I am predominantly (with a lot of bias) a LGBT+ reader so when I find a cute straight romance I ship with my entire soul my heart is happy. I’d like to clarify that I have nothing against any couple unless they’re obnoxious together or not right for each other. Yes, it was cliche YA insta love but Kristy Boyce does that so well without it being aggravating. The friend group 😍 and Quinn’s family are amazing. I can’t wait for the next book. Thank you so much to the author and Net Galley for this arc!

Dating & Dragons Review

Review will be posted on my goodreads and instagram, with links attached to this review, around Dec 22nd, Due to the publisher’s requirements! If I am allowed to post any sooner please let me know!

When Quinn Norton moves towns to be closer to her grandmother and escape a friend group that burst into flames, the last thing she expects is to find any sort of kinship again. However, nerds have a secret sort of magnetism ability, and she quickly finds herself settling into a new D&D group!

Unfortunately for Quinn, the cute boy she met on her first day is in this group. Even worse, there’s strict rules against players dating each other, and he seems determined to ice her out. Can they beat the big bad of their campaign, their unspoken attraction, and Quinn’s matchmaking, meddling grandma without their friends knowing?

This was such a fun read! I’ve unfortunately never played D&D myself, but have always thought it sounded so much fun! It was interesting seeing the characters building their characters before the campaign, and the fact that they live stream their games like Critical Role and other groups was so cool! A super easy to get into story for those unfamiliar with the game mechanics.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Romance/Random House Children’s for my copy in exchange for my review!

This was a sweet and delightful young adult romance! I enjoyed following Quinn as she started a new school and made friends. I loved all the characters in this book, especially Quinn’s grandma. I found myself smiling a lot throughout this book and I definitely didn’t want to put it down. This was an amazing feel-good read that I highly recommend.

Read this if you like:

📖 Dungeons & Dragons
📖 Forbidden Romance
📖 Found Family
📖 Complex Characters

Thank you to Delacorte Press for the gifted arc, I loved it!

4.5!

I don’t read much YA anymore now that I'm 23, but I found this story to be extremely charming. Reading about this cast of characters took me right back to the mindset of my teenage self, and she would have devoured this book whole. I did take off a half star in my rating because there were a few moments where I thought the teenage angst was a smidge on the over-dramatic side, but not enough to tarnish my reading experience.

I thought Quinn and Logan were so adorable, and their romance had the perfect level of tension for a YA romcom. The entire cast of side characters were also hilarious; especially grandma Barbara. Additionally, every few chapters we would get to read the latest session of their DND campaign, and it was SO fun! I have never played the game personally, but now I’m thinking of finding a group of friends to try it out. I was on the edge of my seat and gasping at every turn with the characters waiting to see what would happen next.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I am so excited to go read Kristy Boyce’s backlog, and I can’t wait to add this book to my shelves on December 31st.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce is a first person-POV YA contemporary romance with a DnD twist. Quinn has just moved to a new high school so her family can be closer to her grandmother and to escape the alienation from Quinn’s old gaming group. On the first day, she meets Logan and his friends who run a Dungeons and Dragons campaign online. While there is an immediate spark between Logan and Quinn, the group has one rule: no dating.

As a player of DnD, this really got me excited the second I saw it was available. I haven't had the chance yet to read Kristy Boyce’s first DnD Romance, Dungeons and Drama, but will definitely be checking it out soon. While the focus is the romance and Quinn’s new friendships as well as her relationship with her family, we do get some narration dedicated to the campaign and how the group works within that setting. Quinn's family doesn't really get her hobbies but they try to understand her and she's never really discouraged from pursuing them.

Logan and Quinn are that dorky couple that does roleplaying games on Saturdays and also have a lot of banter and swoon- worthy lines. I loved the build-up, I loved how adamant Logan is about Quinn being allowed to have boundaries, and I loved a lot of his lines. Logan’s willingness to entertain Quinn's grandma and Quinn’s visit to his parents’ farm added a cozy element that made this feel more heartwarming than dramatic. They are, quite possibly, my favorite YA contemporary romance couple of 2024.

The other relationship I loved was Quinn and Kashvi, her new best friend and another member of the group along with her older brother. Kashvi and Quinn have an instant bond when Kashvi’s 20D dice get Quinn’s attention when they first meet and they have similar tastes when it comes to jewelry. Given what we later learn about Quinn's former friend group, it made me love Kashvi and Quinn even more and I am always here for supportive, loving female friendships in YA.

