This one was a tougher read for me than I expected it to be. It was an incredibly cute concept. I enjoyed intermittently reading about Jaylie and her band of adventurers rather than just reading about Sadie and her friends playing DnD. It was cleverly done. However, something about the pacing between the insight to Jaylie's adventure and the continuance of Sadie's life kept me from feeling completely immersed in the story, and I found myself struggling to get through it while feeling disconnected from the characters. To me, it felt like Jaylie's character and her story were more fleshed out—though that could be due simply to the fact that it's a fantasy storyline and therefore requires a different kind of nuance. I often felt more invested in her adventure and the romance blooming between her and Loren. On the other hand, when it came to Sadie and her real life, every time we jumped back to her perspective felt like trying to regain momentum, and just when we started picking up speed, we switched back to Jaylie.

That's not to say the story isn't good, or that the author isn't talented. It's a tough job to find a balance, and I think Woods did the best she could when switching between reality and fantasy. Despite my earlier complaints, I did have fun reading this book. The characters were extremely likable, and it paints the picture of the ideal friend group. I'd recommend it to DnD fans and new explorers alike. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Lenora Woods, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not usually a fantasy/otherworldly girly but this was a great way to dip my toes in! These are parallel storylines that take place between our main characters in the real world as well at the world they built during their D&D campaign. As someone who has never played D&D, this story and how it features the whole behind the scenes process of the campaign is so interesting and makes me want to find a group to play to experience it! I loved the focus on burnout and the recalibrating of the FMC to show it’s okay if you want to change your course in life.

When Sadie loses her job in New York City she goes to Texas to stay with a friend. She joins Liam and his group of gamer friends. They become like family to her and help her get back to her old self. This book was a little slow moving at first but it turned out to be really heart warming. Thanks to @Net Galley for the ARC of this book.

Wow I REALLY liked this book!! A year ago me likely would not have felt this way but in the last few months I have entered the wonderful, magical world of DnD and happened to play a one shot while reading this book so it really clicked with me. It was just such a fun read! I absolutely loved the dual (tri?) storylines. It made the story feel so dynamic and kept it moving. I also loved the DnD references throughout the book. It was so much fun to have my worlds collide on the page!! My only qualm is with the main characters! It was so much fun to watch both the FMC and MMC AND their characters in game fall in love, but I’m not actually sure they’re well suited for one another! They also felt a little one dimensional so I didn’t feel as invested in them or their love story. But I did love when they got together and the spicy was great! This book may not land with every romance reader but for the ones that it does, it’ll be one of their favorites from this year, the way it is for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this story.

This was such a cute fluffy story. I loved the characters and the DnD storyline was just so cool. Sadie and Noah were so cute and I love a flirty little duo .

📚 Gifted by Random House Publishing | Pub Date: July 15, 2025
Huge thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the chance to read this gem early!

Charming. Delightful. Adventurous. And best of all? No third-act breakup. I’m absolutely thrilled by how much I loved this book.

Sadie is a burnt-out NYC marketing maven in desperate need of a reset. Noah is a charming bartender with a habit of leaving before he can be left. When these two are thrown together in a quirky small Texas town, and into a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, the magic truly begins.

This book had me swooning from the start. It blends heartfelt romance with the joy of collaborative storytelling, toggling between real-life moments and in-game adventures. The result is a sweet, emotionally satisfying story that celebrates vulnerability, connection, and a little bit of nerdy chaos.

✨ Tropes & Themes I loved:
* Fantasy storytelling woven into real life
* Dual POV: In Game / Real Life
* Big city meets small town
* Found family feels
* Soft, steady romance without unnecessary drama

If you’re into cozy, character-driven romances with a nerdy twist and just the right amount of emotional depth, this one’s for you.

***Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Dell for an e-arc copy of Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods! All thoughts are my own!***

When Sadie Brooks unexpectedly loses her marketing job, she leaves New York City to spend the summer with her best friend, Liam, in small-town Texas, where joining his Dungeons & Dragons campaign is the perfect distraction while she plans her next steps.

In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out—until she meets Noah Walker, the outgoing bartender roped into joining their party as Loren, an adventurous and charismatic lute-playing elf. Just as Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard’s charms during the party’s travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah’s spell.

When their relationship starts to progress in both worlds, Sadie wonders if they might last beyond the game. But like his traveling bard character, Noah never stays in one place for long. When a new opportunity arises in New York, Sadie must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place—and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice.

I love a good book with D&D as the premise, and the fact that we get equal parts real life and inside the campaign, I couldn't ask for much else. The campaign was so well written, from characters in the party to NPCs, the D&D scenes are a huge highlight to this book. And the fact we got to see the campaign from beginning to end without being rushed was great. I also love how the D&D group is all new players as well, so they are all learning the game as they go along.

