This was such a cute and fun read! Sometimes I find it hard to connect to YA stories, but that was not the case here. Quinn is an easy character to root for, and I enjoyed her dynamics with the Logan and his friend group. Her grandma’s character was also very amusing.

As someone who has never played D&D but am intrigued by it, I enjoyed the campaign details included in this story. It felt like enough to get a general idea of what was going on without pulling too much focus from the rest of the plot. I personally wouldn’t have minded more, but I think it’s a great balance for readers unfamiliar with D&D.

The no dating within the group rule felt a little silly at times, but I did enjoy the tension that it caused between Quinn and Logan. The romantic slow burn while trying to stay only friends was very sweet.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really wanted to love this book because I’m a huge Dungeons & Dragons nerd. However, I will be the first to admit that this book just was not for me. Sometimes I really love YA but this did read just a bit too young for me.

That being said, the story was great! The friendship and relationship building between the characters. Quinn’s reservations throughout because of her experience with friend groups and D&D. I thought the pacing was great, as Quinn became more comfortable with the friend group. For the D&D fans, or those just curious, I think this would be a great read. There’s a good mix of actual gameplay and roleplay at the D&D table and the real-life events and relationships. The first few chapters were a bit rough but they were a reminder of how cringe we all were in high school. Making new friends is difficult, especially when you’ve had some questionable experiences. I think the book handled that topic really well as Quinn navigated her new school, new friend groups, and a new D&D group with very strict rules.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Children's Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved meeting Quinn as she delves into a new school as well as tackling issues with her grandma who is slowly needing more and more help. Joining a DnD group she doesn't expect to find as warming friendships as she does, but especially not one as particular as Logan who she can't seem to stop thinking about. However with the groups 'no-no' rule she must live with these feelings as she navigates old friendships as well as new situations with her family she hasn't been in before.

Kristy Boyce has done it again! I loved this book just as much as Dungeons and Drama and couldn't wait to see how the story would play out. Definitely a book that will make you giggle along with the characters. I cannot wait for another book by Kristy!

This was such a sweet, feel good and nostalgic YA romance that has you bought in with the characters from the start! I enjoyed the banter, the slow building of their relationship and the realism of teenage love. Though D&D is a huge part of this story, it really doesn’t overshadow the characters story and is easy to digest for those who don’t play the game. I really think Kristy Boyce knocked it out of the park with this sweet YA romance that all ages can enjoy and relate to!

This was so adorable! This is my second book from this author and I'm such a fan. The characters are all so endearing. The banter was adorable and felt very age-appropriate, although I am much older than the characters and might not be the best judge. Logan was serious book boyfriend material. I'm dying to learn how to play D&D now. I haven't read the author's first D&D book but it's going on my TBR immediately.

From the author of Dungeons and Drama. Quinn is new to town, helping her aging grandma and trying to move on from the disastrous end of her previous D&D group and friendship. When she gets invited to join a new group and make new friends, one rule stands out: no dating other players. But as her connection with another player, Logan, deepens, she wonders if falling for him is worth the risk of losing another friend group. Charming and sweet, this romance is satisfying and fun. A must read YA book!

I have read works by Boyce before, but this one truly was the best formula for a story! I absolutely loved the characters and loved the fact that Quinn and Logan had a true friendship before they really got together. Furthermore, Quinn's dedication to the group dynamics was admirable; it was refreshing to see a female protagonist think so much of her friends and how they would be impacted by the relationship between her and Logan (though there was also a healthy dose of concern for herself, so she would not be booted out of another group). The way she went to Kashvi before spilling everything to the group at large was a scene that really impressed me! Quinn showed herself to be thoughtful and considerate of her friend, and it was sweet and it showed.

