While Patch is annoying throughout the whole book which made it hard to read, it was realistic for a 16 year old boy. I kept reminding myself of his age which makes it a lot easier to read even while disliking him as a main character. There were so many moments in which i wanted Patch to get over himself and also for someone to call him out on how they were being treated. I listened to the audiobook which made this a lot of fun to listen to as the author reads the story.

I was obsessed with The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King. From the first page, it had me grinning like an idiot and refusing to put it down. It’s witty, deeply funny, and at its heart, a perfectly queer coming‑of‑age story that isn’t afraid to be messy and tender all at once.

Patch Simmons is a disaster in the best possible way—a theatrical teen who wants a boyfriend, the lead in the school play, and maybe just a little bit of validation from the entire world. His voice is loud, self‑aware, and often painfully honest, which makes him not only hilarious but also incredibly endearing. This book nails that teenage cocktail of confidence and vulnerability: big dreams, awkward first crushes, and cringe‑worthy mistakes that somehow lead to growth.

The romance is sweet, awkward, and completely believable, balancing the heightened emotions of teenage love with the quieter moments of self‑discovery. And it’s not just about Patch and his would‑be boyfriends—the family and friendship dynamics give the book real heart. Patch’s mum, his best friend Jean, and his fellow drama club kids are the safety net and chaos crew that make his journey as funny as it is moving.

What I loved most? It celebrates queerness without turning it into a sermon or a tragedy. It’s about joy, fumbling through firsts, and learning to own who you are—even when you’re a little bit of a disaster.

This book is a blast—uproarious one moment, tender the next—and I adored every bit of it.

Such a cute story. I really liked Patch and how he brought me back to high school with some of his antics.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Book and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Patch Simmons has decided this year will find a boyfriend, but the only "out" boys in his school are dating each other, so it's not exactly easy. Until two new boys join drama club, Peter and his best friend Sam. Patch is sure one of them will be his boyfriend, so with the help of an outdated self-help book, his friend Jean and self-confidence, Patch is ready. Even though he doesn't even know if Sam or Peter like boys too. Or him, for that matter.

The romantic tragedies of a drama king is a brilliant and so funny rom-com about first love, being yourself, discovering who had your back all along and ill advised plans for conquest.
Advertised as Heartstopper meets Derry Girls, two of my favourite shows and characters in the whole world, I couldn't not read this book and I fell in love, head over heels, with Patch and Jean and this hilarious search for a boyfriend. Funny, heartfelt, romantic and so cute, this book has truly everything you could ask and look for.
It's about bold personality, being yourself and being in love and there's nothing better.

4.5 stars rounded up. This was a really adorable YA rom com (emphasis on the com with just a sprinkling of coming of age). Patch was an endearingly awkward and hilarious lead. His antics and running commentary often made me smile and even laugh out loud. Some of Patch's decisions were frustrating of course, but I think that was kind of the point. The book as a whole was just a really fun, entertaining read.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This book sounds like it would be super fun and interesting.

I tried to like it, I really did.

But I just could not get into the story, it didn’t hold my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

late late late ARC REVIEW

This was a hilarious little YA rom-com that just took me forever to get through, not because of the book but because of me. This book had me literally laughing out loud during so many parts and I liked that there was not 100 characters I had to remember.

I found Patch a little annoying for the first part of the book but his growth was so worth it! Oh and I actually liked that this was a YA novel without smut/spice, so I think that will appeal to a larger audience than some YA books I have read.

Patch wants his first boyfriend and a date for prom, and he wants one now. So when two boys join drama club for the production of Sweeney Todd, Patch recruits his best friend to help him win them over, whether they are queer or not. Add in old self help books and an over confident MMC, and you have quite the romantic tragedy, with an HEA!