I would recommend this to fans of both Dungeons and Dragons and YA Romance, readers who love romances between couples with interests that have historically been seen as nerdy, and those looking for a YA Romance that puts value on female friendships

"Sometimes trouble can be good. I'll take whatever trouble you want to give me."

Delightfully nerdy and so much fun!

What I liked:

I adore this new friend group, especially how they embraced Quinn.

I have truly never had any inkling to play D&D until this series.

I'm ready to go on a quest.

Grandma was quite possibly my favorite character. I love her quips and all of her antics. She seems like a lot of fun.

What didn't work for me:

Nothing

In Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce, Quinn and her family have just moved to a new town mid-school year. Quinn had a major falling out with her old friend group and gets a fresh start with potential new friends when she’s invited to join a live streaming D&D group. Quinn is trying to develop friendships while also handling her growing crush on fellow player Logan. With the group’s “no dating rule” and Quinn’s fear of losing another group of friends she has to figure out how she wants to handle her feelings.

I loved the dungeon and dragon scenes in this book. As someone who has never played it, this book made me want to. Also, the friendships formed in this book were super cute and watching the various characters interact together was one of my favorite parts.

There was definitely chemistry between Logan and Quinn. However, the will they/won’t they and the pining felt like it went on a little too long.

Overall, it was a fun book. It’s very well written and easy to read. If you enjoy romance, finding your people, and character growth this is an excellent choice.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Kristy Boyce for the ARC.

AHHHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH TO NETGALLEY FOR THIS ARC!!!!!

This book was so stinking cuteeeee!

Quinn finds herself starting at a new school in the middle of the school year due to her family wanting to move closer to her aging grandmother. She quickly falls into a friend group that plays Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). The thing is at her old school she also had a D&D friend group that had a falling out and they blame Quinn for the drama in the group. That group still harbors animosity towards Quinn.
Quinn is quickly making friends in the group, but the group has rules. One of these rules is “not dating anyone in the group”, which wouldn’t be an issue except Logan is super cute and super nice and Quinn and him have this gravitational pull to each other.

Forbidden high school romance makes for a tension filled YA book that will leave you smiling and giggling the whole time while reading it! This book is perfect for high schoolers (or adults like myself lol)!

Thank you again so much again for the EARC!

I will start by saying that Dungeons and Drama was one of my favorite books on 2024, and it was something I picked up with no expectations. As I read it, I realized two things; first, Boyce understands the complexity and drama that exists within a D&D campaign, and second, she is a master of weaving that into an emotionally heightened teen romance. She expertly takes the already high-stakes emotions of being a teenager, and somehow raises the stakes by setting them at the table, and then creates heroes and heroines that are so warm and fuzzy that it's impossible not to root for them to roll a nat 20 and fall in love.

When I learned there'd be another book in this series, as I am hoping there will be another and another, I was totally bought in on the concept, and I couldn't wait to read another. I had incredibly high hopes that Dating and Dragons would be another success in showcasing teenage emotion alongside a campaign.

And somehow--this one exceeded every one of my expectations! Quinn and Logan's tension in and out of the game was phenomenal. I loved the slow unraveling of their feelings for each other, and I especially loved that her meddling grandma had such a hand in their development. The side characters were so special, and the attention that Boyce paid to ensuring that friendship remained at the heart of the plot was just a giant smiling bow on an already perfect gift of a story. I am positive that this book is going to receive all of the love and accolades that it deserves, and am keeping my fingers crossed for a third D&D YA romance from her!

PS: The smallest of easter eggs linking the two stories was PERFECT, but I would somehow love to see these two heroines meet in the future.

What a cute read! I loved getting to know Quinn and everyone else in the group. The book was quirky, lighthearted and very sweet. Quinn and Logan were great together. I loved their romance was so fun. Forbidden romance can be hit or miss for me, but in this case, it was a hit. It was so well done and believable. The slow burn of their romance was also well done. I can often find myself getting frustrated with slow burns, but in this case, it just worked and was amazing. The tension and yearning were so believable and I felt that the relationship was a natural progression. I just couldn’t help but smile as I read this book. It was very well written, and I think the author nailed the characters fantastically.

If you’re looking for a nice refreshing YA romance, then check this one out.

Quinn is not the average teen. Her parents uprooted her life mid-year in high school and she's not mad; she's relieved. Her friendship group imploded with only her to take all of the hits. Luckily her outrageous grandma drops her off to her new school and a meet-disaster later, she just may have met the best friends she was desperate for.
This book is a delight! I happily jumped on reading this and couldn't stop the smiles. Kristy does an amazing job with the full cast, but most especially with developing the best of what friendship should be (I love, love, love Kashvi. I adored how gone Logan is for Quinn and some of the things he says... I would have died and gone to heaven if anyone had talked to me like that as a teen.
Thank you Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC copy of this adorable book!

