Overall, I very much enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The narrator was pleasant and the plot was simple, but entertaining and full of likable characters. I really liked being inside Brooke's overthinking and anxious mind--it was familiar place for me. That said, I'd be hesitant to recommend this book to every patron since I could see some people being annoyed by Brooke's constant and increasingly anxious internal monologue. Though I was satisfied with the ending, I would have enjoyed a bit more of a wrap up for the love story. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Brooke and Jesse in their relationship.

First, I LOVED the accent on the audio. Perfection for this book.

Poor Brooke is trying to be so perfect for everyone around her as she attempts her first year at uni and trying to make friends. I related to this HARD as a military child I moved around so much and I remember the struggle to try and be what I felt everyone needed me to be.

I LOVE when packing what book to bring how she needed a back up to the back up book “because who knows what kind of mind she’ll be in” 😂🤣😂 SO me!

Highly related to her description of insomnia. I’ve struggled with insomnia with my Lupus for years and years. I am no stranger to watching each hour tick by through the night.

I loved the growth in the relationships and getting to walk through her struggles with her. Highly recommend this one. It comes out August 8th!

Loved the voice and character of this book. The personality of the main character is enduring and engaging. She keeps the book moving so I couldn’t put it down. Her self doubt is relatable to many. Great read!

Type A worrier Brooke has just started university and moved into her first house-share situation. Just her luck, one of her housemates happens to be
Jesse—a boy from school who broke her heart. With the only house rule being “no unnecessary drama” the pair agree to keep their distance and stay quiet about their shared history to avoid losing their housing. It isn’t long before feelings rekindle despite Brooke’s every effort to deny them and hijinks ensue.

This delightful YA romance set in Australia was fast-paced with some great laugh-out-loud moments. Thank you to @netgalley for the audiobook ARC.

I absolutely loved this book, and I normally don’t read this genre, but could not put it down and finished it in one day. From the main character overthinking every little detail of her life to, and need to think out every possible way something can go and falling all over again for her high school crush.

This book was very funny! I am glad I listened to the audiobook, I was chuckling the whole time. Anxiety is not funny but the author did a great job adding humor to all the swirling thoughts in Brooke's head.

NO COMPLAINTS!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS 💖💖 I feel giddy most of the times listening to this audiobook and I love how the interactions between the main characters make me feel. Not even once that I felt bored nor disappointed and I kept on wanting to listen to it. Looking forward to reading more books by Nina Kenwood.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

"Unnecessary Drama" is a heartwarming and charming novel that takes readers on an emotional journey through the lives of two roommates with a high school past. Set against the backdrop of a bustling city, this book beautifully explores the complexities of love, forgiveness, and second chances.

The story follows Brooke and Jesse, two individuals who, after a messy breakup, find themselves living together due to unexpected circumstances. Despite the initial awkwardness and unresolved feelings between them, they gradually discover that their shared space becomes the catalyst for healing and rediscovering the love they once (almost) shared.

One of the strengths of this novel is its well-developed characters. They are flawed yet relatable, each carrying their own baggage and scars from their previous relationship. The pacing of the novel is well-balanced, with the author deftly weaving together moments of tenderness, humor, and introspection. Additionally, the supporting cast of friends and acquaintances adds an extra layer of depth to the story, providing meaningful insights and advice to Brooke and Jesse.

While the narrative flows smoothly overall, there are a few instances where the plot feels predictable or overly familiar, adhering to some common romance tropes. However, the author's exploration of the characters' emotions and the authenticity of their interactions compensates for these minor shortcomings.

This is a delightful and engaging novel that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance. It beautifully portrays the complexities of relationships, the power of forgiveness, and the hope that can arise from second chances.

This was such a fun story and an even more fun audiobook! The narrator told the story in a way that was captivating and drew you in. The enemies to lovers and close proximity was so great and I found myself rooting for the couple right up to the end! Highly recommend reading (or listening) to this title!

Stop everything you're reading right now and grab a copy of Unnecessary Drama. Okay fine I didn't have to be that dramatic about it (except I did 😜), it's just I didn't realize how rare it was to find such an enjoyably lighthearted laugh out loud read like this one. This one ventures right outside of YA romance territory, those in between college years I feel like we don't see enough of. (I have this sudden urge to rewatch the series Felicity...)