Logan was such a cutie!! I thought his lines were excellent, and many of them had me giggling as I was reading! I loved that he respected and had his own relationship with Quinn's grandma, who, in her own right, was a downright delight and a spitfire. He was considerate, not demanding or pushing her to do things out of her comfort zone, but also defended her and stood up for her! He was such a great sport about everything, and it was really sweet to see him so smitten with her. I was glad that nothing happened to the grandma at the end because she became one of my favorite characters! I also loved that Boyce took time to bring in Quinn's relationship with her brother more towards the end of the book; it was so sweet when he was so grossed out by Quinn and Logan kissing.

I think this is Boyce's best work yet, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have read the ARC!

4.25 Stars

Dungeons and Drama was one of my favorite books I've read this year so I had pretty high hopes going into this book. I did originally think this was a sequel, but it follows different characters that were not in the first book (or at least they were such minor characters that I didn't remember them).

The romance in this was so sweet and cute and I really loved the dynamic between Quinn and Logan. This book made me feel like a teenager again and I would have loved this book when I was in high school (I mean, I also love it now as a 34 year old woman).

This book was a lot more Dungeons and Drama based in the sense that the story revolved around the game and their current campaign. I have never played D&D before so I can't talk on the accuracy of it, but it was very entertaining to read. I also loved that this was just a group of kids trying to make it big streaming their game, that was an interesting aspect that I really enjoyed. The teenage angst was so angsty and I ate it up. It felt very realistic to me. The main conflict is that there is a D&D rule among their friends that you aren't allowed to date the other players, but when Quinn joins the game her and Logan have this instant attraction and chemistry. This book was written in a way that this drama that was somewhat made up was the most serious thing that has ever happened and that felt so realistic for high schoolers.

I am forever in my nerdy YA romance phase and this book was so cute and sweet. It wasn't as good as Dungeons and Drama, but it was still really good and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the advanced copy

Being the new girl during the school year is rough, so Quinn is so excited to be asked to join a new Dungeons & Dragons role-play group - until she finds out that one of the rules is no dating. And she just happens to have a crush on Logan, a member of the group.

As a former high school Star Trek nerd, I loved that this book was based around a D&D group, which it took as seriously as sports books often take seasons and games. I also really appreciated that while the book had a very sweet love interest, it was also really interested in the dynamics of female friendship and how in high school, it can be hard to balance friendships and relationships. My favourite relationship was between Quinn and Kashvi, who are a great example of best friends.

I would really recommend this book especially for young teenaged girls.

Kristy Boyce has done it once again, creating the best gaming/romance/amazing friendship based story and I will never get enough!

In this story, we don't follow Riley, but we meet a new amazing friend group with Quinn as she heads to her new high school. The story is so relatable in the way that felt so comforting to my younger self. I loved seeing Quinn grow comfortable in her friends that she wasn't sure if she could count on, yet she grew too. The whole story feels so uncertain, in the way that Quinn doesn't yet know how things are going to turn out for her, and you have to follow along with her.

Not only did I love the friendships, but I also LOVED the romance!! It was such a cute and wonderful love story, that had its risk.

Overall, this book gives perfect late winter vibes and I am so in love with the world that Kristy creates every time with characters who are so fun to meet and stories that feel so connecting, yet also very fun.

Rating: 4.5 🤩
Spice: 0.5

Read if you like:
💙 Slow Burn
✨ Reluctant Allies to Lovers
🗡️ Found Family
🦋Forced Proximity

My review:
Dating and Dragons is a charming contemporary YA-Romance set in the peak years of highschool!

Quinn Norton is starting a fresh slate at a new school hoping a new DnD group will help her make friends. This plan takes a interesting turn when the charming guy, named Logan Webber, she met on the first day is apart of this Dnd campaign. Much different then Quinns last DnD group they are strict and serious—live streaming for all the viewers, no dating within the group, and no cellphones during the campaign. Quinn is willing to play by the rules.. even if Logan Webber is off-limits. However as Logan’s flirtatious charm starts to shift into something more intense as tension between them builds Quinn has to decide with the roll of the dice, whether this is a game worth playing—or if love is just another quest she might never win.

