This book had me at “D&D group with strict no-dating rules.” Nothing screams “inevitable romantic chaos” like forcing teenagers to sit around a table, roll dice, and NOT flirt with each other. Spoiler: It doesn’t work.

Quinn is relatable in her quest to fit in, her awkward crush, and her willingness to embrace a no-dating rule that she immediately regrets. Joining a live streamed D&D campaign as the new kid? Bold. Doing it while trying not to swoon over the guy who alternates between flirty and infuriating? Braver than any paladin I’ve ever played.

Logan, for his part, is equal parts charming and obnoxious, the human embodiment of rolling a natural 20 on charisma and a natural 1 on tact. Their banter was top-tier, though I occasionally wanted Quinn to cast a silence spell and just make her feelings known before the whole campaign collapsed into a pile of unresolved tension.

The gaming scenes were an absolute highlight. As someone who knows just enough about D&D to pretend I don’t need a cheat sheet, I appreciated how the book balanced geeky details with broader appeal. You don’t have to be a dungeon master to enjoy this story, but if you’ve ever rolled a die, you’ll appreciate the in-game drama that parallels the real-world shenanigans.

By the end, Quinn and Logan had me rooting for them to beat the odds (and the rules), and the epilogue left me grinning with all the heartwarming feels. If you’re a fan of geeky romance, snarky dialogue, and characters you’d gladly share snacks with, give this one a roll. Just be ready to yell at a fictional no-dating policy more than once.

4.5/5 ⭐️s
🫑 - kissing only

LOVES:
- The grandma 😂 she’s hilarious and honestly, kind of a great wing woman
- This one has a lot more snippets of actual game play than Dungeons and Drama did which is fun!
- The drama from her past is a major bummer, but her new friends handle it so well. They’re all really great.
- I especially really love the whole friendship and side story with Kashvi ♥️
- The development of Logan and Quinn’s relationship was interesting. There was a period of time when I was really frustrated with Logan, but it quickly made sense and I particularly liked when Quinn called Logan out and didn’t back down 😏
- The chaos and hilarity of the climax are top notch 😆🤩

CRITIQUES:
- Oh, teenage love hahaha it felt a little too soon for me to say the L word, but it’s sweet 🤷‍♀️

Another adorable story from Kristy. I am just loving her writing. And as a D&D player it is so fun to read about teenagers having a good time and being successful with the game!

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC 💝

Such a cute fast paced YA read. Loved the dungeons and dragons theme! Author did a great job with pacing, story building, and character development. Felt a little overly “young” in a few places (ie characters dialogue or decisions), but overall a great YA book. Really appreciated the non-binary representation as well. I would definitely seek out more novels by Kristy Boyce!

I just finished Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce, and it was a fun, lighthearted read. The mix of romance and fantasy made for an entertaining story, and I enjoyed the quirky, game-inspired world the characters navigate. Some parts felt a bit predictable, but the charm of the characters and the humor kept me hooked. It’s not the deepest story, but if you’re in the mood for something playful and feel-good, this book is worth a try!

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the new year. The book was filled with character development and plot development that I love. The book had elements of suspense that kept the story flowing and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Big thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the digital arc of this book!

This was such a cute little book! It was a perfect pallet cleanser coming off a fantasy novel. It was such a light hearted and quick read I managed to read it over a very busy Thanksgiving holiday too!

If you are into D&D and enjoy YA, I definitely recommend this one! This book follows Quinn who starts at a new school and finds herself a new diverse friend group and well as love - all thanks to a shared passion for D&D! As someone who has never played D&D, I found these scenes to be very detailed yet written in a way that was easy to follow and they were pretty entertaining!

Quinn and Logan are super cute together and I found myself rooting for them throughout the story🩷 All the characters are very witty and funny and since they’re all in high school, the romance is very pure and appropriate which I enjoyed.

Dating and Dragons
By Kristy Boyce

Dating and Dragons is a fun YA rom-com that starts off with a Junior in high school named Quinn. Quinn has just moved to a new home to be closer to her hilarious Grandmother. With a new home that means a new school and trying to find a new friend group. The very first morning, Quinn’s Grandmother forces a cute guy named Logan to take their picture to memorialize the day.
Logan is hanging out with a group of other students that seem to be a group that Quinn could see as becoming friends with, a Dungeons and Dragons group. But after what happened to Quinn's old friend group, she is hesitant to join. One of the girls from the group, Kashvi, starts to talk to Quinn and invites her to one of their sessions. When Quinn arrives she finds out that the cute boy that took the picture for her Grandmother is also a part of the group. But the group has rules that include no dating. Now Quinn must shove aside her feelings for Lucas and focus on being friends, and trying to survive the campaign together.
Dating and Dragons had such funny characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the Grandmother and all of the situations she gets Quinn and Logan into. The book focuses on the strength of good friendships, and that there is healing in being open to others.
I gave Dating and Dragons a 4 out of 5 stars. I devoured this book. I would recommend this book to YA and Adults, especially those who love D&D.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Dating and Dragons!