Brooke is excited to finally live on her own (with roommates) and crush her first year of college. She's always been a responsible rule follower, has an affinity for spreadsheets (a woman after my own heart), and is the most loyal giving kind of friend anyone would be lucky to have in their corner.

Even finding out her third roommate is actually her high school nemesis Jessie won't thwart her determination to have a great year. She's actually crestfallen when Harper only lists 1 house rule for them (just 1?!) - no unnecessary drama between roommates i.e. romance is off limits. That's more than fine for Brooke as she only intends to play amicable with Jessie in front of Harper and avoid speaking with him altogether otherwise.

Audiobook review:
Narration- I mean accents are everything right? The narrator's Australian accent blended perfectly with the characters. She was so good at infusing humor and even better with the way she delivered Brooke's inner monologues, neatly balancing her serious nature with her neurosis. The way she chose to alter the lilt in her voice ever so slightly between characters worked perfectly fine to a create a distinction between them.

I really can't do this book justice to explain what a breathe of fresh air it was to read. Sometimes the stars align rendering a novel perfectly charming, where it has just the right amount of humor & substance to balance it, and an incredibly likeable cast of characters who are endearing and quirky in the most relatable way. And that's exactly what I found here.

If you're looking for a feel good read with the optimistic innocence of first experiences, laughable first mistakes and the promise of long lasting friendships both platonic and not, look no further I simply loved it!

This was a cute enough read. The characters weren’t particularly likable, but the ending redeemed that a bit…even if the book had me screaming at them to just tell each other how the freaking felt already. The audiobook was incredibly well done. If you need a quick read for the summer, give this one a shot!

I would give this a 3.5, or even a generous 4. This novel to me was much better than Kenwood’s first novel. The roommates to lovers trope was quite obvious from the start, but overall an enjoyable YA novel.

First off, the pacing in this book is perfect. There are enough little moments that build and nothing feels to rushed or drawn out. Pacing of contemporary romances is often one of my biggest critiques but this one nails it. The characters are amazing and their personalities and relationships perfectly mirror that of what remember from college friend groups. The main character is incredibly relatable if you have dealt with social anxiety, general anxiety, finding yourself, or have ever been called Type A. The narrator is amazing. I tend to prefer faster narrators so I listened at 1.25 speed and it still sounded natural. Her tone and rhythm help to make the book even more relatable and humorous. There is a small unrelated subplot that is nice and feels fully developed. A few loose ends but nothing major.

This book was a DNF for me. I'm not even sure I can put my finger on why but I just couldn't connect with it. Maybe it was the narrator? Maybe I'll have to get the kindle version a try.

This was a pretty sweet book! The history between Jesse and Brooke made it sweet to watch them come back to each other. The Vampire Diaries becoming a bonding activity for them was fun!

Brooke followed the house rules to her own detriment, and we watch her fight against her feelings in order to keep them up. Her anxiety was portrayed really well, and was prevalent in everything she did.

There was a lot of potential to dive into deeper topics that were brought up, but this felt more surface level to me.

However, it was still quite enjoyable, and I liked the sprinkle of fake dating thrown in. The narrator was engaging and well suited as well! I’m excited to jump back and read the author’s debut now!

This book was SO CUTE!

As someone who is definitely type A and has anxiety, I've never related to a main character more than this one. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud at the main character's inner dialogue throughout the book. This book was heartwarming and adorable and I enjoyed every minute of it.

As a bonus, the audiobook is read by Australian and that accent is everything.

Recommend: Yes! This YA book was an easy read. You are rooting for Brooke to find herself, overcome her anxiety, and get to know herself and others.

This was cute! It wasn’t anything super special, but it was enjoyable and grew on me as the story went on. I thought the main character and her anxiety/OCD were going to drive me crazy, but I grew to adore her & noticed that some of those aspects fell away after she grew more comfortable in her own skin and with her situation. There were some funny bits & it tugged at the heartstrings a few times. The characters were in college (uni since it isn’t in the US) but it wasn’t overly mature other than some drinking.

I really enjoyed this book. I was able to relate to Brooke in a lot of ways, anxiety, overthinking, having experienced a ruptured ovarian cyst before, etc. I loved how it ended with her and Jesse together and that he was actually sorry about his comment when they were 14. It was so cute all the items he got and made for her.

This book just wasn't for me. I'm all about a good rom-com but I think I just wasn't the right age demographic for this one. I found it to be too ridiculous and didn't see enough character development make it worth the read.