When I saw that the 2025 sapphic YA romance Roll for Love included two things that I enjoy — tabletop role-playing games mixed with Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley vibes — I couldn’t wait to read it. I was even more sold on it when I found out that Ollie, one of the protagonists, loves chickens (my childhood BFF and I have matching chicken tattoos, inspired by the OG farming sim, Harvest Moon)! Roll for Love was too perfect for me to pass up.
Written by author M. K. England and published by Running Kids Press (an imprint of Hachette Book Group), Roll for Love features queer co-leads, told in alternating POV chapters: the first is Harper Reid, an out-and-proud lesbian and high school senior who moves cross-country with her mom from Portland to Virginia after her grandfather’s death. In Portland, Harper leaves behind her friends — who are also her beloved D&D group. In Virginia, she hopes to fix up Poppy’s old woodshop, join a new D&D group, and maybe reconnect with her childhood friend, who lived across the street from Poppy’s farm. Or, at least, she used to — Harper has lost touch with her over the years and has no idea if she still lives there.
The second lead is the aforementioned chicken-lover Ollie Shifflet, a country girl and avid gardener who’s also bi. That last part is a secret, though, and one she’s certain she can never share. After all, Ollie wants to stay local after high school; she’s thinking about going to community college and working for her mom. What if people in town find out she’s bi, and they treat her differently? What if her sexuality tanks her mom’s business? Better, then, to stay in the closet — or so Ollie insists.
Harper’s return to town, however, complicates Ollie’s feelings. Back in the day, when Harper used to visit every summer, Ollie had a crush on Harper. Now that she’s back, and for good this time, Ollie is excited — mostly. Ollie is afraid that Harper is too out-and-proud; coming from the big city, she could never understand the politics of living in a small town. Harper can never know how Ollie felt back then. Or how Ollie feels now, which is a complicated mix of infatuation and anxiety that threatens to out her.
When Harper learns that Ollie and her friends are launching a new D&D campaign, she eagerly joins them. As the game unfolds, the chemistry between Harper’s barbarian and Ollie’s paladin mirrors the growing attraction between them in real life. At first, it’s easy to dismiss the sparks as roleplay, but the line between fantasy and reality soon begins to blur — and then carry over into real life, with very real consequences.
Roll for Love addresses themes of grief, coming of age, biphobia, and second-chance romance. It’s a story about learning who you are and then deciding with whom you can be that person — because sometimes the best option ISN’T shouting your sexuality from the rooftops. The story focuses on the importance of friendship and the complexities of exploring your identity, including but not limited to sexuality, in a small town.
Ollie’s fears around sharing her bisexuality were very relatable, particularly for me, as someone who came out in my 20s and felt, in some ways, “too old.” Back then, I shared many of Ollie’s fears, including that people might treat me differently if they found out. What if it wasn’t worth it to come out at all? Since much of Ollie’s arc deliberates this question, this novel is a great read for people looking for coming-of-age stories, particularly those that deal with the complexities of coming out. It reminded me, in some ways, of Jennifer Dugan’s Some Girls Do, which similarly features a lead who is uncertain about coming out (and similarly certain that coming out will change how people see her in the small world of pageantry).
I loved England’s inclusion of scenes from Ollie and Harper’s D&D campaign, as it helped me see these characters interacting in a world where Ollie wasn’t scared to be herself. It offered a fantastic foil for the real world, where she felt much more trepidatious. It made the game world feel even more appealing for Ollie — and for readers, too — who can see how she shines when she can be herself.
In addition, the D&D scenes provide fun, bombastic fantasy action that contrasts with these characters’ more mundane daily lives, including school and decisions about college — mundane, perhaps, but not easy. As such, England’s website includes content warnings for a few different aspects of the novel. The characters grapple with everything from work to college to their personal and familial lives. Harper’s relationship with her mom, in particular, is fraught and central to the novel. What will she do if her mom doesn’t support her career choices? These characters’ multifaceted arcs make them feel all the more real — and make it all the easier to root for them as they try to figure out where, and how, they belong in the wider world around them.
Personally, I didn’t love one aspect of the ending, which I won’t spoil here. Much of it felt right for these characters, ranging from Harper and Ollie to even their larger friend group, but one piece of Harper’s post-high-school plan felt a little too perfectly and magically solved for my taste. Depending on how you like your endings (Happily Ever After? happy for now? something more complicated?), your mileage may vary.
Overall, Roll for Love was an enjoyable read. I finished it in two long sittings — I couldn’t wait to find out what happened! The inclusion of D&D, Stardew vibes, and sapphic romance worked well together and was refreshing and fun.