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The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth — ★★★★ 3.8 / 5
Weighted reader score across Amazon & Goodreads (33,392 combined ratings).
Two girls who don’t believe in happy endings agree to spend one summer living out every rom-com cliché on purpose — a montage of a romance with a built-in expiration date and absolutely no feelings allowed. What could possibly go wrong?
If you love a witty, big-hearted sapphic YA rom-com with real emotional weight underneath the banter, The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth is a summer standout. It takes the movie-montage fantasy — a whirlwind of skinny-dipping, road trips, and grand gestures — and grounds it in two guarded girls who are each running from something real.
Our take: A sharp, funny, and surprisingly tender debut that uses its rom-com framing to sneak up on you with grief, fear, and the courage it takes to want a future — even if the montage doesn’t win over everyone.
The Evidence Scorecard
Here is how The Falling in Love Montage holds up across the dimensions that matter most, drawn from 33,392 combined Amazon and Goodreads ratings and thousands of written reviews.
Overall ★★★★
Evidence:
- ✓ Weighted 3.8/5 across 33,392 combined ratings
- ✓ Amazon readers rate it a strong 4.4/5 across 1,720 ratings
- ✓ Goodreads community sits at 3.78/5 across 31,672 ratings
- ✓ A beloved go-to recommendation for sapphic YA rom-com readers
Romance ★★★★
Evidence:
- ✓ A charming fake-relationship-turned-real summer romance
- ✓ Grumpy-meets-sunshine energy between Saoirse and Ruby
- ✓ Genuine chemistry built through banter and shared adventures
- ✓ A slow thaw as both girls lower their guard
Characters ★★★★
Evidence:
- ✓ Saoirse: sharp, sarcastic, and guarded — a divisive but memorable lead
- ✓ Ruby: warm, optimistic, and quietly perceptive
- ✓ Layered family dynamics, especially around Saoirse’s mother
- ✓ Voice-driven narration many readers find fresh and relatable
Writing ★★★★
Evidence:
- ✓ Snappy, funny dialogue with a distinctly Irish voice
- ✓ Confident debut prose that balances comedy and grief
- ✓ Rom-com structure used cleverly as a narrative device
- ✓ Some readers find the humor an acquired taste
Emotional Impact ★★★★
Evidence:
- ✓ A rom-com surface hiding a story about grief and fear
- ✓ Saoirse’s dread of inherited illness gives real stakes
- ✓ Several readers report unexpected tears in the back half
- ✓ The lightness makes the heavier beats land harder
Heat Level ★★★
Evidence:
- ✓ A sweet, low-heat YA romance — kissing, not spice
- ✓ Intimacy kept age-appropriate and emotionally focused
- ✓ Tension built through longing and vulnerability
- ✓ Best for readers who want swoon over steam
Ending ★★★½
Evidence:
- ✓ A hopeful, earned resolution that satisfies most readers
- ✓ Some feel it wraps up a touch quickly or conveniently
- ✓ A few readers wanted more from the emotional payoff
- ✓ The rom-com promise is honored without feeling hollow
Re-read Value ★★★½
Evidence:
- ✓ A quick, comforting summer re-read
- ✓ Quotable banter that holds up on a second pass
- ✓ Standalone with no sequel commitment required
- ✓ Not everyone connects with Saoirse’s prickliness twice
Quick Facts
| Title | The Falling in Love Montage |
| Author | Ciara Smyth |
| Series | Standalone |
| Published | June 4, 2020 |
| Length | 368 pages |
| Genre | Sapphic YA contemporary rom-com |
| Tropes | Summer romance, grumpy/sunshine, no-feelings pact, coming of age |
| Heat Level | 2/10 — sweet, low-heat YA |
| Weighted Score | 3.8 / 5 (33,392 combined ratings) |
You’ll Love This If…
- ✓ You want a funny, heartfelt sapphic YA rom-com
- ✓ You love a sharp, sarcastic narrator with hidden depth
- ✓ You enjoy a fake/temporary-relationship setup that catches feelings
- ✓ You appreciate real emotional stakes under the comedy
- ✓ You want a summery, standalone one-sitting read
Avoid If…
- You find prickly, defensive protagonists hard to root for
- You want a spice-forward adult romance rather than sweet YA
- You dislike heavy real-life subplots (illness, grief) in your rom-coms
- You prefer plot-driven stories over voice- and character-driven ones
Book Synopsis
Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings — if they were real, her mother wouldn’t be in a care home with early-onset dementia, a condition Saoirse fears she may one day inherit. With her home life fracturing and her future feeling uncertain, the last thing she’s looking for is a relationship.
Then she meets Ruby, who proposes a deal: a summer-long romance modeled on the great rom-com montages, complete with all the clichés — and a strict end date when the season is over, no messy feelings attached. It sounds foolproof. But as the staged montage starts to feel real, both girls have to decide whether a love with an expiration date is worth risking their hearts over.
My Review
What makes The Falling in Love Montage click is that it knows exactly what it’s doing. Smyth takes the wish-fulfillment fantasy of a movie romance — the grand gestures, the perfect summer, the montage set to a swelling soundtrack — and hands it to two girls who have every reason to distrust happy endings. The premise is a lark, but the emotional undertow is real, and that tension is what elevates the book above a standard rom-com.
Saoirse is the engine of the story, and she’s a genuinely divisive lead: sarcastic, defensive, and quick to push people away. Readers who click with her voice tend to love the whole book; readers who find her abrasive struggle to warm up. I landed firmly in the first camp — her prickliness is clearly armor, and watching Ruby’s steady warmth chip away at it is the quiet joy of the novel.
The comedy is sharp and specifically Irish, with banter that lands more often than not. But the reason the book has stuck with so many readers is the grief humming underneath: Saoirse’s fear about her mother, and about her own future, gives the whole sunny montage a poignant edge. When the laughs give way to the harder beats, they hit precisely because you weren’t braced for them.
