’re not secretly dating. They’re not just blatantly flirting with each other. (Though Logan tries; Quinn won’t reciprocate, she goes to far as to say “no” when he asks her “do you want things to change?”, so then I was left wondering why he likes her enough to possibly break up the band.) They’re just soap opera-like characters who can’t be with the one they want and it dominates their thoughts in a mildly obsessive and whiny way. (Quote: “Logan . . . you shouldn’t say things like that.” I shake my head. “What happened to the group rules? And you saying you shouldn’t be around me? I can’t figure out what’s going on with us.” “I can’t either.” I look up to the sky and blow out a frustrated breath. “Then that’s even worse.” “Believe me, I know what I want. But I also know I’m not allowed to have it.” The heat of his expression jolts me. “This will only lead to trouble,” I whisper. His eyes darken and he steps closer. “Sometimes trouble can be good. I’ll take whatever trouble you want to give me.”) It also makes the story drag because They Just Like Each Other rather than falling for each other. And unfortunately, this one didn’t have super great banter or flirting. It was just a one-off line that’s supposed to make your knees weak. I did like how Logan kept casually asking Quinn to see him, but then I didn't like how Quinn told him no and he kept making comments like (Quote: “Your cheeks are pink from the cold. It makes you look even prettier than usual.” “Logan.” “I know, I know.” He steps back and tugs his beanie down. “I promised myself I wouldn’t say anything today. But then I see you and I can’t stop myself.” “I know the feeling.” “Do you? I keep wondering if it’s just me.”) And (Quote: He takes a step back and restlessly messes with his hair again. “I don’t know how to do this with you.” I hate how agitated he is in my presence, but I love it at the same time. … I’m not sure how many more times I can sit across that D&D table from you and hold myself back from kissing you.” His words are edged with such anxiety that I want to smooth them.) I don't dig an MMC who can't listen to the word no. "I can't stop myself" well boy, you better learn quick. It's supposed to be really swoony and romantic, but it just gives me pause, especially when Quinn was actually saying "no." She wasn't giving Logan real indication that it was "no, stop, keep going." And then Logan thinking it's hard, like, yes, because of you and your apparent inability to control yourself. That's why it's hard.

I loved the entire cast of characters. They were quirky, unique high schoolers, and they were awesome. Even if you have no clue about D&D (like me), you can sit down, immerse yourself in the story, and feel like you could've known some of these kids IRL.

Kristy Boyce's writing is really the highlight of the book. She writes YA Romance so dang well. Despite realizing early on this was going to be a slow burn FTL with some personal irritants, I kept reading because Kristy Boyce's voice is so captivating and engaging. The story dragged for me a little around 45% to the point that I probably would've DNFd if it had been any other author. But Kristy Boyce has a way of writing that even if the story slows, it's not "I'm making myself read this" boring.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, but hesitantly because I'd recommend Dungeons and Drama first and without hesitation. STILL though, I will be keeping an eye out for the next Kristy Boyce book and will be devouring it without hesitation, including not even reading the blurb of it before requesting, like I did with this one.

This was super cute! I kept seeing it in stores and I was really drawn in by the title. The love story and evolution of the relationship is really cute

Super cute and cozy YA Romance, your gonna want to add this one to your TBR!

I really enjoyed reading "Dungeons and Drama" last year from this author so I had high expectations for "Dating and Dragons" and the author definitely did not disappoint! I picked this book up and didn't set it back down until I had read it cover to cover.

The storyline was really fun and I appreciate how the author incorporates strong friendships, real life issues and a very age appropriate romance for the genre.

I'll definitely be recommending this one as well as purchasing a copy for my home library.

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

Dating and Dragons was fantastic. It was just as cute and dorky and wonderful as I hoped it would be. Quinn and Logan were such a fun forbidden romance. The D&D group was great, I loved their setup as live streamers and their dynamic as a friend group as well. Great book, 10/10. Kristy please write adorable wonderful nerdy romances forever thank you.

Another cute one by this author! I ADORED Dungeons and Drama and this one lived up to my expectations. The friendship group was wonderful and I loved the FMC’s family. Also I feel like I need to get into D&D now.

***WILL PUBLISH ON PUB DAY UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED***

After reading “Dungeons and Drama” last year and really enjoying it, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that “Dating and Dragons” by Kristy Boyce was coming out. If you’re looking for a sweet, geeky young adult romance, this is the one! I thought the romance between Quinn and Logan felt very believable and resonated with my own dating experiences as a teenager. I appreciated the “will they, won’t they” dynamic and was glad there wasn’t an unexpected last-act breakup—just overcoming the issues established earlier in the story.

