A review by wardenred
Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan

emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Chloe used to be my best friend.
And then more.
And then nothing.

There's one thing to be said for this book: it is immensely readable. I got through most of it in one go despite not liking the story much, just because the prose flowed so well and it was so easy to keep turning pages—like eating popcorn. When my attention began to drift, there was always something to pull me back in, whether it was a clever turn of phrase, a point of tension popping up at the exactly right spot, or a fun background happening.

There were some road trip moments that were genuinely enjoyable, such as the whole part with the middle-of-the-nowhere campsite and the elderly lesbian couple that ran it. I also liked Fallon's friends and all the facetiming scene. They were both really nice and reasonable and I wish they were more prominent in the plot. As for the main characters, though... eh. For a while, they were tolerable; the way Fallon kept breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging how strange her choices may look (BUT EMOTIONS) made it easier to stomach the drama. Eventually, though, that got kinda old. Also, her supposed "type A, always have a plan, etc" personality is such an informed attribute, OMG. She clearly likes making plans, yeah, but following through with them? And actually thinking through the things that matter? Nah. She just keeps going with the flow and reacting emotionally instead of thinking, and Chloe keeps doing the same thing but differently, and it was so frustrating to read a whole book of that. Or rather, of all the miscommunication born out of this.

I don't really mind miscommunication as a trope, tbh, but I feel that it is best handled in moderation. Here, the characters miscommunicated before the start of the story, kicking off the entire thing, and then they kept miscommunicating for the entire book, and then in the final act Fallon even acknowledged that there was a lot of miscommunication here! ...And then kept merrily miscommunicating along, committing all the same mistakes: assuming instead of talking, creating false impressions, putting words in Chloe's mouth, etc. And Chloe basically kept on doing the same thing, too. The characters never learn to communicate. There is no process. There is no evidence of them knowing each other all that well in the first place, despite having been friends for ages. Yeah, Chloe remembers Fallon's hobbies and coffee order, but, well. In her own words, it's not that deep. And since there's no process, the moment of communication at the very end feels like it happens by sheer accident, and I get no evidence that they will ever learn to talk to each other. None. Nill. In fact, I closed the book with a distinct impression that as soon as the honeymoon phase fades, there'll just be more drama and problems with obvious solutions (JUST TALK!!!) that no one will bother to implement even if someone provides step-by-step instructions.

I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it wasn't a romcom, but instead some kind of drama leaning deep into this teenage girl messiness, exploring the leads relationship for what it is, perhaps delving into their family history more. After all, both of them have
Mums who prefer manipulation over honest talk
(still mad about that plot twist, so not okay), so that must have left a mark. Show me the crash and the burn and how sometimes, two people just can't communicate with each other to save their lives because being honest and vulnerable would dredge up too much shit from their entire shared history, and I'm here for it. As a romcom, though... I just don't buy it.

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