We see a lot of books about girls who hope to make it big as the star of the show. I love that Riley doesn’t want center stage. Her love is behind the scenes.

However, her love for the stage gets her in trouble, and her punishment is, basically, constant parental supervision. Which means afternoons at her dad’s game store. She’s not a fan of the store or, really, her dad, since he split from her mother. She doesn’t think he’s very interested in her life.

There are some of the usual tropes: hate to love, fake dating. We pretty much know what to expect. But the tropes are executed well.

The teenagers act like typical cliquey teens. Riley looks down her nose at the RPG crowd, and Nathan doesn’t seem to have much use for her dramatic flair. One of the things I really loved about this story is how the groups learned to work together. Once Riley realized RPGing was really just acting, she embraced it—and brought in a friend. Both groups are enriched by their ultimate mingling.

Riley finds a whole new support group from the regulars at her dad’s gaming store. And she learns a lot more about her dad. They develop a closeness that had been lacking from their relationship.

Another think I really appreciated is the storyline of kids advocating to keep a program they love in their school—especially an arts-based program. So many programs are cut, and Riley works really hard to remind school administrators of the value of the drama program she loves. But she can’t do it alone—friends from both of her groups come through to help her make it happen.

The adults in this book are not painted as clueless or oppressive, just typical parents and teachers. Another plus!

Possible objectionable material:
Dungeons and Dragons like RPG and LARPing. Same gender couple. Teenage hijinks—including sneaking behind parents’ backs. Parent/child drama. Divorce. Parental health scare. There might have been some minor cursing, but I didn’t make note of anything in particular.

Who might like this book:
D&D fans, drama lovers, romance fans, coming-of-age fans. I think either gender can appreciate the story. The lexile level is lower than the suggested grade range, and that's okay--sadly, many teams are not where they should be.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2024/01/speaking-of-colliding-worlds.html

This book!!! It gave such feel good vibes! The found family was the cutest and the opposites attract/ fake dating romance though very YA felt so high stakes! It was a kicking your feet giggling type of book even though the romance was so innocent. I could not have loved this book more. It is enjoyable for all ages not just a YA audience. Thank you to NetGalley for sending me the ARC copy!

This was such a delightful read. I honestly had so much fun reading this book, and I just absolutely flew through it. I'm just a sucker for a fake dating romance, and this book just executed that really well. I really liked seeing Riley and Nathan reluctantly become friends and then just fall hard for each other. I really loved the way it was developed throughout the book, but I'm not going to lie there were some moments in there that hurt my heart. But hey, those moments are quite typical of fake dating romances, so I'm just doing this to myself at this point.
Another aspect I really loved in this book is the friendships. I really loved seeing Nathan and Riley's friend groups merge, and I really liked how that was done, and it felt really natural. The scenes with all of them together were just so incredibly wholesome and fun to read. I especially loved the D&D sessions. It really brought all of these character's different interests together into one hobby, and it just made for some realy delightful moments.
I did think this book was going to be a bit more focussed on Riley's relationship with her dad. I mean, there definitely was some developement there, and that storyline did make me cry, but I just expected it to be a bigger part of the story than it was. Riley's character developement was also great though, it kind went hand in hand with the developement of her relationship with her dad. She did get on my nerves at a certain point because she kept hard pushing people away, and then blaming the other person for them not being closer. It was just really annoying to read. She also started off the book as incredibly selfish and self-centered. It was hard for her to see anything that did not fit perfectly into her own interests/world, and that made it a bit annoying to read from her POV in the begging. However, like said before she does go through quite a bit of character developement in the book, and I truly like how that was done. So I did end up quite liking her towards the end. So yeah, this book was a lot of fun, and I definitely recommend it.

Man, I love a good cutesy, nerdy YA novel. This was my first Boyce book, and now I can’t wait to read more. D&D and theater was such a fun combination, and I loved Nathan and Riley. It is also very clean, so this is a book that you can recommend to most younger audiences. Give me all the fluff!!

4.5⭐️

OH!! I loved this book so much! I am not a theater nerd or a D&D player but I was a nerd in school and I absolutely loved this book. It was so cute and sweet. I've already recommended it so many times!

Loved seeing Riley and Nathan and their friends come together, even though they thought that they had absolutely nothing in common initially and realizing how much they actually do.

This was a very well written book by Kristy Boyce! I never read anything by her before, but I will definitely read her books again. (Was this her first book? If so I TIP MY HAT TO YOU!! Well done!) I know this book is a Teen/YA book but I don't care. A good book is a good book.

As a mom of 4, I... didn't like Riley so much, at first. I know kids can have this complex thinking they are invincible (I was a crazy teen once too) but Riley taking the car, driving so far, without a license is a HUGE thing. She didn't seem to understand that. Also, I didn't understand banning her from a school activity considering it's what she wanted to pursue as a career. The rest I loved. The mom's connection with her kid, the dad trying to make amends, good kids just trying to be good kids, ugh. I loved it.

I will continue to recommend this book for it's feel good coziness.

