Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I read a lot of DND themed books and I have come to the conclusion I don’t really like them. I just get lost in the story, which is my fault. I love a lot of the authors here and that was my main reason for requesting. I enjoyed the stories and always enjoy reading what my faves have to write, it’s just not my favorite type of book.

Each and everyone of these stories hit me right in the heart. Ttrpgs are just such a beautiful way to explore identity and these stories really highlighted how magical that can feel to be seen and play as whatever character or identity you want to try on. Absolutely heartwarming read!

Thanks to Page Street Publishing for the ARC

This was such a cute cozy read! I am always such a sucker's for a litrpg and this hit the notes <3 Id love to get my hands on more of this authors work now!

This book perfectly captures why Dungeon & Dragons (and tabletop role playing games in general) means so much to so many people. I laughed, I cried (those heartfelt happy tears), and I felt the love each author put into each story.

The queer representation and perspectives are varied and incredibly inclusive. And, as with any short story anthology, I liked some stories more than others, but that's exactly what makes a book like this so powerful: everyone can find a story that resonates with them. A story they see themselves in. A safe space, a place to belong - the same way people find that sense of belonging in a real game of D&D.

A must-read for D&D and TTRPG lovers and those looking for themselves in the pages of a story. Or both.

Love the cover of this one. A novel focused on many contemporary and relatable issues well balanced with their game of D&D, where the long hours of character creation can be insightful and easier to build than self-acceptance and identity in real life. LGBTQIA and on the spectrum representation. Very relatable to the targeted readers with lots of fun contemporary pop culture references, and we also have access to the plotline of their top table story, which has great characters, too. Mention of therapy and my favorite thing it was (in my own words not quoted:) There are many ways to communicate we should pick the one that best fits us, instead lf the one that is expected, that is a great thought not just for young readers, but to all. Mutual respect.

Dungeons and Dragons has often been a game where people who feel like they don't fit in elsewhere can find a place where they truly belong. This collection demonstrates that perfectly with characters covering the full spectrum of gender and sexuality finding themselves and a community through this roleplaying game.

There's something for every reader in this collection. For me, I was particularly fond of Andrew Joseph White's "Oathbreaker" where newly out as trans Simon uses the game that he and his father have always bonded over to help repair their relationship. Then there was DeAndra Davis's "Haunts for Heathens" where Alisha uses playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends as an escape from what her religious family expects from her and as inspiration for the screenplay she's working on for a scholarship all while finding out that maybe she and her largest rival have more of a connection than she thought. And Margaret Owen's "Five Times the Wizard Almost Died, and One Time She Did" where Ella navigates playing in her older sister's campaign for the first time while managing being the focus of said older sister's ire when her undiagnosed mental illness causes her to lash out in game. I was also quite fond of Linsey Miller's "Silvery Barbs" if only because it was very obviously inspired by my most favorite of Shakespeare's works - Much Ado About Nothing.

For any and all fans of ttrpgs and those who can't help being dice goblins, This Is How We Roll will delight all readers looking for a fun and heartfelt collection full of magic, mayhem, discovering who you are surrounded by your party members and closest friends.

If you love Dungeon & Dragons and play it in any form, then read this book. I mean, just look at that awesome cover! The beautiful dice are also featured throughout the book itself.

Behind each chapter, a new and unique short story awaits you in this fantastic world. The characters are all very complex, whether in the game or in reality. I especially liked the diversity throughout the book. It was just so much fun to immerse myself in the world of D&D, and it makes me want to play. A really great and entertaining book! And a must-read for every D&D lover.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating 4.5 of 5

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for a review! All opinions are my own.

I loved this anthology so much. It was so sweet and tender at moments, funny at others, and bittersweet at other parts too. The way these authors weave unique stories and integrate tabletop RPG in their own ways is just so fantastic. It felt like we were getting double the stories with a story embedded in a story.

I’m absolutely blown away by some of these. My favorite was Andrew Joseph White’s story of a cross generational campaign that changed lives. It was such a wonderful read.

Absolutely loved this anthology.

Thank you to Page Street YA and Netgalley for providing the e-arc! All opinions are my own.

4.25 stars.

A short story collection about TTRPGs featuring some of my favourite authors? Sign me up! I was so excited to get started and I was not disappointed. As is always the case, some stories worked better for me than others, but overall I think this was such a nicely balanced anthology in terms of representation, writing styles and within-campaign and outside-campaign settings. I also loved how some stories were very much about queerness and how TTRPGs allow you to figure stuff out about yourself, whilst others were moreso about the game itself or other issues with queerness being a given. There were a couple stories that had some significant spelling mistakes, like in the there-their-they’re category (although some were in Discord messages which may have just been on purpose?), so I hope they will be resolved in the next round of edits.

