What I Don't Need

by Alyssa Brocker

Shannon Calvin doesn't need anything or anyone. Until she meets Brody with his dumb name and goofy smile. What happens when guards come down, and the past comes crashing in? Is Brody hiding something? Shannon may have to come to terms with the reason she avoids anything and everything that could hurt her. Or she might lose the only one who’s ever made her feel, well, anything.

173 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2024

About the author

Alyssa Brocker began her writing career working with a theater group in college to create an original play. She lives in a small town on the coast of Florida with her boyfriend and a dog named Chicken. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Florida Weekly, The Honest Majority, and various online sites. You can contact her by emailing: alyssabrockerwriter@yahoo.com

Reviews

[beautyfulyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ ENJOYED this book so much, The characters growth is unbelievable to me and i feel this book reminds us that even after something traumatic happens, We still have the chance to be happy!!

[Kristin Deichman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good read. We love a short read full of growth and also have a major twist! I love seeing Shannon grow and heal throughout this book. A beautiful reminder that love can heal. I loved this book not only because it’s based in old people town that I live in lol but that it represent girls that have gone through trauma and how you can break free from those chains of your past 🤗🤗🤗

[D Lanier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well written and had a major twist I didn't see coming that truly shook me, the author took time making this an immersive experience and I devoured it in under 10 hours. I personally cannot wait to see what else this author comes up with. I'm normally a very spicy book reader but this was a welcome change with a sweeter romantic vibe, passionate but more conservative in the description and realistic in the execution of the experience.

[Madison Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful debut novel! The characters were so easy to fall in love with and the character growth with Shannon was great to follow along with. I’m not normally a big friends to lovers fan but this one was done very well. I also love how the characters flaws were not sugar coated. A very nice fast paced read! I do wish that the book could’ve been a little longer so that the timeline didn’t feel so rushed and sped up. It has a really good twist but I felt that the twist was BAM and then again, a little bit of a sped up resolution. I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from the author!
3.5⭐️

[Jay myrandomspace2023 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do hate that I can't do half stars on here, because this a 4.5 easily for me. I lived for both characters, loved everything about them, and truly enjoyed the journey. Yes, it's a short book (less than 200 pages) so the story line is speed up. It doesn't change the fact that this was just a breath of fresh air, and a beautiful piece.

[Anna Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this in one sitting. I had a pretty stressful week and couldn’t wait to get home and cozy up with a good book. And this did not disappoint! The amount of emotions I felt during this 😩 AND THE TWIST!? I did not see that coming AT ALL. Beautifully written and just such a good love story that shows the bag and the good. Highly recommend to everyone and make sure you also go to the authors TikTok! She shows the real life places that inspired parts of this book.

[Joe Colorado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling book with a gut-wrenching twist that literally made me gasp out loud.
Definitely worth the read!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great debut novel! I am not normally a friendship to lovers type of gal, but I thought this was well done! The twist… man the twist I did not see coming and that made me love the book even more. Pick it up! You won’t regret it.

[Nicole Radtke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The growth of the characters is probably my favorite thing about this book. I’m just getting into romance and this book was fantastic. It’s a short and quick story but a really good read!

[ReadwMimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple short read. I loved the plot. Loved the characters. The plot twist. 🤌🏼🤌🏼 I deff need a part 2 on the lines of “where are they now”!

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not usually gravitate towards the romance genre, but this novel gave me everything that I was looking for. Two characters that have an insane amount of chemistry, a will-they-won't-they suspense, and a plot twist that I did not see coming.

[Dylan Iovene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay but that pot twist though! Oh my god! This book totally sucked me in from beginning to end. The characters are very relatable and you could feel that a lot of personality and soul went into creating them. Great job Alyssa!

[Lora Guest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly well written and very heartfelt. I was truly shocked by the plot twist near the end. ❤️

[M. Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takes you over a cliff

A very sweet novella that starts as a slow burn, spoiler... The main female character who struggles with her sexual identity finds herself in a crisis when she realizes she might not in fact be gay rather bisexual when she meets the sweet and caring Brody. This leads to a lot of turmoil and questioning of her identity on her part. The author doesn't amazing job being respectful of people's identities while acknowledging the fluidity of that side of human nature. I love this book I love the subtle undertones in the hints that many readers might not pick up on that eventually lead you to an amazing plot twist. The writing was sweet and unique. They're beautiful instances of poetry, and lyrics. I can't wait to read the spinoffs for this book.

