Name: Laure Decaluwé's review of The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth
Item: The Falling in Love Montage
Rating: 3
Author: Laure Decaluwé

Ciara Smyth

Two girls embark on a summer of montage-worthy dates (with a few strings attached) in this hilarious and heartfelt lesbian rom-com that's perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han. Seventeen-year-old cynic Saoirse Clarke isn't looking for a relationship. But when she meets mischievous Ruby, that rule goes right out the window. Sort of. Because Ruby has a loophole in mind: a summer of all the best cliché movie montage dates, with a definite ending come fall--no broken hearts, no messy breakup. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren't forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it's over, the characters have fallen in love...for real. Ciara Smyth's debut is a delightful, multilayered YA rom-com that will make you laugh, cry, and absolutely fall in love.

The Falling in Love Montage

Ian Brakspear

Seventeen-year-old Saoirse has finished with exams and is facing a long hot summer before uni. She plans to party, get drunk, watch horror movies and forget all her troubles by kissing girls. Ever since the breakupocalypse with her ex Hannah, she’s been alone and angry, dealing with the hole left in her family by her sick mother’s absence. Worse, Dad drops a bombshell: he’s remarrying at the end of the summer. Enter the scene: Ruby, who might just be the prettiest girl Saoirse’s ever seen. A romcom fan and a believer in true love, Ruby challenges cynical Saoirse to try a summer romance with the serious parts left out, just like in the movies. But what happens when the falling in love montage ends?

This is absolutely the best sentence this book could have ended with, amazing

Julia Rutgers

"History is who we are," I say finally. "The past shapes us. Even the parts you can't remember."

Katie Jordan

Aria Starstream

Hallie

Na een verbroken relatie gelooft Saoirse (17) niet meer in de liefde. Maar dan komt ze op een eindexamenfeest Ruby tegen. Zij daagt haar uit om samen de zomer door te brengen zonder eeuwige liefde en gebroken harten. Klinkt als een perfect plan, maar werkt het ook? Vanaf ca. 15 jaar.

De falling in love montage

Laure Decaluwé

** spoiler alert **
           Was niet zoals verwacht. De samenvatting praat over het verhaal van Saoirse en Ruby. 

Maar eigenlijk maken we kennis met Saoirse en haar struggles: haar demente moeder, haar vader die niet over zijn gevoelens kan praten, de vriendin van haar vader, het feit dat ze zelf dement kan worden,... 

Hoewel ik het een mooi verhaal vond en veel heb meegeleefd met Saoirse. Was ik teleurgesteld dat het geen quick read was. De samenvatting had me op het verkeerde spoor gebracht. 

Belangrijkste "quote":
Dat de vorm kan veranderen wilt niet zeggen dat de oppervlakte verandert. 

Liefde is veranderlijk maar dat betekent niet dat je niet meer van die persoon houdt.

river

oliver is my best friend i'm so deadly serious

Seventeen-year-old Saoirse has finished with exams and is facing a long hot summer before uni. She plans to party, get drunk, watch horror movies and forget all her troubles by kissing girls. Ever since the breakupocalypse with her ex Hannah, she's been alone and angry, dealing with the hole left in her family by her sick mother's absence. Worse, Dad drops a bombshell: he's remarrying at the end of the summer. Enter the scene: Ruby, who might just be the prettiest girl Saoirse's ever seen. A romcom fan and a believer in true love, Ruby challenges cynical Saoirse to try a summer romance with the serious parts left out, just like in the movies. But what happens when the falling in love montage ends?

Luna Yin

How dare a book have actual human elements and make me contemplate my existence and have real feelings about the world (in a good way)

Julia

Didn’t like the main character that much, but I love a wlw romcom

Jamieson

I don’t want to forget what we had. Ever. In the past, we’re perfectly preserved. Best friends in love forever




I remember this book getting announced on twitter, and the subsequent outpouring of love, support and excitement from a lot of sapphic women, especially lesbians. I think this is going to be the exact book a lot of people are hoping for because it is exactly what it says on the bill. A lesbian girl called Saorise meets another girl, Ruby, at a party, and the two set off on a casual, no strings attached relationship where they enact out romantic scenes from romantic comedies. Meanwhile, Saorise is coming to terms with her mother’s early-onset dementia, the reality of it being potentially hereditary, and her father deciding to remarry. Also, it is set in The Republic of Ireland, which was nice! It’s a setting I don’t read enough from.

