Saoirse and Ruby set the standard for the genre of lesbian romantic comedy. A fun romance with substance.” — School Library Journal
“An emotionally stirring queer romance with witty, playful dialogue.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A snarky and sincere romp through meet-cutes and grand romantic gestures, this book is a must-read for fans of Becky Albertali and Morgan Matson.” — Ashley Poston, author of Geekerella and The Princess and the Fangirl
“Delightfully brash and no-nonsense. Pleasantly and audaciously fills a gap in queer romance.”
— Kirkus Reviews
"A meet-cute in the style of Jenny Han, and just as sweet and cinematic as YA rom-com fans will expect." — Booklist
“A charming romp of a rom-com about the delights and terrors of falling in love. Saoirse is a heroine for the ages; she is smart, flawed, funny, and—when she lets her guard down—achingly vulnerable. This book will make your heart sing. Read it.” — Misa Sugiura, award-winning author of It's Not Like It's a Secret and This Time Will Be Different
“A joyous, hilarious, big-hearted book with the kind of electric, rollicking voice that makes you want to live in its pages forever.” — Jeff Zentner, Morris Award-winning author of Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee
“A book that manages to be both tenderly gutting and absolutely hilarious. I want to be best friends with Saoirse Clarke.” — Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights
“The romantic story all queer girls deserve: funny, flirty, and absolutely perfect.” — Camryn Garrett, author of Full Disclosure
“A slow-burn summer romance narrated by a beautifully snarky heroine who likes to pretend that she doesn’t have a heart of gold. This book was made for those endless-feeling summer nights.” — Aminah Mae Safi, author of Not the Girls You're Looking For and Tell Me How You Really Feel
“Everything I wanted and so much more. How refreshing to read about two girls who like girls who find each other in the perfect meet cute. You’ll want to read this one again and again.” — Jaye Robin Brown, author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit and The Meaning of Birds
The romantic story all queer girls deserve: funny, flirty, and absolutely perfect.
A book that manages to be both tenderly gutting and absolutely hilarious. I want to be best friends with Saoirse Clarke.
A charming romp of a rom-com about the delights and terrors of falling in love. Saoirse is a heroine for the ages; she is smart, flawed, funny, and—when she lets her guard down—achingly vulnerable. This book will make your heart sing. Read it.
2020-03-25
A girl-girl rom-com packed with all the standard cheesy moments and raw emotions.
Having just completed her final exams, 17-year-old Saoirse heads into summer after high school with a lot on her plate: not wanting to attend prestigious Oxford, though her father’s set on it; navigating the anxiety and struggles of a mother suffering from early-onset dementia; and her father’s upcoming marriage to his new girlfriend, Beth. To postpone dealing with any of that, she heads to a party. There, she finds a cute girl to kiss—Ruby, visiting the seaside Irish town from her native England. Ruby adores romantic comedy films. To convert horror-loving Saoirse, Ruby proposes they try to complete a list of rom-com clichés over the summer. Commitment-phobic Saoirse’s keen to promote wholesome lesbian romance and to keep things casual. As they spend time together, however, it gets harder for Saoirse to follow her own relationship boundary rules. The novel’s voice is delightfully brash and no-nonsense while it simultaneously reveals Saoirse’s vulnerabilities as she deals with various feelings of betrayal. Smyth paints each character as a complex, messy, lifelike individual. Irish slang adds cultural texture to the story. Most characters are cued as white; Beth is English and brown-skinned.
Pleasantly and audaciously fills a gap in queer romance. (Romance. 13-18)
A joyous, hilarious, big-hearted book with the kind of electric, rollicking voice that makes you want to live in its pages forever.
A snarky and sincere romp through meet-cutes and grand romantic gestures, this book is a must-read for fans of Becky Albertali and Morgan Matson.
A slow-burn summer romance narrated by a beautifully snarky heroine who likes to pretend that she doesn’t have a heart of gold. This book was made for those endless-feeling summer nights.
"A meet-cute in the style of Jenny Han, and just as sweet and cinematic as YA rom-com fans will expect."
"A meet-cute in the style of Jenny Han, and just as sweet and cinematic as YA rom-com fans will expect."
