#nina kenwood

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases! (August 8th, 2023)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

The Dark Place by Britney S. Lewis

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood

Sky of Seven Colors by Rachelle Nelson

New Sequels:

Fangirl Vol. 3 (Fangirl: The Manga) by Rainbow Rowell, Gabi Nam & Sam Maggs

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Happy reading!

[mydarlinginej]

read my full review of unnecessary drama by nina kenwood here.

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.

my review:

I had heard good things about Nina Kenwood’s debut, and the summary of this book sounded really interesting. When I was invited to join the blog tour, I couldn’t say yes fast enough! Unnecessary Drama navigates the anxiety of moving away for college as well as a former friendship turned roommate turned something more.

Brooke has always been the responsible one, and she’s prepared to handle college the same way she approaches life: with a plan. All bets are off though when she moves into her student housing (aka a neighbor’s granddaughter Harper‘s house) and discovers that Jesse, the former friend and crush who she had a public and humiliating fallout with, is her other roommate. Now, aside from navigating the stresses of college and being away from home for the first time, she has to deal with the awkwardness between her and Jesse. However, as they are forced to spend more time together, old feelings begin to arise.

I really liked Brooke’s character. She’s used to being the responsible one, but she notes throughout the story that this is more a burden than anything else. If she didn’t take care of everyone around her, she would worry about them more. Being the “mom” friend is more a proactive measure than anything else. I also really related to her spiraling about moving away from home and dealing with the unknown territory that college is.

read my full review here.

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Uncorrected Proof for

The Wedding Forecast

By Nina Kenwood.

[meeghanreads]

Top 5 female authors

Hello friends!! Welcome to Top 5 Tuesday!! This week’s topic is top 5 female authors!! You know, with all of the posts we’ve written for Top 5 Tuesday, I was really surprise we hadn’t done a specific top 5 female authors. Like, we do a top 5 new (to me) authors every year, last year we did an old (to me) authors list, and an authors we want to try list. Then when Shanah was hosting, we did the…

[pipperoni32-blog]

Unnecessary Drama

by Nina Kenwood / 4 stars

**to be released August 8, 2023**

I read this in one setting. While it took awhile to get into Brooke's headspace can take a little time and patience - she is a lot - it is such an honest portrayal of a child who grows up with an alcoholic parent. Children can often to grow up to consider alcohol of no consequence, and have their own problems with it. They can go the opposite route and avoid it all together. The lack of ability to trust someone as fundamental as a parent can lead to trust issues, and a need to control your environment as much as possible.

Brooke has lists upon lists. Life is more about knowing how to react best in a situation and according to plan than it is really living. She's excited to get into college and begin a new chapter of her life, but with a new group of people to get to know, she's uncertain of how she'll fit in. Especially when the last person she wants to see from her past shows up. Jesse - one of her first really good friends, and the boy who betrayed her. The one she was never able to forgive. The one rule of house was no unnecessary drama, so clearly the best way to handle the situation is to avoid him at all costs, and pretend to be friends when forced together.

Once you can get over Brooke's controlling, anxiety-ridden, type A personality she's someone I can relate to. It's easier to give her a chance and want to root for her. Plus Jesse is such a good guy to root for - he's not without flaws, but he's very clearly crushing on Brooke. And has been for a long time. He's in her corner, and patient with her. Waiting for her to allow him to apologize for what happened in the past, and really explain why it happened. To get to know each other again now.

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would. Cute, relatable, a read-in-one-sitting type of a book. I'm so glad I found this one, and hope I can pass it along!

Thank you to the publishers through NetGalley for the ARC!

[niamhs-reading-adventures]

