Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins Publishing for this ARC! I was sold on the premise alone! I think it’s so unique and an interesting angle to a love story. As a lover of reality TV, I thought the subplot of the court case and that it was a core part of the FMC’s character, being a fan. I was a tad confused logistically on how the FMC was really able to be on the jury and be unbiased. That was one of the first things asked jurors when I had jury duty so having a self-proclaimed superfan on the jury to make sure she had a fair trial wasn’t necessarily the most believable. The love interests didn’t have the most chemistry (which was odd given this is kind of a second chance romance) but I was more interested in the courtroom drama. Still really really enjoyed reading!

Ok, I think it’s fair that I was more invested in the case at the centre of this book than the romance (but how it ended lets just say I wasn’t really happy with that). I just really didn’t care about the main characters (as I’m writing this review it took me 3 minutes to remember the names of the main characters). I doubted Sydney and Damon, a lot.

Let’s just say I’m a stickler for rules and I can't shut my brain off while reading. I really respect institutions, the basis of justice, the rule of law. So to have two individuals on a jury constantly breaking the rules, knowing they actively tarnish the legal process, didn’t sit well with me. It’s my sincere hope that in real life juries go into a cases blind and take the responsibility of being a juror seriously.

Neely really finds her voice when writing the trial scenes. I was enthralled and it played so well. I kind of wish our love interests weren't jurors but maybe journalists covering the trial instead. That way there's room for them to interact while also showcasing the trial outside the courtroom. Maybe leaning more into the revealing mystery. I guess I wanted Courtroom Drama to be a revamped 12 Angry Men or have the quick wit of Amazon's Jury Duty. Maybe I held too many expectations.

While this romance may work with readers, I’m giving this 3 stars. I really and sincerely wanted to enjoy this book but it was a quick read. Thank you so much Harper Perennial for the digital arc!

Unfortunately, I didn't finish this book. I'm not a reality show fan, and while the main character rationalizes why she is so attached to reality TV, I just couldn't get into it. I also felt the relationship/broken relationship between the main character and the other juror was very forced. They were so young and she acted like it was a great romance that broke her heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC opportunity!

I thought this one was fun. I loooooved the drama surrounding the reality tv star and the jury trial of it all. Maybe it’s because I’m a chronic rule follower, but I felt like it was hard to root for the FMC and MMC. Overall a fun read!

Imagine a Housewife (as in the Bravo kind) is on trial for murder, you’re on her jury, and there is also a ghost-of-childhood-past sequestered as part of the jury with you who is full grown man now and not the teenager who left with you both in turmoil before the love between you had a chance to blossom into anything more than friendship. If that sounds like the kind of ride you’d enjoy going on, this book is for you. Legally Blonde meets Bravo (there are a bunch of little nods and Easter eggs that are fun to spot if you’re a fan) while healing past hurts and self-realizations along the way. Neely Tubati Alexander has created such a unique, entertaining, and introspective story here that will have you shaking your head at courtroom proceedings one minute and feeling aching emotions the next.

I have been summoned for jury duty plenty but never had to report, so I can’t speak to any real world experience with that aspect of the story. It works as a great forced proximity with a forbidden element scenario in this book though. Sydney and Damon haven’t seen each other in 10 years. They were just on the brink of something more when they were abruptly torn apart. They have each faced different challenges in their time apart that play into who they are now. They have to face their past as they reconnect, and they have to do it when they’re not supposed to be spending any time alone. The tension and heat between them crackles every time they’re together. Their entire collective story is so complex and so well-written. I was feeling their emotions on a physical level so many times, both as they danced around their attraction and as they had difficult, heartbreaking conversations.

As for the court case, I was INVESTED. It felt like being right there on the jury with them. Legal proceedings can be fascinating and intense and frustrating and complex and convoluted, and this fictional one is all of those things. I have my thoughts and opinions — which I promptly shared with Neely in her DMs and asked for insider info from the writing mind — about how everything plays out. I can’t wait for more people to read this one so we can discuss all of it.

