Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Flatiron Books, Nina Kenwood, and Maddy Withington (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Unnecessary Drama in exchange for an honest review.

As far as romcoms go, Unnecessary Drama is quirky and the audiobook narrator executes the character with finesse.

Brooke is eighteen and excited for her first year at university. As a writer, she is quite organized and invested in learning. She tends to follow the rules and prides herself in being responsible. Her share house at university has only one single rule: no unnecessary drama. No fighting, no tension, and certainly no romance among housemates. That shouldn't be too hard for Brooke. Right. Well, one of her housemates is Jesse, her nemesis from high school.

With a history of drama already present, Brook is determined she can handle this new living situation and avoid the unnecessary drama that could erupt from this. Living in the same house makes it a bit hard to avoid Jesse, and Brooke forces herself to have a civil friendship when he wants to join her for TV. With the past coming to light and a new perspective now being older, Brooke and Jesse might find something unexpected in each other.

While this novel explores the usual aspects of romcom and new adult themes related to going off to college, it also explores the not-so-fun parts of life that hit unexpectedly. With an enjoyable cast of characters and some much-needed slice-of-life moments, this novel makes for an excellent and fresh read.

<b>Content Warning: Anxiety, panic attacks, substance abuse, absent father</b>

This was one of the most precious books I’ve ever read!

<i>Unnecessary Drama</i> is an adorable, heart-warming romance following a very anxious 18-year-old Brooke who has just moved out of her house and is living on her own for the first time as she attends college. She knows someone who knows someone that has a house for rent, which ends up putting Brooke in the inconceivable situation in which she becomes roommates with her former-best-friend-turned-nemesis, Jesse. Their other housemate is Harper, the granddaughter of their landlord, and she has one rule: no unnecessary drama.

Former nemeses become begrudging acquaintances. Angst from past betrayals come to light. Aches from a lost friendship rise to the surface. Complications and some truly hilarious shenanigans drive the two closer and closer together, forcing them to confront their past betrayals…and also their feelings.

This was so fantastic! It was exactly my cup of tea, between the authentic anxiety representation and the adorable friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers progression. There were also tons of moments where I cackled out loud because I was having so much fun and the writing, together with the audiobook narrator’s delivery, were hilarious.

Regarding the representation, Brooke’s anxiety spirals were so spot on that they were almost triggering to me. With that being said, I would approach this book with an abundance of caution if you’re not in a good headspace with your anxiety at the moment. The reason the representation is so good is because it is ever-present. It doesn’t just disappear when Brooke is happy or when she conquers her fears and achieves her HEA at the end; the anxiety still persists.

This is so wonderful to see as someone who suffers from GAD and situational anxiety. It is incredibly well done, not despite the fact that it’s exhausting to listen to constantly, but <i>because</i> it’s so mentally grueling to witness. Kenwood captures anxiety authentically, and really puts her readers in a space where they can understand it, too. There were so many times where I just wanted to wrap little Brooke in the biggest hug.

Speaking of Brooke, she is a flawed main character in a really believable way. I was just as angry and vengeful, just as anxious and overly cautious when I was her age. There were times when I was cringing because I knew she was being dramatic and acting out, but it was exactly like something I had done when I was eighteen, which was probably the reason I kept getting uncomfortable second-hand embarrassment for her.

In the end, her growth in this capacity is really gratifying to see, mostly because it’s subtle; Brooke doesn’t magically reach perfection in the exposition. She remains flawed, but pushes herself out of her comfort zone, and commits herself to continually working toward growth.

However, I would have liked to see her going to therapy for her anxiety and familial issues in the epilogue chapter. The conflict with her absent father who abuses alcohol was well done, but the way it manifests in anxiety toward her sister is alarming, unhealthy, and realistic, although she would have greatly benefited from going to therapy in the end.

