Dating and Dragons is the YA romance that I didn’t know I needed. Our main character, Quinn, is new to town, her family having moved to be closer to her aging grandma. The move had a secondary benefit, though: Quinn got to get some distance from her former friends/D&D group after the relationships turned toxic. Struggling to make new friends and find her place, she joins a new D&D group. They’re a bit more intense than her last group though. For one, they livestream their sessions, the thought of which is a bit nerve wracking for Quinn. Secondly, they have a rule: no dating other members of the group. This proves difficult when fate—and her grandmother—keeps throwing her in situations with fellow group member Logan.

This might be one of the cutest things I’ve read in a long time. But beyond the cuteness, there was a lot here that worked for me. For someone who has never played D&D, I didn’t feel confused. Our author, Kristy Boyce, didn’t dumb things down or over explain, but she also didn’t make that part of the story inaccessible for the uninitiated. I was equally interested in the story unfolding in the D&D sessions as I was in our main character’s real-life storyline. I also thought that Boyce did an exceptional job making all of her characters well-rounded. Each of the members of the D&D group was their own unique person; but so was, in my opinion, the best character in the book: Quinn’s grandma. She has me cackling, especially in the pickleball scene. I love that grandma wasn’t just a plot device to get Quinn to a new town. This book was extra delightful because of her presence.

Listen, I liked this so much that I’ll be picking up Dungeons and Drama by the same author.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Dating and Dragons will be published on December 31.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc!

Such a cute premise and I loved the characters. Did get second hand embarrassment at times but hey. It was fun following Quinn’s story ! Also the cover is extremely cute!!

What a sweet YA romance! I haven’t read a YA romance in a long time but I definitely fell in love with Quinn and Logan.

A fun and quick sweet escape! I’ve really started to become a fan of gaming romances.

Quinn is the perfect MFC to fall in love with. She’s coming to a new school with having been hurt and burned by her previous D & D group. She is vulnerable, raw, perfect in every way!

Quinn finds a new D & D group with a boy that catches her eye. But, can she keep her new friends and fall in love with the MMC?

Logan the MMC ugh how can you not swoon over him! Loved him!

This book was so adorable and I honestly was obsessed with Quinn’s grandmother Barbara. SHE is a sassy one.

I really would love to see a romance next for Sloan 😏.

Def enjoyed this and looking forward to the next romance from Boyce.

4/5 stars

I love this book, and was drawn into the story from page one, you just don’t put the book down. The whole cast of characters were great and even if you don’t play DND you find yourself drawn into the story. I devoured this book in 2 days.

My gosh this was adork-able. Boyce's whole cast of characters are absolutely endearing. I loved Dungeons and Drama, and fell in love with this new YA also. Highly recommend.

These covers always suck me into wanting to read these! I legit know nothing about D&D but I love these books and characters. If I wasn’t a 32 year old gal I probably would have loved these more so when I was younger but I’m still young at heart. They are so cute.

Reccomendef to my non spicy YA loving friends! Thank you NetGalley & Delacorte Press for the ARC!

I loved this book!!
It was so cute and fluffy. I absolutely adored Dungeons and Drama, and while I feel that was the stronger book of the two, this was a cute companion.

I really enjoyed the importance of feeling like you belong, while also being your own person, because I feel like sometimes books focus a lot on being "unique" and "new," but it's also important to feel like you belong in a group. I enjoyed the amount of DnD in this book, and felt like it's continuing Boyce's love letter to us nerds!

Thank you so much for this eARC. I look forward to posting about it on my bookstagram!!

🩶🩵 Dating and Dragons ARC Review 🩵🩶

Thank you so much to Kristy Boyce and Delacorte Romance for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Dating and Dragons is a YA contemporary romance. Seventeen year old Quinn has just started at a new school in a new town. When looking at joining a new club, she finds herself joining a new D&D group. One of the rules of the group is “no dating amongst the players” - which wouldn’t normally be an issue…until Quinn meets Logan

This was such a cute read. I really enjoyed Quinn as a character and loved her growth in this story. Logan was a wonderful character and I really enjoyed his protectiveness of Quinn when she was struggling. I would have loved to have seen some of Logan’s PoV, but overall this was an adorable story that embraced all things nerdy and I enjoyed it a lot

Overall this was a cute four star read! I enjoyed the characters and the story was really fun! This book does have some potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. While this book did have a romantic storyline, it had YA levels of spice, so one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of contemporary YA with friends to lovers, small town vibes and a dash of D&D nerds, then absolutely pick this one up!