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood - Review

Rating: 4/5

I went into this book expecting a cute, fun and fluffy romance set against going to uni in Melbourne and navigating life in the big city, which is exactly what I got. And that's okay! Not every book has to blow you away or go above and beyond your expectations. Sometimes you just want to sit on the couch with a cup of tea and read a low-stakes YA rom-com style, and this is the perfect book for that desire. Brooke is practical and responsible, the classic "Mum friend" taking care of everyone else, even after moving out of home to live in the big city. Despite me being almost 10 years older, I have a lot of history in common with what Brooke is experiencing in this book, so I found it very easy to understand what she was going through. Jesse is more social and out-going, and definitely "slobbier" than Brooke would like, considering they are housemates. Although very early, he is established as having a kind heart, caring about Brooke and trying to fix their broken relationship. The plot is a run-of-the-mill enemies-to-lovers, but that's one of my favourite tropes, so I was eating it up. Tropes exist for a reason, and it's the characters and setting that make it different. I wouldn't call this a slow-burn, considering the book is only just above 300pages, but the character dynamics were fun, and it was nice to see Jesse and Brooke heal the friendship they had in early high school. However, a lot of the "conflict" in this book came about because characters just WOULDN'T TALK TO EACH OTHER!!! Communication, people!! So many misunderstandings wouldn't happen if people just talked! All in all, a fun and cute YA/New Adult romance perfect for a rainy weekend read.

Originally posted on Goodreads.

[shoosiopao]

11/100 days of productivity 🐣 9/19/23

day 2 of class, and i'm already struggling 😭 i felt distracted pretty much this whole day, so i didn't finish the last few problems on my homework. i'm thinking of going to tutoring tomorrow though, so i can learn how to solve some of the more difficult problems.

📖: It Sounded Better in my Head by Nina Kenwood

[beautifulpaxielreads]

JOMP Book Photography Challenge, April 2023.

Day 20: Pastels

(the bottom book title is kind of hard to read, it's It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood)

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

🦘 Booklr Reads Australian - Authors on My Shelves 🐨

so, I’ve been trying to think of a way to recommend a lot of Australian authors really quickly for Booklr Reads Australian. what I came up with was just to give y’all a giant list of all the authors I have at home! 

most of them are YA and/or fantasy authors, and I’ve marked my favourites with an asterisk (*) but if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an ask 😊

1. Sarah Ayoub 2. Eugen Bacon 3. Shirley Barber * 4. AJ Betts 5. Danielle Binks * 6. Cally Black 7. Steph Bowe * 8. Alice Boyle 9. JC Burke 10. Meg Caddy * 11. Frances Chapman 12. Wai Chim * 13. Claire Christian 14. Lyndall Clipstone 15. Claire G Coleman 16. Katherine Collette 17. Harry Cook 18. Cath Crowley 19. Robyn Dennison 20. Cale Dietrich 21. Lauren Draper 22. CG Drews * 23. Michael Earp 24. Kate Emery 25. Sarah Epstein 26. Alison Evans * 27. Fleur Ferris 28. Carly Findlay 29. Helena Fox 30. Lisa Fuller 31. Emily Gale 32. Meg Gatland-Veness 33. Sophie Gonzales 34. Erin Gough * 35. Leanne Hall * 36. Pip Harry 37. Sonya Hartnett 38. Adam Hills 39. Simmone Howell 40. Megan Jacobson 41. Amie Kaufman 42. Melissa Keil 43. Nina Kenwood 44. Sharon Kernot 45. Kay Kerr * 46. Will Kostakis 47. Jay Kristoff 48. Ambelin Kwaymullina 49. Benjamin Law 50. Rebecca Lim 51. Gary Lonesborough * 52. Kathleen Loughnan 53. Miranda Luby 54. Tobias Madden 55. Melina Marchetta 56. Ellie Marney * 57. Freya Marske 58. Jodi McAlister * 59. Margot McGovern * 60. Nikki McWatters 61. Anna Morgan 62. Jaclyn Moriarty 63. Liane Moriarty 64. Garth Nix 65. Lynette Noni 66. Carly Nugent 67. Poppy Nwosu 68. Kate O’Donnell 69. Shivaun Plozza 70. Michael Pryor 71. Alice Pung 72. Emily Rodda * 73. Autumn Royal 74. Omar Sakr 75. Holden Sheppard 76. AG Slatter 77. Jo Spurrier 78. Krystal Sutherland * 79. Jared Thomas 80. Hayli Thompson 81. Gabrielle Tozer 82. Christos Tsiolkas 83. Alicia Tuckerman 84. Ellen van Neerven 85. Marlee Jane Ward 86. Vikki Wakefield 87. Lisa Walker 88. Jessica Watson * 89. Allayne L Webster 90. Anna Whateley * 91. Samantha Wheeler 92. Jen Wilde * 93. Rhiannon Wilde 94. Lili WIlkinson 95. Gabrielle Williams 96. Rhiannon Williams 97. Fiona Wood 98. Leanne Yong 99. Suzy Zail 100. Nevo Zisin 101. Markus Zusak

