Today’s review is about ROLLS AND RIVALRY by Kristy Boyce. It’s the third book in a series of standalones. Boyce puts us back into the world of high school and D&D, this time via marching band.

Author: Kristy Boyce
Series: Gaming and Romance, #3
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Publish Date: May 5, 2026
Print Length: 384

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Rolls and Rivalry Official Synopsis

Rolls and Rivalry 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.

ROLLS AND RIVALRY, Kristy Boyce’s latest D&D-related novel, starts off during the summer leading up to Hazel’s senior year. Hazel, now captain of color guard, looks forward to winning at band competitions. But this year, like every year, color guard has to deal with the taunts of the percussionist section. When her former best friend, Max, transfers back to her school and joins in the bullying, Hazel feels betrayed. Determined to make senior year her best, Hazel finally decides to be Dungeon Master and run a D&D game. Only that means Max has to join.

I enjoyed Boyce’s first two books in this series of standalones, DUNGEONS AND DRAMA and DATING AND DRAGONS. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as enamored with ROLLS AND RIVALRY for a number of reasons. First, Hazel is a senior in high school, yet this book reads as incredibly juvenile. There is a rivalry between the percussionist section and the color guard. The reader is just supposed to accept that it exists rather than have Hazel explain it. Perhaps Hazel doesn’t know when or why it started, but it just didn’t make sense and felt like it was there purely as an easy way to have some friction in the story. Moreover, the rivalry was borderline bullying and the fact that their band director barely stepped in was surprising.

Max also shows up to Hazel’s senior year supposedly hating her. This is understandably surprising to her because they were best friends before he moved away to a rival school district. The way he spoke to her was so cold, so Boyce got that personality down pat. Hazel is confused and upset, and rightly so. When Max reveals why he acted like that, it makes sense. But then trust issues between Hazel and Max pop up when they start dating. I’m the first to understand why they decide to keep their relationship a secret during the last few weeks of marching band season. High schoolers love to talk and Hazel and Max don’t want to cause a distraction that might cause the band to miss their coveted win.

But their secret relationship, coupled with Max’s initial cold welcome and that he’s part of the percussion section, cause Hazel to have trust issues with Max. If I squinted my brain I could understand why Hazel felt apprehensive. But it was mostly in her head, in my opinion. The reasoning didn’t feel well written out. Again, it felt like an easy plot device to include some tension when there otherwise wasn’t much.

However, there are some things I enjoyed about the book. For one, Hazel is captain of the color guard. Her tenure starts a bit rocky. But once she learns that leadership is more than teaching choreography, she wins them over. It was a good example of how different people need different motivators as well as how to cultivate new friendships and team building. Hazel also has a great best friend who tries to talk some sense into her about her relationship with Max.

Hazel also feels pressure from her mom to win most valuable member as a senior in marching band. Her mom won it and is a huge fan and support of band, so Hazel feels like she needs to. So Hazel grapples with whether this is something she wants or if she wants it because she thinks her mom wants it. This all comes to a head near the end of the book and it leads to a nice bonding moment with Hazel and her mom.

Finally, I liked how ROLLS AND RIVALRY showed some of the process of orchestrating a D&D game as a Dungeon Master. As a first time DM, Hazel is nervous and uncertain. She tries to plan for all scenarios the campaign might take. It looks like a hard role! Hazel is already creative, but she realizes she needs to work on her flexibility. But her group is forgiving and eager to learn and they all have a great time together.

Overall, while ROLLS AND RIVALRY wasn’t my personal favorite of this series of standalones, there were elements I enjoyed. I think marching band enthusiasts will feel a lot of nostalgia with this particular story.

Rating: 3.25
Content warnings: bullying
Reading format: Kindle e-book