The Falling in Love Montage nailed one of my favourite aspects of YA contemporary. That is, the ability to show teenagers dealing with hard situations and navigating complex relationships while allowing them the space to act out emotionally. Although the centrepiece of this novel could arguably be the romance, for me it was more so the relationship between Saorise and her father, and her feelings about her mother’s dementia. For me, that aspect of the story drew more interest than the romance.


  "The past shapes us. Even the parts you can't remember."



That is not to say the romance is bad. I liked the solid f/f representation that was conveyed through the romance. Saorise is a lesbian and is labelled so by herself and others often in the text. This in itself is a triumph, given how many YA books attempt to skirt around labels. I also enjoyed the portrayals of different types of sapphic relationships. Attention is given to Hannah, Saorise ex-girlfriend who was first her best friend. Then there are girls Saorise hooks up with, oftentimes who are ‘straight’, who want to explore their sexuality. And the there is her romance with Ruby, which is a meet-cute followed by casual, no string attached dates and make outs. I loved the various relationships here because I feel YA oftentimes tries to sanitise wlw experiences into the most acceptable form. Portraying a range of types of relationships, and showing that f/f relationships do not fit within certain boundaries was something I enjoyed. I didn’t find myself hugely invested in Ruby and Saorise in the sense of them being a ship, but I liked their dynamic and thought they were sweet. And I liked this book portrayed dating, kissing, and having sex openly and frankly.

The discussion around dementia is one I appreciated. I’m not sure the author’s experience with this, but as someone who has family experience with it I related to Saorise and her feelings on the matter. I liked how Saorise feelings on the matter were dealt with complexity, and how there was room for her to be angry, upset and scared. I thought it was nice to show the realistic burden a situation can take on a teenager.

So although I liked Ruby and Saorise, my favourite relationships in this book turned out to be the ones outside of that. Saorise arc with her father and the way this book dealt with the tensions of their relationship was the highlight for me. It was a relationship unlike any other I have seen portrayed in YA, and I liked how it did not come to a conclusive end because there was an acknowledgement that an issue could not so simply be resolved. There would need to be further work

There is also a side relationship between Saorise and Ruby’s cousin Oliver, who goes to school with Saorise. They’re ‘we kissed once before I realised I was a lesbian’ to enemies to friends and I thought they were just fun. They had good banter, and there is one scene between them that is one of my favourites in this book.

Despite how I have gushed about this book, I want to address my faults. First, the writing style. I’ve said it SO many times so I feel I don’t need to clarify but … first-person narration addressing the reader… I just don’t enjoy it. It always makes me feel distant and outside the story. (Ironic, since it’s intended to give the opposite effect). But the use of this style and some of Saorise’s thoughts were a little too corny for me and I couldn’t completely fall into the story. I also thought it started a little slow and fell into some debut cliche’s which I can forgive, but still noticed. For example, over describing the main character and occasionally telling rather than showing.

Overall, I would highly recommend The Falling in Love Montage for people looking for lesbian representation and f/f representation. People anticipating this book will not be disappointed. It brings out the best of the YA contemporary genre, showcasing complex relationships, good representation and dealing with serious topics for teenagers while allowing them the space to grow, love, change and maybe throw the occasional temper tantrum.

grace richards

nuria

(3.5⭐️) no sé como sentirme con este libro. la mayoría de veces no aguantaba a la protagonista, pero la historia sí que me gustaba...

Sophie

** spoiler alert **
           I liked this book, but it took me a while to get into it. but the further i got the more it kept getting better and even made me tear up one or two times and really captured me. also i like how the end is so open. I want to know what happens to Saoirse afterward, how her life continues but also I kind of think I don't need to know... it's a really good end. so in conclusion: the reading experience only got better and better 📈📈

The book is well written, I just didn't like it. 

Inga Kühn 

daisy

my rating is 2.5 stars rounded up to 3
i have many thoughts but i do not have the energy to talk about them because this is a very mentally draining book. 
the main objective seems to have a romcom movie type of feeling to this, and i guess that works because i have about the same amount of tolerance for romcoms as i had for the book. 
saoirse was a very unlikable character in the beginning BUT the book picked up midway and I'm grateful for that. 
i just wish we could've spent less time in saoirse's head because she was a really annoying narrator, maybe that's the point i guess?

Yunna Ducharme

** spoiler alert **
           Adorable minus the end I’m sad

alex wolfinger 

Charlotte 

** spoiler alert **
           ⭐⭐⭐

I really wanted to like this book but i didnt enjoy it as much as i thought i would. Saoirse, the protagonist was absolutely insufferable until the last 50 pages when she finally got over herself.

