Book Review: “Just Roll With It” by Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie

I’m back with another book review, and this time I’m reviewing “Just Roll With It” by Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie! Here’s a quick summary so we know what it’s about:

“As long as Maggie rolls the right number, nothing can go wrong . . . right?

Maggie just wants to get through her first year of middle school. But between finding the best after-school clubs, trying to make friends, and avoiding the rumored monster on school grounds, she’s having a tough time. . . so she might need a little help from her twenty-sided dice.

But what happens if Maggie rolls the wrong number?”

Character Development: 5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading Maggie and her struggle with OCD as well as the symptoms accompanying this condition (anxiety mainly, though it also displays some compulsions – turning on and off the light, rolling the dice to make decisions, etc.). As someone who doesn’t have OCD nor knows anyone that has OCD (though I’ve done some research so I know the general gist of what is involved), I thought the artwork and the writing did a great job of showing what those symptoms look like and how they affected her daily life (though specifically for Maggie, as compulsions can differ for each person to my understanding).

I also really enjoyed reading Maggie’s relationships with her family, as well as her friend Clara and the other friends she makes at the RPG Club. It was really heartwarming to read how they developed, as well as how they navigated situations together such as the “monster” roaming school grounds, the Dungeons and Dragons-related scenes (they called it something else, but any skilled Dungeons & Dragons fan would know that they’re playing a game at least similar to it if not being an in-universe copy of it).

Plot Development: 5 out of 5 stars

The story went heavy with internal development driving it, and I think it succeeded. Given that the main focus was on Maggie overall dealing with how OCD affected her life, and her eventual realization that maybe therapy might be a good option for her to look into for further help, it worked out quite well. I also enjoyed how all the plotlines resolved in the end, as Maggie and her friends and family all manage to work together to not just eventually get Maggie the help she needs and also deal with the “monster” roaming school grounds, but also help her deal with her inner fears and anxieties.

Overall, I’m rating this book 5 out of 5 stars!

This was a really fun book to read. The art style lended well to the storytelling, and I thought it was very creative.

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