This book was fabulous! It’s perfect for fans of theatre and any level of D&D interests. I think this author writing style is so easy to dive into. The pacing is perfect and great for high school age students. The cover of this book couldn’t be any better either. I lowkey want to print it out and put it on my wall!

I think the character are so well written and the fake-dating plot always hits! The relationship with our main FMC and her father is also a great storyline. I’m not a child of divorce, but I think this gives a viewpoint of what a child of divorce might go through and we see the relationship with both parents play out in a, I think, well-timed pace.

All in all I loved this book and will be recommending it non-stop!

So so cute. Riely and Nathan's relationship was so sweet to read about and I loved the nerdy references throughout.

I did think Riley's constant references to musicals were slightly grating and did give me PTSD to college and people who were like that, but she shaped up in the end. Minus the star because the last 30% was very heavy in the main action, and the underfunded theatre program issue got solved fairly quickly.

This was a fun YA romance. Riley is forced to work at her dad's game store after she takes her mom's car and drives without a license to a traveling Broadway show. While working at the store, Riley coincides with Nathan, whom she knows from school but has barely interacted with. When her ex is goading her for being single, she lies and says she's dating Nathan. Will their fake dating rouse work to get Riley's ex off her back and to get Nathan noticed by the girl he's crushing on? It's an entertaining fake dating rom-com.

As a fan of romance and Dungeons and Dragons, this hit a lovely sweet spot for me. A cute YA romance that is funny and a great palate cleanser, if you like showtunes or boardgames this is a book to try.

MUST LOVE DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS!

A very cute YA rom com! The premise was so much fun and very surface level. I’m a sucker for the fake dating/fake into you trope plus add enemies tension and it’s a winning formula.

My one complaint is that the characters motivations were a little to surface level.. overall an enjoyable book!

This was a super cute YA offering. I usually do not read YA much anymore but this was cute, cozy, and enjoyable.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were in no way influenced by receiving this copy.

I really did not think I was going to like this one very much. Personally I am not a fan of the spoiled rich kid that does whatever she wants, fuck the rules and literally everyone else's safety??? yeah sorry but I do not think Riley's punishment met what her crime was. Oh no I broke the law so now I have to hangout with my dad at his store and play games with his hot employees :(

But then this book grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go. It was just so cute. And they really got me with the Shrek the Musical- my own Junior year production. The homecoming feels of finding a dress and going with your best friends just simply cannot be beat either. The only way this book could've been more targeted was if she was also in the marching band.

This book could've used more editing, like how did no one catch that Nathan is in the car at the very end of the story and not Paul (whos name was actually read). I don't love the girl hate with Sophia, but can recognize that Riley did try to be supportive for the most part overall. This was a solid 4.5 star read for me. Just cute, high school romance, fun.

When Riley gets caught taking her mother's car to go see the Broadway show Waitress, she is grounded for the next 8 weeks and stuck working at her father's gaming store. Riley knows nothing about D&D and gaming and has to work with her overly annoying coworker Nathan. When her ex-boyfriend Paul shows up at the store with his new girlfriend, she says that she has moved on from Paul and in her panic says that she is dating Nathan. In order for Nathan to go with her plan of fake dating, she tells Nathan that she will help get the attention of the girl in his D&D group who only seems to be interested in Nathan when Riley is around. The more time that she hangs out with Nathan and his friends, she realizes that there might be more to Nathan than she originally thought.

I am a huge fan of the faking dating trope, and this book was perfect. Not only did I enjoy the relationship with Nathan and Riley, but I also enjoyed the growing relationship with Riley and her Dad and new friends as she jumps into the world of D&D. It looks like Dungeons and Drama is the first in this series with book 2, Dating and Dragons scheduled to come out in February 2025. I am excited to see what is next in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the opportunity to review Dungeons and Drama. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for granting me early access to this book! It was a delightful young adult romance.

I thought this was a cute, fun, and easy read. I love the popularity that "nerd culture" is having right now and loving that I can have books that represent diverse teen interests to recommend to my diverse teen population at my library! Really and truly such a great YA romantic comedy.

An incredibly cute entry in YA romance. I wish I had this kind of story to read when I was a teen. Refreshing to see D&D woven so naturally into a story without it being the but of the joke as well.

“Riley Morris is determined to make a name for herself as a Broadway director which is why the Central Scottsville High School spring musical is so important. This is her chance to get a directing credit under her belt. One very stupid decision later, she finds herself grounded and spending her afternoons working at Sword and Board Games. Ever since her parents’ divorce, her relationship with her dad has been strained, and spending so much time in his store seems like a terrible idea. To make matters worse, Riley doesn’t start out on the right foot with her coworker Nathan Wheeler. He’s very fond of her dad Joel, and it’s very clear that Riley would rather be anywhere but the store. When her desire to get rid of an ex-boyfriend aligns with his desire to make a crush jealous, they reluctantly agree to become a couple. Riley finds herself joining Nathan’s Dungeons and Dragons game and actually enjoying it, and the line between real and fake starts to blur. Working in the game store isn’t as bad as she thought it would be, and pretending to date Nathan is requiring less and less acting. Gaming nerds aren’t so different from theater nerds after all. Maybe nerds of a feather should stick together? Very close together!”

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

The “Dungeons and Drama” cover sold me before I read a single word of the synopsis so shout-out to artist Liz Parkes and art director Casey Moses! I was never in musical theater myself, but growing up in the dance world exposed me to all kinds of shows. On the other hand, the game Dungeons and Dragons has never been my thing, although I understand the appeal of a fantasy role-playing game. It’s just like being in a play, isn’t it? In fact, that’s what this book is about. A gaming nerd and a theater nerd being thrown together and finding out they have more in common than not. Nerds unite!