Dungeons and Drama was such a fun ride! Fake Dating is one of my favorite tropes, and while it made for a predictable plot at times, it was a great comfort read. As a life long lover of theater, and a fledgling Dungeons and Dragons player, I loved seeing the two merge in this story. D&D has a reputation for being only for the most dedicated of nerds, but it's truly a game for everyone if you take the time to try it! The pop culture references kept me laughing, and I loved the behind the scenes of working in a game shop. Gamers really are some of the kindest people out there! Overall I rate this book 4/5 and would call it a great cozy comfort read when you need something low stakes!

I am an avid D&D player so finding out there was a romance book with D&D as a big part of the story sucked me in. I loved this book. The characters were cute, I enjoyed reading about them and going from friends to more. I also enjoyed all the D&D story points. I'll definitely read more from this author.

this was cute but also somewhat of a miss for me? the fmc was kind of… annoying to me. like she was SO upset at her parents about getting punished but like… you stole your moms car without your license? and drove like a pretty far distance? you SHOULD be as punished as you are? and i just didn’t really feel their chemistry at all, honestly. but i did LOVE the game store environment because my boyfriend and i both go to our local game store so the vibes of it were spot on and i loved that!

This book genuinely made me want to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons, which is saying something since I've spent years dodging people's attempts to convince me to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons.

The blurb promised hijinks and the book delivered! I love a good fake dating plot, and this was one of the best I've read in a while. (They actually got involved in each other's lives! So refreshing!) I'm also a sucker for complicated parent/child relationships in YA, so Riley's relationship with her dad had me all *heart eyes emoji*. Would recommend for fans of Emma Lord, TTRPG lovers, or anyone who's ever been called "a bit much."

Super cute and super fun. I really enjoyed all of the quirky characters and I really enjoyed the storyline.. thankfully my husband is a table top gamer, so I understood some of the stuff but I think even if I hadn’t it would’ve been OK.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

This book is a love letter to anyone who loved their high school theatre program and boarder gamers everywhere. Dungeons and Drama was so sweet, it just made my little theatre heart happy. I honestly, have nothing bad to say and just want anyone who feels slightly out of place in highschool or found their love in the arts to read this.

Okay, I stayed up way too late reading this book, so if this review sounds a bit wacky, can we agree to blame Kristy Boyce for writing such a great book? Ha. Honestly, though, I had such a great time reading this book.

At the very beginning, I wasn’t sold. Riley has just gotten in trouble for taking her mom’s car without permission (and without having a driver’s license) and driving hours away to see a touring company perform a musical. Her parents are shocked, and she’s in big trouble, but Riley doesn’t seem to get why it’s that big a problem. I worried that she was going to be a shallow character that would be hard for me to connect with.

Instead, as I turned pages from one chapter to the next, I couldn’t help connecting with Riley. I laughed along with her as she jumped into the Dungeons and Dragons campaign. I loved her passion for bringing back her high school musical program. Even in her fake relationship with Nathan, Riley couldn’t help thinking about how her behavior would affect Nathan and his goal to get the other girl’s attention.

If you’re a fan of the fake dating trope, I definitely think you’d enjoy this book. It’s got plenty of silliness, loads of theater moments, and so many sweet, swoony exchanges as Riley’s feelings for Nathan start to change.

As a D&D girl myself, I love seeing the game on the page, and I loved the way that players with different approaches to the game made an appearance in the book. Seriously, this book was such a fun read. Fans of Serena Kaylor or Eric Smith will enjoy this one.

This is really cute! It speaks to interests that mean a lot to both Teen Me and Adult Me--the transformative and inspirational power of RPGs and community/school theater--and the fake-dating-turn-real-dating (not a spoiler, really, as the outcome is obvious) between Riley and Nathan is both fun and sweet as their relationship develops. I actually wanted more details about the side characters, as I found them charming and unique.

This book was so adorable!

I loved that this story was such a celebration of nerd culture of all forms, and I especially loved that it specifically involved two areas of nerdom that I am personally involved in - musical theatre and board games!

This book felt so authentically young adult. I swear, the voice of this main character WAS me as a teenager! I loved how high stakes the conflicts felt - it made it feel like so perfectly teenaged. I also loved the way these characters found their way to each other. It was such a great use of the fake dating trope!

Overall this wasn't the best romance I've ever read, but it was PURE FUN! I truly enjoyed every second of my reading experience and would recommend this to romance readers of all ages.

Fantastic fake dating YA romance!!! Loved Riley, LOVED Nathan, loved the nerd culture. Truly a great book that made me giddy & kick my lil feetsies!

I adored this YA rom-com! As soon as I read the title, I new this was one to check out. As a gamer and former theater kid, this one really struck a chord with me. This was a book that I wish I had had in my teenage years as I loved the themes around sticking true to yourself and finding others who treat you well and enjoy similar interests. This was such a feel good story and I found myself chuckling the whole way through.

