Kate Bromley’s second novel, Here for the Drama, made me immediately go buy her first (Talk Bookish to Me). Categorized as both romance and women’s fiction, this book majors in women’s fiction and minors in romance. While the romance between Winnie and Liam is a key focus, the more critical relationship here is the one between Winnie and Juliette.

Winnie would like to be a playwright, so she logically became the assistant to celebrated New York playwright Juliette Brassard. For five years, she has spent every day more concerned with Juliette’s life than her own. When we meet Winnie, she is looking forward to having three weeks off, while Juliette and Roshni are in London, to finalize the edits on her own play, which she plans to submit for a playwriting contest in 17 days.

She has been tweaking the script for the last four years, always asking Juliette to critique it for her to no avail. (We find out toward the end of the book why Juliette makes up excuses not to read it.) The time that Juliette will be in London supervising a pop-up performance of her most well-known play, The Lights of Trafalgar, is all the time Winnie has to finish. But Juliette and Roshni convince her to go to London because in Winnie’s life, what Juliette wants, Juliette gets.

Winnie can’t stand up to Juliette, who has been a mentor and pseudo-mother to her. Roshni loves the theater even though she’s destined to be a pharmacist. Juliette is manipulative but not so unlikeable that we hate her. She clearly loves Winnie, but she definitely uses guilt to get what she wants. We get the impression that something is wrong with her, but we don’t know really until later in the book whether it’s emotional or physical. Regardless, being back in London where she had some of her best times in her 20s takes a toll on her.

Then there’s Liam. We see the chemistry between him and Winnie just in a simple phone call, even before they’ve met in person. We know from the very beginning that there will be a romance and it will be complicated. I definitely enjoyed how it all played out.

What I loved most about this book was the banter between Winnie and Liam. All the dialog is good, and I like Winnie’s individual voice throughout. But Winnie and Liam have a chemistry and an ease that puts their interactions over the top.

Winnie: “I’m just kidding. Don’t hate me.”
Liam: “You are a wretched human being. I’m fairly confident you’ve just traumatized me for life.”
Winnie: “Does that mean you don’t want to hang out after all?”
Liam: “No, for whatever reason, I still do. I must be a glutton for punishment.”
Winnie: “In all seriousness, I am sorry. That was quite mean on my part. For future reference, I’m terrified of sharks. If we’re ever out deep-sea fishing and you see an opportunity for payback, I’ll understand.”
Liam: “I’m pretty sure you being savagely eaten alive by sharks isn’t a fair tradeoff in this scenario.”
Winnie: “You’re such a softie.”
Liam: “And you really are a strange woman.”
Winnie: “So I’ve been told.”

The reason I dropped this to 4.5 stars is that the realizations Winnie makes about her life at the end of the book feel a little preachy and sappy. The final chapter of the book before the Epilogue is “one year later,” and I loved that chapter. It brings everything together, but then I saw some other reviews expressing that the Epilogue feels forced. I can see that point and I kind of agree, but I also enjoyed seeing where everyone ends up five years later. I don’t know that there’s a good way to end the book without one year later and an Epilogue.

Order this one. I’ll definitely be reading Kate Bromley in the future.

First off thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this digital ARC of Here for the drama.

The cover caught my eye when I was browsing NG. Sometimes you just need a book that is light hearted/no brainer and keeps a smile on your face. I loved the banter and the way it was written. I fun, easy to get through rom-com with a LIKEABLE couple in Winnie and Liam. Really great quick read

This was not it for me I tried to restart this book about 3 times and every time it didn't work. It did not hold my attention and I just did not feel the connection between the characters. There were a lot of grammatical errors that kept pulling me out of the book. The main character's boss also really got on my nerves, all she did was complain and force the main character to do things that were not in the scope of her job. I didn't finish this book and I don't think I will go back to it, it just wasn't for me.

I wrote a screenplay in college so this definitely drew me in and kept me there with the love of the theatre, romance, and laugh out loud comedy.

3.5 ⭐️ After loving Talk Bookish to Me, I was so excited for Liam's story and he was everything I was hoping for! Where this one fell flat for me when was in Winnie's character and just the story in general. I wasn't overly interested in the theater aspect and found it boring. I also struggle with this being considered a romance novel. This felt more like women's fiction because it was more about Winnie and Juliette's relationship than it was about her romantic life. By the middle, I didn't really care either way if she ended up with Liam. I wanted to see Winnie get a backbone and stick up for herself with her boss. So I didn't dislike it at all, I just didn't love it.

This was a cute women's fiction novel. I thought the chemistry between Winnie and Liam was great and they were all together a cute couple. They were on the same wave length in terms of their sense of humor which added to their fun banter. I loved Liam - he was a little dorky, awkward, and self deprecating but somehow adorable at the same time. And of course, I couldn't get enough of little Ollie the pup!