Rating:4.5
Spice:0/5

Tropes:
Being Yourself
First Boyfriend
Rom Com

Triggers:
Being Queer in High School

My Thoughts:
This book is laugh out loud funny! I loved the addition of old self help books (think: :”I am good enough, I am smart enough, and dag nabbit, people like me!) which made Patch even more confident than maybe he should have been. This book is ultimately about finding yourself as well as your true friends, and and will leave you feeling nostalgic about your teen years.

This is a silly little read that was such a fun time. Was Patch annoying? Yeah, but he's a 16-year old high school boy. It was funny, cute, and overall just a good time. Was it the best book ever? No, but it was pretty accurate to a teenager's experience, and it was a quick, fun read. Definitely give it a shot!

This was a good one! It was very funny and I definitely related to the drama of it. But it took a while for the book to grow on me. Overall I'm glad I stuck with it. 3.5 rounded down

2.75/5 Stars

16 year old Patch is on the hunt for a boyfriend before Prom. With the help of his best friend Jean, he has his eyes on two boys from Drama club, Sam and Peter.

I was not a big fan of Patch at the beginning of the book, which made it a bit hard to care for the romance. He's very melodramatic, self-centered and obnoxious, but he did grow on me by the end. I'm glad he seemed to mature a little bit as the story progressed, and he learned some valuable lessons along the way. I did like Sam, and thought he was very sweet, but I didn't care too much for Peter, right from the get go. I liked the friendships in this, especially between Jean, Tessa and Patch. I listened to this on audiobook, and I do think that was the way to go with this story for me as I feel like I may have ended up DNFing otherwise.

This was so cute and funny! I could totally see this as a teen rom-com. Full of tropes and I was here for it!

3.5/5 (rounded down to 3)

CW: bullying, toxic friendship, child abuse (recounted), blood

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for inviting me to review a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King wasn't the greatest book I ever read, but it's not bad. One of the shining points of the book is that it's absolutely hysterical and I just couldn't stop laughing at some of the hijinks that Patch finds himself in throughout the book. The characters were easy enough to like and there's some meaningful character development that occurs in Patch. However, the writing, while absolutely funny at times, wasn't as memorable when Trevaldwyn isn't trying to make the reader laugh.

Nevertheless, if you want a British YA rom-com that will have you almost laughing your butt off and you're fine with books that have decent writing styles, you may like The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King. However, if you find main characters that constantly contradict themselves in every other chapter, you might want to reconsider if this is the book for you.

I loved this book SO MUCH! I loved that the author read the audiobook as well. I feel like it brought the story even more to life.

I did not finish this book, I could not get passed the main character's personality. It was a lot of whining and not enough drama king vibes.

Have you ever read a book and had a moment of "Oh shit, was this me in high school?" I thought this for a millisecond, and then I remembered a friend in our friend group and was like, "OMFG close call, I wasn't quite this dramatic.

I loved the title of this one, so when the publisher reached out with a galley last October, I jumped at it.* It only took me five months to get to versus the much longer wait many of the others I've finished recently. This was the last one though, I've officially cleared my galley/ARC TBR pile.

Being fully honest, though it was a bit of a struggle to get into. I'm not sure if it was the main character giving too much MC energy or what, but it definitely took me a few chapters to get used to the over the top excessiveness of Patch. And once I did, his truly wholesomeness and obliviousness was endearing and adorable. As I was adding the quotes I highlighted at various places below I really felt that I could probably re-read it due to how much Patch matures throughout the story.

Of course if there's a Jane Austen shoutout I'm definitely here for it:

I've brought a copy of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen which I've never read, but I found in a charity shop so it looks like I've read it tons. Jean has brought a copy of Twilight: Breaking Dawn which would be absolutely fine if not for the movie poster as the front cover which, I'm sorry, is tacky. (Ch. 8)

Even if it's just in passing, this one came back (see the Ch. 19 quote below) in the most adorable way and I was just like OMFG swoon. That was when I for sure knew which way the book was going and I was HERE. FOR. IT. Sam as an Elinore and Patch as a Marianne and the two of them somehow figuring out it could work was just squeal inducing.

