Roll for Love by M.K. England is a charming YA romance that celebrates queer, nerdy joy, friendship, and centers on characters finding themselves and finding their community. Following her grandfather’s death, Harper and her mother move into his house, where Harper spent her summers growing up, learning carpentry and woodworking in her grandfather’s workshop, and crushing hard on Ollie, the girl next door. Now in her senior year, coming back to Clintville feels very different. Harper is leaving behind a group of friends in Portland, and her relationship with her mother is strained. Her mother has all but shut down in her grief after losing her father, and barely talks to Harper other than to insist that she attend a four-year-college, which is not in Harper’s plans. Despite fearing that her senior year will be terrible, Harper reconnects with Ollie, and along with her friends, who are all queer and nerdy as well, forms a D&D group. They begin fixing up Harper’s grandfather’s barn together, dubbing it the Gay Barn, and Harper plans for her future with trade classes and launching her own business.
England does a wonderful job of balancing warmth and joy with just the right amount of angst and conflict, and keeps everything rooted in the characters, so the stakes are grounded and personal. The chapters alternate between Ollie and Harper’s viewpoints as they sort through their feelings for each other, and try to figure out their places in the world. Ollie isn’t entirely comfortable being out as bi in Clintville, and feels a pull between the traditional life that she feels is expected of her, and wanting to be part of a thriving, queer community. Harper sees room for both, and tries to help Ollie in her journey without pressuring her, while also trying to prove to her mother that a traditional four-year-college is not the only viable path to a successful career.
While the relationships get messy and complicated, the characters communicate with each other honestly, and there’s a focus on talking things out and being respectful and supportive. While D&D is a large part of the story, a deep knowledge of the game isn’t required in order to enjoy the book. Again, the story is largely character driven, and the characters themselves are compelling and easy to root for – people you want to see find success and happiness. There are fun nods for people who are D&D fans, and I personally appreciated the focus on wild magic in the campaign itself, and all the chaos that can ensue from that.
Overall, it’s a fun read, sweet and joyful without being saccharine. It’s emotional, but in a cathartic way, and it provides a nice counterbalance to the current news cycle and the general grim state of the world.
