I read this one because my high schooler is getting into D&D and he wanted to know if he could read it. I said yes! This YA romance is so adorable, and I love a fake dating trope!

This was such a cute read! I have been recommending it to those coming in for dungeons and dragons stuff or theater kids. The story was very sweet, the fake dating awesome.

Dungeons and Drama is a fun teen romance. It mixes relatable teen coming-of-age with gaming and family drama, making it both funny and touching. The characters feel real as they deal with friendship, love, and figuring out who they are. The main characters have a smart repartee, and the story is easy to relate to. If you like stories about young love with a nerdy twist, you'll enjoy "Dungeons and Drama."

As a reformed theatre kid, did I cringe through 50% of this book? Yes.
Did I kinda hate seeing myself as the D&D nerd that I currently am? Yes.

Did I think that the story was cute and stereotypically accurate? Also yes.

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!