Dungeons and Drama

I requested Dungeons and Drama from Netgalley because I literally have a musical mad and DnD nerd for a son, and he wanted me to read it. (Thank God I was accepted so I could tell him how good it was!)Firstly, the cover is so adorable, and I loved how cute the characters look on it - I mean, come on? Nathan has elf ears on because, of course, he does.. The story is a young adult romance and very sweet with a well done fake romance and a great cast of background characters who're an almost found family in the way how tight they all are and I loved how they complimented one another. Riley is a stereotypical musical lover who's obsessed with both the school musicals and longs for a career on Broadway in her future. She's somewhat obsessive about it, and that's what led to her spending time at her Father's game shop as she's in trouble. The way the store is described is so well done, and I could easily visualise it with the Warhammer style tiny figures and paints, stacks of board games that can be rented or bought etcetera and of course the plethora of Dungeons and Dragons items. Riley has zero interest in and has a prejudice against it because she sees the store as to why her parents are divorced. Nathan is the kid in school who hates to be there, and the store is his sanctuary and doesn't like Riley one bit, but there's a girl he wants, of course. Riley comes up with the fake dating and it had me giggling as it was so much fun to see Nathan be torn between how he dislikes Riley and how well it works to make the girl become a green eyed monster. I loved their chemistry and how the fake dating and close proximity had the effect of making the two start to see they'd misjudged one another. Yes, it's a cliche, but it's a fun one. However, it's not just Riley and Nathan who bring out the fun of the book, but their friends - I may not play DnD but I loved the commentary of their games and my son said it was that chaotic when his group play. Though I doubt despite some of his team, anyone breaks out into actual song! These moments of joy are tangible, and I loved how there are glimpses of how the somewhat estranged relationship between Riley and her dad blossom as he's so proud of her.This is a fun read, very sweet and I enjoyed it a lot. It reminds me of a chic flick, a story that makes you smile and appreciate a happy ever after with the classic ‘things go wrong’ moment.