As for the romance, it’s fantastic, laugh-out-loud funny, and really heart-warming. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but I loved it all the same. The way Jesse becomes a safe space for Brooke toward the end—one of the few people in her life that doesn’t exacerbate her anxieties but actively helps her to relax—is really beautiful.

There are also so many scenes before we reached that point that made the two grow closer together and really sold their connection in the end. One particular scene comes to mind, where Brooke and Jesse go back to visit their respective families and meet up. The emotional connection and subsequent physical chemistry are quite literally on fire in that scene (despite it not getting spicy). I was listening to that section in the grocery store and my face was all flushed. My heart was just so happy for them!

Jesse is also a compelling character; he is flawed, but works toward growth in his own ways, and also has family issues of his own. Disclosing these to Brooke strengthened their connection. I started getting a “twin flames” vibe from them at this point, which is my favorite trope.

My biggest critique, however, is that this needed more diversity. Harper and her girlfriend are sapphic and Brooke has anxiety, but that’s all there is to it. Everyone in this book is white. I needed more, and I hope Kenwood becomes more inclusive in her upcoming releases.

Overall, from the authentic anxiety rep to the hilarious, swoon-worthy romance, I had a blast and will definitely be picking up more books from Nina Kenwood in the future!

Audiobook Rating: 5/5 - I loved Maddy Withington’s delivery during the comedic sections and also appreciated that they found an Aussie narrator.

Spice Rating: 🌶️ 1/5 - Does Not Exceed Kissing

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up!

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

Unnecessary Drama is a hilarious and tender story about Brooke, an anxious teen living in her own for the first time. When she realizes her high school nemesis, Jesse, is her new roommate, she spirals. They decide to put their differences aside in order for all the roommates to live in a drama-free house, but they don’t count on those feelings of hatred to change into something like love.

I adored this book. Brooke’s neurotic brain spoke to me and I loved her funny inner dialogue. Jess and Brooke had a ton of chemistry and they were so great together. Absolutely loved everything about this read, especially the narration. Fans of Lynn Painter and Emma Lord need this book!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this audiobook! The narrator does a wonderful job and I love an Australian accent. The story made me laugh, cringe, think, empathize, smile. I found it relatable- moving in with someone you used to have a close relationship. This was my first Nina Kenwood book but I'm sure it won't be the last!

This was a very sweet romcom. I really like all of the characters. There were times when Brooke’s stress was too much and was stressing me out but I resonated with her stressors. Eventually I got used to her stress level and really enjoyed the story. I loved Jesse’s energy and all of the side characters are amazing. All the little interactions with their friends are hilarious, especially the blind date. This story is cute, sweet ,and an easy read.

You ever feel exhausted from a book ! Whelp that's how i felt I only liked the narrator the story was just a no for me

Thanks Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

I chose to listen to this book on audio and the narrator was amazing! But if I had one word to describe this book it would be exhausted. Yep! This girl was a wreck and I really struggled to finish it. I just didn’t like her and she stressed me out.
I loved, loved the authors last book. But this one just wasn’t for me. Brook had the kind of personality that is a drain to me and my sanity, I didn’t enjoy it.
Thanks Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
*REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE*

Themes: Trust, coming-of-age
Representation: Sapphic side characters, mental health
Content Warnings: Panic attacks, alcoholism

Premise: 18-year-old Brooke is ready to go to university and become herself. But her new roommate turns out to be none other than her enemy from high school, Jesse.


Characters


Okay, so since I am doing this review during exam season, I am going to keep it fairly brief! So… let’s get into it!

Brooke: I generally enjoyed her character and found her to be relatable. I enjoyed her internal dialogue and you can really feel like you are inside her head. I felt that her stresses and worries were relatable as someone who was around Brooke’s age. She develops as a character, however, I wished there was just a teensy bit more character development from Brooke.

In terms of relationships, I loved how she cares for her friends and family. She goes out of her way to support her family and she worries about her friend’s opinions of her. As for Jesse, you can clearly see that she cares a lot about him. One thing I wish there could be more of was interaction between Brooke and Jesse where Brooke supports Jesse rather than the other way around.