Juliette was a character I loved and hated at the same time. I loved her dramatic ways because it was entertaining and funny but I hated that she was so egocentric and selfish. I didn't love the betrayals between Juliette and Winnie and between Juliette's sister and Juliette - it was a little too dramatic for my taste but I can see how it added some to the entertainment factor.

The ending was cute and a great HEA for all the characters. Overall, I enjoyed this book but not as much as Bromley's first book.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: mention of cancer & death of a parent, mention of divorce & cyberbullying

This book is so witty ! I love that in rom coms, great writing . This book is charming and I loved the charge. Thank you to NetGalley for this book !

Give me a London setting and I'm immediately interested. I love Kate Bromley's writing and character development. As with her first novel, Here For the Drama was engaging, with both heart and humor. I loved Winnie's character arc and growth, as much as I was infuriated by Julia! While I did enjoy the romance in this, I was far more invested in Winnie's story. Overall, a win!

Here for the Drama is so fantastic, filled with lovable and developed characters, it is a read you don't want to put down nor do you want it to end!! Heart rending yet so funny too. Winnie and Liam find love and affection while engaging in a secret friendship.

Winnie and Juliette, the Boss and Assistant are actively manipulating each other for selfish and selfless reasons, which brings about unhappy results.

One very endearing love interest in the novel is in the form of Ollie the rescue pup, who everyone adores.

Here for the Drama is about finding your happiness within yourself, before you can expect happiness in the rest of your life.

Love this book!!!

A sweet little read full of humor, sass and witty banter. A charming story about finding your own vision and path and making your own happy ending. Absolutely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This is lighthearted romcom where Winnie ends up in London to help her playwright boss stage her most renowned play, The Lights of Trafalgar. I was looking for an escape in the mornings before work and this book provided it:-) While I preferred her first book Talk Bookish to Me, I would not skip this latest installment from Kate! I recommend you dive into Here for the Drama.

In this novel, we meet Winnie and Juliette. Winnie dreams of becoming a famous playwright. She heads to London, England, where she assists Juliette in a theatre company with her world renowned play, The Lights of Trafalgar. However, things aren’t smooth sailing for Winnie while in England. She and Juliette continually butt heads, and things become complicated when Liam, Juliette’s nephew, enters the scene. Will Winnie and Juliette be able to work things out? Will sparks fly between Winnie and Liam?

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a different storyline, but still had enough to offer to keep my interest. If you’re looking for a light, fun read, this one’s for you.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing and Graydon House for letting me read and review this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book - and while I expected it to be more heavily focused on the romance, I found myself liking the other layers and there were so many great ones! This book deals with relationships, loneliness, lack of confidence, career struggles, and there is definitely some fun romance.

I appreciated the fact that we were able to see all sides of healthy and not so healthy relationships. We see the differences in the friendship between Winnie and Juliette and Winnie and Roshni -- and it is clear how Winnie feels about each relationship.. One can be extremely draining and somewhat one-sided, while the other is fulfilling and often brings joy and light to Winnie.

There are also aspects of familial relationships and loneliness that really tugged at my heartstrings. The mindset that to be successful, you have to be on your own and putting yourself first 100% of the time is not new and is a somewhat sad way to live. It made me feel sympathy towards Juliette, and also Winnie who was surrounded by a small circle, but still struggled with some loneliness as her career and even more so Juliette's was at the forefront of her mind. It was refreshing to see even the most emotionally hard characters slowly breaking down their walls throughout the book - especially since it mostly starts with a very cute stray dog, Ollie.

I will say that I found myself wanting more Liam interactions, but it didn't necessarily dampen my enjoyment of the book at all. I just really like Liam and the witty banter between him and Winnie had me from the first phone call.

As I did with Kate Bromley's last book, I found myself smiling real big while reading and laughing out loud at times. I also cried in this one... and that emotion came out of nowhere, so well done, Kate! This is a great rom-com and I will for sure be recommending it to friends!

Review posted to blog: books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com

The Honest Truth? I was not “Here for the Drama.”

My thought while reading this was: REALLY?! No one’s lives are that dramatic!! (Even for actors and playwrights!) It’s just not possible.

My eyes were constantly rolling.

Yes this book had its cute moments, I cannot tell a lie, but for me, they were few and far between.

Though I adored Kate Bromley’s first novel Talk Bookish to Me, this one just didn’t cut it.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey and truth be told, she liked it more than I did.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc via NetGalley.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

I absolutely devoured Kate Bromley's "Talk Bookish to Me" and was instantly excited to find out what she had dreamt up next in her sophomore novel -- even more so when I learned it was about a theater nerd visiting London. So, literally, it had my heart before I even began reading. Once I did, I got pulled into the story -- it's so cute, well-written and realistic that had me yearning to find out what would happen next. However, I'm not sure if it could top "Talk Bookish to Me" for me because I loved that one so fiercely but this ended up right below that in my definitive book ranking.

