Dungeons and Drama

October 16, 2023
After an unauthorized joyride with her mother’s car lands high school junior and musical theater aficionado Riley in eight weeks of familial probation working at her estranged father’s gaming store, Riley figures she’s in for a dreadful time. Worse, her school has canceled the spring musical, an event she looks forward to every year. Determined to save the production (and save face when her arrogant ex shows up at the store), she strikes a deal with coworker and classmate Nathan Wheeler: Riley and Nathan will pretend to date, during which time Riley will help Nathan land his crush, and she’ll get the musical back on track. To make their ruse seem more official, Riley joins Nathan’s D&D campaign (playing a bard, naturally), and soon realizes that the store—and Nathan—aren’t as uncool as she originally thought. But when it comes time to choose between her old passions and her new ones, it may be curtains for her not-so-fake relationship. In this boisterously geeky romantic comedy, Boyce (Hot Dutch Daydream) delivers a feel-good tale of love and laughter, set against standard teen trials and tribulations and driven by the leads’ sweet dynamic. Protagonists read as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Tara Gonzalez, Erin Murphy Literary.