Gathering the Party by Anna Meriano: I loved this one! I think it’s a good start for this collection and I liked how it still felt like an adventure whilst taking place in the real world.

Captain’s Log by MK England: cute but not my favourite. I loved that it was an RPG with a sci-fi setting and I liked the tone of voice in the log, but the real world setting felt a bit rushed.

Oathbreaker by Andrew Joseph White: I adored how the MCs worries in his personal life were able to be resolved through the game, it felt very realistic and the D&D campaign sounded so cool. I’m so excited to read something by AJW soon!

Sneak Attack by Tara Sim: I wish there had been a better balance between campaign and real world and I didn’t love the set-up of this. If my friends did this I’d be pissed lol

You Are My Favourite Song by Jonny Garza Villa: in this one the balance between campaign and real world also felt off and for some reason the RPG scenes (which was almost the entire story) were SO confusing that I cannot remember a single thing from this 3 days later.

Camp I by Jamie Pacton: love love love! Gay girls at camp being nerdy and falling in love yes please. I loved the writing in this and the connection between the two main girls felt very real. Gotta pick up something by this author soon!

Camp II by Rebecca Podos: this was so fun! It took me a second to realise that the real world setting was sci-fi but once that hit I really liked it, it felt fresh within this anthology. I also liked that D&D was the catalyst for friendship and connection without being a major part of the story.

Silvery barbs by Linsey Miller: this one was so confusing. I still don’t understand who was talking to who when (there were like 3 voice chats and a few different Discord chats going on at the same time?) and the conflict didn’t seem to have a reason to me.

Haunts for Heathens by DeAndra Davis: I think this story was too short to believably include such a major miscommunication and I didn’t understand why they didn’t just talk about it even before the miscommunication, but I really enjoyed the writing style and the difference between the MCs home life and her TTRPG friends was really well done.

Five Times the Wizard Almost Died, and One Time She Did by Margaret Owen: MARGARET OWEN MY BELOVED! I loved the writing style in this because Owen’s style always feels refreshingly and naturally funny. I liked the characters and the way the conflict resolved. The campaign sounded fantastic. The one thing I couldn’t understand is why NO ONE spoke up about the GMs railroading and unfair treatment of her sister’s PC ONCE. I get that it’s part of the GMs personal character arc but if I had a DM who did this - JAIL. Also XP levelling in this economy? Ew. (Fits the GMs style though.)

Pippin and Genie’s Grand Adventure by Marieke Nijkamp: so sweet! I’m a sucker for friendship blossoming through TTRPGs and this specific system sounds so fun.

Always a Merchant, Never a Rogue by Akemi Dawn Bowman: spectacular give me 14 of them RIGHT NOW. I loved the NPC book by Patrick Ness and this story was even more meta than that one. Pls Ms Bowman a whole novel like this pls?

Across space and time, young people, many of them queer, express themselves through role-playing games.
This anthology was queerly delightful. Likable characters and unique plots made these stories a joy to read. The queer and neurodiverse representation was wonderful.

This is How We Roll features 12 short stories by your favorite queer fantasy young adult authors. All of these stories show the importance of role playing games on teens and how that impacts identity.

These stories were so cute and wholesome and sometimes sad but also so important. I am so thankful to have gotten to read this and I truly believe that this book will change teens lives and is something I wish I had growing up.

This was a wonderful anthology full of a variety of stories that showed the multitude of ways that Dungeons and Dragons provides a safe space for people. While it mainly focuses on queer people and the ways they find a queer-accepting world in the game, use the game as a way to explore themselves, and more, it also highlights how the game brings people together, helps people with their anxiety, brings them out of depressions. It's just such a wholesome view of the game and highlights why people love it so much and why it is so important to people.

There's a really interesting array of identities within the anthology. I was pleased to see a handful of ace and aro rep and really related to some of those writings as an aroace person myself. Andrew Joseph White's story of a young trans man reconnecting with his father through the game was incredibly poignant. There were no misses here.

This is How We Roll is necessary reading for any Dungeons and Dragons fan, but especially those who found a soft landing space in the Forgotten Realms.

Authors I read and loved united in this great anthology and wrote some of the most captivating tales I have ever read! Loved this to bits.

This is a fun anthology of various stories told around a Table Top Role Playing Game table from various people and various points of view. It is fun, obviously, and focuses not only just on the game, but the people who play it. Told from what appears to be several age groups, although most appear to be high school/college ages, you get a window into the lives of the players, how they play the game, and the found family that gaming has brough to their lives. A must read for any DND or TTRPG player!