Thank you Netgalley and Harper Perennial for the advanced copy of Courtroom Drama in exchange for my honest review. Neely has done it again! The banter, the slow burn, the humor, the sexy time, the plot! She knows what her readers want and this was the semi-dramatic fresh air I needed! If you love witty banter, a slow burn that makes your insides tingle, and a romance with an actual plot that you can blast through in a weekend, I recommend this gem.

Sydney and Damon were childhood friends who are now reunited as jurors on a high-profile case—the murder of a reality star’s husband. Sparks fly as they navigate the trial and confront their shared childhood trauma.

The Taylor Swift quote, “If you chase two rabbits, you lose them both,” kept running through my head while reading this. Was I supposed to be invested in the trial’s outcome? Or in the slow-burning romance between Sydney and Damon? Honestly, for me, it was neither.

I love a good genre mashup, but this one felt like two different stories struggling to share the same pages. And then, with the added subplot about Sydney and Damon’s sisters, I was totally unengaged. It ended up being too much—and somehow, too little.

Thank you Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was SO excited to get this one! As an avid Bravo fan, I am all about the RH franchises, so this book was right up my alley. I wish the story focused less on the romance between the main characters and more on the trial, because that was the most compelling part to me. I also felt like both characters showed a blatant disregard for the rules of the court, which kind of surprised me with how much it irked me, lol. Otherwise, I would eat up more books just like this!

Thanks again for the ARC!

The title Courtroom Drama by Neely Tubati Alexander immediately grabbed my attention. I can never resist a courtroom fiction read. And throw in some romance too! We meet Syd who was selected to be on the jury for a high profile court case. Syd bumps into her old childhood best friend/crush Damon. Damon also was selected for jury. They have to be sequestered together with no access to outside world (phones taken away, no TV/news, etc).

I was glued! Each chapter title had a court term with definition which I loved that. The book was described as Legally Blonde x Jury Duty meets The Real Housewives. That’s exactly what it was! The book was very enjoyable and entertaining — I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Characters: 3⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 3⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 4⭐️

I think this story was created for me. As a lover of contemporary romance and true crime/real life courtroom drama, this book did not disappoint!

Sydney gets to serve on the jury a high profile case involving her favorite reality star. Her real life collides with her television family when she finds her estranged childhood best friend serving on the jury with her. Being sequestered as a jury gives her the chance to explore the parts of their lives they missed in the time that passed and if they remain the soul mates they once were. With the backdrop of a reality star who-done-it court case with the drama of a Bravo show, the book leaves you feeling like there are more stones to unturn to find all the strings that tie all of the characters hearts together.

The court case was the thread through this story and I found myself wanting to get back to court to see how the case developed! The dynamics of a sequestered jury made for humorous challenges for our characters to navigate as they reconnect and rekindle what they lost. The characters, however flawed are lovable and relatable.

If you love true crime, reality television or contemporary romance (or in my case all three) don't skip this book!

Courtroom Drama has ALL OF THE INTRIGUE!!! The vibes remind me of the movie Intolerable Cruelty with Catherine Zeta-Jones and George Clooney: smart, sexy, unpredictable wild ride, two people with lots of reasons not to be together can’t resist each other, and lots of courtroom antics with wannabe Real Housewives. Also, the premise is brilliant: a second-chance romance with two people forced to be on a jury together, AND because it’s a high-profile murder trial for a celeb, the jury has to be totally cut off from the rest of society for weeks…I was so invested in both the case and love story! I’d be very amped for a sequel…

4.25; thank you Harper and Goodreads for the ARC of this! Absolutely loved this book, it was such a fun read. Fast paced, interesting, the love interest and story behind them was so interesting and the author did a great job showing that they had a really deep connection. I thoroughly enjoyed both Damon and Sydney and their back stories, I do wish it was duel POV as I would love to hear from Damon. The trial aspect throughout was such a great balance to the romance side and kept me hooked through the entire book. Definitely check this out if you like legal drama tied with romance.

