(Laughing at the fact that my review title is basically DF: D and D & D and D 😅 but yeah, anyway — )
I’m not a roleplaying game person, so the first couple of times I saw Kristy Boyce’s Dungeons and Drama floating around online, I gave it a pass. Then I peeked at the reviews, many of which stressed that the novel is enjoyable whether you’re into RPGs or not. Thank god I listened, because GAHHHDHGBSKJAGGBJKGJD. It is one of the cutest freaking books I’ve ever read and definitely my favorite comfort book of 2024. It is very much a love letter to DnD, and you really feel the author’s passion for it, but it’s also a well-crafted coming-of-age story about discovering new things, whether that be in hobbies, in glasses-wearing love interests, or in parents we thought we knew.
The FMC Riley is a theater/musical nerd who is forced to work at her dad’s tabletop game shop after getting into trouble. After her parents’ divorce, she’s not close with her dad, and she’s not at all interested in the games he’s obsessed with. If that wasn’t enough, she immediately makes an enemy in her co-worker Nathan. Yet, for some reason, when Riley’s ex shows up and she’s put on the spot, she finds herself blurting out that she and Nathan are dating. And that… *spirit fingers* is when the magic happens. Fake dating is a fun trope to play with, and Kristy Boyce is a master at the game. Any time she had Nathan swooping in to fulfill his boyfriend role, I was right there with Riley, ready to melt into a puddle.
Through the fake dating shenanigans, Riley and Nathan form a genuine friendship, and Riley starts feeling at home with her little gaming community. But, and this is an important but, Riley never changes. She doesn’t change her loud personality, her colorful fashion style, or her love for theater. What she does do is grow, opening her heart to love even more. Both characters do this, and AGH it’s a beautiful thing — how they see each other for who they are and want to keep each other in their lives.
My heart is going to collapse if I have to spend one more moment with Nathan while he pretends he likes me and I pretend I don’t love him. Because I do… I love the way he accepts me for who I am, how loyal he is to his friends and the store and my dad… He’s one of the best people I’ve ever known. I want him to think the same of me.
I fell hard for Dungeons and Drama. Head over heels. So when I got news of Kristy writing another DnD romance, I was beyond excited. Like, really, we get more? Her latest book Dating and Dragons is not a sequel or companion novel — it’s a totally new story with a fresh set of characters. And as sad as I was that we wouldn’t see Riley and Nathan, I was plenty happy to meet the new players Quinn and Logan. In fact, I was full-on shipping them, like, six pages in.
Quinn is the new girl at school, mourning the loss of her former friend/DnD group and hoping to find another. Like fate, her grandma drops her off in front of a couple of kids who turn out to be fellow DnD folk. She’s eager to join their party, especially if it means more time with the cute and flirty Logan, but she has no idea what she’s in for… These guys take things Very Seriously. They don’t want anything messing with their campaign or their friendship — meaning, no dating among party members. Quinn knows all too well what romance can do to friends, but the spark between her and Logan has already been lit, and it’s only getting stronger.
Having been the new kid multiple times in my life, I related to Quinn on a spiritual level. I felt her pain and betrayal over the friend breakup, her fear and anxiety of it happening again. She needs this opportunity to go well, but it’s incredibly hard when Logan is… being Logan. Like, what is it with these DnD boys? Why are they so swoony? I had to shut off my Kindle and walk away at times because the swoon was just too much. It’s almost too dramatic, the way he and Quinn yearn for each other, but because I could see through Quinn and her past trauma, I understood her inner conflict. It made it feel like legit forbidden love rather than dumb teenage bullshit.
I honestly didn’t think I would love this as much as Dungeons and Drama (the bar with that book was way too high), but lo and behold. I LOVE THIS. I love Quinn and Logan, I love the pushy matchmaking grandma, I love the devoted party members. And I absolutely love the chaos that unfolds in the climax. I was gasping, awww-ing, and cackling all at once. If you need a good pick-me-up, these books are it. I can’t recommend them enough.
**Much thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Dating and Dragons will be released on December 31.
Dungeons and Drama:
Dating and Dragons:
Sara Bechtol 