Can I also just say that yes your first dice set should always be given to you and you not go out and get yourself? I think that was a great thing to see in the beginning of the book. The fact that Liam got each player their first set of dice based on who they are, I loved seeing that so much.

I really love how Sadie finds herself throughout the book through her art and creativity. Between making new friends and trying to find a job, she is just such a relatable character.

The romance is not very spicy, but it's definitely enjoyable. I really love Noah as a character, he reminds me of one of my friends who is in my D&D group. He's such a charming character, both in game and out. And I think it's great that they both we concerned with their feelings potentially affecting the campaign, everything was so well thought out that it didn't turn into a conflict.

This book just has the sweetest, coziest vibes. It has the perfect balance of fantasy and romance, while still being in the real world. D&D is such an amazing escape from reality. If you are looking for a great story within a story, this book is for you. Between what happens in the campaign and real life, it kept my attention from the start. The back of the book also has a lot of cool extras inspired by the brewery.

Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods is out July 15, 2025! Thank you so much again to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Dell for an e-arc to review!

I requested to read and review this book for free from Dell an Imprint of Random House. When I read the description of this book I was thinking this sounds very interesting. When I started to reading I wasn't sure because it has some D &D in it and I didn't know anything about it. ButI am very glad that I continued to read because I really enjoyed it. The D & D was explained very well and I could follow along. There was a smooth transition between reality and the D & D world. Sadie is in need of a break. Can hanging out with her friend Liam help with that ? Has Liam found the place for him? Noah is a wanderer and loves to explore and see where life takes him? Will he ever find his spot in life or will he continue to keep going? Julie is quiet mom type but is looking for her own adventure will she find it? Morgan is busy helping others when does she find time for herself? Will a new experience help her find what she is missing and take a breath or will she continue to keep moving? This book is for a mature reader but can be read anywhere! I think D & D gamers would enjoy this book.

Sadie recently fired from her job in New York. The job she had always wish she had the job she loved until she didn’t. Her best friend from school Liam had moved to Heller Texas from Connecticut where they grew up. He told her to come and stay with him for a while to decompress. Sadie never told Liam the whole story behind her job falling apart, plus her life falling apart in New York. So Sadie decided to stay in Texas for a while with her friend and see if she can regroup.

Liam invites Sadie to become part of their gaming community. Here they set up games and he feels maybe this can help Sadie find herself and she can relax. So Sadie becomes. Jaylie becomes friends with Liam‘s gaming cronies. She has really liking what she’s doing especially when it comes to Liam‘s friend Noah. There is just something about Noah that Sadie has fallen for, but why would she fall to somebody when she could be packing up and going back to New York. Noah, who doesn’t like to stay in one place very long, can also move on from the brewery and from Texas. Yet Sadie is just drawn to him and is falling in love with everything in Texas. Until one day she gets an offer to do a in the brewery. Here is Sadie‘s love of art comes back and it fills her with much joy as she’s doing the mural offer from a New York City company comes to play and Sadie must make a decision. Does she stay in Texas and become part of this community that she’s loved these past few months especially being around her best friend Liam, and all these gaming people. Is there a future for her and Noah?

This was a cute little romance story, which I enjoyed. This isn’t my usual genre that I would read, but I’m glad I did.I liked how the character of Sadie grew. She realizes dreams do change and you could be happy with change. It showed that you could also grow as a person and accept things.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and Random House Publications Group Ballantine. Totally enjoyed it even though I’m not a gamer.

This was SO charming from start to finish, and a treat for those of us who might not be as familiar with D&D but still appreciate certain aspects of it — including when a romance takes the players by surprise. Sadie and Noah had killer chemistry and it was really fun to have the fantasy interstitials dropped in throughout their plot as a way to break up the narrative while also reviewing the progression in their romance. Plus I’m always going to be weak for a MMC with a beard.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Funny, nerdy, heartfelt, and healing—this book had me giggling at the banter, blushing at the bard, and crying at the character development. Would 100% roll for romance again.

Roll for Romance is the cozy, nerdy, small-town summer rom-com I didn’t know I needed. This book is pure serotonin. The D&D scenes are genuinely fun and never feel like a gimmick—they parallel Sadie’s emotional journey in a way that’s both clever and heartfelt. Sadie is the kind of heroine you root for immediately: messy, relatable, and trying so hard to believe she deserves good things. Noah is a walking green flag with just enough chaos to keep things interesting. Together, they’re magic—both on and off the campaign map.

Lenora Woods nails the balance between flirty fun and emotional growth. There’s a surprising amount of depth packed between game nights and karaoke shifts: career burnout, self-worth, chosen family, and the gut-punch realization that sometimes your biggest fear isn’t failure—it’s that you might actually succeed and not know what to do next.

I absolutely adored Roll for Romance. Not only did we get to follow Sadie’s real-world journey—her worries, her hopes, her heart slowly opening to new possibilities—but we also got to see her parallel adventure as Jaylie, a badass cleric in a beautifully novelized D&D campaign. Honestly, it was hard to decide which story I loved more. Both were so vivid, so fun, and so emotionally resonant.

