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.