A review by nothingrhymeswithrachel
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

emotional funny 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

4.5

First of all, the audiobook version is absolutely worth it. It made this book ten times better. 
Generally, I enjoyed this story. The plot was good, the idea of a summer montage moment. Obviously this is a friends to lovers book, and they actually fall in love. But that was not the most interesting part of this book. The best/most heart-wrenching part of this book was hearing about her mom’s dementia and how it affected her entire view on life. I think a lot of people have been affected by their parents in this way, not necessarily by dementia specifically, but just the fear of becoming like them to the point that it makes it hard to live in the moment. 
With that being said, I absolutely hate a miscommunication trope and that is basically this entire book. Every single problem could have been solved with a single conversation. I know they’re 17/18 and this is a realistic version of how this would play out, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. 
The other thing that I am upset about with this book is
that they did not get their happy ending. I know the whole point of the montage was that they would break up at the end, but they ACTUALLY fell in love. I thought they would stay together! Lesbians deserve happy endings, too. Ugh. Whatever, maybe the author will write a sequel someday and I can update this review.

I am always grateful to read a sapphic story where the focus is not about coming out/getting kicked out of their home and the two love interests can just fall in love without having to worry about homophobia. Thank goodness for that. 💜

Expand filter menu Content Warnings