A review by dinipandareads
Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Special thanks to SparkPoint Studio and Balzer + Bray for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up

TL;DR: This was a fun coming-of-age YA contemporary that was a well-balanced mix of fluffy and serious. It tackles themes of racism, identity, mental health, learning disability and bullying in a sensitive and well-rounded way. Both of the characters felt like real teenagers who are simply doing their best and despite being frustrated by their actions sometimes, it was easy to root for them to find their happiness. The romance was admittedly a bit too cheesy for me at times and I felt like the build-up of the story felt too drawn out, I still enjoyed this and I think many YA readers will too!

What worked for me:
- This was a great coming-of-age contemporary that was a well-balanced mix of fluffy and sweet, as well as serious. Bryant covers some important themes including racism, identity, mental health, learning disabilities, and bullying and I think the themes were handled sensitively. I enjoyed seeing how Reggie and Delilah dealt with these issues individually and how they grew from their struggles.
- Reggie and Delilah were easy characters to root for. They both had their struggles to deal with but I liked how they supported and buoyed each other especially when they were together. I admit that the decisions these characters made were oftentimes frustrating but... Teenagers?
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