Nina Kenwood’s Unnecessary Drama is a book that is just okay. It follows Brooke, a new college freshman who has to manage living with roommates for the first time, one of which is her high school nemesis, a guy named Jesse. Brooke is also grappling with childhood trauma and is adjusting to a life where she now only has to worry about herself and not her entire family. As she learns to stand on her own two feet, she also finds her feelings warming toward Jesse, much to her surprise.

The standout point of this book is main character Brooke’s neuroses, which will be relatable to anyone who was raised in a codependent or alcoholic household. Brooke has a need to plan all aspects of her life, even the unexpected, in an effort to control her world and keep it safe. Feeling like you need to live on guard and always be the responsible one will resonate with many readers, especially eldest daughters, who are often found picking up the pieces of a dysfunctional family.

As for the romance in this novel, frankly it was lukewarm. I never felt the connection or chemistry between Jesse and Brooke, and honestly was bored to tears by their interactions. This novel would have been better served as a coming-of-age literary novel about Brooke than as an awkwardly delivered rom-com.

Audiobook narrator Maddy Withington does a good job of establishing the setting of this book as being Australia with her accent and inflections.

In all, Unnecessary Drama is mediocre - not bad, but not great either. As far as rom-coms go, it is pretty generic and not unlike others on the market, making it unfortunately forgettable.

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood is a charming and relatable listen, full of wit and humor. The story captures the awkwardness and chaos of young adulthood, with its central character navigating love, friendships, and the unexpected twists of life. The narrator does a fantastic job bringing the protagonist’s voice to life, adding an extra layer of authenticity and warmth to the story.

It’s a fun, easy-going audiobook, perfect if you're looking for something lighthearted with relatable characters and plenty of laughs.

I love a good enemies to lovers trope. This book was for younger readers, but I enjoyed reading the story.

This was a bit too slow for me, I didn’t connect to the story how I had hoped I would.
I wanted to enjoy it, but I just couldn’t connect to Brooke, so it was hard to enjoy the story.

I really enjoyed this one. Thank you, NetGalley for sharing this with me. I'll definitely be looking forward to reading more.

This was such a fun audiobook to listen along to! "Unnecessary Drama" follows eighteen year-old Brooke, who finds out she has to spend her first year of college rooming with her high-school best friend turned nemesis, Jesse. Determined to avoid all "unnecessary dramas" in her first year, she decides to ignore and avoid Jesse at all cost. However as time goes on, she realizes it's not such an easy feat.

I was drawn to this audiobook because of the promise of enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes. While there wasn't too much animosity between the two, there was definitely cute banter between them that helped to spark the chemistry. The characters were relatable and easy to connect to.

There were some points in the book where it felt slow pacing. However, I was listening to the audiobook at 1.5-2x speed, so it didn't feel as slow.

I recommend this book or audiobook if you're looking for a cute enemies-to-lovers YA set in Australia!

I wish I could have said I loved this book, but it was not my cup of tea. I read it last year and am finally getting around to reviewing it. I really cannot recall much about the book because I didn't find it memorable and I remember myself not connecting about the characters at all. I am sure many people will enjoy this book though.

4.5 Stars for this book it was an absolute delight to read. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and some heart-wrenching ones as well. They are funny and heart-wrenching because we have all been there. Brooke is one of the most relatable characters I have read in a long while, I saw so much of my teenage self and my friends in Brooke that at times it took my breath away

The narration made this book so much better I loved every moment of it.

Unnecessary Drama was so fun! It was about two realistic people, with the kind of tension that keeps you reading. I really enjoyed this, even well beyond my high school years.

Unnecessary Drama was a quick and entertaining rom-com read. I actually listened to the audiobook in December and thought I wrote a review to go with my rating (I did not).

I enjoyed the narration and felt it fit the main character perfectly. Brooke is determined to stay cool and make a roommate situation work without her other roommates finding out that she has a history with Jesse. Brooke and Jesse have cute banter and I loved how the story evolved.

Thanks Macmillan Audio for this listening copy!

A very cute read! Enemies-to-lovers isn't always my favourite trope, but this one was so sweet. I loved that it focused on first years in college, I feel like that is an age often missing in romance. The chemistry was so fun, and I loved watching the characters fall for each other.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one is a fast and very easy read. It’s a cute sweet rom com about rooming with enemy! It was very fun. I liked this book but it wasn’t something I found myself excited to read or constantly thinking about. I’m also not in a big romance mood lately so that could’ve put an effect on my experience. It was very fun still and I enjoyed it for what it was. It’s something I’ve seen before unfortunately, and I needed a little bit more for it to really wow me. I enjoyed the representation of anxiety and mental health in this book as well. Overall it was a very cutesy romance and a nice palate cleanser!