As someone who still struggles with big life choices (who does know what they want to be when they grow up?), I deeply empathized with Sadie’s indecision and anxiety. Her storyline felt so honest and relatable, and her slow-burn romance with Noah was absolutely delightful. I also loved Noah’s bard energy—flirty, adventurous, slightly rootless—and how that mirrored the uncertainty and wonder of falling in love.

Bonus points: this gave me so many fun ideas to steal for my own D&D campaigns as a DM. The game sessions felt immersive and genuine, like actually sitting at the table with friends.

If you’re a fan of cozy, hopeful romances with a dash of fantasy and a big heart for tabletop gaming, this is a total critical hit.

This was a sweet romance with a quirky element that made it unique and memorable. Noah and Sadie meet playing DND together and are quickly drawn to each other. As they and their crew embark on an adventure through their game, Noah is trying to figure out if he’s ready to stay somewhere else Sadie is seeking what comes next in life after losing her job. I enjoyed the romance between the two, but while the DND storyline was fun, it felt longer than necessary at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

For DnD players and romance readers, this book is the perfect combination! I loved the integration of the DnD storyline into the novel's plot as both part of what the characters were experiencing and as plot and character development on its own! I do think I would have liked a little more of the main storyline and more interactions from the characters, especially Sadie and Noah, but overall I really enjoyed the book and watching Sadie's life and relationships change and bloom.

Disclaimer: I have never played D&D and I have no desire to play D&D. My husband plays with a group of his friends and that's the extent of my knowledge of the game.

However, none of my D&D ignorance stopped me from thoroughly enjoying this book.

It was a sweet book about a woman named Sadie rediscovering herself while building a new life along the way. Sadie has a mental meltdown at her advertising job in NYC. She flees to her BFF's place in Texas for some respite before she heads back to NYC to put back together her life. Instead, Sadie finds herself a found family, romance, and creeping doubts about returning to NYC. The book is written simultaneously in real time and via the backdrop of a D&D game Sadie and her friends are playing. Look, it sounds complicated, but trust me it works.

Thank you to NetGalley and PenguinRandomHouse for an advanced copy of this book.

I've never played D&D so I really didn't understand what was happening with the game. That said, I liked Sadie and Noah, rooting for them (and I guess their characters as well). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While this wasn't for me, that's on me because I'm certain those who play or have played tabletop games will enjoy it.

Have I mentioned how much I adore geeky romance stories? Clearly I haven’t enough, so I come to you guys today with Roll for Romance, the geekiest of geeky romances. Best of all? There’s no third act break up!

Sadie’s life has taken a turn for the worse. After losing her high end marketing job in New York, she moves in with her best friend Liam for the summer, half heartedly agreeing to join his next D&D campaign while avoiding planning out her next steps. She’s completely burnt out, lost, and has no idea where to go from here.

D&D is more fun than she’s expecting, however, especially when it comes to the cute guy who plays the charming bard, and it unexpectedly rekindles a spark within her. Sadie’s passion for making art returns upon creating her cleric Jaylie, and for once, she starts to feel like she’s coming back to her old self. But as she and Noah get closer, and after a company gets back to her after she leaves an application, Sadie is once again at a crossroads. Venture back to New York and Corporate Life? Or stay in Texas and see where life takes her?

Roll for Romance is absolutely brilliant. I loved that we got to experience the campaign, through both Sadie and Jaylie’s eyes, and the banter between all of our characters. I can relate to Sadie’s burnout, and returning to a former passion, so her entire character art hit me hard! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the e-arc, and Roll for Romance releases on July 15!

Review will be up on socials soon!

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. It just didn’t click in the way I hoped it would. It sounded really interesting and the cover is so so pretty but just wasn’t for me. Thank you for the opportunity to try and read it early though!

This was a cute geek-rom-com. It's bends perfectly the elements of DnD with a cute romcom vibe!! It's has a charming tone to it. I specially liked how they blended both, reality and the Campaign together. If you're a DnD fan and like to read romcoms, then this books is for you. It will make you laugh and awe.

I just finished Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods, and honestly, it was a fun and refreshing read. The story hooked me right away with its unique blend of romance and geek culture, which felt genuine and heartfelt. I loved how the characters weren’t your typical romantic leads; they felt real, flawed, and easy to root for.

What really stood out was the way Woods tied in tabletop gaming into the relationship development. It wasn’t just a gimmick; the game sessions brought the characters closer and added a layer of charm and humor to the story. The banter between the protagonists had me smiling throughout, and the pacing kept me turning pages without feeling rushed.

Overall, Roll for Romance is a sweet, lighthearted read that’s perfect if you want a romance with personality and a bit of nerdy flair. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories about finding connection in unexpected places.