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A review by katymul
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ciara Smyth is a master class in the YA romance genre. The romantic progress and the character's (often harrowing) personal journeys dovetail masterfully. She reels you in with charming rom com premises...that she then treats with a level of reality that makes them feel more important than the trope her characters (in this case intentionally) imitate. She weaves real and intense struggles with parents and identity into these charming set-ups in a way that elevates them but also explains the need for them as fantasy. Even the most minor characters are rendered in complex, thoughtful, and subtle ways. The empathy pours off the page not just for her protagonist but for even the smallest characters.
The fact that this is all done with boldly sapphic characters winding their way through the world as unapologetic protagonists is extra healing because nothing about Smyth's book feel like a gimmick. They may be sold with charming tropes, but what you're buying is the careful, imperfect negotiation of self and community and partnership by young people who have very much not figured it out yet.
The fact that this is all done with boldly sapphic characters winding their way through the world as unapologetic protagonists is extra healing because nothing about Smyth's book feel like a gimmick. They may be sold with charming tropes, but what you're buying is the careful, imperfect negotiation of self and community and partnership by young people who have very much not figured it out yet.