Jesse: I thought he was a pretty great love interest. He is kind and he is super supportive towards Brooke. You can see that they have a lot of chemistry. I also enjoyed his backstory with Brooke which explains how distant they are to each other in the beginning, which adds layers to their relationship.

Harper/Penny/Other Side Characters: I thought each of the side characters added something special to the book. I enjoyed their hilarious banter with Brooke and I liked how they helped her develop as a character. I also liked how most of them have their own little backstory as well.

Brooke’s Family: I thought her family was also generally well-represented. I enjoyed her interactions with her dad and Lauren, her sister, especially. I liked seeing how their relationships affect her and I enjoy the complicatedness of it. However, I would’ve liked to see a bit more on the backstory of her and her dad.

Overall, solid read!

Rating: 4/5


Plot


Since this book is more character-focused, the plot is a bit weaker.

I would say the plot of this book is more messy. However, that makes the book feel more realistic as this is what the book aims for. This is because life isn’t a pre-planned set of events that follows a perfect exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, or denouement pattern.

I feel like even though, yes, a lot of the events in the book seem kind of random, they feel realistic to the character and the author does a good job connecting each event to develop the character and also by using the circumstances of the events to do so.

However, my only complaint is that I felt like a few scenes could be shortened because I didn’t think they added too much to character development even if they were fun. While other scenes I felt could use more elaboration, like the scenes with Brooke’s backstory.

Rating: 3.5/5


Style


Since this is an audiobook, I’m going to review the narration first, then the diction, and finally, the themes.

Narration: I enjoyed the narrator. I thought her voice was befitting of the teenage Australian character, Brooke. I enjoyed how she switched voices between characters, like a more sarcastic-sounding voice for Harper and a deeper voice for Jesse. I liked how she was able to convey the emotion of Brooke’s thoughts and feelings through her voice as well. Finally, I liked how she slowed down and sped up her voice depending on the tension in the scene. Overall, I liked the narrator!

Diction: I can’t really judge how the text is written since I am listening to the audiobook. However, I liked the focus on Brooke’s internal monologue. I liked that it was written in the first-person present tense which really allows you to connect and stay present with Brooke. And finally, I liked the dashes of humour sprinkled throughout the book which made me cackle.

Themes: If I had to pick, I would say trust and coming-of-age are the themes in this book. This is because 1, the main character is growing up and 2, she is learning to trust people. I think these themes were okay-ly represented. She does grow as a character but I didn’t feel like her changes were too drastic.

But overall, solid style!

Rating: 4.2/5


Final Rating


Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Formatting: 4.2/5
Final Rating: 3.9/5 (round to x stars)
Personal Rating: 3.8/5

Date Read: June 18th, 2023
Date Reviewed: June 18th, 2023

I want to preface this by saying that Maddy Withington did a stellar job. In fact, I attribute some of my negative feelings to both my own anxiety and how well she managed to bring Brooke and her anxiety to life (thus making it that much more intense for me). I wouldn't hesitate to listen to another title narrated by her.
_____
UNNECESSARY DRAMA was exhausting. While I was able to relate to (and appreciated) the anxiety representation, it was stressful listening to the audiobook. More of a coming-of-age or portrayal of living on your own for the first time than a romance, the majority of the novel was comprised of the protagonist's inner monologue: rapid-fire anxious thoughts. I found a lot of Brooke's emotions and feelings to be relatable, and the book brought back a lot of my experiences from when I rented a house during undergrad. I struggle with both my rating and my review, as objectively, the book is not bad, but like my opening sentence, I felt exhausted and stressed every time I listened to it. As a reader, you know going in that you'll feel that way with a thriller or horror novel, but I definitely would not have expected that with a young adult rom-com. Because of that, I would be hesitant to recommend this to others. However, I do commend Kenwood for incorporating several heavier topics that impact some teens and young adults.

