Riley is forced to work at her dad’s game shop as a punishment for driving unlicensed with her mom’s car. With a musical to save, Riley strikes a deal with Nathan to take her shifts in exchange for faking dating him to make his gamer crush jealous.

When a musical you and your bestie want to see is hours away, and your mom is out of town, of course you “borrow” the car and hit the road… right? For unlicensed Riley that was the wrong decision, and she now sits sulking in her mom’s car as they drive to her punishment, working eight long weeks at her dad’s game shop. The same game shop that caused her parents to divorce five years ago. The very one she has never stepped foot in because it clearly meant more to her dad then his own daughter. What else could go wrong? The school cancels the spring musical she was desperate to direct. Unfortunately, there is not enough time to concentrate on both work and having to find a musical miracle!

Opportunity presents itself when Riley’s ex-boyfriend parades his new girlfriend at the game shop. To save face Riley tells him she is also dating someone new, fellow employee Nathan. Nathan is against the idea of fake dating until Riley explains that it would make his gamer crush Sophia jealous. He agrees, and in exchange he takes on some of her shifts so she can concentrate on operation save the school musical. Fake dating Nathan also means participating in a Dungeon & Dragons game he plays at the shop with his friends. She soon realizes that playing D&D is not just a game, it is just like theater! This world that she never wanted part of begins to look different and everything soon feels more real than fake.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book for an honest review. This was a great read!

This was a cute YA romance, that definitely skews a bit younger. I was drawn to it by the D&D element, something that has gotten much more mainstream and popular in recent years. I think romance readers who enjoy table top gaming or theater will enjoy this one. There was also some great plot points within the story like dealing with divorced parents, parents with health issues, issues balancing school and extracurriculars, and belonging. Will be recommending to students. (Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for the ARC)

This was a sweet YA book. I liked the drama and the addition of the game store/D&D element was really neat.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book was so cute!


I didn’t know much about D&D except for what I saw in the tv show stranger things but I really enjoyed it in this book! I was laughing and smiling a lot throughout and I EAT UP FAKE DATING TROPE and it was done sooo well!! Absolutely love this book!

If you want a cute little not your average romcom book to read then I would pick this up!

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC Copy 🙂

This is such a cute book which will make all of us nerds extremely happy. I absolutely love the fake dating trope in Dungeons and Drama and Nathan and Riley's dynamic was adorable. I also really enjoyed Riley's relationship with her parents and how that developed throughout the book. I would highly recommend this to all YA contemporary romance readers.

god this book was so cute are you kidding??? YA romances like these really get me in my feels and all I want to do is cry about them, in a good way of course! this book was funny and entertaining and just so adorable. I've reread it twice now. % stars all around. Congrats to the author for being able to write such a fun storyline. Will absolutely be recommending.

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce is a great story. The beginning; however, dragged a bit too much. I had to stop and then go back to read later. Once past the beginning, the book’s pace picked up and was okay. I enjoyed the topics explored in this novel. I loved that is was music based. The characters were quirky and fun. Overall, it was a charming tale.

I truly enjoyed this YA romance. It was fun to read and works through issues that many teens experience. Mainly, teens want to feel connected and fit in to a group. I loved how the characters were involved in games, musicals and plays which isn't your typical teen hobby. This book will be relatable to teen who love romance as well as musical references.

This will definitely be on my shelf soon. thank you for the advance copy.

4.5 stars = I loved it! Would re-read.

This was SO fun! Laugh-out-loud funny. Fake dating + D&D + musical theatre. Fantastic characters. This was a delight to read from start to finish.

Dungeons and Drama is a cute fake-dating romance - and a great pick for your theater and D&D loving teens.
The romance elements in this one aren't hot and heavy so it is perfect for younger teens who aren't ready for spicier romances and for anyone looking for a fun romance.
As a D&D player I appreciated the D&D scenes; to me they felt genuine.

I would recommend this one to folks looking for light or intro romance and folks interested in D&D and/or theater.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reading copy.

Great for fans of theater and dungeons and dragons. The references to new and old musicals are fun Easter eggs for any musical fan. Sweet story about romance, friendship, and family.

This was a fun YA book involving D&D and acting. While I really didn't care for the main female character, Riley, I appreciate that I am not the target audience for this book. I think I would've loved it a bit more as an actual YA as I definitely had friends similar to both the drama folks and dungeons folks when I was in high school. I appreciated the rallying both subsets did and the support of one another. Overall a really solid message to send to YA and I hope they appreciate it! Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the books in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC Ebook.
Wow! This was a fantastic read. The cover is brilliant as well. A fun read filled with the correct amount of awkward and hilarious moments. Well developed and diverse characters who are well developed. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy a fun and lighthearted read.

