Unnecessary Drama, Nina Kenwood
Unnecessary Drama, Nina Kenwood
List: $22.99 | Sale: $16.09
Club: $11.49

Unnecessary Drama

Author: Nina Kenwood

Narrator: Maddy Withington

Unabridged: 7 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/08/2023


Synopsis

"With clear enunciation and an emotive tone, Withington captures the story's humor, as well as Brooke's personality, especially her anxiety. The slight variance in voices is just enough to differentiate the characters. Romance fans, regardless of age, will enjoy this production."- AudioFile

From the award-winning author of It Sounded Better in My Head comes a deliciously entertaining enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about two high school nemeses who end up sharing a house together their first year of college

Eighteen-year-old Brooke is the kind of friend who not only remembers everyone’s birthdays, but also organizes the group present, pays for it, and politely chases others for their share. She’s the helper, the doer, the maker-of spreadsheets. She’s the responsible one who always follows the rules—and she plans to keep it that way during her first year of college.

Her student housing only has one rule: "no unnecessary drama." Which means no fights, tension, or romance between roommates. When one of them turns out to be Jesse, her high-school nemesis, Brooke is determined she can handle it. They’ll simply silently endure living together and stay out of each other’s way. But it turns out Jesse isn’t so easy to ignore.

With Unnecessary Drama, Nina Kenwood perfectly captures the experience of leaving home for the first time, dealing with the unexpected complications of life, and somehow finding exactly what you need.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

About Nina Kenwood

Nina Kenwood is an award-winning author living in Melbourne, Australia. Her debut novel, It Sounded Better in My Head, was a finalist for the American Library Association’s William C. Morris Debut Award, has been published in six languages, and was optioned for film. Unnecessary Drama is her second novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by NZLisaM on September 28, 2022

3.5 rounded up. A cute, entertaining, light read. Not as impactful as It Sounded Better in my Head but it still dealt with real New Adult and YA issues and misunderstandings in a sensitive, believable way. Sometimes you can escape your past, but more often than not it catches up with you, and only b......more

Goodreads review by ClaudiaTalksFilm on September 27, 2022

If I was the same anxious, lost-over-my-future, wreck I was at 16, I would have ate this up. Unfortunately, I am now a disenfranchised, anxious 24 year old who just wanted to yell at the protagonist ‘JUST TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL AND GET OVER YOURSELF, LITERALLY NO ONE CARES AND IT ALL WORKS OUT’ cute r......more

Goodreads review by Kat on July 20, 2023

Thank you to Macmillan for the audio ARC! This was such an easy listen and I had a blast. I’m not usually a romance person but I devoured this. It was so cute and happy. Brooke was a (mostly) likeable main character and her planning, caretaking, and anxiety were so relatable for me. Her little anxiet......more

Goodreads review by anastasia on October 07, 2022

i wanted to savor this book so badly but i couldn't stop reading and now it's 2:30 in the morning and i'm so GIDDY THIS WAS SO CUTE I LOVED BROOKE IS SO ME-CODED IT ACTUALLY HURTS WHAT THE HELL also thank you nina kenwood for making us adult children of alcoholics feel seen!!! like for real that was s......more

Goodreads review by Star on December 16, 2022

Content warnings: anxiety and panic attacks, alcohol consumption, alcoholic parent, borderline-alcoholic sister, Brooke had an ovarian cyst burst (non graphic of that part, thankfully), emotional abuse, blood. Rep: Brooke (main character) has pretty bad anxiety, and is white. Harper (side character)......more


Quotes

Praise from Australia for UNNECESSARY DRAMA

"The enemies-to-lovers trope is a popular romance trope. And Kenwood makes it great fun. She also writes cracking dialogue and authentic relationships. You'll fall in love with Brooke and Jesse, of course. But you'll also fall for this novel's entire cast of characters. A cracking YA rom-com." —INreview

"Kenwood has found the ideal balance in tone between light-hearted and joyful, anxious and real, heart-warming and hopeful. This is a fun and deeply enjoyable YA rom-com about moving out and growing up, with a sweet enemies-to-lovers arc alongside the coming of age." —Arts Hub

"This is one of the most hilarious books I have read in a very long time. . . . The scenes between her and her ex-friend-turned-housemate-turned-romantic interest Jesse are pure magic and an absolute delight to read. Enjoy the banter, prepare to relate to some wonderful characters and don’t forget to keep the tissues handy to wipe away those tears of laughter and joy." —Readings

"Authentic and appealing." —The Age

Praise for IT SOUNDED BETTER IN MY HEAD

William C. Morris Award Finalist
2021 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List
Nominated to YALSA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers List

“I am all-caps OBSESSED with this achingly insightful, utterly charming, beautiful heart-punch of a book. Instant favorite.” —Becky Albertalli, author of SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA

“With candor and affection, IT SOUNDED BETTER IN MY HEAD captures a teenager navigating the final moments of one stage of life and the first moments of the next.” —BOOKPAGE

“An authentic coming of-age story that perfectly captures the awkwardness and self-doubt many young adults feel. Teens will see aspects of themselves mirrored in Kenwood’s debut.” —SLJ

“I love, love, loved it.” —Melina Marchetta, author of JELLICOE ROAD