The No-Girlfriend Rule

Randall, Christen. The No-Girlfriend Rule. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781665939812. 

Hollis knows she's fat and big. Hollis also knows that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes life can be hard, and Hollis would enjoy an easy day once in a while. Living as a fat girl with anxiety is not for the faint of heart, and with her senior year starting, things are about to change. Fortunately, Hollis still has her boyfriend Chris. Their relationship is not like the roller coaster she read about in young adult books. It's more of a slow lane, where everything is comfortable and familiar, if a little stifling.

Chris plays Secrets and Sorcery every Friday night, and there's one inviolable rule at their gaming table: No girlfriends are allowed. So Hollis has never had the opportunity to join Chris in his hobby. Hoping to improve her relationship with Chris, Hollis joins a group of girls who play Secrets and Sorcery in Cincinnati, across the Ohio river from Covington, Kentucky. Run by experienced game master Gloria, six girls gather at the gaming table to adventure together through imaginary realms. 

What begins as a desire to impress Chris and rekindle a connection with him slowly turn into an activity Hollis does for herself. As she learns to play and makes new friends outside of school, Hollis realizes that being fat and anxious are not characteristics that define her. Instead, her mind and her outlook on life are what make her interesting to the other girls. Her character develops a crush on one of the other characters, and Hollis is forced to admit that she's attracted to Aini, who gives her stomach butterflies every time she sees her. And Aini seems to feel the same way Hollis does.

But Hollis has a boyfriend. And this whole thing was to try to get closer to him their senior year. When then she finds out that Chris' best friend is now bringing his own girlfriend at their gaming table, Hollis begins questioning everything. Perhaps it is time to stop playing pretend, and act on her feelings ...

Fans of Dungeons and Dragons will appreciate the plot within the plot as Hollis and her friends complete a campaign at Gloria's table. As a character, Hollis is realistic and her relationship with Aini evolves organically. Readers who enjoy a satisfying conclusion will appreciate The No-Girlfriend Rule.

The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto

Cuevas, Adrianna. The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto. 2023. 304p. ISBN 9780374390433.

Rafa's mother was recently diagnosed with cancer, and she hasn't been the same since treatments started. She's always tired, and Rafa has been told more than once by his father that he needs to give her space. But Rafa is worried she might die soon, and he wishes that he could cast a spell on her to remove the sickness, just like his characters in his favorite roleplaying game, The Forgotten Age. Unfortunately, real life is not like a book. 

On their way out of school for summer vacation, Rafa and his friends are convinced by their Game Master to perform a live Forgotten Age adventure by freeing the slushy machine from their school cafeteria. Caught by the principal, Rafa finds himself in trouble with his father. As punishment, his father sends Rafa away to work on a ranch in New Mexico, where he will hopefully learn personal responsibility. 

Missing his mother and worried she's getting sicker, Rafa doesn't really want to be in New Mexico. He meets Jennie Kim, the daughter of the ranch's librarian, and soon the two of them become friends. Rafa notices a man in a green sweater hovering in the background, and a series of incidents seem to point to Rafa as the culprit, as if he was trying to get himself kicked out of the ranch. The incidents lead to an accident where Rafa and Jennie are stuck in a cave that was intentionally collapsed. Other strange events are also taking place. The horses are changing color. A picture with Jennie's father has changed.  Books in Portuguese appear in the library. Are these strange events caused by one or more ghosts?

As Rafa and Jennie attempt to solve the mystery, the man in the green sweater is getting bolder, and a confrontation is all but certain. Can Rafa and Jennie resolve the threat before it is too late? A fast read that incorporates elements of roleplaying games, fans of mystery will appreciate Rafa's struggles to defend himself and his attachment to his mother.