As someone who has played a little bit of DnD but never found the right campaign for me, I absolutely loved this novel! I loved nerding out reading this and found myself stuggling to put it down!

Kristy Boyce is hands down once of my favorite addicting YA romance authors! Her writing is phenomenal, and let’s not forget the YEARNING we see in both of her books! These novels are perfect for anyone looking for a refreshing take on Ya romances with the aspects of Fantasy-role playing!

Releases December 31st 2024!

Thank you to the author & Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press for this lovely e-ARC! ✨🤍

Okay, that was so cute. And, I liked it even more than the first one. The D&D part was explored a lot more in this one, which I loved. What can I say, I love D&D. The romance was so cute, and I adored it. The last book also did this, but I feel like this one really captured how everything in your teen years feels so dramatic. No dating because it screws up group dynamics? I can see it, especially from a group of nerdy people. The characters felt really authentic - like actual people you could meet. And, I loved the friendships that developed.

So, basically, this book was awesome. And, yes, I can tell it will be a book I re-read when I need something a little lighter. I debated if I could give a romance novel five stars because I don't feel like I give out five stars easily. But it's getting five stars for different reasons than other books I give five stars, which is usually the case with five-star books.

If you're a teenager, or reminiscing about teenage years, this book paints a pretty good picture of that, plus it has an adorable romance and D&D.

When Quinn has a falling out with her old group of friends, she’s determined to stick to herself and never go through that again. But when her grandma takes her (and her brother) to school on their first day of their new school, she’s introduced to a group of people she didn’t expect to grow friendly with, especially the cute guy who took the photo her grandma wanted for memories. Quinn finds herself in a truly accepting group of people and also falling for that cute guy. But the threat of ruining their group is always there.

Quinn has a journey melting into her group and the feelings are mutual with Logan… so things are going to be okay??

I received an ARC from NetGalley!

I was a huge fan of this author's previous book, Dungeons and Drama, so I was eager to read her latest release. It had a lot of the same elements that I liked in the first book – unique characters, interesting family dynamics, and a healthy dose of nerdiness. I really enjoyed it – however, the romance this time was just too cheesy for me, and it kept me from enjoying it at times. Comparing the two books, it might be an uphill battle since I love musical theater and fake dating tropes, which Dungeons and Drama had in spades. This book, though, was still very charming and I continued to enjoy the author's voice. It feels very authentically YA, which I really appreciate.

Roll for charisma, because this book is bringing its A-game with quirky charm and D&D shenanigans! From the author of Dungeons and Drama takes us on an adventure into high school halls, livestreamed campaigns, and the dangerous terrain of teenage romance. Quinn Norton is the new girl in town, hoping that dice rolls and dungeon crawls will unlock friendship (and maybe even love?). What she doesn’t anticipate is the one-two punch of a no-dating rule and Logan Weber—a guy who’s as charming as he is annoying.

First off, the setup is golden. A D&D group with livestreams, strict rules, and larger-than-life personalities? Sign me up! The in-game scenes are immersive and hilarious, with enough nerdy references to delight any dice-slinger. It’s like watching your favorite game night unfold—complete with natural 20s, critical fails, and party dynamics that are just as chaotic as you'd hope.

Now, about Logan. Imagine rolling a d20 and hitting every emotional modifier. Logan can be utterly swoon-worthy one moment and leave you wanting to yeet him out of the campaign the next. The banter between him and Quinn is spicy and fun, but sometimes it’s like rolling a charisma check with a +0—flirting that doesn’t quite land.

The plot’s “no dating group members” rule feels a bit like a house rule you tolerate but don’t entirely agree with, mainly because it’s there for plot convenience. And while the supporting cast is solid, they could have used more time in the spotlight to really level up.

