The Falling in Love Montage was just the perfect contemporary I needed! Full of character from page one, it’s a story about second chances and belief. Keep reading this book review if you’re interested in this heart warming queer romcom.
Summary
Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out.
But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.
Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. 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 actually fall in love… for real.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I adored The Falling in Love Montage. It is a hilarious and heart warming lesbian romcom with so much personality. Saoirse immediately came off the page as quirky, funny, and incredibly clever and her narration is some of the best I’ve read! The writing voice felt both like the inside of Saoirse’s head and you could hear it almost like she was talking to you! The Falling in Love Montage is a complex story about family, forgiveness, and moving on. Saoirse felt so relatable, the way she can push people away and when they leave it feels like you were right all along, the way she can hurt people with her words.
And you can instantly feel for her. Faced with her mother’s early onset dementia, the possibility of her own diagnosis, the implosion of her friendships, and her dad’s new relationship Saoirse is dealing with so much. It has triggered this incredibly relatable moment where you kind of wonder what all of this even means, whether or not relationships are built to last. While I cannot relate to what Saoirse is going through, her struggles and cynicism felt so relatable to me. The Falling in Love Montage is one of those unique books which is both character and action driven.
It has amazing, fabulous, and fully dimensional characters, while also hooking readers with a sense of suspense. What will happen when the summer ends? There’s a sense of action, trepidation that pulls you along and I suddenly devoured like the last 70% of this book. I also loved how self-reflexive The Falling in Love Montage was in its look at queer romcoms – and the lack of them! The way they want to have their chance at a happy ending, at casual carefree kisses, at a montage scene. And The Falling in Love Montage is the perfect response.
Overall,
There is a wealth of things to love in The Falling in Love Montage. Unlikely friendships, chances of forgiveness, and the ability we have to change our own mind. It’s a story that reacts to our fear of being hurt, from opening our heart up only to lose what is essential to us. If you’re a fan of romcoms, quirky characters who love horror films, and relatable questioning of life, check out The Falling in Love Montage. Find The Falling in Love Montage on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.