Rolls and Rivalry Book Club Discussion Questions: Romance, D&D, and Debates

Aug 5

2 min read

color guard girl with flag being dipped by marching band boy

Age: YA (14+)

Genre: Romance

Reading the series?

Keep the discussion going with the guide for Dungeons and Drama (book 1).

Quick Review of Rolls and Rivalry

This sweet YA romance is great for readers who like rivals-to-lovers, unique hobbies (color guard and percussion!), and role-playing games. The best thing about this story, though, is that it takes a lighthearted romance and layers it with themes that include parental pressure, trust issues, and the growing pains of becoming a leader.

Book Club Questions

Hazel’s mom’s involvement with color guard ranges from helping Hazel with leadership issues to cheering wildly at every event. What are the pros and cons of such heavy parental involvement in a teen’s activities? If you were Hazel, what would an appropriate amount of support look like?
Max and Hazel constantly compete with each other. When is their competitive spirit valuable? When does it go too far? Where do you fall on the competitive scale?
Why do you think Hazel isn’t successful early on when she tries to motivate her team to improve? Why do her later strategies work better?
The book draws a contrast between Hazel’s and Max’s parents, with the former being too involved and the latter being absent. Why do you think the author wrote the story this way?
Seeing her mom as a superhero, Hazel struggles to feel like her achievements are enough. How do a parent’s example or expectations sometimes make it hard for a child to feel successful? What can a parent do to mitigate this issue?
Hazel wants Li to have a good freshman experience, so she becomes a mentor/older sister figure to her. Have you ever had someone play this kind of role for you?
What are the fun parts of a rivalry? What counts as going too far, and where do you think the tricks pulled by percussion and color guard fall on the spectrum?
What does Hazel’s hyper focus on winning cause her to miss out on? How would you weigh the goals of winning vs having fun against each other?
Step into Faith’s shoes. How would you have felt about the color guard’s experience? In her place, would you have told Hazel from the start that the guard almost got cancelled?
The book frequently references whether characters trust each other or not. Would you have trusted Max’s intentions when he wanted to join D&D? For you, is there anything someone can do that would permanently break your trust, or do you see trust as something that can always be mended?