Dating and Dragons

When Quinn starts at a new school, she is invited along to a Dungeons and Dragons group that has a no-dating-other-players rule.

As someone who has never played Dungeons and Dragons and has only a passing acquaintance with the whole genre, I really enjoyed the Dungeons and Dragons parts of this book! I also liked the potential of the no-dating rule for creating a dynamic in which players use their DnD characters to express feelings (flirtatious, frustrated or otherwise) suppressed in real life.

However, a particular attraction doesn’t remain unacknowledged for very long, and I had less patience for two teenagers being all “I like you but we’re not allowed to date!” at each other.

This also has a plotline about Quinn’s parents show more trying to persuade her grandmother to sell her beautiful, hundred-year-old house and move into a retirement village. I thought Quinn’s parents were being somewhat unnecessarily alarmist and pushy, especially considering that Grandma is only in her mid-70s, and I wondered if they had really considered alternatives. (Hi! I have strong feelings about quality of life and dignity of risk and the care that my grandmother currently receives!)

But of course this is a book about a teenage girl who, understandably, isn’t involved in most of the serious discussions between the older generations and the narrative’s focus is on her experiences, and her bond, with her Grandma. Which is lovely.

I’ve put a hold on Dungeons and Drama.

“All we can do is live it.” She looks straight in my eyes, her expression almost stern. “Live your life, Quinn. Every minute of it. Don’t drift through it – live it.”

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I loved this simple, sweet, and fun high school romance! It follows Quinn, who just moved to a new school in the middle of the school, escaping toxicity from her old friend group. As an introvert, she really hopes to make friends, but knows it won't be easy. But, with her interest in D&D. she makes a friend who plays D&D in a group. Things are looking hopeful, but it seems the new group is much more serious about D&D than Quinn's old friend group was. Not only do they play D&D, but they livestream weekly. And to keep issues within the group to a minimum, they've established a no dating rule amongst the group, which wouldn't be much of a problem... if Quinn and Logan, a member of the group, weren't mutually attracted to each other.

What I show more loved most about this book was the people and their relationships. Most of characters seem like great people, and they are all very supportive of each other. This mutual support and unconditional love for each other made the whole book much more enjoyable! My favorite characters are Kashvi and Quinn's grandma. Kashvi is honestly the best friend a girl could ask for, and Quinn's grandma accounted for most of the humor. I loved Quinn's relationship with both of these characters, as they helped her grow, and she helped them, too. The plot was really simple, but I loved how it unfolded. It was predictable at times, but that didn't take away from story at all. The last 20% of the book was super eventful, but just as fun.

Overall, this was a very engaging read, and honestly, I would love to see more about these characters. Maybe simply an extra epilogue, or even a sequel about one of Quinn's friends. I'd love to spend more time with these characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the eARC! All opinions are my own. show less

This is a cute romance that is the second in a series, but it stands alone.

Quinn Norton arrives at her new school and quickly meets her future friends. Grandma wants a picture, so she finds some kids amenable to taking her "first day of school" picture. It's February. There's not much time left in the year. A super cute boy and his friends happily comply. Come to discover later, they have a Dungeons and Dragon group that Quinn is asked to join--if she can handle it. They live-stream their game every Saturday at 2:00. To join the group, Quinn must agree to a few rules. One rule dictates that members cannot date each other. Cute boy--Logan--is part of the group. He seemed so friendly but doesn't once she shows up for the game.

Quinn has a show more lot going on in her life. They moved in order to live near her grandmother who Quinn's father feels needs their help because Grandma shouldn't be all alone in town. Quinn has a brother who always disappears to do boy athlete things. They aren't close. Quinn also harbors some baggage from her old school. Her former best friend and their whole group of friends unfriended Quinn. They believe she broke up their Dungeons and Dragon group when she dated one of the members. They had ONE date, and Quinn told him that she wasn't interested. Come to find out, her best friend wanted to date him. That's how the friendships ended. Bitterly. Quinn does NOT want the same thing to happen, so she feels comfortable not dating Logan after he turned surly.

Feelings have a way of coming to the surface. Logan eventually tells Quinn that he was unfriendly because he didn't want her in the group because he wanted to date her. They kind of sneak around and start talking, which would lead to dating, but they can't do that. Most of the book is them stating that they can't date. Meanwhile, the live streaming is picking up. Lots of people are watching and enjoying everyone's banter.

Like I said, it's a fun novel. Great? No. Want a happy ending? Then, read this amusing romance. show less

To be fair, I'm an old hag and not the target audience. I basically ignored the romance, high school and general YA parts (too annoying and simple-minded characters in my opinion, but if this is your genre you might think differently), and focussed on the D&D part (me being a role player for almost 40 years now). Well, to sum it up: I eye-rolled a lot.

Dating and Dragons
Dungeons and Drama, Book 2

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: CC Public Library
Dates Read: 7/19/25 - 7/21/25
Rating: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Abigail Reno

The Characters:

Quinn Norton:
Logan Weber:

The Story:

This was very cute. A somewhat forbidden romance. A new friend group. A game I know nothing about in real life. Oh, and I almost forgot, a sassy grandma who’s determined to play matchmaker.

Not quite as good as book one, but still a cute story with a believable romance (and lotsa D&D).

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SPICE RATING: 1/5 - Absolutely no mention of sex. Descriptions of kisses/make-out scenes, but nothing more.