Patch is looking for a boyfriend but it's not easy with the limited number of other gay guys at his school. The only other one's are already dating each other. One day, two new boys join the drama club - Peter & Sam. Patch a drama king- literally. He's apart of the school's drama club. Unfortunately, so is his ex-best friend now, too.

This book was a funny and enjoyable read!

A lovely, humorous and heartfelt debut that captures the chaos of teenage romance. Patch Simmons' dramatics and relentless pursuit of love are both endearing and a little exhausting at times; but ultimately entertaining. This is a great choice if you're looking for a quirky, light-hearted coming-of-age story with a lovely queer MC.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨ The Vibes ✨
Bridget Jones if she was a high school theater kid

📖 Read if…
✨ You were a theater kid
✨ You love YA novels with a distinct narrative voice
✨ You’re looking for a rom com full of heart and hilarity

I’m not one to go into books without reading the summary, but the only thing I knew about The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King before starting it was that the main character was a theater kid, which honestly was the only motivation I needed to dive in.

Patch is a teenager who has decided to reinvent himself and land a boyfriend with the help of his mother’s self-help books. You can probably guess that hilarity and hijinks ensue from there.

These days it feels like even lighthearted books come with a tiny bit of trauma, so I was pleased to find that this one was just pure joy. Patch faces obstacles, but they are your classic rom-com type problems, which keeps the story light and fun throughout. He’s such a funny narrator, and Harry Trevaldwyn writes with such a unique and distinct cadence, it almost feels like Patch is sitting next to you recapping these stories. And the inclusion of the self-help books gives the story a slight Bridget Jones vibe, and who doesn’t love Bridget Jones.

If you’re looking for a light and quick read, either as a palette cleanser between heavier books or just as an escape from the current state of the world, this book is a delight and will have you grinning from ear to ear.

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is available now. Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I know that this book has drama king in the title but I really didn't expect him to be such a drama king. I actually got pretty annoyed by how dramatic he was being throughout the book. The further I got into the book, The more I just wanted to be done with it. I was so over Patch. To me Patch was just not a likeable character and I just couldn't get past that so I wasn't rooting for him. I was also struggling because his romantic interest in the first half was just so lack luster. So overall it had great potential but it fell flat for me because of how much I didn't like the main character. So not my favorite read

This book was a delight! I laughed so hard.

Patch is such a drama king, I loved how just himself he was. Like this reminded me a little of the short story The Drama Bug by David Sedaris, but in full length YA novel form.

There’s high school drama, theater drama, boy drama, best friend drama, but like so heartfelt and fun. The dialogue was so quick and funny.

This was just overall such a fun novel to listen. I recommend picking it up if you need a light read.

Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The spirit of this book is perfectly aligned with our main character Patch himself. You're so endeared by all of the most outlandish things casually being done whilst also getting so much secondhand embarrassment that you could cringe out of existence. I'm not usually a theater kid narrative reader, but this really hooked me with the writing style quite immediately. There's such a charm to how Patch and his friends view the world. A charm that persists even when Patch has his insufferable moments. Even during those frustrating instances, you really do root for Patch, especially with a character arc as satisfying as his. Although I did end up predicting very early on how the romantic plots would go it didn't make it any less enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this one! Patch is such a fun MC. I loved reading along as he embarks on his journey to find a prom date and ultimately love. He’s over the top dramatic, funny and quite endearing. Definitely recommend this one if you are looking for some early 2000’s romcom vibes like Lindsay’s 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻!

This was so much fun! I loved how dramatic Patch was and how he actually felt like a teenager. Often books staring 16-year-olds make the characters seem more like they're in their 20s, but Patch definitely did not. He's super dramatic and self-absorbed and not always a great friend, but it all felt believable. He was also really funny and I laughed out loud multiple times.

The book isn't just about romantic love, either. It also shows the importance of platonic love and it was wonderful.

I'll definitely read more from Harry Trevaldwyn.

What a fun romantic comedy. I loved Patch, and would have loved to be friends with him when I was younger. I literally giggled out loud a few times throughout this book. Great literature? No. But it was just what I needed at the time. Great story and characters.

This book was so much fun. I was entertained from start to finish, and Patch is a character that will stick in my mind for years. You rarely find a character that is so fleshed out and laugh out loud funny. I give this story a solid 5/5 stars and look forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is a good choice for those who enjoy light-hearted, character-driven stories with a focus on identity and relationships. It's a book for fans of books like Red, White, and Royal Blue, though I found it slightly less charming, though it was overall an entertaining read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is a charming and hilarious comedy. Patch decides this is the he’s getting a boyfriend. The only problem is all the other boys have boyfriends. So it’s not as easy as he thought. He meets two new boys Peter and Sam. Patch knows one of them will be his boyfriend even if he knows nothing about them or if they are gay. This is truly a funny and heartfelt story about love and friendship.