This was a bit on the younger side of way for me, which has more to do with me than the book, but it's something to keep in mind for potential readers. Overall, this was super cute and I can't wait to buy a copy for my personal library.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a long time since I read a YA novel that felt perfect from beginning to end, but Dungeons and Drama is it! This book has everything I want in a YA romance: realistically flawed teens dealing with typical teen problems, involved parents, a school musical, a school dance, and a (fake) relationship that gets started at work. The kind of low-stakes problems addressed in this book are much more relatable than some of the really dramatic issues that sometimes pop up in YA. Therse characters felt like people I could easily know in real life, and their story reminded me of my own teen years as well. Reading this was a delight!

3.5 rounded up to 4

This book was super cute!! It was a light and fluffy ya romance, which I really loved. I think it was on the younger side of ya for me, it was something I probably would have liked a little more a few years ago. I did still like it, especially the found family aspect with the friends, but it felt too childish at moments, unlike how most teenagers would normally act.

5/5 or 9.29/10

Characters-10

The characters in this book feel like they were created with me in mind. As a fan of both Musical Theater and DND, I was drawn into the characters early in the story. I loved Riley and her passion for musical theater. While I found DND later in life, I did love the DND vibes of this book a lot. I loved the friendship in this book. I feel that Riley joined the DND game and started working at her dad’s store just in time because she gained more people to care about her.

Atmosphere-9

I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this book. I’ve never been to Ohio, but I really loved how we saw different locations around the town. I loved seeing different areas of the game store and how much time we spent in the choir and music rooms.

Writing-9

This was my first book from the author, and I enjoyed the writing. When you write a story with different hobbies, you need to find the balance of enough references to when someone is a fan or has the same hobby as the character and has enough knowledge to understand some terms and references. Also, if you get too deep, or use references, a reader who doesn’t have the same knowledge can understand. This book does a perfect job of weaving references for fans of musicals and DND, while someone who doesn’t have the same knowledge could still enjoy the story. The writing style also works very well for the book.

Plot-10

I loved the story in this. Fake dating is a trope I love in romance, and when done well, you can see the characters developing feelings for each other, and I definitely saw it in this book. I loved how much music and theater were a part of this plot, and how many musicals and songs from musicals were referenced throughout the story. DND was the other side of the story, and I loved the story within the story of this book. When you play DND, you become close with your part throughout the game, and out of the game, and this was definitely seen throughout the story. I definitely felt like I was playing along with them throughout this story.

Intrigue-9

This was an interesting book. It held my attention because I wanted to see where the story was going to go, and I wanted to see when the musical theater reference would happen. Also, I wanted to see how the story was going to wrap up, and was curious to if I was correct in my guesses.

Logic-9

I followed the logic in this story. I felt the character’s actions, relationships, and plot points were described well.

Enjoyment-9

I loved this story! I loved the characters, references, and plot. I will definitely check out more from the author.

Riley's love for musical theater gets her into hot water after a series of bad decisions, including "borrowing" her mom's car...without asking permission and without a license. Her punishment? Working afterschool at her Dad's board game shop.
Riley's life is further complicated by her ex-boyfriend-- who dumped her for his summer theater co-star in the play in which Riley wasn't even cast-- stops by the game shop with his new girl, flaunting his relationship and giving her pity-eyes. In another moment of weakness, Riley pretends to be dating her co-worker, and afterschool nemesis, Nathan. Nathan agrees to her fake dating plan, as it makes his own love interest jealous to see him flirting with Riley. Cue Rom-Com drama and hijinks!
Dungeons and Drama is full of our favorite rom-com-esque tropes: fake dating, enemies to love interests, and save the day stakes. Kristy Boyce has crafted a delightful YA romantic comedy (fingers crossed for a big screen adaptation!) with board games, musical theater, and even a dance number.
Although there are lots of great rom-com moments, there are quieter moments in between that serve to develop the characters and show how broad their worlds are. The friendships among the two friend groups are wonderful to see-- watching Riley balance her pyramid of lies but still prioritize her friends makes her relatable and likable.
Dungeons includes realistic high school life portrayal-- teens going to class, dealing with homework, stressing over the potential cancellation of the spring musical. Boyce shows how full teenage lives are, without pandering or over-exaggerating. There are plenty slice-of-life moments to balance out the zanier mischief that Riley gets up to.
Boyce doesn't shy away from hard discussions, either. Riley's home life explores varying family dynamics in a healthy and realistic way. Watching Riley navigate her changing family relationships could be healing and helpful for readers of many ages.
"Nerd culture" -- as in, Dungeons and Dragons, IRL costumes and role playing, board games, collecting figurines and dice-- all aspects are shown as the fun special interests they are, and aren't played up or down for humor. People like what they like, and sometimes giving an activity a second chance can heal relationships or just offer some fun. There are still some fun fish out of water moments for our main drama queen, but watching Riley dive into new areas is delightful and fun.
This book is full of silliness and flirting and board games and humor and heart. There's romance, there's comedy, there's friendship and family and love. And in the midst of it all is one funny girl, finding her way and forging the path for who she wants to be.
Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce is available now.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and RandomHouse Children's for an e-ARC such that I could share my honest opinion!