Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "The No - Girlfriend Rule" by Christen Randall. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)
"Julie Murphy meets Casey McQuiston in this unforgettable queer romance about a teen girl whose foray into fantasy tabletop roleplaying brings her new confidence, true friends and a shot at real, swoon - worthy love.
Hollis Beckwith isn't trying to get a girl - she's just trying to get by. For a fat, broke girl with anxiety, the start of senior year brings enough to worry about. And besides, she already has a Chris. Their relationship isn't particularly exciting, but it's comfortable and familiar, and Hollis wants it to survive beyond senior year. To prove she's a girlfriend worth keeping, Hollis decides to learn Chris's favourite tabletop roleplaying game, Secrets & Sorcery - but his unfortunate 'No Girlfriends at the Table' rule means she'll need to find her own group if she wants in.
Gloria Castaneda and her all - girls game of S&S! Crowded at the table in Gloria's cozy Ohio apartment, the six girls battle twisted magic in - game and become fast friends outside it. With her character as armour, Hollis starts to believe that maybe she can be more than just fat, anxious, and a little lost.
But then an in - game crush develops between Hollis's character and the bard played by the charismatic Aini Amin - Shaw, whose wide, cocky grin makes Hollis's stomach flutter. As their gentle flirting sparks into something deeper, Hollis is no longer sure what she wants... or if she's content to just play pretend."
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.
So the reason I wanted to read this book is because I saw the description of this book on Netgalley and as a fat girl who loves D&D with an anxiety disorder I knew I had to read it. This book made me cry SO MUCH. Please note, only once it was sad tears, the rest was just happy tears about how beautiful the characters friendships turn out to be throughout the book and the development that happens not only with Hollis but with her S&S party too. We got another book with a diverse cast of characters which was very exciting to see! I feel the reason I fell in love with the friend group within the book is because it genuinely reminded me of my little D&D group and how supportive everyone is towards each other. I love seeing a group of women being strong and powerful but also not afraid to show their emotions towards each other and being able to be there for each other. It was such an incredible journey to see the woman that Hollis becomes by the end of the book and I'm so glad I was able to read it. It was beautiful to see so much representation of someone who is like me within a book. Another thing I really loved was the discord chats between the characters. I will say though, the moment you see a link in the book, put it into your browser you will not be disappointed. I hope we get more books from Christen because I genuinely would read her shopping list if she let me.
My Favourite Characters:
The whole S&S group: Before we go into individual characters I just want to take a moment to appreciate how beautiful this friend group is together. They uplift each other so much and it made me so happy to read their story.
Hollis: Okay, yes, Hollis is the main character, but I genuinely saw so much of my younger self in her and it made her so easy to relate to. I loved her
Iffy: I ADORED the friendship that formed between Hollis and Iffy especially. Iffy was constantly there for Hollis and I loved her so much.
Aini: Aini is true to herself and is so full of confidence and I just loved her so much for it. She was constantly honest with Hollis and I adored her so much.
My Least Favourite Characters:
Landon: If you've read the book this will be of no surprise to you. Landon is a very accurate representation of the types of boys that gatekeep anything that's even a little bit geeky for themselves. I'm pretty sure every woman I've met within the geeky community has met a Landon. I genuinely wanted someone to slap him.
Chris: Chris to me is a bigger piece of shit than Landon is. Even if he wasn't doing what Landon was doing constantly, he was allowing it to happen. It's a no from me.
I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads.
This book is going to be released 7th March 2024!
What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!
Have a wonderful day!
Love, Doe!
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