This was a delightful read. Perfect for those who love the theater and Dungeons and Dragons. I think that the two were blended perfectly together.

After taking a joyride in her parent's car to see a theater production, Riley is in big trouble. Her punishment? Working at her dad's game store with an insufferable coworker for the next several weeks. However, with the help of said insufferable coworker Nathan, Riley discovers a new love for role playing and rolling dice.

If you love fake dating, theater, and Dungeons and Dragons, I think you will love this book. It's the perfect amount of sweet and outrageous that tickles my cold, dead heart. I also appreciated how accurate the Dungeons and Dragons terminology was. It really put the icing on the cake for me. ( )

Nice take on the 'quick, I must come up with a fake boyfriend' theme.' Riley's obsession with theater landed her in hot water with both of her divorced parents after she 'borrowed' Mom's car to drive to see a musical. She has no driver's license and is now grounded, as well as forced to work after school and on weekends at her father's store. Dad sells all sorts of games and has a back room where customers play them. There's an intense D&D group back there.
When Riley's ex Paul comes into the shop and starts fake pitying her for having no boyfriend, she impulsively lies, claiming that she and Nathan, a hot nerdy boy who also works at the store, is her new BF.
You've read this plot before, but this one has some dandy twists, Riley getting sucked into both the D&D group, and Nathan. Her best friend becoming interested in one of the other players, Riley's despair when it looks like the next high school musical will not happen due to budget cuts, how she addresses this, plus her growing attraction to Nathan, and their agreement that she'll amp up the PDA whenever the red headed 'ice queen' the girl Nathan pines over, makes an appearance at the game. There's plenty more, but you should read the book to discover them. ( )

A simple, sweet, and fun love story. The main characters start out a bit annoying with the girl being a typical "theater kid" and the boy being a bit of a "gatekeeper". But you quickly get to see more sides of them through the relationship they build together, but also the relationships they have with their friends and family, and in one case an ex, the other a crush. Loved all the little nerds. Could read a whole series about the gang.

I also really enjoyed the exploration of Riley's relationship with her mom and dad separately, and how the divorce impacted them. Would have loved seing even more of that, maybe even a prequel of how the parents met and fell in/out of love. Would also love a sequel exploring Nathan's family more.

Maybe I'm a bit biased since it reminds me of my own journey with my partner. Enemies (one sided (mine), to friends, to partners. Loved reliving the good and the bad ( )

3.33⭐ ( )

As a former thespian and D&D player, I loved this book so much! There's theater, role-playing, supportive parents, and fake dating!

As punishment for taking her mom's car without permission (or a license) to go see a musical, Riley is being forced to work at her dad's gaming store with Nathan. Meanwhile, her school is cancelling the spring musical, and Riley has to figure out how to save it, even if that means enlisting the help of her ex. Nathan desperately wants Sophia's attention, and Riley wants to prove to Paul she's over him, so they concoct a fake dating scheme, but are they good enough actors to pull it off?

The story is so cute, and the friend group is phenomenal. I laughed multiple times. I even cried because of Riley's scare with her dad's health since I recently lost my dad to the same thing. I absolutely recommend this sweet, mostly lighthearted book and would definitely read another by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy. ( )