I was very kindly given an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley and Macmillan Audio UK.

Honestly, I do not usually read young adult fiction. However, I find the author of this book delightfully funny and I'm glad to say that his debut fiction book is just as delightfully funny as he is. It follows Patch (short-ish for Patrick), an overly-confident teenager who desperately wants to become an actor but is stuck in what he sees is a cultural wasteland but is actually just suburban England. I definitely knew people like this - I potentially was like this, but with significantly less self-confidence. This is the perfect book to read if you (like me) just need something funny and sweet and Heartstopper-esque that's going to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It has some wonderfully touching moments, points where I genuinely laughed out loud, and a lovely supporting cast. Also, I do think that Patch may be the gay successor to Georgia Nicholson. Honestly, if you gobbled up those books when you were a teenager, read this book. Also double-y read it if you were in a drama club / remain obsessed with theatre to this day.

It may be almost ten years since I left secondary school, but I still found plenty to love in here. A really fun debut.

'The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King' will be available from 30th January 2025.