I had such a great time reading this book. Thank you to Harper Perennial via NetGalley for the eARC and via Goodreads Giveaways for the print galley in exchange for an honest review.

I came into this really loving the uniqueness of the plot. I’m not super bravo fan but really liked the idea of a reality tv star on trial and two of the jurors falling in love. I thought there would be more yearning for each other since they weren’t suppose to ‘fraternize’. The trial itself was what kept me in the book…I wanted to know what happened to the husband. Both the trial and romance fell short for me.

You need to read this book! It was such a fun read!! The book description promises a mix of “Legally Blonde and Jury Duty meet The Real Housewives” and it did not disappoint!! The twists and turns with a fun bit of romance made this such a fast read and I enjoyed every single page!

The story focuses on Sydney Parks, a massive fan of “Authentic Moms of Malibu” who is selected to be a Juror in a high profile court case of one of the “Authentic Moms” cast members, Margot Kitsch. As Sydney arrives for the first day of court, she is surprised to find that her childhood friend, Damon, is also one of the Jurors.

Throughout the story, you follow the fascinating and tense court case while also learning about why Sydney and Damon were estranged for 10 years. I repeatedly found myself trying to analyze the evidence as I read this book and constantly asked myself what I would do if I were a Juror in a case like this. I’m pretty sure I flip-flopped my views no less than 10 times!

Sydney and Damon’s shared history was heart wrenching and I mourned their past with them as they navigated how their childhood relationship would influence who they are today.

Neely is truly a master at character development! I have loved the characters she has written in her other books, and Sydney and Damon were so relatable in Courtroom Drama! I may have squealed a little when Arsonist Betty made a cameo in the book (this is your PSA to read In a Not So Perfect World if you havent already!)!

I wanted to love Courtroom Drama—a book promising a mash-up of Legally Blonde, Jury Duty, and The Real Housewives sounds like an absolute blast. Unfortunately, while the premise is fun, the execution left a lot to be desired.

Sydney’s excitement over jury duty was quirky and entertaining at first, but the legal drama itself felt underdeveloped, making the stakes feel lower than they should have. The romance with Damon had potential, but their chemistry often felt forced, relying more on their past than any real present-day spark. The “no fraternizing” rule was clearly there for tension, yet the book doesn’t do much with it beyond a few predictable moments.

As for the reality TV aspect? It’s disappointingly surface-level. Margot Kitsch and the murder trial should have been captivating, but the book leans too heavily on rom-com tropes instead of crafting a truly gripping mystery.

Overall, Courtroom Drama is readable but lacks the punch of a great legal thriller or the swoon of a top-tier romance. If you’re looking for a fun, light read, this might work—but don’t expect the high-stakes drama the blurb promises.

DNF @35%

I stuck it out with this one because the premise is amazing. This could have been a great novel, but the characters did not feel well rounded. The romance was surface level at best. I also thought the case they were working on was SO BORING.

Just so much happening with nothing good.

3 stars. It was good, but nothing really stood out to me. I found the FMC a little unlikable. I did like the dynamic between the characters and the overall story.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, and this book was such a fun read. It combined a second chance love story with a courtroom case full of drama and mystery, making for an engaging mix. I loved all the little details, from the funny freeway signs and animal origami’s to the wrong song lyrics and the back and forth notes between Sydney and Damon. There was definitely an emotional side to the story, and it had me tearing up more than once. I also enjoyed the side characters and the touch of spice woven into the book. While I liked Sydney and Damon’s relationship, I wanted just a bit more chemistry, and I really missed having a dual POV. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and that ending still has my mind turning! If you are a fan of the Real Housewives series, this absolutely needs to go on your TBR. If you have read this one, let me know because I need to discuss that ending!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💕Second Chance romance
💛Childhood best friends
❤️First loves
👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻Forced proximity
🎭Complicated family dynamics
📺Real Housewives meets Legally Blonde
⚖️Murder trial
🥹Emotional and funny
🤯That ending!