This book won’t be everyone’s critical hit, but it’s a fun read for gamers, romantics, and anyone who’s ever wondered if their Dungeon Master was trying to set them up. Roll for initiative and give this quirky romance a shot—you just might find it’s the campaign you didn’t know you needed. 🎲

I picked up Dungeons and Drama on a total whim last year and absolutely fell in love. The combination of two delightfully dorky hobbies - theater and D&D - was a charming idea that had me giggling and smiling the whole way through.

I was really excited for this sequel, and it was...fine? Kristy Boyce continues the endearing nerdiness that made me fall in love so much with the first installment, but it felt a bit bogged down by a level of angst that just didn't exist in that first one. Obviously, there's going to be drama in a high school story, but for some reason it didn't land well for me. Combined with the very insta-love relationship at the center, Dating and Dragons felt a little lackluster compared to its predecessor.

I still thought this was quite cute and fun, however, especially as a fan of D&D! This is a perfectly light and fluffy palette cleanser to pick up between epic fantasy doorstoppers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for providing me with this ARC.

Despite mostly avoiding YA novels at this point in my life, Dungeons and Drama was one of the most enjoyable books I read this year—so I simply had to read the next book in the series, Dating and Dragons. Though I liked Dating and Dragons, I found that I didn’t quite care for this second entry in the series as much as its predecessor. Despite the novel and its romance being cute, I found I preferred the cozier tone of the first novel more.

However, I really liked that Dating and Dragons showcases much more about Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). Despite being named Dungeons and Drama, the previous book really glossed over all of the “dungeons” part and there was very little detail about the actual game. So I was happy to see that Dating and Dragons takes the time to show a lot more about the game, such as how characters and campaigns are created and the forethought that goes into all of it. The personal experience of the author, Kristy Boyce, at D&D was really on display here and made the novel feel authentic.

“The dynamics between people in a D&D group are as important as the character builds or the campaign itself. Maybe even more important. It's hard to find a group that gets along well and has chemistry—adding a new person could totally ruin the energy.”*

I also think it was great that the novel highlighted the different approaches to playing D&D, with some players taking it a lot more seriously than others. I could see that returning readers from Dungeons and Dramas or readers new to the series might be a little surprised to see all of this new detail about the game. Those reading Dating and Dragons simply for the romance and YA aspects may be a bit bored in these sections.

Personally I loved the added focus on D&D, but I wasn’t as crazy about the romance part of the novel. Logan and Quinn, the male and female leads respectively, had less chemistry than Riley and Nathan from Dungeons and Drama. What made that novel’s romance particularly charming was that these two seemingly opposite characters learned to appreciate the talents and interests of the other and found out that they had more in common then they ever thought was possible. In Dating and Dragons, Quinn and Logan already had tons in common, so it was really easy for them to find things to talk about and for them to relate to one another.

“Each time we see each other, the risks grow bigger. There's so much at stake. For the D&D group, yes, but for me personally too….what if I pursue things with Logan and it all ends up imploding? If we started anything in earnest and it fell apart, it would decimate my heart. The way I feel about him, the level of trust I have in him already, it's beyond anything I've felt before. I don't know if I can open myself up to the possibility of that pain.”

Unfortunately, this ease between the two made the anti-dating rule for their D&D group seem even more contrived. At the beginning of the novel, the dating rule was somewhat understandable, as Quinn was new to the group and these high schoolers were trying to keep it professional for their livestream. However, at the time Quinn joins the group and their new campaign, the kids only have about 30 viewers for said stream…so it seems a little over the top that they can’t possibly date each other. And as Quinn and Logan are drawn to each other from the very first moment they meet and only grow closer as time goes on, it gets very redundant to hear them constantly lamenting that they couldn’t possibly date each other due to the group’s rule. It feels unnecessarily dramatic, especially when the potential for enough drama is already present.

I know it’s very hard to have conversations about feelings, especially for teenagers, but it seemed a little obvious that there needed to be a discussion with the new friends, especially considering Quinn’s contentious past with her old D&D group at her old school and the immediate attraction between Quinn and Logan. I honestly wish the focus had been on Quinn’s past trauma instead of the dating rule as the reason for why she and Logan couldn’t date. I think that would have felt more sincere and less forced.