Overall, I believe this is a much stronger book than Boyce’s debut, which is to be expected. I enjoyed the deeper dive into the D&D campaign, including the engaging back-and-forth among the group. This made the secondary characters feel more real and fleshed out, and I became more invested in their stories. I also loved the family dynamics between Quinn, her grandmother and her brother.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

Absolutely adorable and - don't worry - there's no need to read the first book if you (like me) missed it. Quinn's family has moved to help her aging grandma, which means she is starting at a new high school mid-year. Horrifying for most teenagers, but partially good for her since she had a disaster of a time in her previous D&D group. Quinn immediately meets a new group but part of playing with them is playing by their rules. Unfortunately for her, that means she can't date any of the members, including (super hot) Logan.

It's a tame romance with a few kisses. Boyce lightly touches on themes of consent, slut shaming, gaslighting, and more; all in a way that's appropriate for younger teens. I had such a fun time reading this, it's a perfect fluffy, feel-good romance. And, of course, now I have to read the first book.

As someone who has been an avid Dungeons and Dragons player since I was a child, and who grew up in a multi-generational household of people who had played since the first edition, I LOVED Dungeons and Drama, not least because it's the only time I've seen someone who looked like my fiance on the cover of a romance book.

I was really excited to hear that they were releasing a sequel, and there were a couple of things about this one that, going into it, I did expect to like more than the first one. These included:
1. The Girl being equally into D&D
2. Only a kind of sort of enemies to lovers plot (BECAUSE OF THE RULES!)
3. A prevalent non-binary character

I really loved this book. I read it in a day, and any grievances I had with it (i.e., him saying I love you so soon) were washed away when I reminded myself that the characters were 16 and you can in fact fall in love within a month or two.

I think that the campaign was really fun. I do hate somewhat that we didn't get to see a full arc there, given the technical difficulties at the stream that the Smiling DM tuned in for. I would have loved to learn if the king really was evil, etc.

I loved seeing thier shared passion for his homebrew campaign come to life in the epilogue and getting to see her grandmother happy and settled in. Though she was nothing like my own grandmother, I think she might have been my favorite character in the book. I love the way she was able to tie in with the community, so it didn't feel too much like "new girl learns everything about school and town while also having a romance plot".

Just realized this was the same author as hot british boyfriend which wasn’t my favorite book…
I don’t know, it was super cute, and I love the d&d, but something about it is just SO CRINGE and instalovey but they’re literally teenagers. Like Logan getting all protective and whatever is so cringe, cause these are just regular nerdy high schoolers…
Quinns grandma though is my new favorite person
And obviously love kashvi (and all the other friends)
also kinda weird that it’s number 2 in the series, but not even related to the other book or interconnected at all
okay this all sounds really negative, but it was still pretty cute and it was a really quick read as well

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @delacortepress for an early copy of Dating and Dragons by @kristylboyce. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: December 31st, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209997824-dating-and-dragons?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=R8KQ50UB4K&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Dating and Dragons was such a fun read despite having no background of Dungeons and Dragons myself. It was a very light story with not much drama, which I really appreciated. It tells the story of Quinn, who recently moved into a new place with her family as her grandmother needed someone close to her now that she isn’t getting any younger, coincidentally, she had a falling out with her group of friends who play D&D as well. Quinn finds herself with a new group of friends who not only play D&D but also livestream them every week. Within her new friend group, she also finds herself attracted to one of them, Logan, who’s overly sweet, adorable, and charming. He’s very reliable especially with helping Quinn’s grandmother and with his family’s farm.

The only thing I wasn’t really a fan of was how Quinn wasn’t able to confront her old friend group full force. It would have been a lot more satisfying if she was able to say what she was planning on telling Paige and able to make her peace with it. Honestly, I don’t think Paige truly considered Quinn her best friend given how easily she threw away their friendship for a jerk.

What shined for this book was Quinn’s new friend group, who were very accepting and accommodating of her especially since she was new in town. I loved Quinn’s newfound friendship with them she really wanted to keep and cherish their friendship and was even willing to not date Logan because of one of their D&D rules to not date anyone within the group (at least for a bit until they couldn’t anymore, because sparks were very much alive between them). I really loved Quinn and Logan’s chemistry and how flawlessly they fell for each other.

This was an overall fun and heartwarming read that you wouldn’t want to miss!

This book absolutely blew me away. Quinn’s journey to start fresh at a new high school had me hooked from the very first page. I loved her determination to find her place through D&D, and the fact that she gets thrown into a campaign with the charming yet infuriating Logan Weber just made it all the more delicious. Their banter is off the charts; it's witty, sharp, and had me laughing out loud. Watching their playful bickering evolve into something deeper had me rooting for them every step of the way. The stakes are high, and Quinn's risk of breaking the rules for love is exhilarating. The blend of gaming and romance is executed perfectly, and I couldn't get enough of their adventures both in and out of the game. If you’re looking for a story that’s brimming with humor, heart, and a dash of drama, this one is a total gem! I couldn’t put it down, and I can’t wait to see what this author does next.

It was very cute. The attention to the world and character building for DnD will really make this a fun read for the diehard fans. I really liked that Quinn's problems at her old school were never something any of her new friends judged her for and instead got angry at her old friends, which was deserved. Not quite as good as the first one but still very sweet.