This has been such a fun book to read. The first DND centered romance that I have had the privilege of reading. I was able to read an early copy of this book and have been enjoying it ever since.

I enjoy the dual POV chapters where you get to see experience this through both the real world, characters and their DND counterparts. Truly I wish we’d gotten a little more with the campaign and her friendship with the other members because it was so much fun! Sadie is such a relatable, main character. Her struggle with burnout and self discovery journey through her DND character and the campaign was so hard to put down.

As someone who doesn’t know much about DND I feel that this was a good introduction and not too overwhelming or confusing to understand. A fun book you’ll want to pick up.

i enjoyed this book so much! i have discovered recently that i really enjoy book about DND, ESPECIALLY when chapters include povs from the game itself! I think it's so fun, and this book did that portion well! I would definitely recommend this book to any romance readers, especially those who enjoy DND, or Balders Gate, or really gaming in general. That being said I do think you could definitely enjoy this book even without those hobbies! It was cute and easy to follow

DNF at 10%

Roll for Romance has a fun premise - a couple that falls in love both as DnD characters and in real life. I didn't realize though that there would be parallel narratives, which is my mistake, I should have read the blurb more closely. I was really wanting a fun contemporary romance that I could fall into and the DnD narrative really took me out of the story. As someone who reads all types of fantasy, It felt like a generic setup and I wasn't enjoying my time with it. I feel like it likely gets better, and if I had been able to get over my aversion to reading the DnD storylines, I think it would be a book that I would enjoy, but I just couldn't get over that piece. I think I prefer my contemporary romances to be contemporary romances without that added fantasy element.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

i truly think this one wasn’t for me. i felt that sadie and noah’s romance played out more in the game with the characters they created rather than out of the game. i also felt that the story within the game took over and dragged out within some parts and i felt myself getting a bit bored. i ended up having to switch to audio to get through it. i did enjoy our main characters but wish we got more time with them out of the game to see their romance grow because i felt a lack of chemistry (due to it being mainly within the d&d game). i do think readers who enjoy a blend of real-world and fantasy games will enjoy this one more.

sadie unexpectedly loses her job and flees new york to spend summer in a small town in texas with her best friend. she then joins his dungeons and dragons campaign to distract herself. enter, noah, who also joins the d&d campaign. their characters find themselves falling in love within the game which transforms into real life. sadie must face the truth about why she lost her marketing job in the first place and if she and noah have a future worth staying in texas for.

tropes: small town, slow burn, forced proximity, golden retriever love interest, found family, dungeons and dragons, only one bed, meddling friend group

Lenora Woods strikes a lovely balance between cozy slice-of-life moments and a playful, fantasy-infused escape. The found-family dynamic of the D&D group is a particular highlight, and the book’s approachable tone makes it accessible even for readers who have never rolled a die.

Perfect for fans of gentle, nerd-culture-friendly romances like The Love Hypothesis or Geekerella, this will do well in both romance and fantasy sections. Hand it to readers looking for something comforting, inclusive, and just a little bit magical.

While I appreciated the premise of the book, and the author's attempt at trope inversion, I found it difficult to be invested in the story, which can mostly be attributed to me just not connecting with the characters or the narrative. I think that readers who find the description and the premise interesting will have a great time reading this book. It just wasn't the book for me.

First of all thanks Dell for the e-ARC of Roll of Romance and Netgallery as well, in exchange for an honest review.

What first draw me into this book was the cover, I mean LOOK AT IT!! It's so cute, but the more I think of it...it's the book itself stayed as that, a cute story that is not completely memorable. While I knew DND was a major plot point, I was not expecting SO much of it, so it dragged more than I would've liked it to. HOWEVER, I do think is a good pallet cleanser book and something a lot of people would enjoy, bcs the romance as I said was very cute.

Read if you like:

Golden retriever MMCs
Dungeons and Dragons
Contemporary romance
Friends to lovers
Fantasy vibes
Found family

My thoughts:

Roll for Romance is a wonderfully unique romance with a loveable cast of characters, adorable romance, and thoroughly entertaining story. Lenora Woods seamlessly weaves together a fun, small-town romance and a fantasy plot worthy of Dungeons and Dragons.

Sadie is a down-on-her-luck New Yorker who decides to spend her summer in Texas with her best friend, Liam. She'll take some time away to re-evaluate her life and relax. Liam decides it's the perfect time to introduce her to Dungeons and Dragons as well as some of his Texas friends. One of those friends just happens to be Noah, a ruggedly handsome nomad who is in town for the summer to help his college roommate open a new brewery. Sparks fly, both in the campaign and in real life, and suddenly Sadie's future is even more hazy than before.

