Thank you, Delacorte Romance, for an advanced digital copy of this book!

Dating and Dragons is a delightful, slow-burn YA novel about the world of Dungeons & Dragons. As someone with little prior knowledge of the game, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the author introduces D&D, making it accessible while still engaging fans. The book balances geeky details with broader appeal, making it enjoyable for newcomers and seasoned players.

The characters are one of the book's standout elements. Each side character is distinct, with their personality and relationship to the protagonist, enriching the story. The novel focuses on a new group of friends, their fun campaign adventures, and the emotional complexities of a teenager trying to fit in after a midyear move. The author excels at crafting realistic, imperfect characters who feel authentic to their age, capturing adolescence's awkwardness, misunderstandings, and growth. Their flaws are relatable but never irritating.

The romance and relationship development are well-paced, never feeling rushed or forced. The author clearly put care into creating meaningful connections between characters.

Overall, Dating and Dragons is a charming and refreshing read. It blends romance, gaming, and the ups and downs of teenage life in a natural and fun way. I'd love to see more stories set in gaming worlds like this one, and I'd be quick to pick them up!

Dating and Dragons it the second book in this series of young adult romance books, based around Dungeons and Dragons, but I didn't see the main characters from the first book introduced at all in this book, so I would say that they can be read alone, without having to read the other books in this series. This book introduces new characters, Quinn, our FMC, who is starting fresh at a new high school, and is apprehensive about making new friends, and joining a new D&D group after being bullied after a giving a fellow D&D player a chance, and deciding they were better off as friends, and Logan, our MMC, who is in an established D&D group that Quinn gets recruited into. Throughout their game nights, and even outside of their game nights, their friendship sprouts into something more.

Although I am not familiar with Dungeons and Dragons as a whole, and have never played it myself, I really loved this book, even more than the first one. I BINGED this book in one sitting. The cover is adorable, and the story matches it so well. I loved the main and supporting characters so much and how well they all got along and supported each other, although, I'm not going to lie, I was worried about how the ending would go, but was so happy for the HEA for our main characters.

There were definitely times when the characters acted juvenile, but you need to keep in mind, that this is a YA romance, and the characters are in high school so it was perfect for being a YA romance. The book was also perfectly paced and was a quick read, and there were definitely no lulls in the story, if anything it could have maybe been a little bit longer in order to build more on the relationship/friendships, but I loved everything that we did get.

I would definitely recommend this to any readers who enjoy YA books and D&D, although, that is definitely not a requirement considering I loved this book, but have never played D&D a day in my life. Glad to have this as my final read of 2024!

Thank you to Kirsty Boyce, Random House, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This is a delightful read for young adult romance enthusiasts who crave a lighthearted, contemporary tale of self-discovery, friendship, and swoon-worthy love, set against the backdrop of a high school D&D club.

The book was a wonderful quick read. It's very appropriate for young readers as it has a lot of elements that they can relate to. Sometimes authors write high school romance but sounds a lot more adult than it should be, but this book was perfect. It got me thinking of how it was like to have a crush back in high school. As someone who has never played D&D, there is a good balance of going into the campaigns and sort of learning the gist of it, without letting the campaign take over too much of the book. I also love the tie in with getting to know the characters through their relationships with their family, which was a big part of the book. Overall a cute high school romance!

The diversity in the group was great. I loved that. The DnD sessions were so fun to listen to. But overall the conflicts seemed vastly made up to Quinn. The grandma was the true shining star in this. I laughed out loud in all of her scenes.

Overall this one was fine. I can see how it would appeal to a younger audience.

This book is just as cute & nerdy as book # 1 ( Dungeons & Drama)! Quinn is starting at a new high school halfway through the year. She joins a D&D group to make some friends. This group takes the game very seriously & has specific rules each member has to follow. The important one is no dating other members in the group - should be easy for Quinn - right?! 😬

This book is fast pace & an easy read. Quinn’s grandma is my favorite! She is hilarious & the ultimate match maker.