 It was frustrating that Saoirse would not talk to anyone about her feelings. The way she treated Ruby (apart from the physical stuff) was kind of awful - being dishonest, lying, and also assuming that Ruby's life must be perfect because her cousin oliver is incredibly rich. There didnt seem to be much emotional chemistry between the two either, though the physical chemistry was there. The points where Saoirse would address the reader were also sporadic and didnt add anything to the story for me. 

The author also withheld important info about events that happened between Saoirse and her mum and how the scar on Saoirse was formed, despite ample opportunity to do so, which is the same thing that Saoirse did with Ruby. This scene was also very important for understanding Saoirse and the things she was dealing with.

Hannah and izzy were also way too conveniently placed for my liking- Saoirse would just run into them at the most inconvenient/convenient (depending on how you look at it) times.

 Having said all this, i was very glad that the relationship between Saoirse and Ruby did end when they said it would and they didnt drag it out. I was happy to see Saiorse learn and grow, but for me it was too rushed and too late.

Also, given that Saoirse's mum herself was a psychologist, it seems odd that she wouldnt organise an appointment for Saoirse to see a genetic councillor who specialise in helping people deal with potential hereditary illnesses. A book that handled this particular plot point better imo is 'You'll miss me When I'm Gone" by Rachel Lynn Solomon. 

 If this is on your tbr i would still recommend you read it, beacuse it isnt a bad book, i just didnt enjoy it as much.

stefanija

Really nice! I really liked how saoroise and ruby where together

Ben Bastow

** spoiler alert **
           3.5/4 stars havent decided yet, great book, the ending was bittersweet

Jocelyn Janes

this book was ok. in my opinion the plot was boring in some parts and left me scrambling for more info. in contrast, he characters were very enjoyable and oliver was hillarious.

Lara Vannieuwenhuyse

Viktoria A

The books was good and I was able to finish it kind of quickly. It would have had a higher rating had the ending been differently than what it was. Simply because I don’t like these types of endings.

Annabelle Stevenson 

Lisette Haasnoot

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. Just sad that Saoirse (pronounce Seer-sha) didn't end up with Ruby bc they are perfect for each other but apart from that I really loved this book

Rose

slight spoilers
I laughed, I smiled, I cried, I internally screamed - everything a summer rom-com should make you do. I also felt so represented and understood in this book. I could relate to the two young lesbian main characters and I felt similar to them in terms of not knowing what to do with your life. I also imagined Ruby to look similar to me so having Saoirse absolutely obsessed with her and calling her the most beautiful girl in the world made me feel so loved and appreciated and beautiful. I also really understood the pressure Saoirse felt from her dad and how she had very high grades but still had no clue what she was going to do in the future. Also, me and my friends aren't doing well at the minute and so I could relate to her and Izzy's falling out in a way as well. It was a fun read but also incredibly meaningful to me and I highly recommend especially if you are questioning or queer, but also to anyone who enjoys a summer romance.

This is such a Lovely read as well as being hard hitting at times with References to Dementia, but it’s done in a way that is so real and so relatable if you have ever had anyone with the condition. 

Saoirse doesn’t believe in relationships because someone always gets hurt. And that’s exactly what happened when her ex-girlfriend broke up with her, plus she lost one of her best friends at the same time, so while she’s more than happy to kiss random girls at parties, that’s it. She’s also scared about her future. Her mother has early-onset dementia and now lives in a nursing home, and there’s a chance the same thing could happen to Saoirse. So why plan to go to Oxford or fall in love, when she could just forget it all someday?

You would never know that this was a debut book for Ciara this is such a great read that pulls you in and makes you fall in love with the characters and the Irish setting. The Characters within the book are well rounded and they feel like they could be real people you could easily walk into. The Characters are allowed to make mistakes and they learn from them, they change their mind, and they go through changes throughout the book, but they are allowed to grow throughout the book, and this is a great find in Romance fiction. 

The romantic relationship is not the only stand out however as Saoirse’s relationship with her dad is super relatable, they fight constantly and about everything, but the love they have for each other is clear underneath all that anyway.

The Falling in Love Montage is generally a rare find when it comes to showcasing relationships. The novel makes it abundantly clear that not every couple is going to be together till death does them apart and – and that’s the real kicker! – this book tells and shows you that’s perfectly okay. People grow, people change, circumstances change… Things happen. And The Falling in Love Montage, despite being a very cute rom-com, doesn’t try to sell us a candy-pink version of the world. “If you truly love someone, if they were ever important to you, it doesn't disappear. What it looks like might change, but that's only the surface.

Hallie &
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

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