The quirky cast of characters stole the show here. Before I even touch on Sadie and Noah, I have to mention their fellow gamers. Liam is the glue that holds them all together but honestly, he was my least favorite. I loved him but, out of all of them, I feel like he had the least developed personality. As the dungeon master, he called the shots but without an actual character in the game, it made him seem a little flat. Julie and Morgan, on the other hand, were wonderfully developed, both in the campaign and in real life. I loved that Morgan chose to match her DND persona, Morgana, to her real life personality. Julie did the exact opposite with Kain and chose to represent traits she typically hid from the world. Both approaches worked to show off their personalities, in the campaign and out of it. I also adored how they immediately embraced Sadie and the three of them quickly developed a remarkable friendship.

As for Sadie and Noah, I genuinely have no complaints. Sadie is so relatable as a corporate worker who doesn't necessarily know if she likes her job or if she just sticks with it because she doesn't know what else she would do. She questions herself constantly and she can sometimes lack faith in herself. None of that changes that she is smart, funny, kind, and extremely capable. Noah is her opposite in so many ways and it totally worked for them. He has major golden retriever energy and it was adorable. He's a free spirit who holds nothing back. He brings out a different side of Sadie and seems to help mellow her out when she gets too stressed. The two of them worked to balance each other.

The Dungeons and Dragons part of the book was so unique and captured my attention immediately. Lenora Woods has such an immersive storytelling style that it felt like I was in the game right alongside them. You get the best of both worlds with this story; a contemporary romance as well as a little fantasy. Lenora Woods did a great job differentiating between the campaign and real life while also using the campaign to develop the characters and relationships in real life.

Overall, Roll for Romance is a thoroughly adorable story that gamers and newbs (such as myself) alike will love. 

TL;DR

Roll for Romance is an adorably quirky romance that gamers and readers alike will adore. Sadie, Noah, and their loveable friend group will have you smiling the whole time. A little contemporary romance, a little fantasy, and a whole lot of fun combine to make this the perfect read.

I had high hopes for this book because its premise was refreshing and not my normal go to plot setup. Sadly, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I found myself struggling to connect with the characters, which was disappointing. Maybe it was their intense focus on D&D, or perhaps it had more to do with their personalities—it’s hard to say.

The romance aspect fell short for me as well. I thrive on that electric chemistry between a couple, but the dynamic between the female and male leads just didn’t spark for me. Plus, it was puzzling how they navigated their relationship in the midst of a packed D&D game. It felt a bit disconnected, as if the room full of players was more of a barrier than a backdrop.

This is perfect for fans of D&D! However, if you're like me and wanted to venture into a story takes place in that world this wasn't a great match. Here, the story was overshadowed by the assumption that all readers would have an understanding of the game and that isn't the case.

It started tarting off okay and I don’t know anything about D&D. So the transition between real life and the game was so crazy. It was hard to figure out what was happening. I couldn’t really immerse myself. I was completely lost and I don’t know if I would ever pick this up again. But I would still recommend it to people who are interested in D&D and can get past the transitions

I received and arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book deals with real life issues while combining the fantasy aspect with telling the characters stories from inside their DnD game as well. Sadie is dealing with job burnout, identity and imposter syndrome and really using her character Jaylie to mirror that. Sadie then meets our sweet Noah who helps her discover her worth and their sweet romance builds on the love of DnD and emotional connection. I highly recommend this book for romance lovers and DND gamers =)

This was pretty cute.

The protagonist is actively engaged in nerd culture but is a way that i buy of she hasn’t played dnd before and in a way that felt endearing.

Sadie is cute but her flaws make her feel grounded and more real than just that.

Our love interest Noah is sweet and charming and very approachable.

The stakes are pretty low and its nothing that going to change my world but I’m glad I read it and have my fingers crossed crossed for a sequel.

I liked how Woods worked in the campaign and honestly this book could have ben longer with more of the campaign in it.

I think this book has a sweet spot for people who are new to dnd or have a basic knowledge of the game but more experienced players might find it a bit like a tutorial.

I would have like more of the other characters in the dnd group too but again if it was a hair linger I think this would have been content I would enjoy.

Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods is a romance novel where the two main characters are falling in love in more ways than one. Sadie, after losing her job, flees to her best friend's apartment in Texas. He just happens to be starting a D&D campaign full of newbies, and since she has no reason not to join, she is coming in full force to play.

Sadie and Noah, both having never played D&D, are hitting it off both in and out of the game! This book was a fun spin on your traditional romance novel, where we got both the real-life trials and tribulations, but also getting to see the tabletop RPG game run its course! This is one of the first books with a fantasy parallel story running as the main characters' gaming characters, and I absolutely loved it! This was such a cool added feature to the book and storyline overall, especially as someone who loves D&D!