Trevaldwyn also did a great job of making sure Patch wasn't perfect. I mean there were so many ways he wasn't perfect, but he was (somewhat, some of the time) self aware. And he did it in a self-deprecating humorous way that made it fun to read even in those moments that were excruciatingly awkward:

'And what about Maddison? Doesn't Peter already have a girlfriend? So, what? He just has two now?'
'I don't know.' She strokes my back.
'It's not very bi of him to have two girlfriends.'
'Patch, remember, being bi isn't a statistical game. You can identify as bi and never have a same-sex relationship . . .' she gently reminds me and I don't have the energy to be annoyed that, once again, Jean is proving herself a better queer ally than I am a queer person. (Ch. 14)

I mean, COME ON! The humor in that line, the humor throughout the book was so good. There were definite moments where it was too much, but that was in line with the character and when Patch was toned down or was being super self-reflective it just clicked perfectly.

Plus, I mean, we all have that one friend, right?

Then there was this:

Getting over someone is hard. Especially when you were never even together, because then you have the added struggle of getting over a potential relationship which is even more perfect than the actual relationship you were going to have. (Ch. 15)

There was something so endearing about this quote, that even though we weren't even to the full turning point of the novel, you knew something was going to change and Patch was going to find a new lease on life and either be less over the top or at the very least more self aware and open to possibilities. Trevaldwyn did a great job of making you laugh at the top of a page and then making you think/gasp/tear up a few paragraphs later. This was a balancing act that even well-seasoned authors often struggle with, but in this debut he did an awesome job.

Recommendation: Overall, this was a great read. It took a while to get going for me because Patch is A LOT. Like WAY too much, but we all know those people that are just like him, and some of us may have bordered on being him at some points. That being said, the evolution of his character in this one school year felt both real and authentic and I very much enjoyed it once I got into it. Giving vibes like St. James' Freak Show and Rosen's Camp, I think we have a lot to look forward to from Trevaldwyn and I can't wait to see what he writes next.

*I received a copy of The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

I’m giving 4 stars and that generous for ME. Why? I thought this would be a cute little queer romcom(ish) and but there was very little rom or com. Patch, the MC, was a bit…dramatic—like TOO dramatic at times.

And that’s okay! I just didn’t really connect with him and all readers know if you don’t connect, you don’t connect.

It was a fun read, just not what I was hoping for! Great writing though!

{I was gifted a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}

This is a rather precious book with a very dramatic protagonist, but Patrick "Patch" does a pretty good job of winning you over.

He's over-the-top and melodramatic, but that's just his way. Patch is a teen, learning to be a gay teen, a better friend, and a good person. And--most importantly to him--he's on a quest to get his first boyfriend. With the help of his best friend, Jean, he's looking at two options from his Drama Club: quiet and shy Sam and Sam's American friend, Patrick.

As Patrick and the club work on putting together a production of Sweeney Todd, Patch and Jean rankle at the fact that their friend turned nemesis, Tessa, is back in the club too--and catching Patrick's eye. Patch's way of approaching the world is filled with confidence and drama, with the writing almost coming across as satire at times. It makes you laugh though and shines with humor and realism.

It's great to read a YA book filled with queer teens (and allies, as Jean would be quick to point out). It's a sweet story, with plenty of teen theatrics--both literal and emotional. There's a full cast of side characters, including Patch's aggrieved English teacher who must listen to his rants, and Jean deserves her own book.

Oh how I loved The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King!
This book was such an unexpected delight. Patch is an endearing, darling of a mess and I adored him. His journey was so entertaining, I loved every minute of being in his brain. At times hilarious and other times heartfelt, this book has become an all-time favorite.

Patch is looking for a boyfriend but it's not easy with the limited number of other gay guys at his school. The only other one's are already dating each other. One day, two new boys join the drama club - Peter & Sam. Patch a drama king- literally. He's apart of the school's drama club. Unfortunately, so is his ex-best friend now, too.

This book was a funny and enjoyable read!