I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately I just didn't like Patch. I'm all for a coming of age novel with messy teen characters but unlikeable characters just don't work for me. The comment along the lines of crushes show your heart is working, also really disheartened me. As someone who identifies as ace, this was not an OK comment to read. At my age, I can understand it for what it was intending, however my teen self would have taken this on as further proof that I was odd and unloveable. A little more care is needed when writing for a teen audience, always consider how impressionable your audience is.

Actual rating 4.5.

Well this one definitely has to be a top audiobook recommendation for the month - I had so much FUN listening to this! The narration by the author is absolutely spot on and I couldn’t get enough 🙌

You know immediately from the opening chapter that Patch is a bit over the top (clue is in the title), and honestly his dramatics had me in absolute stitches. Whilst it’s pretty easy to work out early on who will end up being Patch’s first boyfriend, it’s still a riot getting there, and I loved the focus on his friendships as well as the love story. It’s just a total romp of a story, with some seriously sharp and hilarious observations and dialogue, and I’d highly recommend to anyone in need of a good giggle - I loved it!

A really playful book which had me laughing out loud. Full of British humour and wit, this easy read made me smile while serving some life lessons for all ages.

I really loved the side characters in all of this, and I could easily see #DramaKing as a show on Netflix ; its giving a combo of Heartstopper and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. 😍

🎁 thank you to @bookbreakuk for the physical arc, and MacMillain Audio & Netgalley for the audio ARC.

This is the chaotic, queer dramedy you need if you love YA. Bridget Jones meets Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda, this is the story of Patrick/Patch who is determined to have a boyfriend before prom but his list of qualities is kinda long. And he has the perfect candidates for it too. The two new arrivals to the drama club. But it’s never as easy..is it?

I loved the humour in this one. It made me laugh at so many places. Another thing I loved, lists. Patch has a list for every occasion.

I did not like Patch as a character though. He is self-centred and privileged. Everyone around him is super nice and supportive but he can not look beyond his own nose. That being said..I loved the side characters especially Jean and Sam. I wish I had friends like them.

I also listened to it on audiobook and it was nice to have voice to this annoying person..kind of.

I enjoyed it overall and I would recommend it if you are hungover from other YA drama rom-coms in your life.

A laugh out loud read!

I really loved this book - it's truly hilarious and succeeds in making the reader laugh out loud at the tongue in cheek main character, Patch. We follow the fabulous and unapologetic Patch on his search for a boyfriend before prom. As he gets caught up in this endeavour, we see him learn to navigate his friendships and the other relationships in his life.

I thought this was a really sweet read, and is a truly necessary read for so many LGBTQ+ people growing up to have such a fun and light-hearted book! I would absolutely recommend.

I honestly requested this arc on Netgalley on a whim, but oh gosh am I excited that I did.
This was lovely, I laughed, I cried and just had an amazing time.
It was really funny, the characters where amazing and there was quite a lot of growth for Patch.

I'm not that big of a musical person, but even I had an absolute blast listening to this,

The narration was really good, and learning that the author read it himself made it even better, cause it means it sounds exactly like the author envisioned.

I know a Dutch translation is coming and I will be reading that too, cause this was just so FUN.

🎭💔🔥 BOOK REVIEW - THE ROMANTIC TRAGEDIES OF A DRAMA KING by Harry Trevaldwyn 🎭💔🔥

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely loved The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King! Some might call it childish, but I had a fantastic time living in Patch's delusion—his outrageous antics and over-the-top emotions had me laughing out loud and feeling every bit of teen turmoil. Harry Trevaldwyn’s witty writing and brilliant narration bring every scene to life, making this YA queer romance an absolute delight.

From the playful banter to the bittersweet moments of first love and self-discovery, every page is a rollercoaster of humour and heart. It’s a wild, wonderfully absurd adventure that perfectly captures the drama of youth and delightfully stereotypical queerness.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan UK Audio, and Harry Trevaldwyn for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

#TheRomanticTragediesOfADramaKing #HarryTrevaldwyn #YAReads #QueerRomance

What a fabulous book! I absolutely loved Patch and didn’t want this book to ever end. I laughed out loud at so many parts of this book.
Patch has decided that this year will be the year that he gets a boyfriend, he starts by writing to his French penpal telling him that they can no longer write as he needs to focus his efforts on getting a boyfriend… and because Jean Pierre never sends him Milka bars anymore. Patch’s dreams come true when 2 new boys start at drama club, an American called Peter and an English boy called Sam, both of whom are best friends. The problem is, Patch is so inexperienced and only knows about relationships from self help books, so has to set up elaborate plans such as Pre-dates rather than talking to them both. Alongside all of this Patch is auditioning for a role in Sweeney Todd, the play that the drama club are putting on and he has also asked if he can be the head of the prom committee… which Patch is the only member of.
I had so much fun hearing about all of Patch’s exploits and plots. It reminded me of being a teenager all over again and not knowing what to do to find out if someone liked you or not. As well as all the dramas in a teenagers life.
Harry Trevaldwyn’s writing was brilliant and so easy to get into, I knew that I needed to know what this book was like from a snippet I’d seen on an advert! I really was not disappointed!