“‘You can't control how they'll react.’
‘if it comes to that, then I'll quit.’
‘What?’ I straighten so quickly the room spins. ‘You can't do that, D&D is your favorite thing in the world.’
His hands come to my waist to steady me, ‘Not anymore, Quinn.’”

As a whole, I think Dating and Dragons is less whimsical and more realistic than Dungeons and Drama, but somehow, at the same time, it still felt shallower. I didn’t feel as connected to the characters—it didn’t really feel like I had the time to get to know them. For instance, Logan doesn’t have much going on—he lives on a farm with a cute baby cow, has a part-time job at an ice cream shop, and writes his own D&D campaigns in secret. This doesn’t offer a whole lot of depth to the character. The things he says and does to Quinn also seem way above the level of a typical high schooler and some suspension of disbelief is required.

Though Dating and Dragons is less of a wholesome celebration and discovery of geeky things and the sense of community it can provide, it highlights some of the recognizable problems that arise within the gaming community, like sexism, slut-shaming, jealousy, gaslighting, and more. It highlights that things can go horribly wrong even in a formerly trusted group of friends. I feel like these are great topics to bring attention to, especially for young readers, but that it also makes Dating and Dragons less of a light and fluffy read.

Despite it being a little more serious than Dungeons and Drama, I still really enjoyed every minute of Dating and Dragons. Other standouts of the novel include queer representation (the Dungeon Master of Quinn’s new group using they/them pronouns) and Quinn’s hilarious grandmother. I found myself laughing aloud at the hijinks of Quinn’s grandmother, who is a bit of a hellraiser, and hope that one day I have a quarter of her audacity. Regardless of how well this novel in the series worked for me personally, I really love seeing this type of representation—of both D&D and geek culture as a whole—featured in mainstream novels. Readers who haven't read the first book in the series will be able to enjoy it as a standalone, which makes it very accessible. I really hope the author continues to write more works in this series and will definitely pick them up in the future.

*All quotes taken from an ARC and subject to change at time of publication.

I really enjoyed Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce, so as as soon as I saw that she was coming out with a new YA romance, I jumped at the opportunity to read an arc. And, well she did not disappoint!

After moving to a new high school, Quinn is desperate for friends. So when she's invited to join a D&D group, she didn't need a lot of convincing. This group, though, is very serious about their D&D-they livestream and have very strict rules, including no dating fellow members. When sparks fly with Logan, an irritating but cute fellow member, she'll need to figure out were her loyalties (and heart) lies.

This was such a cute, swoony YA read! As we all know, being the new kid in school is not easy. Quinn was lucky to have met such a good group of friends. They welcomed her with open arms, so she wanted to abide the group's rule-especially after what happened to her last D&D group. Logan is so irresistible though! Lol He was a bit hot-and-cold though (darn. the no-dating rule!) Anyway, I'm not a D&D player, but you don't have to be in order to appreciate this aspect of the book.

> Nerd/geek culture
> Forbidden romance
> Supportive friends

This book is absolutely perfect! I loved everything about it—the characters, the setting, the backstories, the relationships, the quirky gameplay, and of course, the grandma. I can't wait to share it with my students; I know they’ll love it. Even though I didn’t know much about Dungeons and Dragons, this book has inspired me to start a club for them. It’s a must-have for our library and a definite contender for our book club’s pick of the month!

"Dating and Dragons" is a cute D&D-themed romance by Kristy Boyce that blends geeky fun with heartfelt storytelling. It follows the story of Quinn who is starting at a new high school halfway through her junior year. Hoping to make some friends, she joins a D&D group. The story is filled with humor, charm, and a love for the role-playing game. Fans of D&D will appreciate the clever nods to campaigns, while romance enthusiasts will adore the slow burn.