I loved this so much. What a cute little story, really showcasing found family, exploring sexuality and how community groups like this can really bring people together!!

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

How I read this book: eBook.

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.

(If you'd like to see more of my reviews please go to my blog:
https://doesden.blogspot.com/)

Let me start by saying that I am probably too old for this book. It is a coming of age for teens at the end of highschool, so 16-18 years of age. I am at the least 5 years above that age, so many of the problems or issues they encounter aren't a big thing in my life anymore. The self exploring Hollis went through was something I've already been through, so it didn't hit me in the same way, but more on that later. First, the good things!

I really loved S&S as an alternative to D&D. It made clever changes as to not be hit by a copyright issue, and honestly, I like Fortitude and Intuition more as stats than Constitution and Wisdom! The author has clearly played a lot of D&D, as the vibe that was portrayed in this book fit exactly with how I've experienced playing all these years - complete with creeps and emotional moments. I also like that none of the girls were stereotypes, as often happens in queer books. Yes, being queer was a part of their identity, but none of them ever shoved it into the face of the reader, which was very refreshing to read. They were queer, but they were also a multitude of other things.

Now for the lesser parts. I did not buy at all that Hollis and Chris had been dating for six years. Chris has almost no personality - and while I figure that was done to add to the whole arc of Hollis discovering the relationship wasn't good, it also just came over weird for me, and made it not believable she actually hung out with him and his friends all the time. I also sometimes felt the book was a bit longwinded, and that Hollis' realizations took a long time to unfurl.

I do believe that this book might have been more of a heavy hitter for me a few years ago, when I was in a toxic relationship myself. But now I have done the growing and reprogramming, and the self discovery in this book just reads a bit boring for me - because I have already done all that myself.

And, again, this book is aimed at teenagers, and me being 23 and in a totally different stage of life will have absolutely shaped my reader experience.

But, to conclude, it wasn't a bad book! Many teenagers will have an amazing time reading this. There were moments I genuinely laughed out loud, or reacted heavily to the story (that last S&S session!!). So I enjoyed myself reading this, and would definitely reccommend it to the age range it was written for.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC for this book!

The No-girlfriend rule was a freeing, warm and such needed tale of the stress of new situations and the best outcome that can happen.

Hollis is a fat, anxious high schooler comfortable if not a little unhappy in her relationship. She sticks by the side of her boyfriend and his lackluster if not downright offensive friends and is just trying to get through. Unfortunately they won't let her join their regular role playing game on a Friday, no girlfriends are allowed.

Looking for the experience to give her a leg up so she might get the chance to join, she responds to a flyer for a queer friendly group on a bulletin board and finds it's different to how she expected but maybe even better than she could have imagined.

This was just the kind of book I wished to have as a teenager. It was warm and uplifting and so representative of many of the hardest aspects of teenage life, especially as a mentally ill person.

There was one plot line which was against my personal preferences for a book, which just took it down half a star, but it was overall a huge triumph and a real joy to read.

This was such a sweet story!! The characters were fun, the overall story as well as the smaller story arcs were fun to read about and the writing and pacing were very well done!
I didn’t think that I would enjoy the built-in D&D story, but I did!

Some of the highlighted parts of the text didn’t need to be in uppercase as well as italics tho, but that’s the only thing I that I can criticize

A super sweet YA novel about making friends, new relationships and D&D. I loved how gentle and wholesome this was while still holding space for an anxious, fat main character to truly feel her feels.

I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t more about Hollis’s relationship with Chris - I appreciate that he wasn’t the focus of the novel, but we could have done with a showdown where she finally told him how terrible he and his friends are.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin for the e-galley!

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall is a charming YA contemporary fiction.
Thank you for granting me the honour of reading Hollis' story!
I wish I had more books like this growing up but I am glad that even at 24yo I can read those stories and see myself, past and present, within them.

