The No-Girlfriend Rule

An instant USA TODAY bestseller
Four starred reviews!

Julie Murphy meets Heartstopper with a D&D twist in this "magical, heartwarming" (Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of She Gets the Girl) queer romance about a teen girl whose foray into fantasy tabletop roleplaying brings her new confidence, true friends, and a shot at real, swoon-worthy love.

Hollis Beckwith isn't trying to get a girl--she's just trying to get by. For a fat, broke girl with anxiety, the start of senior year brings enough to worry about. And besides, she already has a boyfriend: Chris. Their relationship isn't particularly exciting, but it's comfortable and familiar, and Hollis wants it to survive beyond senior year. To prove she's a girlfriend worth keeping, Hollis decides to learn Chris's favorite tabletop roleplaying game, Secrets & Sorcery--but his unfortunate "No Girlfriends at the Table" rule means she'll need to find her own group if she wants in.

Enter: Gloria Castañeda and her all-girls game of S&S! Crowded at the table in Gloria's cozy Ohio apartment, the six girls battle twisted magic in-game and become fast friends outside it. With her character as armor, Hollis starts to believe that maybe she can be more than just fat, anxious, and a little lost.

But then an in-game crush develops between Hollis's character and the bard played by charismatic Aini Amin-Shaw, whose wide, cocky grin makes Hollis's stomach flutter. As their gentle flirting sparks into something deeper, Hollis is no longer sure what she wants...or if she's content to just play pretend.

Author: Christen Randall
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/05/2024
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.70w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781665939812
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/27/2023
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2024 - Book Of Special Distinction
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2024
Booklist 02/15/2024 pg. 53
School Library Journal 08/16/2024 pg. 1

About the Author
Christen Randall (they/she) is a queer, fat, neurodivergent author of queer, fat, neurodiverse books, including Junior Library Guild selection and instant USA TODAY bestseller The No-Girlfriend Rule. When they're not writing joyful stories for the next generation of geeky gay kids, you can find them making zines about neighborhood cats, nerding out doing readers' advisory as a library associate at their local library branch, or at home planning all the D&D campaigns they'll run one day, they swear. Christen lives in Covington, Kentucky. Visit them online at ByChristenRandall.com and on social media @ByCRandall.