3.75*.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me of a copy of this audiobook.

I really enjoyed this audiobook and that the author read the book. The storytelling was great and funny and I caught myself laughing out loud more than once.

I had so much fun with this book. It's written with such as distinct and hilarious narrative voice...I honestly feel like I know Patch so well.... mainly be I see a lot of myself in him when I was his age. He's a completely self involved teenager who thinks the world revolves around him and that he knows everything. At the beginning, he is hilarious, but quite difficult to like. Questionable actions are taken and there is quite a lot of eye rolling, but like with any good book, there is character development and Patch does grow as a person.

I suppose my slight negatives, and why it doesn't get the full 5* from me are just that it felt like from the love interest's point of view, Patch is incredibly annoying and unlikeable, yet he's still interested...which is fine if we heard why from him, but that doesn't happen. It just felt unlikely to me.

I was given access to the audio by the publisher via Netgalley. The audiobook is expertly narrated by the author and honestly, I would highly recommend it, because the way he performs it is so perfect for Patch, absolutely hilarious!

So all in all, if you want a cute and funny queer YA rom-com, this one's for you. Oh and....it's really not a bad thing to be a drama king (or queen)... promise!

Patrick, or Patch has he’ll have himself known, has leapt from the page and immediately into my heart. What a protagonist! I will be very surprised if there are any queer theatre kids that don’t know a Patch or aren’t a Patch themselves. Harry Trevaldwyn has captured the LGBTQ+ high school theatre kid experience expertly and all I could think while listening through the book was ‘I wish this was around when I was in high school’! His vivacious personality, his delusions of grandeur (yes, this is a reference to that musical everyone’s talking about), his self-importance that sometimes exceeds his awareness of the emotions of those around him, every single one of these characteristics is relatable and marvellous allowing Patch to be loveable from page 1.

Before I get into the actual narrative of the book, I want to shine a spotlight on Tessa. I believe this is another character Trevaldwyn captured meticulously. We’ve all been there, that one friend who disappeared for that one summer and came back popular and we never really understood why. The way Trevaldwyn effortlessly wanders us into that ‘why’ honestly did have me questioning if there was more to the story of my Tessa too, and did I simply never find out the reason. Even though popularity can look like a privilege on the outside, when you’re the outsider (and a teenager), it can be hard to comprehend that it’s not all sunshine and roses. Her character plotline gave me, at 32, real food for thought and I think she’s a superstar of the book.

Now onto the plot… SWEENEY TODD! When it was last in Liverpool, in the Everyman, I think I saw it 4 times, so when I realised that was the show the narrative surrounded, I was HOOKED. I’d have happily read a book about a production of Sweeney Todd. However, the self-discovery/romance element of this book is a thing to be admired. Whilst one would hope teenagers these days don’t have quite as much kookiness in engaging first loves as Patch, it makes for a wonderfully entertaining read, especially as everything that does happen to Patch is incredibly realistic and not overtly dramatised exaggerations that the genre tends to adore. I couldn’t stop listening once I started.

I have a lot of time for a character like Patch and the journey he goes on throughout the book, both with Sam and Peter, but also with Jean and Tessa, and they’re a cast of characters that I would LOVE to hear from again, perhaps in a Christmas Show set up or a final year show or even a Drama Summer School. I cannot wait for all the theatre kids to get their hands on this book and hope The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King wins hearts the way it won mine.

This was an absolute delight of a novel, and I feel it's one that was further enhanced by the audio performance.

In The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King, Harry Trevaldwyn's debut novel, we follow Patch Simmons, who is determined to find his first ever boyfriend this year. Unfortunately, the only other 'out' boys in his school year are dating, and the dating pool is looking slim... until two new boys join drama club: Peter, who has recently moved from New York, and his best friend Sam. Patch sets out on his mission to win one of them over, roping best friend Jean into a series of questionable endeavours...