This book is the 2nd in the author’s Dungeons & Drama series. However, it can be read separately.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

Thank you to both Kristy Boyce and Netgalley for gifting me the ARC of “Dating and Dragons” in exchange for an honest review by me.

Kristy Boyce has easily become one of my favorite YA Rom-Com authors. I will always anticipate any work created by her. This book is no exception. The characters are well thought out and lovable, and yes, this includes the side characters (I’m looking at Quinn’s Grandma, especially). I related to Quinn especially and I found her to be a wonderful, strong, funny, and ambitious character to follow around during my reading time. Don’t even get me started on that SLOW BURN. I love a good slow burn, and this book definitely has it. I felt like yelling at these two idiots (I mean this lovingly) for hours of my life. And when they finally became official, all the puzzle pieces in my brain connected and I was left with a happy smile on my face. THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A SLOW BURN!!! Boyce’s writing takes me back to reading romance in high school. Blushing, giggling, heart beating, smiling, swooning-feelings await! I recommend this one to everyone. “Dating and Dragons” comes out TOMORROW so I beg you all to add this one to your tbr/buy it IMMEDIATELY! It was incredible and was worth every second.

Kristy Boyce has rolled a Nat 20 yet again with “Dating and Dragons”! 🙌

Thank you Delacorte for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you 🩷:
•🎲 All things Nerdy
•🩵 Forbidden Romance
•🥞 A Diehard Group of Besties
•👵 Meddling Grandmas

Kristy Boyce writes the BEST teenagers! Quinn and the gang are so relatable, they’ll have readers feeling like they’re back in high school. Boyce stands out by portraying the real struggles teens face, such as friendships that don’t always mend and the challenge of coming to terms with the mortality of their older relatives.

And don’t forget- there’s an A+ romance happening at the same time! Quinn and Logan’s forbidden romance is full of off the charts chemistry! From their semi-forced meet-cute to their struggles to stay apart, each chapter is a page turner thanks to the balance of the group rules and Quinn’s meddling grandma. Who knew an older woman could come up with so many schemes?!

Be sure to pick up “Dating and Dragons” when it comes out TOMORROW!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!
Ever since picking up reading again as an adult, I’ve hesitated to dive back into YA romance for fear of feeling “too old.” As a teenager, I loved the YA genre so much that I worried I’d never outgrow it. Now, I realize you don’t have to outgrow genres, and some YA stories have the magic to transport you back in time. While reading Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce, I truly felt like a teenager again, eagerly devouring the story at every opportunity.
Although I haven’t yet read Boyce’s other gaming-inspired novel, Dungeons and Drama, I was still thrilled when Dating and Dragons appeared on my NetGalley shelf, drawn in by the description alone.
The story follows Quinn Norton, who is starting over at a new high school after a fallout with her old friend group made her previous school unbearable. To make new friends, Quinn joins a Dungeons and Dragons group. The catch? All the games are live-streamed, and, even worse, the cute boy she met on her first day, Logan, is in the group. Oh, and there’s a strict no-dating rule.
Boyce does a fantastic job of writing characters who feel genuinely young and imperfect, but not annoying. Their flaws are realistic for high schoolers, with all the awkwardness and misunderstandings that come with being that age. The development of the relationships throughout the story is paced perfectly—never rushed or forced. Boyce thoughtfully guides the reader through the dynamics of the D&D group and the campaign Quinn and her friends embark on.
What I really appreciated was how authentically young the romance felt. As a 26-year-old, I often worry that YA romance will become too steamy, but Boyce kept the romance age-appropriate, offering plenty of heart-fluttering moments and, above all, SO much yearning.
At times, the writing felt slightly repetitive, especially regarding Quinn’s grandmother storyline. While the grandmother was a standout character, there were moments when her presence felt a little too cartoonish. Despite this, Dating and Dragons earns a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars from me! If you love games, tender yearning, and romance that gives you butterflies, this book is for you.