[cassiopedias]

#Booklr Reads Australian

A new adult, a thriller, a mystery, and a young adult walk into a room. What do they all have in common? They’re all Australian! This month I will be partaking in @thereadingchallengechallenge’s challenge to read more Australian books. Here’s my TBR:

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood

The Long Shadow by Anne Buist

Cedar Valley by Holly Throsby

A Waltz for Matilda by Jackie French

I tried to get a pretty good mix of genres and themes. I’d also like to invite anyone who sees this to join the challenge to read more Australian books in August! I will be in the middle of a move and starting my first semester of college this month, but I feel better starting with at least a TBR list in mind.

P.S. If you want to see my updates in real time, my StoryGraph is also cassiopedias!

[grotesquehorse]

hiiiii jess i was hoping you would reblog this. 1, 2, 15, 19 for the book asks pls 💗💗💗💗

1. book you’ve reread the most times? the king's men. by nora sakavic. obviously. it's always going to be the king's men by nora sakavic because i reread it like 10 times when i was 17 and i have reread it every year since then. normal behavior.

2. top 5 books of all time? this is embarrassing, but it's mostly YA i think. and romance. i love so many books for so many different reasons. sophie this is hard :(

the king's men - nora sakavic (cheating answer)

it sounded better in my head - nina kenwood (teen anxiety but not annoying)

this may end badly - samantha markum (loooove the relationship dynamics)

edenbrooke - julianne donaldson (got me into historical romance)

people we meet on vacation - emily henry (yeah.)

fight club - chuck palahniuk (hehe)

15. recommend and review a book. sophie what do you read. you read like. real books. i'm listening to the count of monte cristo right now. im 18 hours deep and i have completely lost the plot. but i did cry at one point.

i just binge read a YA mystery/thriller (with teen relatonship drama) type series. trouble by stephanie tromly. it's problematic at parts and the plot is a LOT but it gives veronica mars vibes and i had soooo much fun.

19. most disliked popular books?

wolfsong - tj klune (anything by this author)

ready player one - ernest kline (i hated it before it was cool)

two wrongs make a right - chloe liese (i want to light it on fire)

in the weeds - bk borison (just not for me <3)

send me book asks

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb: 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.

Review:

When your best friend and the first boy who ever kisses you publicly humiliates and hurts you, that tends to stick with you for a long time... so now years later when you finally find a place to stay and one of your college roommates is said boy... things are about to get tricky. Brooke is a “always help” kind of girl, she’s the responsible friend, and when she discovers that the boy who broke her heart and destroyed her trust is now her college roommate she wants nothing more than to just avoid him as much as possible and endure it until school is over... except he is adamant about trying to explain why he did what he did and about trying to be friends with her. When an ex meets her again she pretends that they’re dating and what starts as one kiss soon spirals. But can Brooke trust Jesse again with her heart after what he did last time? Or would it be a mistake? Their student has one rule “ no unnecessary drama” but there’s going to be tons of drama wherever Jesse and Brooke are concerned. This was a friends to enemies to lovers story but honestly I just got so bored with Jesse and Brooke and wasn’t exactly that invested in them becoming a couple. I definitely think its a “me not you” kind of read where i just didn’t really like the main characters or the couple all that much and found their relationship to be boring. I think if you enjoy second chance romances then this would work for you and that you’ll have a better time with it than I did!

*Thanks Netgalley and Flatiron Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[ya-world-challenge]

New Releases for October for the YA World Challenge

It’s time for the big New Releases dump for October! Keep in mind this includes Middle Grade books and a couple NA. Favorite covers this month? I think If You Could See the Sun is beautiful. I’m also loving Sparrows in the Wind, and Crown of Flames is unapologetically COLOR.

 I’m honestly not sure I could decide on most anticipated as these are all interesting in their own way. LGBT historical Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken catches my interest, and Mwikali and the Forbidden Mask is exciting because I haven’t seen much for Kenya. Which are you looking forward to?