This was such a cute and easy read. If you need something lighthearted and fun to binge-read or read in-and-out whenever you have a spare moment, this is that book.

Patch Simmons is the main character. He has personality, he has opinions, and unfortunate and embarrassing things seem to happen to him (or, more accurately, are caused by him). The book follows Patch (real name Patrick but he’s rebranding) on a quest to find his first love. The options at school are slim, but when two new boys join the drama club, Patch is certain this is his chance to have a real first boyfriend.

This book has so much fun personality. I found myself suppressing cheesy smiles at the banter between characters and Patch’s internal thoughts. Harry Trevaldwyn really nailed the sit-com-esque tone.

My only gripe about this book is that the only American character is the one character who sounds the most British. He would say things like “properly great” and I was like wait, aren’t you not from here? 🤨

This book seems like it would be just for me. I love YA, I love theater, etc. But the main characters seem much more like 14 than 16, and I found them to be pretty insufferable. I tried paper and audio before giving up. I think it will be a hit for teens, but probably not for adults who read YA, and that is OK.

This novel is an absolute delight. I loved every word, paragraph, and page and at one point laughed so hard I struggled to catch my breath.

Patch is starting a new year of high school and has decided this is the year he'll find a boyfriend. Luckily, two new boys join the community theater drama club - American Peter and his best friend Sam. Patch is new to the whole relationship business, but luckily his best friend Jean (a true hair clip connoisseur) is an expert since she had a long term relationship (five whole weeks) over the summer. It's good thing Patch has a supportive teacher who's there to steer him in the right direction.

I adored Patch. He's overly confident, very often narcissistic, and a tad overdramatic, but his observations about himself, friends, family, life, etc. are hilarious and occasionally spot on. He loves his single mother and wages war on his sister (she never admitted to breaking his karaoke machine, but she totally did) when it's required. Their interactions are heartwarming and realistic. When he and BFF Jean hit a rough spot, Patch experiences an epiphany and realizes he needs to work on being a better friend before he becomes a boyfriend.

I listened to the audiobook and didn't realize until the end that the author is the narrator - and he's fabulous! I'll absolutely be looking for his future releases. With themes of friendship, family, first love, self-discovery, and relationship advice from an "expert", this is a light-hearted read I highly recommend. For fans of clean rom-coms, well-developed characters, and laugh out loud, heartwarming stories.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I can't really pinpoint what didn't quite work for me in this book. It's rather short, so it wasn't quite as developed as it could've been, but really I don't mind a shorter book. I think it's biggest sin is that although the main character is dramatic and fun to follow, I can't imagine I'll remember anything about this book in a couple weeks. It works as a light, quick read, but I don't see myself recommending it over anything similar.

An easily bingeable read that will make you laugh, cry, and cringe at parts from second-hand embarrassment (sorry, Patch).

Patch, as a main character, can feel like a lot to handle at first because... well, because he's dramatic. But that's literally in the title, so it's to be expected. And I think, because of this, there are times where he isn't the best versions of himself; he's not the best son, or the best friend, or the best brother (at least, not to me). But I think that's okay, because for all his dramatics, Patch is still good. And I think the Patch we see at the end of the book is somehow vastly different from the Patch we see at the start, because of this.

I love that Patch learns how to grow without changing too much of himself, especially the parts of him that made this book so entertaining to read!

The romance and friendships here were really fun to read. This wasn't so much Heartstopper-esque to me, either, as it was Lindsey Lohan's Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Am I showing my age with that one? Though I think the Derry Girls comp is pretty spot on, so if you like funny friend groups, you'll love this book as well.

Thank you to st martins press and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.75 stars

Synopsis: patch set a goal to have a boyfriend by the end of his theatrical group play. The goal looks accomplishable when 2 new guys join the group. However patch has a lot of emotions and will those get in way of his goal.

What I liked: this is a great representation of Josh school drama club and the emotions with it. Patch was funny but stubborn and definitely lets his emotions get the best of him. I really like the growth that patch experienced throughout the book and learning that he is not the center of everything. I liked how it was written as well so it didn’t seem patronizing. Overall a very fun read

I completely adored this book! The characters are well developed, and the story is wonderful! It is one of those stories that make you forget you are reading. Instead, it pulls you inside to enjoy the ride.

I really wanted to like this, but the main character is just so self-centered and frustrating. He is mean to his family, his friends, and his romantic interests. He finally comes around but it is hard to wait to get to that part. I don't know, I know I am not its targeted audience, but I read a lot of YA and still enjoy a lot of it. This one just missed the mark for me.