I had high hopes for this one after loving Dungeons and Drama, but this book felt like it could have been a novella. The premise was weak and it got way too into D&D details for this non-player.

Quinn is the new girl in school and she's happy to get a fresh start after having drama in her last friend group. She meets up with some other gamers who love D&D and joins their group. She was excited to see the cute boy, Logan, that she met on the first day of school there, but he's now sending mixed signals about whether he is into her. Besides, their D&D group has a strict no-dating policy to eliminate such drama, but is this a rule worth breaking?

This book felt painfully YA. The angst, the miscommunication, the overblown reactions to every little thing. I thought the first book in the "series" had more of a joyful feel with some actual depth due to family circumstances. (I say series lightly because those characters were not present in this book.) I also don't remember the first book being so in depth with game details. It felt like we got that because the author didn't know how to stretch this story otherwise. Logan and Quinn's reason to be apart was pretty weak from the start, and I didn't like how he treated her in the meantime. The ending was cute and I enjoyed the grandma focus although it didn't have the emotional impact that the dad story line from the last book did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacourte for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Dungeons & Drama was one of my favorites in 2024, so I was so excited to get my hands on this one before the year ends.

Unfortunately, it didn't grab me like the first. As someone with zero D&D knowledge, the first book swept me away! It was so cute and nerdy and adorable. This one is not bad by ANY means, but it did fall flat.

1. The drama of the no-dating rule seemed to be a bit much for me.
2. Logan's dialogue made me groan -- he was written like an adult male romance lead, not a silly teenager
3. Quinn is boring

I do love that this is a clean YA, it covers some good HS topics, and I think many of my students would love it, so it's still a win! I don't pretend to be the target audience for these books, so take my review with a grain of salt.

3.5⭐

This book was very cute and I was so glad to see that Kristy Boyce was writing a companion to Dungeons and Drama!

Hopefully this review doesn’t sound negative. I did enjoy the book, although it was a little disappointing compared to Dungeons and Drama. There were things I liked but it’s hard to pinpoint them, although I know more what bothered me.

Unfortunately, the book as a whole didn’t stand out to me as much. I gave Dungeons and Drama 5 stars. It was cute and fun and the characters stood out. This one felt a little flat. The main character, Quinn, didn’t have much personality outside of dungeons and dragons. She was supposed to be a shy girl but that wasn’t very apparent after the first chapter or so. Logan was a little better—he was a nice guy and helped her grandma, plus he lived on a farm and bottle fed a calf so that was cute!

The romance is the main point of the story but it was very insta love. And the conflict didn’t really ever feel all that important. I can’t go into a lot of details since it could get spoiler-y but I had the feeling it wasn’t that big of a deal most of the book. I could see Quinn having some worries about breaking up another friend group but the way she comes to terms about what happened with her previous friends, it was pretty clear to everyone even her that it wasn’t her fault. So again, the conflict didn’t feel like a big deal.

I still would definitely recommend. I love Kristy Boyce’s writing and Dungeons and Dragons is always an interesting hobby to read about. I’m excited to see what she releases next!

Shy new girl joins a bonded group of friends' DnD campaign. They declare no dating within the group members, but that declaration flies out the window after sparks fly between the new girl and the cute guy she met her first day who turns out to be very easy to bicker with. A cute little nerdy romance that involves some serious DnD fights.

This book is such a cute high school first-love story, and it delivered on the D&D aspects. Dating and Dragons follows Quinn Norton as she transfers schools halfway through junior year. Struggling to make friends, she joins a D&D group that streams their sessions (an aspiring Critical Role/Dimension 20-esque group). As Quinn navigates her new world and her heartbreaking betrayal that made her leave her old school, she’s also confronted with her grandma who is not-so-subtly trying to set Quinn up with her crush, Logan. The only problem? He’s part of her new D&D party and the group has a strict no-dating policy.