It’s not flawless — the resolution ties up a little neatly, and Saoirse’s edges won’t work for everyone — but as a debut, it’s confident, funny, and warmer than it first lets on. For readers who want a sapphic YA rom-com with actual stakes, it earns its devoted following.
What Readers Are Saying
With over 33,000 combined ratings and more than 5,000 written reviews across Amazon and Goodreads, The Falling in Love Montage has a large, enthusiastic fanbase — but its 3.78 Goodreads average also reflects some genuinely mixed reactions. Here is what readers actually say.
What readers love
- ✓ The sharp, funny voice — many call Saoirse relatable and refreshingly sassy
- ✓ A rare, joyful sapphic YA rom-com with an on-page happy ending
- ✓ The unexpected emotional depth around grief, dementia, and family
- ✓ The grumpy-meets-sunshine chemistry between Saoirse and Ruby
- ✓ A quick, comforting, summery read that’s easy to devour in a sitting
The criticisms and negative opinions
- Saoirse’s prickliness is polarizing — some readers find her hard to like or root for
- Several reviewers say the actual “montage” is the least memorable part of the book
- Some feel the romance takes a back seat to the family and grief storylines
- A subset found the ending too neat or the pacing uneven in the second half
- A few readers wanted a fresher payoff, feeling the setup promised more than it delivered
The net-net: readers who vibe with Saoirse’s voice and want substance under their rom-com tend to adore this; readers who bounce off sarcastic narrators or expected a lighter, romance-forward story are the ones behind the more lukewarm ratings. It’s a book that rewards knowing what you’re signing up for.
Romance Profile
| Central Pairing | Saoirse & Ruby |
| Dynamic | Grumpy meets sunshine; a no-feelings summer pact |
| Trope Engine | Fake/temporary relationship + slow catch of real feelings |
| Pace of Romance | Brisk summer arc — a season-long fling that deepens |
| Heat | 2/10 — sweet, low-heat YA |
| Ending | Hopeful and resolved; standalone |
Emotional Profile
- ✓ Comedy layered over real grief and fear
- ✓ The ache of loving someone while bracing for loss
- ✓ Guardedness slowly giving way to trust
- ✓ Coming-of-age uncertainty about the future
- ✓ A warm, hopeful glow by the final pages
Content Warnings
- Parental illness (early-onset dementia) and fear of inherited illness
- Grief and family estrangement
- Divorce and a parent’s remarriage
- Emotional distress and anxiety
- Brief underage drinking
The Book’s DNA
| Setting | Contemporary Ireland, over one summer |
| Structure | First-person, voice-driven; rom-com montage framing |
| Vibe | Funny, warm, bittersweet, coming-of-age |
| Romance Flavor | Sweet sapphic YA with real stakes |
| Best Read When | You want a quick summer read with heart |
If You Loved The Falling in Love Montage, Try…
- Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins — sapphic YA with boarding-school charm and slow-burn feelings
- Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales — witty bi YA rom-com with a fake-advice premise
- Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli — funny, heartfelt teen romance with theater-kid energy
- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson — joyful Black sapphic YA rom-com
- The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar — enemies-to-lovers sapphic YA set in Ireland
For more sapphic reads, browse our full guide to lesbian forced proximity romance, and if you love a slow-burn reunion just as much, don’t miss our Sapphic Second Chance Romance Books roundup.
About the Author
Ciara Smyth is an Irish author of contemporary young adult fiction, known for her sharp humor and emotionally grounded sapphic love stories. The Falling in Love Montage was her debut novel and quickly became a favorite in the queer YA space; she has since continued writing witty, heartfelt teen romances.
Read more Ciara Smyth reviews →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Falling in Love Montage a standalone?
Yes. It’s a complete, self-contained standalone novel with a resolved ending — no sequel required.
Is the romance sapphic?
Yes. The central romance is between two girls, Saoirse and Ruby, and it’s an on-page f/f love story at the heart of the book.
Is it young adult or adult?
It’s young adult — the leads are teenagers and the tone, content, and heat level are age-appropriate for YA.
How spicy is it?
Very mild — around 2/10. The romance is sweet and low-heat, focused on emotion and swoon rather than explicit content.
What is the “montage” premise?
The two leads agree to stage a summer romance built on classic rom-com clichés, with a set end date and a no-real-feelings rule — which, of course, gets complicated.
Does it deal with heavy themes?
Yes. Beneath the comedy, it explores early-onset dementia, grief, family estrangement, and fear of an uncertain future.
What’s the weighted rating?
It earns a weighted 3.8/5 across 33,392 combined Amazon and Goodreads ratings — 4.4/5 on Amazon and 3.78/5 on Goodreads.
Who will enjoy it most?
Readers who love voice-driven, funny sapphic YA with genuine emotional depth — and who don’t mind a sharp, guarded narrator.
Final Verdict
The Falling in Love Montage is a sapphic YA rom-com that’s cleverer and more tender than its bright, breezy premise suggests. It hands two guarded girls a summer of movie-perfect romance and then lets real grief, fear, and family complications seep in around the edges — and that mix is exactly why so many readers love it. Saoirse’s sharp, defensive voice won’t click for everyone, and the ending leans a little tidy, which keeps this just shy of a top-tier score. But for readers who want a funny, heartfelt, genuinely queer summer read with actual stakes, it’s an easy recommendation: 3.8 / 5.
Where to Buy
Buy The Falling in Love Montage on Amazon Listen on Libro.fm
Note: This is not an affiliate link — we don’t earn a commission. We link to Amazon purely so you can find the book easily. If that sharp, adversarial spark is your catnip, browse more enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance in our roundup.
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