If you like Legally Blonde meets Real Housewives meets Jury Duty than this is for you. I felt this has a different vibe right off the bat. I liked how the plot was slightly different than any that I have read before. This book had some forbidden love with two jurors trying to be clandestine when in fact there is a strict "no fraternization" rules, as well as childhood friends to lovers. I liked that overall storyline about a woman who is accused of killing her husband but I will say I wanted a little more answers about the truth once the trial was over. As a spoiler free review I do think that this had a good ending overall and It was a solid 4 star read in my eyes.

Sydney's got the dreaded call for jury duty but she's excited, because one of the Housewives from her favorite reality tv show is on trial. Convinced she knows the housewife enough from the show, Sydney can't wait to help make sure other jurors see the truth. When Sydney sees who else is on the jury, her childhood bestfriend she hasn't seen in ten years, she's suddenly not only contending with making sure an innocent woman goes free but trying to not fall back in love.

We were six years in as best friends, yet also on the delicate cusp of something more.

Courtroom Drama spent most of the time focusing on the murder trial, with Sydney thinking about scenes from tv episodes that influenced how she saw the housewife on trial for the murder of her husband. The times portraying Sydney sitting in the jury with the courtroom scenes were numerous with shorter interruptions of Sydney and Damon having interactions outside the courtroom in the hotel they were sequestered at. To enjoy this, you'll have to go along with Sydney feeling it's highly important that she's on the jury but doing a whole bunch of stuff that could get her kicked off or getting a mistrial called. I didn't fully buy into her actions after we got her thoughts and the lack of, what I felt, was romance development between the two, overall hurt my enjoyment of this. There were a few thought about and talked about with Damon, flashbacks to when the two were kids to show us some of their friendship and how as eventual teenagers they started to feel romantic towards each other, but because they don't get to and aren't supposed to be spending some time together, I had a hard time buying into their rekindled/started adult romance. We get answers to why their friendship broke up (parent drama) but since they were still fairly young, not a strong romantic background. They pass notes back and forth in their hotel rooms but we don't get to “read” all of them, so I never really bought into their romance. There was an open-door scene but with the setup, it was hard to believe and enjoy Sydney risking it all for it to occur.

Finally, he speaks. “Did you have feelings for me? Back then?”

I thought I caught a big clue to the murder trial mystery in the beginning but it was never brought up again, still, I think the verdict was pretty obvious from how the story was getting laid out. There was an ending reveal to shock readers and things get left ambiguous in that story thread regard. The romance got a three months Happily For Now but without feeling much of their connection throughout the story, I can't say I felt big emotions from it.

I adored the premise of this - we have a court case in which a reality star from a Real Housewives style show is accused of killing her husband and our FMC is a huge fan of the show serving on the jury with her estranged childhood best friend/crush. The case itself was well-incorporated into the story, and I respect how it turned out despite not loving the verdict. The romance fell more to the backburner than I would have liked.

This really played into a weird parasocial relationship that was uncomfortable to read. I feel like I would have loved it without the obsession but that overshadowed the story for me.

The premise of this was so cool and we got two stories for the price of one. I loved the second-chance romance between Damon and Sydney but was equally captivated by Margot's trial. An absolutely satisfying and original addition to the romance genre!

This is my favourite book Neely has written! It was so fun, especially if you are a fan of reality tv. Sydney is called to serve on a jury. The case involves one of her favourite reality tv stars. But who also happens to be on the same jury? Her ex, who she hasn't seen or talked to in 10 years. Things get interesting!! If you are a fan of second chance romance with some courtroom drama, you will adore this book. Thank you Haper Collins and Netgalley for the arc.

STRAIGHT PEOPLE NONSENSE.
I went into this book hyped, and was just so underwhelmed by this book. I was so much more invested in the trial than in whatever romantic shenanigans the main characters were up to.
Margot, our reality star on trial, was fascinating. I loved her parts. Seeing how Sydney, our FMC, deals with her perspective of Margot shifts throughout the trial.
Maybe the romance fell short for me because I could NOT stand Damon, the MMC( non-POV). Also, possibly because y'all are the jury for the biggest trial of the year and BLANTANTLY doing so much jury misconduct. Those two were WILDING and had no reason to.
Not for me, but all two of the stars I gave this book are for Margot. I support women's rights and wrongs (even though I think she did nothing wrong).

