Today’s review is about DATING AND DRAGONS by Kristy Boyce. It’s a standalone Young Adult contemporary romance. Quinn moves in the middle of the school year, which makes it hard to make new friends. But she finds a group of D&D players and quickly finds herself falling for Logan, one of their group members. Unfortunately, one of their strict rules prohibits dating within the D&D group.

Author: Kristy Boyce
Series: None
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Publish Date: December 31, 2024
Print Length: 336

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Dating and Dragons Synopsis

From the author of the nationally bestselling Dungeons and Drama comes another gaming romance that’s sure to win you over!

Quinn Norton is starting over at a new high school and hopes that joining a D&D game will be the trick to making friends. The plan sounds even better when she’s invited into a group that includes Logan Weber, the cute and charming guy she met on her first day of class. But this isn’t your average D&D campaign– this group livestreams their games and enforces strict rules: no phones allowed, and no dating other group members.

Quinn is willing to accept the rules, even if it makes Logan off-limits. And she quickly learns that doing so won’t be a problem, since Logan goes from charismatic to insufferable as soon as she agrees to join. As their bickering–and bantering–intensifies inside and outside the game, Quinn can’t help wondering: Is Logan’s infuriating behavior a smokescreen for hidden feelings? Quinn is risking it all, and the twenty-sided dice are rolling!

Dating and Dragons Review

I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.

In DATING AND DRAGONS, Quinn Norton and her family move in the middle of the school year to be closer to her grandmother. It’s not easy to make new friends, so Quinn joins a Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) group at her new high school. But they’re not your average D&D crew and have a strict no dating group members rule. This puts a roadblock in Quinn’s attraction to Logan, the cute, nice guy she met on day one at school. Despite fighting the attraction, the chemistry remains. Quinn must decide whether to give up D&D and lose her friend group or abide by the rules and lose out on a love match.

After enjoying DUNGEONS AND DRAMA, I had high hopes for more lower stakes, nerdy YA romance. In short, this one definitely delivers. However, I felt the beginning was a little stilted, mostly with respect to the dialogue. Quinn overexplains things, which made me feel as though the reader couldn’t be trusted to infer what was going on. Then again, perhaps this was also a way to portray Quinn’s nervousness during her first week of school. Regardless, once Quinn becomes more settled, the story fell into its element and kept a good cadence.

In fact, I ended up liking DATING AND DRAGONS just a bit more than DUNGEONS AND DRAMA for several reasons. First, Quinn’s grandmother is hilarious. She reminded me of Devi’s grandmother from Netflix’s Never Have I Ever. She speaks her mind and has a mischievous streak, particularly when it comes to matchmaking. Second, I love that this book portrays more of the role playing element in D&D. I have never played D&D, but it really made me interested to learn more. It was also a great way to show the group dynamic as well as the angry tension between Quinn and Logan.

This book also has excellent tension, which surprised me considering this is a YA romance. As an adult reader, though, I had to suspend some disbelief that a 16-year-old boy would have the sense to flirt in that particular way. The dialogue is something I instead expect to see in a New Adult or Adult romance. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think it was realistic.

I also liked that DATING AND DRAGONS tackled group friendship drama. Before switching schools, Quinn fell out with her original D&D friend group. I don’t want to spoil the reasoning, but her ex-friends scapegoated and slut-shamed Quinn. Despite some progress in current Western society, I know this kind of stuff still happens, including with adults. I thought the author, and ergo Quinn, handled it well. Quinn’s new friend group also lends her the confidence and support to move past that drama.

Overall, I definitely recommend DATING AND DRAGONS to anyone who appreciates a focus on both D&D and YA romance. It’s relatively low stakes with a satisfying ending. And it focuses on following your passion, both in hobbies and relationships, as well as positive and affirming friendships.

Rating: 4.25
Content warnings: bullying
Reading format: Kindle e-book

For additional thoughts about DATING AND DRAGONS, check out a review by Blogging With Dragons. If you liked this book, you may also enjoy DUNGEONS AND DRAMA by Kristy Boyce and CHECK AND MATE by Ali Hazelwood.