🇦🇺 Australia

Dusty in the Outwilds - Rhiannon Williams Unnecessary Drama - Nina Kenwood

🇦🇹 Austria

The Empress - Gigi Griffis

🇨🇦 Canada First Nations

Weird Rules to Follow - Kim Spencer Inuunira: My Story of Survival - Brian Koonoo

🇨🇳 China

Strike the Zither - Joan He If You Could See the Sun - Ann Liang

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

A Touch of Moonlight - Yaffa S. Santos

🇬🇧 England

Royal Blood - Aimee Carter Reader, I Murdered Him - Betsy Cornwell The Sevenfold Hunters - Rose Egal

🇫🇮 Finland

The Mystery of Raspberry Hill - Eva Krantz

🇩🇪  Germany

Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken - Nita Tyndall Berliners - Vesper Stamper

🇬🇷 Greece

Sparrows in the Wind - Gail Carson Levine Magissa by Kassandra Flamouri

🇭🇰 🇺🇸 Hong Kong - America

New From Here - Kelly Yang

🇮🇳 India

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove - Rati Mehrotra Crown of Flames - Sayantani DasGupta

🇮🇳 Indian-American

Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things - Maya Prasad

🇮🇪 Ireland

Where I End - Sophie White

🇯🇵 Japan

The Empress of Time - Kylie Lee Baker Jasmine Toguchi, Brave Explorer - Debbi Michiko Florence Reckless IV: The Silver Tracks - Cornelia Funke

🇰🇪 Kenya

Mwikali and the Forbidden Mask - Shiko Nguru

🇱🇧 Lebanon

Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria - George Jreije

🇳🇱 Netherlands

The Gardens of Dorr - Paul Biegel Tulips for Breakfast - Catherine Bauer

🇵🇰 Pakistan

Nura and the Immortal Palace - M.T. Khan

🇵🇰 🇺🇸 Pakistani-American

Bhai for Now - Maleeha Siddiqui We are All We Have - Marina Budhos

🇵🇭 Philippines

Marikit and the Ocean of Stars - Caris Avendaño Cruz

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

Love from Mecca to Medina - S.K. Ali

🇺🇸 United States

We Are the Scribes - Randi Pink The Nightland Express - J.M. Lee

[booknutmusings]

Audiobook: Unnecessary Drama

by Nina Kenwood Read by: Maddy Withington Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there! Or listen at Libro.fmContent: There is some swearing, including a few f-bombs, teenage drinking (though it’s legal in Australia), and some off-screen sex. It’s in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore. Brooke is off to her first year of uni, and she just wants a fresh start. Sure, she’s…

[jonfarreporter]

More Than “Just A Brunch” for Mother’s Day

Local entertainers Brian Crow, Dan Aguinaga, Steve Ausburne, Mean Dave and Nina G have teamed up with Goodness Gracious Catering for a Mother’s Day celebration event on May 12.

Building upon the success of the ‘Fried Chicken & Bubbles’ dinner event this past March…“We thought hosting a comedy show in Sonoma Valley entitled, ‘Mom Deserves Better Than Brunch,’ would be so fun, lively, and bring something new to the area,” said Brandy Ceremony-Aviña.

As General Manager of the locally-owned catering company and it’s venue Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen at Jack London Village, she and owner Lauren Kershner wanted to create a unique experience for Mother's Day weekend.

“Live comedy is something Lauren and I love to experience and seek out when we travel,” said Ceremony-Aviña.

Always eager to provide the best experience in dining and entertainment, Kershner, Ceremony-Aviña & staff are pleased that this collaboration with ILEA, the International Live Events Association, Crow and his comedy team are aimed at making this a memorable event.

Chef Nathan Holden at Songbird has put together a menu that would make any mom ecstatic about going out for dinner.

“It’s an inspired farm to table menu of some of our most beloved dishes,” said Ceremony-Aviña. In addition to a selection of entree such as Crispy Fried Chicken Wings, Braised Pork Belly and Rainbow Trout, locally organic-grown produce will be featured. Somoma Valley’s Paul’s Produce will be served along with others.

Among the other local food vendors that chef Nathan Holden is utilizing for his menu are Kenwood Strawberry Patch and Vella Cheese. “Mezzo Secco is a partially Dry Monterey Jack cheese,” said Ceremony-Aviña. “And, she exclaimed, is absolutely delicious!”

Located at 14301 Arnold Drive, Suite 3, Songbird Parlor overlooks Sonoma Creek. Dinner begins at 6:00 PM, comedy show starts at 8:00 PM. For tickets and more information about ‘Mom Deserves Better Than Brunch,’ Comedy Gala visit the Songbird Parlour website. Or call 707-343-1308.