The Falling in Love Montage

April 15, 2020
A girl-girl rom-com packed with all the standard cheesy moments and raw emotions. Having just completed her final exams, 17-year-old Saoirse heads into summer after high school with a lot on her plate: not wanting to attend prestigious Oxford, though her father's set on it; navigating the anxiety and struggles of a mother suffering from early-onset dementia; and her father's upcoming marriage to his new girlfriend, Beth. To postpone dealing with any of that, she heads to a party. There, she finds a cute girl to kiss--Ruby, visiting the seaside Irish town from her native England. Ruby adores romantic comedy films. To convert horror-loving Saoirse, Ruby proposes they try to complete a list of rom-com clich�s over the summer. Commitment-phobic Saoirse's keen to promote wholesome lesbian romance and to keep things casual. As they spend time together, however, it gets harder for Saoirse to follow her own relationship boundary rules. The novel's voice is delightfully brash and no-nonsense while it simultaneously reveals Saoirse's vulnerabilities as she deals with various feelings of betrayal. Smyth paints each character as a complex, messy, lifelike individual. Irish slang adds cultural texture to the story. Most characters are cued as white; Beth is English and brown-skinned. Pleasantly and audaciously fills a gap in queer romance. (Romance. 13-18)

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April 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 Saoirse has sworn off love. Kissing cute (preferably straight, thus unavailable) girls is fine because it can't lead to a whiplash-inducing, heart-wrenching breakup like she already went through. But when she meets Ruby, who suggests a summer romance full of magical moments and with a definite end date, that seems like another way to avoid certain heartbreak?hopefully. Smyth's love-flecked debut is a meet-cute drawn out in the style of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I Loved Before (2014), and the moments are just as sweet and cinematic as YA rom-com fans will expect. But beneath this frothy surface, Saoirse is grappling with her mother's early-onset dementia and what that diagnosis could mean for her future mental health, as well as her family as a whole, that makes the novel stand out. Being asked to plan ahead when the promise of any future seems so tenuous is a fascinating position in which to place a character, and Smyth captures the resultant osculating fear, anger, grief, and hope perfectly.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from May 18, 2020
When 17-year-old Saoirse is dumped by her girlfriend and former best friend, she decides that dating isn’t worth the heartache, especially since she’s already dealing with her mother’s moving into a home due to dementia, and the revelation of her father’s affair. She doesn’t expect her electric attraction to Ruby, who is visiting her cousin’s family for the season, but when Ruby proposes a summer together modeled after a rom-com—all fun, and no hard feelings when it ends—Saoirse decides to bend her rules. From Ferris wheel rides with prolonged eye contact to skinny dipping at the beach late at night, the two embrace every romantic cliché, but feelings inevitably grow between them, and Saoirse struggles to let down the walls that keep her heart safe. The sweet love story is balanced with Saoirse’s fear of being vulnerable and struggles to accept that her father has found a love of his own, and though the girls never plan for forever, what they create together is special and precious to them both. An emotionally stirring queer romance with witty, playful dialogue. Ages 13–up.

September 4, 2020

Gr 10 Up-Saoirse is dealing with a lot. Her girlfriend broke up with her, she feels betrayed by her best friend, she doesn't know if she wants to go to university, and her mother is suffering from early-onset dementia while her dad moves on with another woman. Then she meets Ruby, a girl who, despite having problems of her own, loves romantic comedies and makes the most out of what life gives her. Instead of getting into a serious relationship, Saoirse and Ruby decide to have a fun summer fling while following all of the tropes from romantic comedies. Saoirse is a complex character. While watching her mom's health deteriorate, she struggles with watching her dad move on and worries that she too will develop dementia and forget everyone she loves. Ruby is fun and understanding, and her cousin Oliver adds extra comedic flare. Saoirse and Ruby, who are white, set the standard for the genre of lesbian romantic comedy. VERDICT A fun romance with substance. Recommended for all high school collections, especially those looking to enhance their LGBTQ holdings with stories that go beyond coming out.-Ashley Leffel, Griffin M.S., Frisco, TX

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