A super cute and nerdy book that will make all the D&D and Book lovers happy and shows that anyone can enjoy a good Dungeon and Dragons campaign. When Riley takes her mom's car without permission she is forced to work in he dad's game shop where she meets Nathan, but Riley has things to do and a musical to save and Nathan. Well, Nathan has a crush on another girl but cannot get to notice her. To make them both happy Riley strikes a deal with Nathan and says that if he helps cover her shifts she will make Nathan's crush jealous to help him get the girl.

This book was equal parts fun and adorable and also had moments of finding new passion. Riley never understood her Dad's obsession with gaming and thought he was lame but watching their relationship change and grow with each other was wonderful and of course we know that fake dating NEVER leads to feelings....

We recommend this book if you love gaming, cute romance and fake dating.

This was such a cute, fun romance! I loved the D&D theme, and how well it was incorporated into the romance. I really liked the relationship between Riley and Nathan, and how it grew over the course of the novel. This book is great for teens interested in romance and gaming.

Thank you to Random House Children's and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was an adorable little story with a ton of musical and Dungeon and Dragons references that I enjoyed. I appreciated the realistic aspect of falling in love as a teenager and realizing that some people are not necessarily meant to be together or vice versa. My only issue and this could be purely because of my prolific reading of dual pov romance, but I thought that this story could have used that for me personally. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars

Dungeons and Drama was such a delightful surprise! Kristy Boyce blends the worlds of high school theater and Dungeons & Dragons in a way that feels fresh, nerdy, and completely heartwarming. The characters are quirky and relatable, and the slow-burn romance was genuinely sweet without being over the top. I especially loved the themes of stepping outside your comfort zone and learning to embrace vulnerability.

While I would’ve liked to see a little more depth in some of the side characters, the overall story kept me smiling. If you love nerdy rom-coms, character growth, and a touch of theatrical flair, this one’s definitely worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute young adult romance story! The fake dating, banter, oh no we caught feelings and don't know what to do with it! It made me think about high school in a positive light and remember young love at that age. So many nerdy references that made my little geek heart happy. While this is a young adult romance set in high school, there are growth with the characters.

I have never played Dungeons and Dragons but now I am interested in playing. I would recommend to romance readers looking for a light young adult read who enjoy pop culture references. Dungeons and Dragons knowledge is not required to enjoy this read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

This was super cute. I am a theater adult and play D&D so this was right up my alley. I did at one point want to scream to just talk to each other.

Rating: 4.5/5

Have you ever read a book that you wish younger you could have read because Dungeons and Drama would have been PERFECT for high school theater kid me! I didn’t start playing D&D until I was in my 20s and I think this book absolutely would have inspired me to pick it up sooner and also, I am a sucker for anything with a theater kid main character! I loved all the references to nerdy things and musical theatre! I also went very hardcore to see broadway tours including bothering my mom for a month and a half to ensure she got us tickets to see Rent with Anthony Rapp!

Seeing Riley’s relationship with her father grow and not at the cost of her relationship with her mother was lovely and I think the conversations she had with both of her parents were healthy and full of a lot of depth and emotional intelligence. I loved watching Riley and Nathan’s relationship take off, especially because I absolutely love fake dating and that trope was done SO WELL in this book!

4.5/5 stars!

An excellent starter romance - forced proximity, fake dating, oh no real feels - with big swoon and full of so many fantastic characters and relationships. Musical scores and 20-sided dice for everyone!

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC. Well past the publish date, but better late than never.

This was cute. A little too young for my taste, but it was fun. I hated Riley at first because she was very full of herself, but her character development was nice. I love the fake dating trope, not so much the miscommunication trope. Overall easy ready and would recommend to anyone that’s nerdy.

This was a cute and quick read. I enjoyed the setting and wished for more time in the store. The friend group dynamic was well crafted, but the pacing for the story line seemed off. The D&D character creation was my favorite part of the story.

"Dungeons and Drama" by Kristy Boyce is an absolute blast! It’s the perfect mix of humor, heart, and a touch of nerdy charm. The story pulls you right into the world of high school friendships, D&D, and unexpected romance. I loved how it captured the feeling of finding your people in the most unlikely places. Big thanks to the publisher for the ARC! I couldn’t resist picking up a copy for my library system. If you’re into quirky romances and relatable characters, this one is a must-read. Highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good laugh with their love story!

