The Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smith

Ah, young love. I say this as a teenager, so I'm not one to judge. I would give The Falling In Love Montage an 8/10. Why so high? It was one of the best books I've ever read. Now, it's only not ranked higher because it's a realistic fiction/romance novel. Overall, it's fluffier than other books, and it didn't make me cry. The characters? Developed. The setting? Cheesy enough, but realistic. The plot? Advanced AND developed. Hotel? Trivago. Before I overwhelm you, let's get right to the review.

My heart goes out to Saoirse. (Yes, it did take me a couple checks to spell that right.) Saoirse was given a difficult situation, with a mom with early-onset dementia, a father who she believes is deserting her and he mother, and a new potential stepmother to deal with. Saoirse was dealt a difficult deck of cards. At the beginning of her last summer before she goes to university, she meets a wonderful girl. Ruby is visiting her cousin, Oliver, for the summer while her parents are on a mysterious trip to the States. (Later, that reason becomes clear in an surprising but ironic twist.) Saoirse has sworn off love because her best friend, who she ended up dating, broke up with her out of the blue. Presented like this, she sounds dramatic, and she is a little bit, but it's realistic teen angst, and most of her anger is directed at her father. In my opinion, it's completely warranted. She's also funny and sarcastic, both of which I appreciate. I've never read of a main character that's so dry but realistic. Most of the time, those types of characters seem very forced (of course, Saoirse wasn't). Anyway, when she meets Ruby, Ruby proposes that they treat the summer like a rom-com: the meet-cute, the falling in love montage, and the inevitable heart-wrenching breakup: Ruby knows the she can break Saoirse down.

Speaking of Ruby, I love her character. Unapologetic, confident, and sweet, she's the perfect personality to break Saoirse down. Dealing with some secret issues of her own, she's a developed and real character, just like all of them. Creative, quick to laughter, and beautiful, of course. Other characters that spoke to me with their real-ness were Saoirse's father and his girlfriend/fiancee/wife, Beth. I won't overwhelm you with minor details, but overall they seemed like real people to me. All YA books have characters that fit their setting very well, that speak, talk, and walk fearlessly, or brokenly, and seem fantastical, as they're supposed to. One of the reasons that I enjoyed this book so much was .cause of the way these characters walked and talked like normal people - people that I encounter in my everyday life.

Lastly, the setting of the book was the only thing I would've changed, and maybe not even then. Set in Ireland, it's of course a different country and a different continent than the United States, which made it seem far away. If any other parts, dialogue, or characters had been written any differently, I would've felt disconnected with the characters because I couldn't relate to the setting.

To sum up, The Falling In Love Montage was witty and engaging, with excellent characters and realistic issues. I would give this book an 8/10.