The first page of the first chapter mentions the Broadway musical Waitress which was a solid start to winning me over. Chapter two mentions “swoony, talented Zac Efron,” and I almost threw out a five-star rating on Goodreads. Calm down Lauren! This is where things got a little choppy. I thought this was a young adult romance in the college age range. Once I realized it’s a teen romance set in high school, I had serious doubts about moving forward. The truth is, I generally steer clear of stories about characters that young because if there’s no nostalgic ties, I rarely enjoy the book. Focusing on the beautiful cover and promising premise, I adjusted my expectations and continued.

Turns out, my biggest problem is the writing style which is a little too simple. Perhaps that has something to do with the age of the characters, but I still feel like it could use some je na sais quoi, a little more nuance and oomph. I have no previous knowledge of Kristy Boyce’s work so I’m not sure if this is a pattern; I found her use of descriptions for every character’s race odd. He is a “white kid from my high school.” She has a “large South Asian family.” That may not sound too bad, but the descriptions pile up and never feel organic, just flippant. Despite what I suspect to be good intentions, I question the creative choice and tone.

Having pushed through my slightly shocking discovery that Nathan and Riley are teenagers, my interest was piqued again in chapter six when Riley joins the DnD game nights at her father’s store. What starts as a punishment and budding romance finishes as a very lovely story about the importance of community and who you surround yourself with. I was pleasantly surprised by that aspect of the story, so much so that I cried. Twice! Kristy Boyce did an excellent job with the game store which is the true heart of “Dungeons and Drama,” and there’s a couple reasons for that. In high school, she and her best friend Maggie joined a D&D group without previous knowledge of the game, and they both ended up marrying fellow members Mike and Emmett, respectively. While writing this book, Kristy enlisted the help of employees from her FLGS (friendly local gaming store) for insider knowledge only they can provide. That brings up my own memories, fond memories of browsing and playing Kingdom Hearts at my FLGS in North Texas. I strongly encourage anyone reading this review to go out and support those small businesses in your neighborhood.

I’m not one hundred percent on board with the writing, but the surprising heart behind this book deserves a higher rating so I’ve landed on 3.5 Stars. Maybe you’ve come for the musical theater. Maybe you’re here because of Dungeons and Dragons. The reason doesn’t matter because you’re going to stay for Riley’s reconciliation with her dad, friendships in an unexpected place, and nerd representation. Be unashamedly you. Be an unwavering beacon because there are others like you searching for a community. Someday, sometime, they might find what they’re looking for in the backroom of their local gaming store. Don’t be late!

•

Content Breakdown: Absent parents, Divorce, Fake Dating, Hospitals & Illness (a heart attack scare), One use of the word “Lust” & one use of the phrase “Go all the way,” Stealing a car & Driving without a license, & Teen romance (cuddling, flirting, hand holding, hugging, kissing, & pet names)

Brief mentions of Alcohol, Bars/Taverns, & Intoxication

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Children's for the advanced copy.

Dungeons and Drama is a very sweet, light hearted young adult romance novel on the surface. Underneath all of that it deals with the stress of having absent parents (in the case of Nathan), and divorced parents in which one is favored (in the case of Riley), as well as the pressure of juggling all your desires at the same time as all your necessities. I felt very seen in this novel as both a theatre person and a person who plays DND. I think this book is very easy to read and wonderful in it's simplicity. It is very straight forward in dealing with issues (expect teen's natural inability to communicate lol) and is a heartwarming, fast paced, novel.

I thought this was such a cute YA romance. I love how the main character Riley is a musical loving nerd who gets in trouble when she takes her mother's car without a license so that she and her friend can see Waitress The Musical in the city. So her punishment is to work at her dad's comicbook store. To make matters worse her school decided that they don't need to do a musical that year. At the comic book store is works with Nathan who runs a D&D campaign and Riley gets roped into the campaign to help Nathan with a girl and he is helping her find a way to get the school musical back up and running. I love the nerdy parts of the book and I think if you are not really a big fan of musicals or D&D then maybe it might not be as exciting.

This was an amazing book and I loved the audio narrator as well! I love the cast of characters and I had an amazing time! The fake dating was perfect, and it is one of my favorite tropes! I want more from this author in this world and I am excited to see they are writing a follow-up book about another of the D&D party members!

Kristy Boyce's Dungeons and Drama is a delightful and engaging read that combines witty dialogue with a fresh take on the classic high school romance. The book’s blend of humor, heart, and geek culture creates a fun, relatable story that resonates with fans of both fantasy and contemporary fiction. Boyce’s charming characters and clever storytelling make this a standout in the genre.

This was pretty cute. I was annoyed with Riley from the get go, but she really brought me around as the story went on. I liked the familial storyline with Riley and her parents and how there was evolution on both fronts as they had to learn to trust one another again and both parents recognized behaviours that had threatened their relationship with their daughter. The evolving friend group was great and I found the honest conversation on toxic traits in high school dating to be refreshing. I think this will have a fairly niche audience. So many drama references that somehow seem like they will transcend less than even some of the gaming stuff.

As a lover of all things nerdy, every aspect of this story was perfect and adorable. I loved how eaacho of the tropes and storylines felt truthful and touching and all of the characters in this book were so unique and fun.

This is such a cute YA rom-com. The faking dating trope is done really well, the banter is fun. I really enjoyed Riley and Nathan’s story.

Super cute story that made me feel like it was my husband and I all over again. I loved the characters and can't wait to read more by this author!