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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
How Not to Fall in Love is one of my most anticipated reads this year. I've been pining for another from Firkins since I read her debut, Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things. As both are loose adaptations of classic literature (combined with how much Firkins' first made me crave the next), I couldn't help but compare them as I read HNtFiL and while it didn't quite measure up to HSaOBT for me, it was still really good. Harper, the daughter of a wedding dress seamstress, has a cynical outlook on love after she experienced a terrible breakup post-summer camp. Her best friend Theo can't stop falling in love and getting his heart broken every week. They just might have something to teach each other and set up an agreement: Harper will try dating the cute guy at the gym across the street and Theo will stop heading straight for love with every girl he dates. But they might have more to learn from each other than just this.
This retelling of Don Quixote (which I haven't read, so I can't give an accurate assessment as to how well the plots/themes match up, though I understand a windmill plays a role in DQ, and readers looking for that feature will find it here, too) is fun and modern, including trappings such as the contemporary wedding industry, LARPing, and Renaissance Faires (or, something similar for this particular brand of LARPing). Firkins leads the reader through a plot that is somewhat predictable and formulaic, including heavy miscommunication. It puts a little bit of a damper on things and is mostly what kept this from being a five-star read for me, but I can't fault the book for it too much, knowing that it was based on an existing work. The benefit of the obvious formula is good pacing, however. Especially once everything was established and tension continued to rise, I didn't want to put the book down even if I felt like I knew what was coming next.
As far as characters go (and, again, perhaps my fault for making comparisons), I found Harper to not be as interesting as I wanted her to be. While her cynicism is necessary to the plot, it sometimes gets in the way of Harper having other personality traits. Theo, Pippa, Felix, and Harper's mother had enough dimension to make them easy to differentiate and they fit nicely into the story. No one comes off especially well-developed, however, which was a letdown after what I remember from HSaOBT.
HNtFiL also lacks the nuance and maturity that I really loved in HSaOBT. If you're looking for another HSaOBT, you won't find it here, but if you're able to better separate the two, HNtFiL is a fun YA contemporary romance that is still a good step above most of the rest out there. Firkins' characters have an air of realism to them, even if they're a bit less developed than I would have liked, and the chemistry between Theo and Harper (and Harper and Felix) is obvious. Despite my gripes, highly recommended.
This retelling of Don Quixote (which I haven't read, so I can't give an accurate assessment as to how well the plots/themes match up, though I understand a windmill plays a role in DQ, and readers looking for that feature will find it here, too) is fun and modern, including trappings such as the contemporary wedding industry, LARPing, and Renaissance Faires (or, something similar for this particular brand of LARPing). Firkins leads the reader through a plot that is somewhat predictable and formulaic, including heavy miscommunication. It puts a little bit of a damper on things and is mostly what kept this from being a five-star read for me, but I can't fault the book for it too much, knowing that it was based on an existing work. The benefit of the obvious formula is good pacing, however. Especially once everything was established and tension continued to rise, I didn't want to put the book down even if I felt like I knew what was coming next.
As far as characters go (and, again, perhaps my fault for making comparisons), I found Harper to not be as interesting as I wanted her to be. While her cynicism is necessary to the plot, it sometimes gets in the way of Harper having other personality traits. Theo, Pippa, Felix, and Harper's mother had enough dimension to make them easy to differentiate and they fit nicely into the story. No one comes off especially well-developed, however, which was a letdown after what I remember from HSaOBT.
