Title: Overly Dramatic
Author Name & Publisher: Rebecca Cohen – Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date & Length: Aug 19, 2015 — 131 pages
Andy Marshall moves to London looking for a fresh start after breaking up with his long-term boyfriend. To stave off boredom from his day job as an accountant and to meet new people, Andy joins a local amateur dramatics society called the Sarky Players based in Greenwich, South London. Despite his best efforts to avoid it, Andy is cast as one of the leads in a truly dreadful play called Whoops, Vicar, There Goes My Trousers, written by a local playwright.
The play might be bad, but the Sarky Players are a friendly bunch. Andy quickly makes new friends and finds himself attracted to Phil Cormack, a local artist helping with the props. But life doesn’t run to a script, so Andy and Phil will have to work hard to improvise their own happy ending.
This was absolutely delightful, start to finish. It’s been a long time since I laughed so hard at a book that I actually had tears streaming. There were so many perfect moments. As an American, I was highly amused by the one American character who was so clueless about UK slang–that would probably have been me in the same situation!
The relationship between Andy and Phil was nicely paced for the length of the story. It was a very sweet romance, and I felt like I understood the characters’ perspectives despite being only novella length. Ms. Cohen was skilled at conveying a lot of information in a small space.
I didn’t feel that this was too long or too short; it was just right for the story which needed to be told. The pacing was terrific, the secondary characters engaging, and the plot complete. I loved the whole concept of a terrible play put on by amateur theater folks, and it definitely lived up to its promise.
I am so glad I didn’t pass this one by. What a fun way to spend a couple of hours. This definitely won’t be the last thing I read by Ms. Cohen.
~Amy
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My next release will be ‘Overly Dramatic’ (a rom-com novella) 19th Aug 2015.
My current WIPs are ‘Avarice’ the final in the ‘Reagalos’ series and ‘Making History at Saving Crofton Hall’, part of the modern Crofton series ‘Stately Pleasures’.