After “borrowing” her mother’s car – and driving it without a license - to see a touring production of a Broadway show with her best friend, theater-loving Riley’s parents not only ground her, but sentence her to spend the next eight weeks working at her father’s gaming store. Things get complicated when Riley finds out her school has decided against having the spring musical after budget cuts. Riley is caught between spending her now-limited time secretly coming up with a plan to convince school administration to let them go forth with a musical, while also working at the store – including getting roped into being a part of nerdy-but-cute Nathan Wheeler’s Dungeons & Dragons campaign. To make things more complicated, the two come up with a wild fake-dating scheme to make both Riley’s ex-boyfriend and Nathan’s D&D-playing crush jealous, but as they spend more time together their feelings predictably get more complicated. Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce is a fun, YA take on the fake-dating trope. The romance is innocent enough that this book could be enjoyed by younger readers, but should still keep older teens interested.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book - it is exactly what I want in a nerdy YA romance. I seriously wish this had existed when I was a teen! The title couldn't be more accurate and the drama was super fun. I loved the DND representation and found it very realistic. I love character growth and we see a lot of it with the FMC. This is definitely a lighthearted romance with some heartfelt moments. 4.5 stars!

***In Kristy Boyce's young-adult charmer, high schoolers Riley and Nathan, coworkers who have nothing in common, end up in a fake-dating drama as they try to win over their love interests.***

High schooler Riley has a grand plan to become a Broadway director. But the always-epic school musical has been canceled because the school thinks there isn't enough support for it. So first she wants to get the spring musical set, then she'll mastermind her future.

But when she borrows her mom's car without permission (to go see Waitress out of town with her best friend, so: worth it) and gets grounded, she suddenly has to spend afternoons working at her father's game store instead.

Determined not to give up on the musical, Riley sneaks and works on a master plan for a performance--and talks her unfriendly teen coworker, Nathan, into making his gamer crush jealous by doing some convincing flirting with him. Meanwhile, she agrees to take part in some nerdy game play.

But role-playing in Nathan's Dungeons & Dragons game turns out to be...fun. And liking Nathan is starting to feel like less of an act than simply a reality.

I love a fake-dating premise, and the Nathan-Riley setup is irresistible. I was hooked on their ups and downs--and the reasons for their "downs" are plausible enough that I loved rolling with them. The supporting characters and their side plots are funny and oddball and cute. This was a sweet world that I loved spending time in, and the fact that absolutely everything works out is immensely satisfying.

I received an electronic edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press.

For more Bossy reviews of rom-com stories I've loved, please check out the titles at the link on Bossy Bookworm, the blog!

The second book in this series is Dating and Dragons.

As someone who only has a high level understanding of D&D, I found this to be a cute and fun read. The characters were interesting & well developed, the D&D references/scenes were easy to understand, and I liked development of the enemies to friends to lovers between the main characters.

Riley is a full-on theater kid—Broadway-obsessed, musical-loving, and absolutely determined to direct a show of her own one day. But when her school cruelly slashes the budget for the annual musical (gasp!), she makes it her mission to bring it back. There’s just one tiny problem—she’s grounded for, uh, “borrowing” her mom’s car without permission. Now, instead of saving the arts, she’s stuck spending her afternoons working at her dad’s gaming store.

Nathan is a totally adorkable nerd with a major crush on one of his fellow Dungeons & Dragons players. When he offers to cover for Riley so she can work on her musical (and low-key get back at her ex), she agrees to help him out—by fake-flirting with him to make his crush jealous. The only catch? She has to actually join the D&D campaign. What she didn’t expect was to actually enjoy it… and maybe catch real feelings along the way.

This book was adorable. It’s packed with some of my favorite tropes—opposites attract fake dating, even a little “she’s mine” energy (but, like, in a super nerdy way). The side characters were just as delightful, and the ending? Absolutely melted my heart.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

This was a really cute and sweet YA book. I loved the combination of D&D and theatre elements. The romance was very YA appropriate and sweet, which I always appreciate in the YA genre. For sure will be reading the next one

Dungeons and Drama was by far one of my favorite reads in 2024. I don't read a ton of YA romance these days but when Dungeons and Dragons is involved, I am there and ready to have a good time. This book definitely didn't disappoint. It was really cute and light and I loved the fact that we got to experience their game along with them!

Okay, so, Dungeons and Drama? Five stars, easy. Seriously, I'm kind of obsessed. Kristy Boyce totally nailed this nerdy romance. I was hooked from page one. The fake dating thing? Usually not my cup of tea outside of fanfic, but this was so well done. The jealousy, the little "fake" sweet moments, the kissing – it was all just perfect. Like, give me more!

This book is such a treat if you love sweet YA romance. It's that perfect mix of nerdy and heartwarming. The characters felt so real, like actual teenagers, which is something I really appreciate. The romance was just the right amount of swoony – it gave me all the warm fuzzies. There was a little miscommunication towards the end, but honestly, it felt realistic given their ages, so it didn't bother me. I also have to say, the D&D stuff was great. I'm not a huge D&D player myself, but I could totally follow along with what was happening in the game, which was cool.

Seriously, Dungeons and Drama is a must-read for any romance fan. I can't recommend it enough.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! I just couldn't get in the mood for this one, but I do love this author!