MILD SPOILERS

I'm sorry but he hasn't seen her in ten years,,, got a tattoo for her... on his heart. GIRL, I would have RUN.

Courtroom Drama is a clever mix of romance, second chances, reality TV and "courtroom drama". Sydney and Damon are just so sweet together but boy, did they have to work through their past. Throwing them onto a jury after years of being apart really created the perfect foil for them to reconnect. And I was also invested in the court case- the ending? Such a surprising gem of a twist. Well done.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks | Harper Perennial for the ARC.

What started out as a lighthearted rom-com blended with a BRAVO-like obsession took a turn into some deeper topics and I’m glad I took that journey.

Sydney is an obsessed with a capital O fan of the Authentic Moms of Malibu and is over the Moon excited when she is selected as a juror on the murder trial of one of the original cast members. Her bubble bursts when she discovers one of her fellow jurors is her teenage best friend-slash-love interest who she hasn’t spoken to in years. Being sequestered is starting to look a lot more complicated.

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Should an obsessed fan with a stated desire to acquit the accused be on the jury? Obviously not, but this is fiction, folks. Just suspend your disbelief and roll with it.

The trial storyline was interesting with lots of little twists along the way. The romance tropes and chemistry between Sydney and Damon were pure gold. Their banter played out remarkably well, both verbal and in writing. The surprising element of this book was in the revelation of some deeper, darker issues haunting both main characters. The author handled them with sensitivity and realism despite the lighthearted tone of the book. (Not surprising, as she did the same in her two previous novels.)

This was an enjoyable, entertaining book that held my attention from the start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to follow Sydney as she dealt with drama and romance, this book definitely had me invested.

As someone whose guilty pleasure is watching hours of court cases on YouTube, Courtroom Drama was one that I instantly gravitated to when I saw the description. As I started reading, though, Sydney and Damon's story completely pulled me in; and while I loved the court scenes and seeing the case play out, their relationship was just as impactful, if not more so. These two childhood best friends, separated a decade prior to their unexpected reunion in jury duty, were written so well that it felt like they could step right off the page.

As the unresolved emotions from their friendship and budding romance as children and teens bubble up to the surface, their reunion is far from a dream - but they handle it in the messy, imperfect ways that we all do, and their story is so much better for it. They're such a great pair, and it's wonderful to see their development over the course of the book. And we can't forget the murder trial they're serving on the jury for! I won't spoil anything - but be prepared for quite the twist at the end :)

While I loved the pining, the stares, the yearning and handwritten secret notes I truly feel that this fictional couple may not last. Sometimes you read a book and it’s not clear how the couple will work out and it’s so disappointing to read. This story was written well. Sydney is getting her dream opportunity- being a juror on a high-profile case for a celebrity she loves from a housewives reality show. I’m not sure how they didn’t figure out she’s a superfan but she’s made her way in ready to defend the honor of her favorite rich housewife who is accused of murder. It involves being sequestered as well. In comes Damon who is her childhood best friend and maybe love. So begins some forced proximity that was actually kinda fun. However, there is not enough emotional payout. They have some trauma and unresolved issues that I felt needed more closure. Secret notes are passed and the details just glossed over. The few times we get the note transcripts I love it. Damon apparently is “better on paper” and I agree. His in-person behavior is just him being horny and wanting to be close to her while his words are beautiful. I would read a whole book of their notes.

The case in question was also very interesting. I loved the back and forth with the defense and prosecution. The evidence and witness testimony was written in a way that had me engrossed. I did not feel fully satisfied with the outcome and wonder if this is meant to be a start to a series? I would be interested in that but maybe with another couple. Not sure if this is the author’s first book but I’m excited to see what she does next. I do think there is potential.

Your HONOR that ending! This book was so good. The pinning, the tension, these characters, ugh. I LOVE THEM. I love a friends to lovers story more than the average person, I fear, but this was made even better by the second chance element. The pacing was so perfect and I loved the mix of the dual timeline, court case, and the hotel. These two characters are so deliciously flawed and real and I loved every second of this book.