3.5*
Winnie is employed as a personal assistant to successful playwright Juliette Brassard. Her dream is to write her own play, currently a work in progress. Hoping Juliette would help by giving her work a quick look, she’s disappointed when she refuses. She seems quite content leaving things status quo.

During a trip to London Juliette’s demands become a bit too much, asking Winnie to engage in several on-line dates to gather material for a new project. And to complicate things, the only man Winnie wants to date is Liam, Juliette’s nephew. Upon discovering this budding romance, Juliette is quick to forbid it! Hmmm….

This book was cute, but maybe a bit too sugary for me. I was hoping for something just a bit deeper. But, if you‘re looking for a light rom-com this fits the bill perfectly.

A buddy read with Susanne that left both of us with a bit of a sugar rush?🤣

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing - Graydon House

Well, I was not expecting to cry when I was finishing this book but the last fourth of it was an emotional rollercoaster! Honestly, if a book can make me cry - I always bump it up a half or full point as well.

I immediately had to request this title because I am a hopeless romantic and London is one of my favorite cities. A romance set in London? Color me sold. There were some things that I definitely liked in this book: a MC that is focused on her career, a swoony male MC, the plot of Juliette's play opening, but there were some things that didn't work for me as well.

The first being, I thought there were a lot of plots for one book. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but I think there were more plots than I'm used to for a romance novel. Winnie and Liam, Winnie and fake dates, Winnie and the neighbor, Juliette/Winnie with Ollie, Roshni and Winnie, Juliette and her sister, Juliette and the restaging of the play, Juliette and her long lost lover, Winnie and her family.... and on and on. I love that they rescued a dog, but Ollie was brought up almost every page - I am not sure if we needed all of that in the book. Parts of it are fine, but I think if you had to focus on one thing to go, that would be it. Also, I totally get the fake dating for research to Juliette's play, but I think I would have liked if the restaging and not needing fake date material was enough for Winnie to meet Liam.

That being said, it was a really enjoyable read. I didn't cruise through it, but rather savored it - I also really wish I could have been in the park to see the play! I will also have to check out Kate's other book as well, I enjoyed her writing style and felt like the characters could be my friends. As they say in the "biz" - break a leg on release day!

Kate Bromley is back at it again with a fabulous Rom Com! This time around we follow Winnie as she moves to London to help out her Playwright boss, Juliette and finds herself in the middle of a plan she never thought she would accept - fake dating via dating apps in order to provide her boss with a muse of a story for her next piece. Seems easy enough right? well, its not long before Winnie finds herself invested in a budding relationship with none other than Liam…Juliette’s nephew. On top of that, we have a cast of a deadline, a cute dog, Juliette’s second assistant, a stubborn stage director, and so much more. What could go wrong…right?

I truly loved this book and found it to be a quick and easy read. I cannot recommend it enough - mainly because Kate’s writing style grabs you and keeps you engaged until the end. I was rooting for Winnie and Juliette and truly enjoyed this book until the last page. I cannot wait to read what Kate gives us next!

This is the author’s second novel and I liked it even more than the first one. It’s a stand alone story about Winnie, an aspiring playwright and current assistant to successful Juliette.

She finds herself putting her plans on hold to accompany her boss and best friend Juliette to London for a pop up updated showing of Juliette’s debut play that skyrocketed her to fame decades ago.

While there, Winnie finds herself enjoying the company of Juliette’s nephew Liam, getting sidetracked from her writing goals by fear and in the middle of Juliette’s manipulation and emotional dysfunction.

This story had the charming London backdrop for a love story, the personal & professional growth of main characters that I love to see and an adorable rescue pup.

Loved reading this! 4.5 stars!!!!

It took me a little to get into the story and get onboard with the characters, but once I did, I absolutely loved this. Talk Bookish To Me has been on my TBR for the longest time, and after reading "Here for the Drama", that book is definitely going to the top of my TBR list! Winnie was one of those characters that you want to shake for letting people walk all over her, but you know she'll realize what's best eventually. Liam was so charming and while I'm not necessarily a fan of "insta-love", I'll accept it when one of the characters is on vacation(Winnie) and it can be realistically considered a fling. Roshni was a good side character, but I wish we got to see a little more of her depth. Now onto the big guy, JULIETTE! I was so torn about Juliette the entire book, but I definitely warmed up to her in the end. She's reminds me of Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, but obviously a way nicer one. Juliette was manipulative and strategic, but you could also tell that she was just guarded and worried a lot of the time. I think she was probably the most complex character of this book, and I really love the overall way she was written.