Once again Kristy has written an adorable nerdy romance that I absolutely love. I fell in love with Dungeons and Drama when I read it, and was absolutely thrilled to be accepted for the arc on NetGalley. These books are so addicting to me, and I read this one in two sittings (only because my plane ride ended and I had to stop).

Like the last book, this one is written in a way that makes it easy for readers unfamiliar with D&D to easily keep up with terminology while not overly explaining things. I loved the story, and the inclusion of conflicts and situations D&D players like myself have had to deal with. I also liked the time spent on showing how hard it can be for women to comfortably attend things like comiccons.

This book was just so cute and fun to read. It’s obviously YA, but that’s what I love about it. It’s teenagers being teenagers written for that audience. I can still enjoy that.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the arc!

Thank you so much net galley !!
One of my favorite arc sequel to dungeons and drama!
It’s such a cute mix of high school rom com and the geeky love of dungeons and dragons. Quinn and Logan are too cute together

I don't read a lot of YA anymore (as I'm approaching 40, it feels a little weird--the characters are basically my kid's age) but I will ALWAYS read Kristy Boyce's books. Always. Dating and Dragons, like Dungeons and Drama, made my nerdy little heart ridiculously happy.

Quinn is the new kid at school. She had a falling out with kids she had called her friend at her old school (her friends were TERRIBLE), and her parents decided it was the perfect time to move closer to her grandma. On the first day, she meets Logan and his friends, and they quickly absorb her into their group--which also happens to be super into Dungeons and Dragons--so much so that they livestream their games. Oh, and they have two hard and fast rules-- no phones or other distractions on game day, and no dating other party members. Which is all well and good--except Quinn can't stop thinking about Logan. The feeling, she finds out, is mutual.

I loved the characters so much. Quinn's grandma was a hoot and a half. Her brother was very much a teen boy, but he was protective when it counted. Each member of their D&D party had so much personality, and the campaigns were so creative. As someone who has played D&D (albeit a long time ago), and whose kids are into D&D now, I absolutely loved this book--start to finish. My son (who is a DM) saw me grinning while cooking dinner (I was listening to the audiobook), and he asked me what I was reading. His eyebrow went up, and he rolled his eyes, but he *might* have also looked a teensy bit interested.

If, like me, you love all things nerdy, this book is for you. It's so freaking fun. The cute, illustrated cover captures the spirit of the book perfectly. 10/10. No notes. Dating and Dragons was delicious, nerdy perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Romance for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & feelings below are my own

Rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up

Dating and Dragons starts with our girl Quinn doing the thing every kid dreads - starting at a new school in February. Except... she doesn't really mind all that much. After a falling out with her D&D group, a.k.a. her only friends, Quinn is ready to be anywhere but at her old school. Now her biggest concern is just how badly her grandma, Barbara, might embarrass her (side note: why are grandma's in fiction always so much cooler/funnier than real life? I love my grandma, but she would not be caught dead playing pickleball or trying to meddle in my love life). Luckily, Quinn quickly makes new friends but her new D&D group has a "no dating" rule that might keep her from achieving full happiness.

I loved Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce, it honestly just put a huge smile on my face. I already had 'Dungeons and Drama' on my TBR, but getting to read this ARC definitely bumped that one up my list. Reading Dating and Dragons also made me desperately want to play D&D. I loved all of the characters and wish I could befriend all of them IRL. Each of the characters was so perfectly unique. I also really liked the fact that the bullies/antagonists weren't your typical YA book/movie stereotype of the prep or jock at school, and instead were also considered "nerds". The only thing that kept this from being a full 5 stars for me was that sometimes these teens seemed a little too adult/mature. For example: my guy Logan said a couple of things that would have been swoon-worthy in an adult/steamy romance, but they just seemed a little cringey coming from a 16 year old. Other than that, Dating and Dragons was an easy, feel-good, teen romance novel.

You need to read this book if you like any of the following:
-D&D
-YA romance
-slow burn (like omg will you PLEASE just kiss already, everyone knows you want to!!!)
-friends to romance
-supportive friend groups

Thank you to Delacorte Romance for the eARC and PRH Audio for the free audiobook.

I don’t play Dungeons and Dragons…but deep down, I am a bit of a nerd. And I loved Dungeons and Drama so I was so excited to see the author planned another story in this universe.

Datings and Dragons was such a cute and enjoyable read (and listen!). The secondhand cringe was so real at times, it really transported me to the feelings I had as a teenager. I remember being so embarrassed by my dad just existing in public. Oh, young me, if you only knew…

I loved the progression of the relationship between Quinn and Logan and how they really became friends before trying anything else. It was clear they were drawn to each other, and I loved how they inadvertently couldn’t stay away. Was some of the teenage angst totally manufactured and be solved with communication? Of course, but they are teenagers, that’s not their forte.

The D&D information is pretty heavy, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming. As someone who mildly knows what’s going on, the game information was more of a fun addition to the story.

