Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - The No-Girlfriend Rule

“When we can look at things in a different way, sometimes the things that would usually frighten us seem a little less frightening. The game can give us a safe space, with safe people, to explore parts of ourselves we might not be comfortable with in the real world. Sometimes, it’s easier to find your truth when you’re just trying it on for size first, without the pressure of having to make a big, sweeping change.”

This review is not spoiler free

I really, really loved this book, it was so beautifully wholesome and really touching. The found family element of the S&S party just filled me with so much joy and warmth!! They were all incredibly welcoming and supportive of each other, even though some of them had prior connections to each other whether they’re related or friends beforehand, that didn’t stop them from opening up their circle and welcoming each of the other girls with open arms. I loved getting to see Hollis face down her own anxiety and create friendships with people who actually loved and understood her, and not just a group she was comfortable with, though they treated her awfully, because it was familiar and what she’d always deemed friendship to be.

I really loved Hollis, she was such a sweet protagonist and I really felt for her with her struggles with her anxiety. I hated the way that Landon treated her (I wanted to sucker punch him in the face) and I hated the way that Chris, her boyfriend and supposed best friend, just stood by and never really did much, just let her be the butt of the jokes and be excluded when she was trying so hard to take an interest in something so important to him. I loved watching her grow throughout the book and find her confidence and find her true friend group in the girls. I have never really played much D&D (because our games never last), but I understand how Hollis feels about gaining confidence and being able to express herself by being someone else/it being a positive outlet as that is the way that I feel about cosplaying and one of the reasons that I enjoy it so much. It was really empowering to see her gain confidence in herself and be who she wanted to be through the games and apply it to her real life too.

Iffy was absolutely my favourite character and I loved her so much! Every time Landon said something about her, I wanted to come slap him in the face. I really adored her and Holiis’ friendship and it gave me sm joy when Hollis started seeking her out at school, and when Hollis finally split things off with Chris and left the boys’ group, Iffy wouldn’t entertain Hollis sitting alone for a second and immediately invited her over to her table. I loved how supportive and understanding she was, I loved how strong she was, I loved the character she played in their games and the person she was outside of them. And I loved how her being trans was mentioned, but not made a big deal of (except by Landon, but he’s an asshole so screw him).

I absolutely adored all of the girls in Gloria’s games and I loved their dynamics so much! Seeing them all interact and become the best of friends just really warmed my heart and gave me so much joy! I just loved everything about all of them!!

I really loved the way that, during the games, it was told like part of the story and I got really invested in them, to the point that I was absolutely sobbing my heart out when Aini’s character died. BOY that broke me.

My favourite aspect of the book was definitely the friendships and found family between the girls, they all supported each other in their times of need, and found common ground even though they were all vastly different people. I loved the world they’d created within their games and how they all got to express themselves through their characters. I loved when they dressed up as their characters for Halloween and did their little picture outing and game – that was so sweet! I also really loved the gradual development of the relationship between Hollis and Aini’s characters and how that built into their real life flirting and relationship themselves. I really truly adored how Aini didn’t pressure Hollis to figure out her identity and what label fits her, that she cared more about Hollis actually having feelings for her than what she identified as, which was just so sweet! People do put too much pressure on labels which can be confusing when you’re just figuring yourself out, so it was nice that Hollis wasn’t pressured to immediately find a new label for herself.

All in all, I absolutely adored this book – it made me laugh, it made me sob, it filled me with so many warm fuzzy feelings. It was just truly beautiful.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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3.5

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

While there is a romance in this, it's definitely more focused on Hollis's journey finding herself and finding her voice. I loved how she gained confidence through playing a role playing game (called S&S but based off of D&D), because she finds new friends who let her be who she is. Glad she learns how much of a jerk her boyfriend and his friends are, honestly.

I also appreciated that Hollis doesn't settle on any particular identity by the end because that feels so realistic for teeangers just figuring out that they're queer. You don't have to have it all figured out immediately, no matter what age you are.

I will say, there is a lot of description of the role playing game in this book, which I enjoyed, but it's just something to be aware of. A great all around read!

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