The story offers an amazingly diverse pool of unique and well-developed characters, as well as remarkable and beautifully composed setting. Christen Randall does a wonderful job intertwining a seemingly plain Cincinnati scene with the fantasy world of the Eight Realms, where the table top role playing game (ttrpg) of Secrets & Sorcery takes place.

This is a story about finding a safe and welcoming space, both amongst friends and within yourself. It talks about changing, discovering, and accepting yourself. It shows that hobbies, and communities around them, can be life-changing, especially for young people.

Give it a go if you are looking for a new heart-warming YA novel with a few thrilling, action-packed fantasy elements.

A lovely story about finding yourself and your people. This book really drew me in, so I read it in one afternoon, which is highly unusual for me. Even though I technically understand how tabletop role-playing games work, I've never been involved in any, but the story was still easy to follow. I'm sure I missed out on some inside jokes, but I also didn't feel "left out".

The main character, Hollis, was loveble and seemed very real to me. Her struggles were relatable but not over-the-top, which I appreciated. I enjoyed how she got to know herself better through her new friend group and though playing with them.

This book really gave me the warm and fuzzies. It's the kind of book I wish I'd had as a teenager.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was a quick, easy and fun read for me. I'm no longer really the target audience but I wish this sort of thing had been around when I was. As a fat, anxious teen who spent time drawing (well copying) D&D characters I can definitely relate to Hollis. Apart from the having a douchy boyfriend part.
I probably loved the D&D (well S&S) part of the story more than the actual story and kept wanting to get back to that part as Hollis putting up with lame old Chris and idiotic Landon was quite frustrating for me. I'm glad she eventually realised how shit they were. I was jealous she found such a cool group to play with, but a little skeptical about the romance and how it developed. It felt like the S&S characters had much better chemistry.
I know the story was from Hollis's POV but I feel like we didn't really properly get to know much about the other girls. I don't even know how you'd pronounce Aini.
I'd definitely read more - if there was a sequel to this so we can follow the S&S story further that would be great. Also see how Hollis and Aini develop their relationship, cos there's not that much realistic fat teen sexytimes out there.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for approving my request to read an arc of this book

This book was so much fun! As someone who has recently gotten into D&D, I really enjoyed reading about the quest and the way the characters were thought up. I really enjoyed the none S&S characters too, apart from Chris and Landon of course! And I also really liked watching Hollis grow more into her self and be more confident as she played with her S&S group. It was also very nice to have a fat mc and one who was unsure of her sexuality. It was very realistic, as not everyone is as quick to working out their label or whether to even use one. I loved how passionate Hollis and the other girls were about their characters and it just made it much more engaging to read their excitement over the campaign. I also liked the inclusion of characters dealing with mental health and neurodivergence.
I’d really recommend this book even if you don’t have any knowledge of these types of games. I think you’d still have a great time reading!

This book was so charming. Such a quick fun read. The friendship in this book was delightful, and the feels I got from around the table were immaculate. Finished it in a day. Very quick read

Whilst I struggled initially with this one, and do still have a few reservations on finishing it, the homage to tabletop RPG and huge shot of nerdy goodness make up for it. It's beautiful to see gaming portrayed positively, and so thoughtfully and carefully to boot. RPG is such a powerful medium, and so overlooked currently in our techy/AI obsession. Love, love, love to see it lauded here. Plus I read this in two sittings which speaks volumes!

While I did have some issues with the characters and the writing style of ‘The No-Girlfriend Rule’ I did enjoy it overall. It’s a love letter to the table top role playing game (ttrpg) community and to finding a space where you’re loved and accepted for who you are. It put a huge smile on my face and made me want to pick up my dice again.

I just love the theme of this book. Finding your own place at the table as a woman especially when you are told not too! I can’t wait to share my full thoughts and review and let her flourish and find love along g the way! No one should ever be stopped from pursuing their dreams regardless of who they are or where they come from. Excellent lesson.