Here For The Drama

Here For The Drama is a cute RomCom that brings readers into the world of playwrights and the theatre. It's an interesting setting but personally, I was here for the banter. I also fondly remember Bromley's previous book Talk Bookish To Me and its saucy humour.

Bromley once again shows off her comedic writing skills with spot-on sarcastic repartee between her main characters. It's so good that I have dubbed her the Bard of Banter. The story has good pacing and features an interesting array of flawed characters, great female friendships (I loved Winnie and Roshni!), and of course, some romance. Ahh l'amour! 

I enjoyed the cute courtship as well as the depth that came from issues such as loneliness, career aspirations, familial problems and the complicated friend/boss bond between Winnie and Juliette. Bromley gives readers some solid backstories for her characters, and I appreciated seeing Winnie's flaws and insecurities (although Juliette felt a bit contrived and the focus on her issues was my least favourite part of the story). There's a lot going on with various subplots, but I appreciated the issues addressed and the growth we see in a couple of the characters. And while things progressed differently than I expected, it was an enjoyable and satisfying ending.

Oh, and there's an adorable dog named Ollie. 'Nuff said.

This is a charming story with wickedly witty banter about finding your passion and fighting for it. It would make a great pick if you're in the mood for a cute RomCom this summer.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Graydon House for my complimentary digital advanced copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Kate Bromley

Genre: RomCom

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Graydon House (Harlequin)

First Published: June 21, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: It wouldn’t be the theater without a few theatrics…

Becoming a famous playwright is all Winnie ever dreamed about. For now, though, she'll have to settle for assisting the celebrated, sharp-witted feminist playwright Juliette Brassard. When an experimental theater company in London, England, decides to stage Juliette's most renowned play, The Lights of Trafalgar, Winnie and Juliette pack their bags and hop across the pond. 

But the trip goes sideways faster than you can say "tea and crumpets." Juliette stubbornly butts heads with the play's director and Winnie is left stage-managing their relationship. Meanwhile, Winnie's own work seems to have stalled, and though Juliette keeps promising to read it, she always has some vague reason why she can't. Then, Juliette's nephew, Liam, enters stage left. He's handsome, he's smart, he is devastatingly British…and his family ties to Juliette pose a serious problem, forcing Winnie to keep their burgeoning relationship on the down-low. What could go wrong?

Balancing a production seemingly headed for disaster, a secret romance and the sweetest, most rambunctious rescue dog, will Winnie save the play, make her own dreams come true and find love along the way—or will the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune get the best of her?