HNtFiL also lacks the nuance and maturity that I really loved in HSaOBT. If you're looking for another HSaOBT, you won't find it here, but if you're able to better separate the two, HNtFiL is a fun YA contemporary romance that is still a good step above most of the rest out there. Firkins' characters have an air of realism to them, even if they're a bit less developed than I would have liked, and the chemistry between Theo and Harper (and Harper and Felix) is obvious. Despite my gripes, highly recommended.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Infertility, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Harper works like crazy to help ensure her single mother's dream wedding dress shop is successful despite her mother's complete lack of business skills. She works such long hours at it that she's lost contact with almost all her friends except Theo, the dorky boy next door who has been her best friend forever. Harper also thinks romance and love are ridiculous because she has a front-row seat to awful bridezillas and their wedding drama, while Theo is a hopeless romantic who falls in love at the drop of a hat. A bet to prove whether love is real or not ends with Harper teaching Theo how not to fall in love with every girl he meets while Theo dares her to actually give a guy a chance and prove that she can date without falling in love. Harper is sure she'll win the bet, but things don't exactly work out like she expects them to and she's left wondering if there's more to love than she'd let herself believe.
I had a hard time deciding what to rate this one because, on the one hand, it's a pretty basic YA love story that I've read a ton of times before, but on the other hand, it's engaging and I really enjoyed reading it. There's something in Firkins's writing that pulled me into Harper's world. I wanted to see her figure things out and have her happy ending. So while the basic plot didn't blow me away, the story overall did thanks to the characters.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for the chance to read it! I'm sorry I took so long...
I had a hard time deciding what to rate this one because, on the one hand, it's a pretty basic YA love story that I've read a ton of times before, but on the other hand, it's engaging and I really enjoyed reading it. There's something in Firkins's writing that pulled me into Harper's world. I wanted to see her figure things out and have her happy ending. So while the basic plot didn't blow me away, the story overall did thanks to the characters.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for the chance to read it! I'm sorry I took so long...
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This book was okay. I had a hard time believing these main characters were high schoolers, though.
Boy next year loves love shy girl. Girl must decide if she wants to risk losing their friendship to try a relationship. YA
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Clarion Books (HMH Children's) and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
I wish I had words to describe the joy reading this gave me. There is nothing like a good YA contemporary to brighten your mood and that's exactly what this did. I adored the premise of this as well. There's nothing like a friends-to-lovers trope with one being absolutely clueless for half the book at least. Jacqueline has this incredible ability to draw you in from page one and leaving you wanting more with her prose and dynamic writing. While in parts this was a tiny bit predictable, it was still so enjoyable that I didn't care.
The relationship that blossoms between Harper and Theo is just so fun to watch. I love how their friendship has always been so close and they're always able to count on each other. They're both so well developed and intriguing to watch change and grow as the book goes on. I love how much Harper learns about herself and how determined she is to make things right when they go wrong. Her relationship with her mom was so pure. There are very few books that I can relate so fully and completely to the main character, but I really felt like I've been in Harper's shoes. While there was no bets involved, her relationship with her mother and her male best friend truly was something I experienced in high school. I enjoyed every minute of this!
I loved the way Firkins was able to make even the subtle details stand out and become such an incredible part of the story that she's crafted. If you are a lover of sweet, romances and love watching each character grow, pick this up. This is one book you won't want to miss!
I wish I had words to describe the joy reading this gave me. There is nothing like a good YA contemporary to brighten your mood and that's exactly what this did. I adored the premise of this as well. There's nothing like a friends-to-lovers trope with one being absolutely clueless for half the book at least. Jacqueline has this incredible ability to draw you in from page one and leaving you wanting more with her prose and dynamic writing. While in parts this was a tiny bit predictable, it was still so enjoyable that I didn't care.
The relationship that blossoms between Harper and Theo is just so fun to watch. I love how their friendship has always been so close and they're always able to count on each other. They're both so well developed and intriguing to watch change and grow as the book goes on. I love how much Harper learns about herself and how determined she is to make things right when they go wrong. Her relationship with her mom was so pure. There are very few books that I can relate so fully and completely to the main character, but I really felt like I've been in Harper's shoes. While there was no bets involved, her relationship with her mother and her male best friend truly was something I experienced in high school. I enjoyed every minute of this!
I loved the way Firkins was able to make even the subtle details stand out and become such an incredible part of the story that she's crafted. If you are a lover of sweet, romances and love watching each character grow, pick this up. This is one book you won't want to miss!