[♡ReadwithHannah♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book overview:
Shannon Calvin doesn't need anything or anyone. Until she meets Brody with his dumb name and goofy smile. What happens when guards come down, and the past comes crashing in? Is Brody hiding something? Shannon may have to come to terms with the reason she avoids anything and everything that could hurt her. Or she might lose the only one who's ever made her feel, well, anything.

My review:
5⭐️ ENJOYED this book so much that it got me hooked from the first page that I didn't realise I had read it in a few days. The characters growth is unremarkable to me and I just feel that this book reminds us that even after everything traumatic we've been through, we all still have the chance to be happy in life.

It's available on kindle, KU or paperback.

[Maria Mercurio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet and heartbreaking story about two young adults both living through their own traumas. It is a story about finding love in unlooked for places. Shannon holds others at arms length, her past has bruised her, and superficial connections are all she is capable of mustering. Brody seems like a happy go lucky guy, an perfect catch, for anyone that would want him, yet he has a dark side and sad story too.

Wonderfully written it was a quick read. Sweet but Deep.

It had me at the opening line! (You will need to read it and see!)

[Rose Brate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congratulations to indie author Alyssa Brocker for treating us to such a great read. "What I Don't Need" introduces us to the main female character, Shannen, who becomes conflicted about her feelings in her current relationship with Robin after meeting Brody in a chance encounter. The two become close and discover they share a love of music. Shannen writes it, and Brody plays and sings it. Shannen and Brody's friendship blossoms, and the two realize they want more, so they begin dating. Everything is blissful until Shannen meets Brody's dad at Thanksgiving, and secrets are exposed.

[Brittany Lach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has ALL the feels. It will make you laugh, cry, feel frustrated, shocked, everything. I loved this book and the way the main characters developed throughout it. There was so much growth for them and you couldn’t help but root for them. This book was well written and enjoyable to read. Highly recommend it!

[Emily Sims · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn in from the first line. Despite this being very different form the books and world I usually m find myself immersed in.
I actually really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and I had a great time, the characters were very well written and I loved how parts of their story unraveled the longer the book went giving us little by little until we knew everything. The internal dialogue and banter was so good.
The twist was heartbreaking for all parties involved (even though I was guessing what it was, I was still hoping it would not be true!) . I read this is a single sitting as I just needed to know what was going to happen next.

[Anka Troitsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a seasoned teacher, delving into "What I Don't Need" felt like a nostalgic journey back to my college days. Despite the passage of time, the author's insightful exploration of human psychology resonated deeply with me.

[sarahbhere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this knowing nothing about it. And it had me in all sorts of feels. Kind of seen the first twist coming but was still shocked about it because of how it happened. The next plot twist had my jaw in the floor. It was a short roller coaster of a read. Character development was on point.

[Maricelaaaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book very much, I was in shocked when I got to the plot twist. I love Shannon healing process through out the book. I went through a similar situation as Shannon & can definitely relate to her.

[Tracey Donahue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started the book feeling like I had just been thrown into the middle of a story, but the characters very quickly grew on me and I found I didn’t want to out it down.

[Alicia Ceasar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! A fast paced, coming of age romance stories with a bit of a twist, this is a book you can easily read in one sitting but will stick with you for a long time!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little amateurish writing, however the twist was totally unexpected. Not too bad!

[Amy Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about it! The characters, the local references, the twist! Great story by an author we will definitely see more of.

[Hazel_Lee_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟
What I don't need was so well written and that plot twist OMG I didn't see it coming. I love both FMC and MMC. I devoured this book in less than 3 hours. highly recommend.

[Victoria Webster · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I feel like the couple was a little insta lovey and it was hard for me to not see this relationship as toxic. The struggles were real, but I just didn’t believe in the story much at all.