While I could connect with the MC's anxiety, her need to plan everything, overthinking and overanalysing, and her spiralling out of control when things go a little awry, I could not help but get annoyed and frustrated by her too. I do admire how she stays true to herself though.

It's a light read

UNNECESSARY DRAMA was such an adorable story that centers around a young adult named Brooke who is 19, and has just found out that she will be sharing a house with her ex best friend Jesse. This made for quite the entertaining read and I loved the dynamic between these two friends-to-enemies.

The audiobook narration was fantastic, and I highly recommend this format!

*many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

I don't why it took me so long to read this. I thought it was well-told, witty, and extremely cute. Unnecessary Drama is the second novel by Australian author Nina Kenwood, set in Melbourne. Eighteen-year-old Brooke Williams leaves her hometown to attend university, but is super-organized and confident in her new housemates. They share a dilapidated house, but Brooke's new housemate, unknown Jeremy, turns out to be Jesse, her close friend from high school. Brooke refuses to be driven out by Jeremy's presence, but it's not easy to be civil to someone after he drives her to A&E and waits with her for hours. The protagonist is loveable for her earnest good intentions and guilelessness, and her backstory reveals her uptightness, control, and anxiety. The novel offers laugh-out-loud moments and a happy ending, making it a fun and entertaining Aussie romance.

Thank you so much to #netgalley for this free copy for an honest review.

This is a fun and fast read! I really liked the two main characters, Brooke and Jesse were once best friends who became high school enemies. Imagine their surprise to find out they will be sharing a house together their first year of college (uni). I love a good nemesis turned boyfriend/girlfriend story and this one doesn’t disappoint!

An adorable and entertaining book that I enjoyed from beginning to end. The characters are perfect for a YA book and the scenarios feel real and very believable.

As we meet 19 year old Brooke we find out that her high anxiety seems to run her life. She needs structure to survive but her structured life will be thrown into disarray when she moves into a house with 2 other housemates that do not see a need for cleanliness and organization. There are only 2 house rules: No relationships between the roommates and no unnecessary drama. Though Brooke wants more rules she figures these rules will be easy to follow since she does just met Harper and has no desire to even talk to Jeremy aka Jesse. But as we move on through the story she gets to know Harper quite well and she finds it very hard to ignore Jesse.
The dynamic between Brooke and Jesse is fantastic and the friendship that is formed between Harper and Brooke is wonderful. Both are very fitting relationships for a first year college student away from home for the first time. The awkwardness that's felt through the characterization of Brooke is perfect for a 19 year old.

The audiobook narration by Maddy Withington is flawless. It was a pleasure to listen to this book.

I highly recommend this book. Though it is marketed as a YA book I believe ages 17 and up will enjoy this feel good book.

I am extremely grateful to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to the audio version of the wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute YA/NA read. I listened to this on and I'm glad I did as i don't think I would've made it through if I read it. The narrators did a good job, but I did feel myself tuning out sometimes. I know the FMC had anxiety and I appreciate the representation, as I also have it. She was really annoying to me though, her decision, her thought process, her denials it just felt too youngish for me.

Brooke was relatable which I did like, but there were some things that felt off for me. Jesse was really adorable and I liked him. I really enjoyed the dual timelines made for a more engaging read.

The pacing of the book was really slow, it was such a slow burn, where nothing really happens between them until the end of the book. I would've liked more between them.

Overall it was a cute YA/NA read with a slow burn romance. It is getting a lot of good reviews, I'm in the minority, so if this is something you'd like, give it a shot !

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio for my free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great insight into an anxious brain. As someone who has anxiety, this wasn't my favorite book because it made me feel anxious, but I feel like that was the point? To feel the character's feelings? So that definitely worked.

This was a sweet friends to enemies to friends to lovers story set in Melbourne Australia. I enjoyed reading about their dynamic as roommates and how Brooke and Jesse found their way back to one another.

It perfectly encapsulates the awkward stage of adulthood when you’re first finding your footing and who you are away from your nuclear family.

I enjoyed the audio narrator as well.

Thank you to NetGalley And Macmillan audio for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

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