One Old, One New - The Kristy Boyce Edition

One Old, One New features two books – one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today I am featuring two books by Kristy Boyce from the Dungeons and Drama series.

---

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce
Published by Delacorte Press on January 9, 2024
Age/Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn't hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she's grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can't waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan's Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn't require as much acting as she would've thought...

While working off her "sentence" at her father's gaming store, Riley hatched a fake dating plan that would benefit both her and Nathan, but maybe their fake relationship felt a little too real.

I am so glad I fell for the hype on this one because it was everything I love to find in a young adult book. Riley made a bad choice, and she was forced to pay for that poor decision by helping out in her dad's store. I already mentioned the fake dating plot, but that wasn't even the best part. Don't get me wrong, I always adore a fauxmance-romance and this was a good one, but it was the way Riley expanded her horizons, widened her circle of friends, and reconnected with her father that really warmed my heart.

Riley was an unashamed theatre nerd. During her punishment, she was thrust into this alien world of gaming. When she was invited to join a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, she found it tapped into her love of drama and theatrics in a new way and delighted in being part of the game. The D&D portions really took me back to my teens, and it was so much fun to read about their campaigns.

Via the game, Riley became a bigger part of her fake-boyfriend's world. A friendship bloomed between Riley, Nathan, and their respective friends. It was great to see this relationship move beyond the game room, and their support for each other was wonderful.

Riley's friendship with Nathan didn't only involve making her ex jealous. Nathan was a big fan of Riley's dad, and he helped Riley see her father in a different light. Since the divorce, the distance between her and her dad had grown. What Riley learned about him, as well as spending time with him in his "realm" really helped them mend that bridge between them.

With a focus on family and friendship, as well as a great save-the-show subplot and a sweet romance, I was swept off my feet by this book. Dungeons and Drama was feel-good, fun, and packed with nerdy goodness of all kinds. It was an utter delight from beginning to end which left me with a happy heart.

---

Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
Published by Delacorte Press on December 3, 2024
Age/Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

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!

When Quinn's family relocated midyear, she found a great group who share her love of D&D. The only problem was the group has a strict non-fraternization policy, and it was getting harder and harder to deny the feelings developing between her and Logan.

Boyce has definitely found her sweet spot with these Dungeons and Drama books. They are fun and sweet with a strong focus on friendship and family. I may have sat in on a campaign or two back in the day (the 80s), and I loved the rush of nostalgia I got as I read this book. Of course, these campaigns come with a modern twist (live streaming), but all that great D&D goodness was still there.

The heart of this story was the friend group. Most of them were very welcoming of Quinn at a time when she really needed support. After the trouble with her last D&D group, her family moved and this was Quinn's opportunity for a fresh start. She was lucky to find a great group who shared her love of D&D and so much more. I am always here for a friendship focused story, but I also found the romance that simmered between Quinn and Logan quite adorable.

With snappy banter, fantastic friendships, and a touch of romance, Dating and Dragons was a delight from beginning to end. I hope Boyce has more campaigns in store for us.

Have you ever played D&D?
Let us know in the comments!