This was SO cute! Of course, theatre kids would love Dungeons and Dragons, so a romance between a girl who loves musicals and a nerdy tabletop gamer was in order. Kristy Boyce delivers on the romance. There are slight enemies to lovers, but the real treat is fake dating, a trope I can only really buy into with YA books. Our main character, Riley, is a typical high school drama kid, vibrant and bold, and a little annoying, but I rooted for her the whole time. The love interest, Nate, is pretty much perfect, and a nice break from some of the jock types we see in YA romances. Their dynamic was really fun, and it was sweet to see them grow to appreciate each other's interests.

Where this falters a little is in the non-romance elements. Riley is trying to save the school musical and repair her relationship with her father. She's also got her first-ever job at her father's store, and is grounded. It's a lot to juggle, and the musical stuff as well as the father-daughter relationship, are heartwarming to read about but don't get enough page time. I think this could work as just as well if it even was just a sweet little book about friendship, gaming, and first love

Still, I liked this. I connected with this musical and nerdy elements, loved the romance, and thought the writing style was fun and accessible. It's a great one for teens.

Fake relationship
When Riley gets in trouble and has to work at her dad's comic store she gets involved with a fake relationship with Nathan.

*3.5

Well this is CUTEEEEE! It’s got fake dating, gamers, theatre, and a slow burner first love- You’ll laugh and squeal!
It’s a YA high school romance, and I will say that the characters fit the mold. At the age I am now, I found many unrelated things in the story- However, it was such a cute easy read and helped me get out of my reading slump. Read this if you want a book that will make you smile and remind you what it feels like to have butterflies.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

With a bright, adorable cover and a fun title, I couldn’t wait to dive into this. While I don’t know a lot about Dungeons & Dragons, I was eager to find out while I read. There were parts of this that were really fun and I had a good time, but overall this was the definition of a fun time, but not a long time.

The fun time rested in Dungeons and Drama being that cute palette cleanser. It’s a story that you can smile at and enjoy without thinking to much about. It’s that kinda of refreshing reads where you can enjoy it and know that it’s all about fun.

Riley and Nathan were an excellent pairing for the faking dating trope. They have these personalities that mesh well, but they bicker just enough that really keeps their moments together entertaining as they are trying to pretend that they like one another.

Now, due to the amount of scenes revolving around musicals or D&D, there was this feeling of missing out on some development outside of those moments. We do get to see Riley really create a bond with all the D&D players and it’s sweet to see how eager they are to have someone else join. Those were important bonds too, but seeing Riley and her dad’s relationship seem to form mainly off page makes it feel imbalanced. Joel was such a fascinating character and good father, that focusing on that relationship a touch more could have been great, especially for a YA story.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I thought this was a fun story. While it’s one that is going to stay with me as a fun time and not for a long time, it is one that I can see a lot of people enjoying. There is a lightheartedness to it that feels like it encompasses the joy of finding new interest, growing friendships and falling in love. If any of that sounds like a good time, pick this book up. I imagine you’ll have a good time.

I absolutely adored this book! It fulfilled all my high expectations with its heartwarming portrayal of Dungeons & Dragons and the bonds it creates. Kristy Boyce's deep understanding of DND shines through, yet she keeps it accessible to all readers. The cozy game store setting and the found family dynamic were highlights for me.

Riley, our main character, is both relatable and inspiring in her journey. And Nathan? He's the perfect romantic interest, adding layers of sweetness and depth to the story. The romance, featuring fake-dating and enemies-to-lovers, was beautifully executed, though I would've loved more in-game flirting.

Overall, a delightful read with realistic twists that kept me hooked.

{{Book provided by NetGalley in return for a honest review]]

This cute fast paced YA rom-com is the perfect mix of fake dating and nerdy-ness. If you like D&D and Theater this is the book for you. This was a great book to mix in between some of the heavier stuff I have been reading as a reset button before diving in to the next thing.

This book was so cute! I often hesitate when reading YA because I know it is not written for me. However, I found this book to be everything a YA romance reader would love! It was funny, light-hearted while also mentioning deeper topics, as well as self-aware. Overall, I can picture my younger self jumping for joy over this one!