⚖️𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾⚖️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝐼'𝓋𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓃𝒹𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝑒 𝒶𝓉 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒽𝑜𝓁𝑒.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Harper Perennial , and Neely Tubati Alexander for this eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have really mixed feelings about this one. It was slow at times but pretty engaging for the most part. I liked the witnesses and I really enjoyed the last few chapters. I was a bit torn on the chemistry and the breaking jury rules since I am a stickler.

As a Real Housewives fan, I would love to be on a jury of any franchise.......0hhhhh, especially the OGs of the OC! I found it an interesting look at celebrity culture and dissecting the mistakes/regrets of the past. Fun read! 4 stars, legit!

I live the legally Blondie movies and this book felt like that movie in a cute romance book! Would highly recommend!

This was a fun book, as someone who has always wanted to serve on a jury- it gave a funny view of it . Sydney works at a law firm but she wants a break, and gets one by being slected as a jury in one the hottest celebrity murder trial Hooloywood has seen -a reality star is accused of murderi g her famous husband (if your a bravo fan you assign people in your head for this part of the story- Sydney is ecstatic to be chosen as she's a big fan of the accused reality show- she shows up with her roller bag as she know they will already be sequestered- as she is sizing up her competition for jury forperson a man from her past walks out of thr elevator- her long time neighbor until her dad messed that up ( another story all together) Damon is just as shocked to see her this is a fun book I enjoyed the murder story within the story and the of course second chance love -- if you like a love story, the law (i like the law language explained before each chapter), reality TV, and love this is going to be a great pick for you

Thank you net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars rounded up 💫 thank you harper perennial for the ARC of this book!

the premise of this book was right up my alley. a high profile court case where the suspect accused of murder is on a reality show? (think real housewives). sign me up! i loved the whole “behind the scenes” look at things and the story was written in a way that made me question what would do/think if i was on that jury too. cam and tamra were my favorite side characters by far!

i liked the main characters but they did annoy me a tiny bit with their thought processes and the toxicity between them. don’t get me wrong, i love a good toxic relationship from time to time lol but this one wasn’t doing it for me and overall felt a little dragged out in the middle.

this book didn’t blow me away (i think i like ‘in a not so perfect world’ a little more) but would be a fun beach or vacay read. it has a light feel but then some deeper thoughts sneak in too.

This one was pretty good! I don't even know how to describe this book- it's like if "Jury Duty", "RHONY" and any second-chance romance novel had a baby. Two estranged childhood friends find themselves on the same sequestered jury for a murder trial centering around a Bravo-esque celebrity housewife. Hijinks ensue outside of the courthouse with a quirky cast of characters and rekindled feelings, with dramatic reveals along the way inside the courtroom as each new witness takes the stand. Would recommend!

Net Galley/Harper Perennial and Paperbacks ARC

This was a really fun read. I found myself more interested in the courtroom drama side of the story rather than the MMC/MMF storyline though. I also really didn't like how the child died so dramatically, I would have rather kept the story that she had a heart condition. That left me with weird feelings for the MMC at the end of the book.

I saw Neely advertise this on instagram, and was obsessed with her highlights. I have a legal background and love all books that showcase some legal drama. This is a low spice book with a few trigger warnings. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This was my first novel I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed it! The book surrounds a group of jurors that are housed in a secluded location due to the nature of the trial they are apart of which is a murder trial involving a popular reality star. This book not only goes through the jury process, but the FMC and the MMC reconnect ten years later.

Will their friendship bloom into something more, or are they only acquaintances? I highly recommend this second chance, Legally Blonde meets The Real Housewives. This novel had me laughing and rushing through to find out what happens next. Highly recommend this for those that love legal settings, and a good romance!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC opportunity!