This was such a cute book! I am starting out in the world of D&D and when I saw this book I knew I had to read it!
Quinn is starting at a new high school halfway through her junior year. She wants to make friends, and joins an D&D club! However, they take it way more seriously than she thought. The biggest rule they have is there is no other players, which proves to be tough for Quinn and Logan.

I really enjoyed this book. I was excited to read a YA book, to cleanse my palate of my other reads (lol). I really enjoyed their story! The banter between the characters, especially grandma Norton is great! I do wish there was some more D&D coverage, but that is okay! Overall, this was a quick, cute read and I definitely recommend for any YA lover!

Absolutely charming!

As someone that loves board gaming, LCGs and has a circle of gaming friends, I am just eating up Boyce's Dungeons and Drama series.

In Dating and Dragons, we meet Quinn who is starting at a new school which is a nice change for her as she is leaving behind some not nice ex friends/D&D players. It's not long before she makes friends and gets involved in a new D&D group which livestreams their games and has some strict rules including no dating other group members.

I loved how in depth the author described the gaming. I felt like I was looking forward to each moment in the campaign. The characters were great! I really enjoyed both our FMC and MMC. I felt their slow burn was well done and loved how they went from friends to more. He absolutely fell first.
The side characters I couldn't get enough of. The friends, the family and Quinn's grandma was an absolute scene stealer! The pickleball scene had me smiling like a fool!

I absolutely recommend for readers that love a sweet, wholesome YA romance.

Thank you so much to Delacorte Press, Kristy Boyce and Netgalley for this eARC!

This was so cute! It was a great example of why I love YA romances. I love stories about falling in love, and there is nothing quiet like your first love. And beyond the romance between Quinn and Logan, it was a story of friendships. Between Quinn and the DND group and Quinn and her brother. There is nothing better than having a strong support group, especially as a teen girl! I desperately want an extra epilogue or sequel that revisits everyone in 10 years.

I could absolutely see this becoming a TV show on Netflix!



ps. Now I want to learn to play DND!

I thought that Kristy Boyce couldn't make a more perfect D&D romance than her book Dungeons and Drama, but I was incorrect! Dating and Dragons is such a cute romance that is a quick and easy read. This is perfect for the middle school crowd, and I highly recommend all middle school librarians purchase her books for fun and clean romance! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and review it, I loved her first book with this theme and was excited to see a second one!

4.75⭐️2🌶️

Young adult rom com
High school Mc’s
Gamer group
🏳️‍⚧️ side character rep
Forbidden love

I’ve really come to enjoy Kristie Boyce’s YA rom-coms, and this one was no exception. The covers are always adorable, and the charming, youthful nature of her stories never makes me cringe. Instead, they take me back to my own teenage years with a sense of nostalgia.

This book strikes the perfect balance for a YA rom-com. The maturity level feels just right—age-appropriate yet sweet, with moments of steaminess that never go too far. Boyce handles more serious themes like friendship dynamics, aging grandparents, sibling affection, and adjusting to a new town with great care. I especially appreciated how well the story portrayed the experience of being a non-athletic, slightly eccentric teen just trying to make and keep friends. It felt both relevant and authentic.

The characters really shine, and the side characters are a joy as well! I particularly loved the grandma—she added such a delightful touch to the story. In fact, I’d happily read an entire book about the kids helping senior citizens play D&D. That concept is pure gold!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Childrens/Delecorte Romance for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The bond between this group of friends was depicted so well. Logan and Quinns' banter was perfection. Grandma Barbara stole the show with her wit, scheming, and her friends. I look forward to more books from Kristy Boyce.

I loved this so much, Quinn and Logan were so sweet together and I loved the whole will they won’t they. I was really glad that Quinn found a group that accepted her and weren’t awful to her. I wasn’t really sure about her brother to start, I thought he was a little bit of a jerk but I liked him towards the end when he started to show that he does care about Quinn. I will say that the real mvp for this book for me was Quinn’s grandmother, I love when there is a grandparent who runs as a matchmaker. This was really easy to read and even though I know absolutely nothing about dungeons and dragons the parts that involved the game were easy to understand even though I did end up skimming a little bit towards the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc and Random House Children’s for the opportunity to read and review this book early!

