I met Nicole through the online writing class I’m currently taking called, The Slow Novel Lab, taught by the wonderful Nina LaCour (subscriptions are open for the next class). Nicole stood out from my fellow classmates from the start; her smile, wit, and enthusiasm drew me in, much like her first novel, Unscripted.

The story’s about Zelda, a teenager who has big dreams: she wants to be on Saturday Night Live. She and her brother attend an improv camp in the Colorado Rockies where she meets a bunch of wonderful people, and some awful ones.

Zelda’s the only girl to make the top improv team in a long time and she soons finds out why. Not only is her coach, Ben, a conniving douche canoe, but her teammates are misogynistic asshats.

The book is funny and made me remember the good and the bad parts of being a teenager. Kronzer perfectly captures the feeling of being stuck in a bad situation, not knowing how you got there in the first place, thinking it’s your own fault, and having no idea how to get yourself out of the scary mess.

The book left me craving for s’mores and coffee cake, but this sweet orange-zest soda bread will have to do.

Noticed the heart I fashioned with my earphones? That’s how much I love this book: 5 hearts.

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

I got the audio version of the novel, because Nicole did the voice over for her book and I love her voice. You can hear her read a snippet of the book in this video.

And an Unscripted Q&A with Nina LaCour where Nicole Kronzer reads another bit of the book.