Review

Quinn is new in town. As hard as it is to move schools mid-semester, she’s glad for the fresh start, away from her ex-friends, her Dungeons & Dragons group, who made her life an absolute misery after she broke up with the group’s Dungeon Master. While her brother Andrew, a soccer wunderkind, has no problem immediately becoming Mr Popular, Quinn initially finds herself lonely, and wondering whether she’ll ever have friends again.

Luckily, thanks to her shameless grandma, she soon meets a group of gamers, and one of them invites Quinn to join her D&D group. They’re a nice bunch, but they take their D&D pretty seriously — they livestream their games — and they have serious rules, one of which is no dating within the group, which they put into place after a troublesome break up a couple of years before. Which wouldn’t be a problem except for the very cute Logan, who’s in the group, and with whom Quinn has had a couple of lightly flirtatious moments. He’s nice… or he was until he learned Quinn was potentially going to join the group. First he’s obnoxious to her, then he ignores her.

Is he just trying to stop her joining/avoiding her because of the no-dating rule? And even if he is, how can anything ever happen between them without her breaking up another D&D group? Because having really good friends like these is the best thing that’s happened to Quinn in a long time, and she can’t jeopardise that. No matter how tempting it might be…

*

This was fabulous sweet YA romantic fun. I felt very invested in the characters and the outcome, and the novel was full of well executed romantic tension. I also really enjoyed how the author avoided the obvious cheap dramatic shots she could have taken, and took it down different roads instead. I’m not a fan of major narrative complications caused by people who, for no good reason, won’t talk to each other, and Boyce avoids this sort of weak plotting. I felt that Quinn was psychologically well drawn — she really was shook up by the nastiness of her former friends, and who could blame her? — and felt smugly confirmed by finding out that Boyce is a psychology PhD and lecturer at Ohio State University irl.

I have to say, as a feminist and a teacher of girls, that I really love how well books like these represent respectful relationships, and make it clear that respect and consent are important in all relationships, particularly romantic ones. Quinn’s horrible ex-friends accuse her of being a “tease” for breaking up after one date and one kiss, but in the novel it’s made clear (in a very PG way) that this kind of talk is way out of line, and that Quinn has every right to set her boundaries wherever she chooses. It’s also made clear what makes for good and bad friendships.

Except for the toxic ex-friends (mostly backstory), the friendships and romances in the book are very cute and wholesome, and are fun to read about, and I think would be comforting for any teen going through friendship issues. The romantic tension in this book is excellent, even better than in Boyce’s previous book Dungeons and Drama (when you’re on a good thing…).

A quick note on shelf appeal: I love this cover. I think it’s highly saleable to high school girls, especially given that Logan is drawn so cutely. I love all the little details in the background. The only problem I anticipate is selling girls on the D&D aspect. I’ll have to see…

I’ll be very interested in reading Kristy Boyce’s next novel. Two from two so far!

Age: 12+

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Romantic talk and kissing — it’s all very PG but yet still romantically thrilling, props to the author; main character is called a “tease” (it’s made clear that this kind of talk is rubbish); main character says someone is a bad kisser; elderly grandmother suffers a couple of falls (everything is okay) and moves into a retirement home; brief online trolling; toxic ex-friends/D&D group; a couple of older boys leer at Quinn when she’s wearing a mini skirt and crop top as part of a group cosplay costume; mild & stated-not-described fantasy violence (in a role playing sort of way, e.g. elves fighting orcs with swords); car accident (no injuries). No swearing. Representation: major and minor romances are mlw; in Quinn’s new D&D group, one member appears to be non-binary (they/them pronouns) and possibly asexual; two members (twins) are South Asian, other characters presumed white.

*

Boyce, K. (2025). Dating and dragons (A. Reno, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Listening Library.

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