After reading “Dungeons and Drama” last year and really enjoying it, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that “Dating and Dragons” by Kristy Boyce was coming out. If you’re looking for a sweet, geeky young adult romance, this is the one! I thought the romance between Quinn and Logan felt very believable and resonated with my own dating experiences as a teenager. I appreciated the “will they, won’t they” dynamic and was glad there wasn’t an unexpected last-act breakup—just overcoming the issues established earlier in the story.

Overall, I believe this is a much stronger book than Boyce’s debut, which is to be expected. I enjoyed the deeper dive into the D&D campaign, including the engaging back-and-forth among the group. This made the secondary characters feel more real and fleshed out, and I became more invested in their stories. I also loved the family dynamics between Quinn, her grandmother and her brother.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

I think I actually related more to the characters in this book compared to the other one. Which probably makes me love it even more. We get a much deeper look at D&D campaigns but it’s not overwhelming. So even if you don’t play, you can still definitely enjoy watching them interact. Our main love interests Quinn and Logan have such cute banter. Definitely giving the whole “forbidden romance trope.” All of the side characters were super lovable. The group chemistry is something I wish I had back in high school. It’s not easy being the new kid but this group opened up to Quinn and took her in. Overall, once again Kristy Boyce had me giggling and kicking my feet even as Quinn was navigating through the problems of her past. This book has a little something for everyone.

Beautifully funny book. It was such a feel good book. The whole time I was grinning and wanting them to finally accept their feelings and be together. It was a very cute and fun read.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Just like the last one, this was honestly so cute it was borderline gross lol I had only liked this author so so in her other series, but for this one, they’ve both been bangers. This truly shows that authors can grow and learn and mature as time goes on. Because now I’m here waiting on pins and needles for a third one to be announced about some couples that were outed in this one lol

Ok so the romance in this one was still cute. I can’t lie I wanted something different than enemies to lovers since that’s what we got in the last one with some fake dating added. But it’s fine. I just wanted some variety. And maybe it was just me, but he seemed extra mean for no reason lol And I say that because he really didn’t have a reason. (I mean he did, but he didn’t lol) But when they finally got it together I didn’t have any complaints. As a matter of fact, he needs to work on his communication, but once the words started coming, listen Logan had no problem telling her everything about her. And I loved that. Especially after what she went through.

The only thing I didn’t care for was the fact that there was no character development. Because Quinn was scared of those idiot ass old players the whole book. I kept hoping she would say something somewhere to one of them. At the very least to laugh in their face. I think I would have even preferred it if the girl apologized because she found out what Quinn was saying was actually true. I think she deserved that kind of growth. No one should have had any power over her in her own book if that makes sense. I’m sorry if it doesn’t, but I was annoyed the whole book over that one part lol

I also didn’t understand why the author decided to end it right there? It was like this huge thing happened and then it was like ok that was enough for them and it was over lol We didn’t get to see how they handled it and we don’t get to see her saying “eff you” to her haters. Idk I just found it so weird that that was the cut off. I just wanted more.

Also, grandma was a hot mess. She knew what she was doing. But I also felt bad for her. That car thing was unnecessary and scary. She was doing too much to try to feel young again. And like I get it, I do. But to do that and with one of your people in there too? That was reckless.

Lastly, can we take a second to appreciate this cover? The more I look at it the more I find more details and I fall for it a little more. The swords, the dice, the dice on her jewelry, the little relics and things from D&D that are on the shelves behind them, just everything. The designer who did this is truly a bad ass.

This is a perfect addition to this series. I really hope there’s more. I have learned so much about D&D from these books and from my teens who play and how to cater to them. Definitely goes to show you can indeed learn something new. Even if its from a YA book.

I absolutely loved this book! It combined so many of my favorite things—D&D, fun characters, angsty pining, (slight) enemies to lovers, goofy shenanigans, and a lovable, feisty grandma! The story is a brilliant blend of heart, humor, and adventure, with just the right amount of romance and chaos to keep you hooked from start to finish.

Whether you’re a seasoned D&D fan or simply someone who enjoys dynamic characters and well-crafted storytelling, this book is a must-read! And while you’re at it, do yourself a favor and pick up Dungeons & Drama by Kristy Boyce—either before or after. You’ll fall head over heels for the imaginative world she’s created and the creative D&D campaigns that unfold alongside the larger story!