What I really loved about this book was the balance. The romance didn’t hoard the spotlight, and so many different aspects were allowed to shine. Some of my favorites? Grandma. Grandma was absolutely fantastic in this book, and her relationship with Quinn and her coming to terms with herself aging were powerful side plots to this novel! I also loved seeing Quinn’s relationship with her brother and her blossoming new friendship with Kashvi.

Because of the group’s no-dating rule, Quinn and Logan’s relationship is a very sweet slow burn. It was so cute watching them navigate their feelings and young love butterflies for each other, it reminded me of my high school relationships. It was exactly that a YA Romance should be.

{Sending the biggest THANK YOU to NetGalley & Delacorte Press for the early copy, and thank you to my Barnes & Noble for having physical copies A WEEK before publishing so I could read this ARC physically}

Much like with Dungeons & Drama Kristy Boyce delivers great characters, a smile inducing romance, comedic D&D shenanigans, and a lovable friend group!

I could go on and on about Quinn and Logan but we’ll be here all day and it does them more justice for you to just READ THEIR STORY! The way Logan has eyes only for Quinn from page 1 (well 4 to be exact) and some of his lines had me wanting to ask Kristy Boyce where she is hiding the inspiration for this boy because dang.

Beyond the ship worthy romance of Quinn and Logan I really loved the moments between the Morton family, especially those that involved Quinn’s grandma Barbara. The additional scenes with Logan interacting with her added a next level of heart to him & Quinn’s romance. And of course seeing Quinn find a friend group that healed a part of her was so needed in the YA space - I love that Boyce included the sting of how past friendship breakups can linger but can eventually heal.

And I wasn’t expecting to come out of this story with TWO couples that had me squealing but it was such a fun bonus!

I sincerely hope Kristy Boyce continues coming out with these D&D stories because I will continue to eat them up every time!

Pretty cute! This was a fun YA read that, just like the first book, doesn't require any deep knowledge of DnD to follow. I'm not sure how it would be perceived by any hardcore DnD fans though. This can also be read as a standalone.

Quinn has to find a new DnD group and friends after an incident with her last group, though her attraction to Luke just teetered on instalove for me, especially with her history from her past group.

Overall, a cute read! I'm excited to read more in this series.

Super cute and lighthearted read. I really loved Dungeons and Drama so I had high hopes for this, and I really enjoyed it! Characters were super fun and not too dramatized like some YA books tend to lean.

This book was so cute and filled with loveable characters! Not every YA author can capture the emotions and angst of teenagers, but Kristy Boyce does it so well! I giggled and blushed through out the entire thing. Who doesn't love nerdy love❤️
Quinn is such a sweet girl and I cried over how her ex friends had treated her. Quinn's grandma was such a fun and comedic addition. She knew Logan was perfect for her granddaughter and I love the hijinks. And Logan, I would have easily been obsessed with him in hs.
I also enjoyed the D&D aspects, makes me want to find people to play with!
Thank you Netgalley for this arc.

I loved the author's previous book, Dungeons and Drama, and I loved this one just a much if not, even more! It's such a cute high school romance filled with the new girl in school making new friends while also falling in love with a guy she just met and started playing D&D with. There are a bunch of quirky, nerdy moments that are also funny and adorable. It was great seeing Quinn being able to heal from the breakup of her previous friendship from the support and positivity of the new friend group she found. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC!

4.5 stars

This was such a cute young adult romance that gave a good example of a good relationship. These two communicated their feelings often (after the initial hot/cold bits) and were empathetic to both each other and to how their friends will react. It was easy to relate to even as an adult, nothing felt too young so I never felt like I was out of touch with the youth as a reader. I do wish we got a little more about Mark, he felt like one side character that had very little interaction. I also wish this could have connected in some way to the characters in the first book instead of being a completely separate story, even just a tiny interaction maybe at the comic book event?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!