At this point, I really just want more from this author, and I’ll definitely be watching for more from the narrator, Abigail Reno. Her inflections were ✨chef’s kiss✨.

Last point: I think I want to be Quinn’s grandma when I grow up.

I wanted to start this review by thanking NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Kristy Boyce for a copy of this eARC. Overall I would give this a 3.5 star rating. I was excited to read this when I realized it was in the same book group as book 1. It was such a lighthearted, hand fun book about the power of friendship and emotional support. I look forward to your publish date so I can purchase this for my niece!

This book is absolutely a love letter to D&D. Not just the game itself, but the whole community. I got genuinely so excited seeing references to Critical Role, Baldur’s Gate, and cosplaying.

I loved the Danicas between the two characters, how Quinn didn’t let him get away with being rude. The banter was so much fun to read, and just like the viewers, I absolutely ate up every second of it.

The scenes where they were alone and Logan was being his true self were my absolute favorites. Seeing how much he cared for her and her well being had me absolutely kicking my feet. Romances for me absolutely require a love interest that is a good person and Logan was so good.

The second this book was announced I’d been counting the days till it came out and I was lucky enough to get an ARC for it! Can’t wait to get my preordered copy as well.

Read this YA rom com if you like:

✨Dungeons and Dragons
✨friends to love
✨forbidden relationship
✨forced proximity
✨importance of friendship

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Children's for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

MY THOUGHTS:

💭 I loved Dungeons and Drama and Kristy Boyce has done it again! Dating and Dragons is another swoon worthy YA rom-com written for the nerds. It's me, I'm nerds 🤓

💭 When I say swoon worthy I'm not just talking about the romance, but the power of FRIENDSHIP this book represents. This has me yearning to go through old photos of "the good ol' days" 😏

HYPE UP QUOTE:

"Today feels like a good day for bad choices."

Dating and Dragons was such a cute, fast-paced read! I really loved the relationship between Quinn and Logan. While the book does center on a D&D group, it can still be enjoyed if you are not familiar with the game. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone seeking a cute YA rom-com. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

After enjoying "Dungeons and Drama," I was so excited that a book 2 was going to be released. I was even more giddy when I was selected as an ARC-reader for "Dating and Dragons."

This book is just as cute as the first one. Quinn and Logan are the two, central characters and have you rooting for them from the start. As you can imagine, it is very heavy on the D&D. As a person that has actually never played the game, this book made me want to even more.

I loved the teen drama, but more importantly, I loved Quinn's grandma ( you will too). It was a quick read in that I did not want to put it down for a moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for gifting me this ARC. I really enjoyed it.

A huge thank you to Random House Children's and Delacorte Romance for an ARC!

A good friend of mine recommended Dungeons and Drama to me earlier this summer and I read it in one day, so when I saw book 2 in this series was coming out, I NEEDED IT.

Let me start out by saying I think Quinn and Logan might beat out Riley and Nathan from book 1 for my favorite couple. Some of my favorite things about these two were how confident Logan was with his feelings towards Quinn and how he lets her know from the very beginning. I also loved their yearning, the stolen looks, the anguish that they can't be together because they love their friends so much. It's just perfect.

The big feelings at the end felt a little rushed which kinda threw me, but I had to remind myself these characters are in high school and sometimes high schoolers do be like that 😂

All in all, this is such a super cute YA romance and I absolutely recommend it especially if you're looking for a sweet palate cleanser. 4.5 stars.

This book was slightly better than the first book only because I love the grandma. in my opinion, she made the book but such a cute romance, nerdy book. Fun to read.

I was excited to read this book after reading Dungeons and Drama. The story is cute, and interesting. I will say that I prefered the characters in the earlier book. Now, I am probably not the target audience- I don’t play Dungeons and Dragons (though it does sound interesting) and I am not in my teens- so this review will be from the point of view of an older reader.

Quinn is an interesting character- funny and nice, but very nervous. Her past friends group did a number on her confidence, and it’s hard to watch her so nervous. It makes sense, and I feel like it would be a very real response at that age. Grandma is the second best wing-man ever ( no one will ever beat Wanda from Lana Ferguson’s The Nanny). I loved her so much- definitely my favorite character.

Some of the interactions here did not seem to fit the age range, to me anyway. Logan’s description of his desires? Boy might be reading too many bodice rippers. But maybe teens talk like this now? I have to admit, it’s been a minute. I felt like certain parts were overly dramatic, where as the actual game could have been more so (maybe with more gaming moments?). Reactions make sense, and I do think the author did well portraying a group of teens; I just personally feel like there could have been more. Still, it was a fun, super charming fast read. I would give it three and a half stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
On the adult content, there is bullying, some language and some flirting- moderate, nothing too bad. Would I have given this to my niece at ten or twelve? Probably.


I was lucky enought to recieve an eARC of this book from Netgalley working with Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own and in no way swayed by the fact that I got this opportunity. My thanks!