I overall really enjoyed this book. I loved all of the gaming and role-playing aspects. I also enjoyed Sadie finding herself and growing as a person to take charge of her life and what she wants. I also liked the found family aspect in this book, where all of these people she meets for the first time to play a game are now her biggest supporters. I also have a soft spot for Noah; he was so sweet and supportive, and I was rooting for them from the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC to review.

This book had a lot of promise and I was hopeful because the plot was unlike anything I have read before. Unfortunately, this book ended up falling a little flat for me. I could not connect to the characters in anyway and I don't know if that was because they were primarily focused on D&D or if there were other underlying reasons that had something to do with the character's characteristics/personalities.

The romance just wasn't there in my opinion. I typically love a couple that shows that undeniable spark right off the bat, but the chemistry between the FMC & MMC just wasn't there for me. Also, it really didn't make sense to me how they would explore their connection during the D&D game with a room full of people, watching. That part just wasn't clicking for me whatsoever.

I can definitely see why others may enjoy this book though, especially if they are a fan of the Dungeons and Dragons game. I was hoping for a little more references to the game rather than the game overtaking the plot entirely.

I actually normally hate when books switch between different POV’s but I felt like this one did a great job going between 1st and 3rd - you essentially have two stories going on, the story about the mfc and than you have a secondary story of her and her crews D&D crew. It’s well done, not confusing, and actually really adds to the plot as she is navigating her real life and who she wants to be. My only complaint is that at times the D&D parts felt a little long. Overall this was a great read that I really loved. Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to Dell for the digital review copy via NetGalley!

Roll for Romance Synopsis

After losing her job, Sadie is taking some time away from New York City to regroup. She's staying with her best friend in a small Texas town, and when invites her to join a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign, there's no reason to say no. As Sadie steps into the boots of a new character, she also meets a new friend group, including the charming free spirit Noah Walker. But their time together, like their campaign, has a time limit as she struggles to figure out what's next for her career.

Roll for Romance Review

I love a romance novel that brings in D&D, and Roll for Romance follows this trend beautifully. I love that the D&D campaign has its own engaging story arc. It's not just backdrop to let Sadie and Noah fall in love in and out of character, but a narrative of its own that had me eager to jump back into the next session right along with Sadie.

The story handles burnout and changing your career plans. For me, this hit a bit too close to home at times and make the book challenging to sink into. But, I think Woods handles these topics in a realistic, relatable way. Sadie has to figure out how to/if she should let herself change her dreams, and that's something I think many of us have been through.

Noah and Sadie's love story is a slow-burn, with a good buildup in and out of character. There's a lot of flirtation and getting to know each other before we have any on-the-page spice, and that's always my preference.

There's a nice found family element with Sadie's friend group, who come together to form a home away from home for her. We don't spend a ton of time with the rest of the group, but they are still a delightful cast of characters I enjoyed getting to know.

Final Thoughts

In all, this is a cute contemporary romance with a fun side-plot in the D&D campaign. Roll for Romance is a delight for anyone who enjoys TTRPGs, art, or just finding out who you want to be and what matters in life. I recommend this to anyone looking for a solid romance that's not too spicy but still has a few scenes to dig into.

As a tabletop gamer, I thought this would be such a fun romcom to read, but I did not like this book at all.
I understand and enjoy cozy vibes sometimes, but I don’t think they always have to be at war with competition or ambition in general. This is such a common romcom trope for a city girl to go to a small town and enjoy the slower pace and want to close her laptop forever, but I thought the tabletop gaming vibe would add some healthy competition into the mix so it wouldn’t be just the same old plot. Instead, the book just ended up being more of a roleplaying fantasy type of thing that sort of lost me as the two characters used their D&D personas to explore their own feelings.
I think this book is a contemporary romance geared towards those who enjoy cozy fantasy like Legends and Lattes and are specifically looking for that vibe. I’m talking about fanfic writers, those who delve deep into the lore, and those creatives who feel at odds with normal society.

I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Wound up listening to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic but I just wasn't invested in the story

Super cute romance with a sidebar of D&D. Characters were fresh and fun. Very different but cute and sweet; would recommend it to my friends

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an eARC copy of this fun book for an honest review!

Nothing makes my nerd heart happier than to read a story that involves one of my hobbies I've played for years, D&D! Getting to experience Sadie's (the FMC) first time playing D&D is something that is definitely magical. The D&D campaign story in the book is told beautifully, too! This book truly showed the beauty of getting to play a character in a magical world and how much fun it can be.

The love story that unfolded while Sadie and Noah (MMC) played D&D was fun, too! Their fondest that bloomed for one another while playing the game also flowed into real life.

I definitely enjoyed this book and loved the message to the readers at the end of the book. ❤️