This was such a fun, light read and absolutely made my little D&D playing heart happy! Quinn & Logan are adorable! The dynamic of their D&D group is so fun, too!

If you love rom-coms and you are a D&D player, definitely read Dating and Dungeons for a fun YA read!

4⭐️s. Coming December 31st! Really enjoy finding books with D&D related plots. My husband plays and it makes me feel like I’m sharing it with him a little. This is such a cute story with real situations. Friendships are so important but sometimes it takes liking a boy to find out just how strong they really are.Loved that some of the characters had other hobbies: jewelry making and crochet/knitting.

Quinn and her family have moved to a new town to be closer to her grandmother. It was a welcome change after her friends kicked her out of their D&D group. She meets a D&D group in need of another member. To her surprise the handsome guy from her first day of class is a member. But Logan doesn’t seem happy to have her join. Then she learns the rules: no phones allowed and no dating within the group. They also live stream the campaigns.

The more they interact, the more there could be something behind Logan’s brooding exterior. Quinn’s meddling grandmother isn’t helping either. She can’t risk losing another group of friends. What will happen when Quinn’s past comes back to haunt her? Will her new friendships be stronger than her last?

Thank you to @netgalley @kristylboyce and @randomhousechildrens for the advanced reader copy. #netgalley #datinganddragons #kristyboyce #dungeonsanddragons #advancedreaderscopy

this was adorable and very well written. It accurately represented the teenager dynamic and how friends interact with one another. I was also impressed with how the romance aspect was weaved into the main story. I could related very much with the FMC. I was also the odd girl out that had "friends" who ended up not being friends. Trying to keep separate the old from the new when it comes to friends and trust and trying to not self sabotage is hard. This story was brilliantly done and I can't wait to get a physical copy and also put this on the libraries book list to order some copies. Thank you for letting me read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Presd for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Dungeons and Drama, the first book in the Dungeons and Drama YA fiction series, so I was ecstatic to receive its sequel, Dating and Dragons to read and review.

I’m not going to lie, when I first saw the cover, I thought the female MC was Sophia! Luckily, it wasn’t and was in fact a brand new character of Quinn. phew!

Just like the first book, It’s a very well written YA fiction story for older teens about Quinn, a 16 year old whose family just moved to another town to be close to her Grandmother.

Quinn starts out the story at her new school, wanting to make some new friends after her last D & D group imploded before her family moved away, through no fault of her own, and touches on the bullying that she endured.

When Quinn’s Grandma drives her to her first day of school and flags down a cute guy named Logan to take Quinn’s first day of school picture, Quinn is mortified. But it ends up working out when she makes friends with Kashvi, who invites her to join her D&D group. Guess what? Logan’s also in the group too! When Quinn ends up joining the group, of course a rule is no dating group players. So of course sparks fly between Quinn and Logan.

There was some low heat scenes that seemed a bit unrealistic in how Quinn and Logan spoke each other when discussing their attraction for each other that didn’t seem to fit the tone or how actual teenagers speak to each other which did pull me out of the scenes at times. It seemed like the author was trying to up the heat but still skirting around trying to keep the spice level low.

Despite this, I still highly recommend Dating and Dragons and am looking forward to reading more by Kristy Boyce.

Super cute, easy YA read🩷
i enjoyed the little touches of angst, friends to lovers in this book and the most adorable (also accurate) dungeons & dragons references
thank you netgalley for the eARC

Kristy Boyce is quickly becoming an automatic read for me. Dating and Dragons was even better than Dungeons and Drama. It's a good story with well developed characters. I especially geeked out over more D&D that is actually incorporated into the plot.

This book was so cute. I really enjoyed reading. First of all, i love the popularity d&d is getting. I loved the characters felt their age. And it was just a simple and fun story.

A sweet, funny YA forbidden romance romcom about a group of D&D loving teens who agree not to date anyone they play with and the two teens who can't resist the growing attraction between them. I really enjoyed this second Kristy Boyce D&D inspired book!! It has great side characters, queer rep and bullying rep told in relatable and laugh out loud ways (ie two teens getting schooled at pickleball by senior citizens). Highly recommended for fans of The no-girlfriend rule by Christen Randall. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Very cute book! I loved the characters and how easy it was to really get into and love them! Great story too!