*Many thanks to Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Typically when you read romances or rom-coms they feel fake but entertaining. This had the opposite vibe of real but boring. I just felt like things moved a little slow.

I did enjoy the Australian perspective and the narrator's voice definitely fit the story. There were multiple characters that weaved in and out of the main characters life in a very natural way that didn't feel forced when you heard about opposite relationships.

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book. I want to start off by saying how the narrator was really amazing! This book was perfect! I loved it so much. I wasn’t expecting myself to love Brooke as much as I did. I had so much fun reading it. I’d rate this book 4 stars.

I adored this book, and the narrator was also fantastic! Unnecessary Drama is about Brooke, who is endearingly neurotic and relatable in how she would prefer to stay in her room during a party, but dutifully makes the appetizers instead. She moves in with her high school rival unexpectedly, meaning we have two of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and forced proximity. I loved the unique time period in Brooke's life that the story explores (just moved away from home, attending college in a new location).

Brooke's interactions with Jesse are both hilarious and endearing, and the supporting cast of characters is fun without being annoying or distracting. I enjoyed listening to this story and highly recommend!

This was a cute Australian love story that was often very funny. At first I didn’t like the main character Brooke. She’s very anxious and uptight and I couldn’t believe her housemate Jesse would ever fall for a girl like her. But Brooke grew on me and she lightened up. In the end I found them to be perfect for one another. The book was happy and quick to listen to. I loved the narrator! Thank you for giving me to opportunity to listen to Unnecessary Drama!

Overall, I very much enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The narrator was pleasant and the plot was simple, but entertaining and full of likable characters. I really liked being inside Brooke's overthinking and anxious mind--it was familiar place for me. That said, I'd be hesitant to recommend this book to every patron since I could see some people being annoyed by Brooke's constant and increasingly anxious internal monologue. Though I was satisfied with the ending, I would have enjoyed a bit more of a wrap up for the love story. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Brooke and Jesse in their relationship.

First, I LOVED the accent on the audio. Perfection for this book.

Poor Brooke is trying to be so perfect for everyone around her as she attempts her first year at uni and trying to make friends. I related to this HARD as a military child I moved around so much and I remember the struggle to try and be what I felt everyone needed me to be.

I LOVE when packing what book to bring how she needed a back up to the back up book “because who knows what kind of mind she’ll be in” 😂🤣😂 SO me!

Highly related to her description of insomnia. I’ve struggled with insomnia with my Lupus for years and years. I am no stranger to watching each hour tick by through the night.

I loved the growth in the relationships and getting to walk through her struggles with her. Highly recommend this one. It comes out August 8th!

Loved the voice and character of this book. The personality of the main character is enduring and engaging. She keeps the book moving so I couldn’t put it down. Her self doubt is relatable to many. Great read!

Type A worrier Brooke has just started university and moved into her first house-share situation. Just her luck, one of her housemates happens to be
Jesse—a boy from school who broke her heart. With the only house rule being “no unnecessary drama” the pair agree to keep their distance and stay quiet about their shared history to avoid losing their housing. It isn’t long before feelings rekindle despite Brooke’s every effort to deny them and hijinks ensue.

This delightful YA romance set in Australia was fast-paced with some great laugh-out-loud moments. Thank you to @netgalley for the audiobook ARC.

I absolutely loved this book, and I normally don’t read this genre, but could not put it down and finished it in one day. From the main character overthinking every little detail of her life to, and need to think out every possible way something can go and falling all over again for her high school crush.

This book was very funny! I am glad I listened to the audiobook, I was chuckling the whole time. Anxiety is not funny but the author did a great job adding humor to all the swirling thoughts in Brooke's head.

NO COMPLAINTS!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS 💖💖 I feel giddy most of the times listening to this audiobook and I love how the interactions between the main characters make me feel. Not even once that I felt bored nor disappointed and I kept on wanting to listen to it. Looking forward to reading more books by Nina Kenwood.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!