Reviews

I discovered The No-Girlfriend Rule through social media, and I eagerly added it to the list of queer books I was looking forward to this year. While I don’t know a ton about D&D (or Secrets & Sorcery/S&S as it’s called in the book), I loved the concept of the book immediately, even if it does tend to be a bit heavy on the gameplay elements. There have been a few books recently about the toxicity of majority-male-dominiated gaming spaces, but none I’ve found have focused on tabletop/board games the way this does, not to mention being incredibly queer-inclusive and body-positive.

Hollis resonated with me immediately. While I’m not, nor have I ever been, in her precise romantic situation, I relate so much to her experiences as a fat girl with anxiety and depression, who just wants to find her place. The story also follows her path of self-discovery in terms of her sexuality, which I also found very affirming.

The contrast between the guys her boyfriend hangs out with and the girls she comes to meet is incredibly pronounced. The guys are incredibly sexist, instituting the titular “No-Girlfriend Rule” keeping her, or any girl, from playing with them. They’re also incredibly homophobic, calling the girls in the new group she meets all “lesbians” and worse. I very much rooted for Hollis to kick her boyfriend to the curb, but I also understood why she took so long to leave, as even if it was a toxic situation, she was fairly comfortable there, even if she remained unstimulated.

But the girls are all very welcoming, and I loved how they showed Hollis the type of friendship and support she truly deserved. Aini, who is one of these girls, is a solid love interest, and they have some super-sweet moments together.

This reads super-quick, especially with the inclusion of a lot of online chat conversations helping the story’s pacing. There’s a lot going on thematically for such a short book, but I didn’t feel like anything was left underdeveloped.

This was such a sweet read, and I’m excited to see what Christen Randall writes next. I’d recommend this book if you’re looking for a YA contemporary romance with a focus on queer self-discovery.

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I am forgoing formatting on this review because I am writing in a stream of consciousness.

I listened to The No Girlfriend Rule as an audiobook, my first audiobook in what is likely many years. I couldn’t turn it off. I found myself looking forward to long drives and folding laundry, tasks I would otherwise avoid, I looked forward to if it gave me the opportunity to tune into The No Girlfriend Rule. The books premise is around Secrets and Sorcery and I would be full of bologna to say I have ever had any interest in role playing games, but what’s notable here is that even through the story has a role playing lens to it, I was not deterred, I was engaged, I was invested, and I enjoyed it. None of this I would have predicted prior to reading it. I dove in knowing I wanted to expand my current horizon on queer YA lit and well, this couldn’t have been a more fruitful choice. The character development, the relationships, navigating sexual identity, highlighting the gender spectrum in nuanced, respecting, encouraging, and celebratory ways…. I may have come to dislike cis hetero men… more… but are we surprised? This was a beautiful and endearing story also encapsulating mental health experiences and showing, not telling, how people experience mental health in different environments and exemplifying how to navigate what can feel like hard moments. The range of characters in this book could have you up in arms in one moment and feeling butterflies the next. It’s easy to relate to characters in The No Girlfriend Rule and it’s easy to have empathy and compassion. It’s also a beautiful telling of navigating transitions, highschool is tough and senior year brings it’s own complex emotions. Overall this book beautifully told stories of relationships transitions, self growth, sexual identity, mental health, and friendship, I couldn’t not recommend it more.

5 gooses 1 honkin’ pepper