Trevaldwyn really brings Patch's narrative voice to life. Patch has the flair of Georgia Nicholson, the drama club setting gives Glee vibes, and the protagonist's faith in his mum's self-help books is reminiscent of Bridget Jones. Yet despite all these comps, The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King felt absolutely original. Pick this up if you're in need of a good laugh and the occasional cringe on behalf of our overly self-confident main character, who throws himself fully into a number of ridiculous schemes. It is an utterly joyful read that I wholeheartedly recommend!

This book has stolen my heart. I'm sorry, but I NEED Patch to be my new best friend, I live for the level of dramatic he is in everyday life. As a theatre kid myself I have been through many show romances and cast fallouts. This book is so perfectly portrayed of what its like as a teen in amature dramatics.

LOVE this book from start to finish.
Really funny and so sweet.
Narrative pacing on point.
Solid debut,

This book was SO funny, completely welcomed me into the chaotic and messy life of Patch, and had me BEGGING the cast of characters to communicate and play nice! I absolutely love a coming of age/school setting and there is something so nostalgic and brilliant about reading teens discovering how to be nicer humans to each other through self growth.

The drama club setting? Amazing. The teenage angst? Top marks. The teacher who Patch confides in? I had a few of those gems.

I loved the Sweeney Todd references throughout and the humour, dramatic nature and LGBTQIA+ themes. I feel like if you love Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging, you’ll really love this.

I’m going to start this review with a petition to stop comparing every single queer YA book to Heartstopper! This book has a completely different tone, which if I had to come up with a comparison for, I would describe as Georgia Nicholson meets Glee (which is a MASSIVE compliment from me c. 2010). It was outrageous, laugh-out-loud funny, and larger than life.

I actually think I enjoyed this book more as an audiobook than I would otherwise. It’s narrated by the author, who is also an actor, and no one else could be better at bringing Patch and his world to life. Patch is hilarious and full of character but did have his moments of frustration or annoyance, and the audiobook narration softened those edges of his character and I think made him more likeable.

Part of the reason the Heartstopper comparison frustrates me (and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Heartstopper) is that apart from being about queer teenagers, this book is completely different. Patch is out and proud (which doesn’t stop him from accidentally coming out two more times over the course of the book, to much entertainment) and is living his best life. All he wants is a boyfriend by the end of the term! And to play the lead in the drama club production of Sweeney Todd. And for him and his best friend Jean to be inseparable and united against the forces of the other people in their year. This book tends not to venture into the serious or the profound, and honestly? It doesn’t need to. It’s just as important to have queer stories about joy and fun, which is this book from start to finish.

I challenge anyone to listen to this audiobook and not spit-laugh multiple times. Patch doesn’t get easily embarrassed, which gets him into all sorts of situations, and it’s impossible not to be endeared to him – even as you’re yelling at him to see what’s right in front of him!

I received a free copy for an honest review.

A book about a boy figuring out romance at his young age and being absolutely and incredibly dramatic about it.
This is one for fans of Heartstopper for sure!
I am not the target audience for this, but if I was 15 I would have ate this book up!!!
But I still enjoyed it, was giggling throughout and liked the characters and the growth they were going through.
But as a 21yo I found the "plot" underwhelming mostly because there isn't much of a plot.

This book was such a delight. As the name suggests, this book details the dramatic exploits of Patch, in love, friendship, and seeking fame.

Patch’s narrative shines in this book, in a style similar to a young Bridget Jones. Whilst having a fairly healthy ego, there’s a wonderful earnestness and occasional vulnerability in Patch’s story, particularly in his relationships with his peers.

This was a perfect read to enjoy on audiobook. The narrator does a wonderful job of capturing Patch’s sneakiness, emotional experience and tone.

Thank you MacMillan UK Audio for an early copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

What a delight to listen to! Hilarious, entertaining and endearing. I flew through the audiobook and had many laugh out loud moments. I quickly became fond of Patch and invested in his journey. A delight to listen to. Jean is a trooper! Would make for a great series! "It's only bloody cake" will be more new motto for the foreseeable

Patch is 100% the drama. No question.

I'm not sure if it is, but this book feels like the first in a series, there is a lot more the author could explore with these characters and I'd love to see it.

Patch is how I imagine Alan Carr in year 10. It's hilarious and yet so earnest that you feel a bit bad laughing at his pure dramatic nonsense. Bless him, he does get there in the end and the focus on him valuing his friends and trying to grow a bit was lovely.

If this is a series, I'm Team Sam.