This was such a moving, funny, chaotic, relatable exploration of a girl who's so used to fixing other problems but unable to fix her own. A great message for teens, and the problems she faces along the way will bring joy.and hilarity along with the wisdom!

As I was reading it I was sad that this was such a departure from The Falling in Love Montage. Particularly because Aideen was an unlikable character. Then it started giving me Sex-Education (Netflix) vibes and I started to see where the book was going and I smiled an settled in for the ride.

I'd normally give a book like this a three-star rating, but I enjoyed the ending too much so I rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

One of the best books I read in 2021. Incredible writing, new and innovative storyline, and representation that made me feel extremely seen. I've recommended this to so many people.

I did end up buying the physical copy and enjoyed it!! Ciara Smyth did a wonderful job creating lovable and relatable characters.

Ciara Smyth's books have become some of my favorite YA to consume in the last few years. The enemies-to-lovers trope works well in the story and leads itself to some hilarious and uplifting moments.

🏳️‍🌈 Book review 🏳️‍🌈

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth is a gem of a book. I was gifted the eArc from @netgalley and I have no idea why I waited so long to get to it. I think Ciara Smyth has become an auto buy author for me. I loved her debut The Falling in Love Montage. I absolutely adore that her books are set in Ireland.

For this one, I love the vibe and the setting of the high school that these kids go to. Aideen is a great main character. She made me laugh so much but her troubles at home felt so real and honest at the same time. I loved how she found her self in a “business” of helping other students with their problems and how she ends up finding great friends. The relationships in this book are on point. The romantic love interest is on point. And the characters are on point.
If you’re look for a coming of age queer novel, then pick this up for sure.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book also gave me Sex Education vibes. (Netflix series that I adore).

This is about a girl named Aideen, who fixes other people’s problems in exchange for favors. I’ve honestly never read a plot as quirky as this one - if you aren’t a #characterreader like I am, you might not love it as much as me.

One of my favorite parts about this book is that it is a queer love story, without the the central conflict of the book being about sexuality. Love Montage is like this too - her characters are dynamic, fascinating, at times even unlikeable (but always sympathetic) - and casually queer in the most wonderful and proud way.

I LOOOVE AIDEEN, our protagonist. So much. She is moody, reckless, self-aware & full of unabashed angst. Being inside her brain is absolutely hilarious. Ciara Smyth’s side characters are perfectly developed and unique in there own way as well.

Thank you @epicreads for my free copy!

I really enjoyed Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth! The friend group that develops throughout the story is very fun and endearing, and there are plenty of humorous moments to enjoy. There's also some more serious topics: CW for an alcoholic parent and an overbearing parent. I listened to this one on audio and I'm so glad I did! The narrator's Irish accent really helped me feel immersed in the setting and the characters. I enjoyed The Falling in Love Montage, but I think I liked this one even more! Aideen is relatable, if a little wild, and Meabh is a slightly uptight overachiever who is endearing and easy to like as you get to know her. Overall, this story felt very high school without some of the more annoying aspects YA can fall victim to. I'd recommend this one if you're looking for contemporary sapphic YA!

There was something not working in this story for me. The characters were pretty unlikable, and the plot felt too familiar

Very funny -- I loved how the premise of the book kind of embraced the romcom in a way that readers have to suspend their disbelief. I also loved the relationships and how they grow.

This is fun and really quite silly, but in a way that makes you want to keep reading. I always like reading YA set in places that are unfamiliar to me, and this one fit the bill.

I absolutely loved Ciara Smyth’s first novel, so this was an immediate read when I saw it. It fit right in with her first- funny, romantic, and genuine. Aideen is an unlikeable narrator that grows on you as you learn more about her. This is a great enemies to lovers story!

I loved this novel from start to finish. I am a sucker for a good coming of age story and "Not My Problem" did everything right. Although the main character of Aideen is somewhat unlikeable, but the readers get to see her backstory and understand why exactly she acts like that. This novel also deal with far heavier topics, but it does them in a perfect way that only add to Aideen's character and the way that the readers feel about her. This speaks volumes for Smyth's writing style, which included some of the funniest dialogue that I have ever read, but also knew how to deal with the sensitive topics with care and grace.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book and I cannot wait to pick it up again. Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this book!

A very sweet and heartwarming coming-of-age story. This YA novel does a great job of balancing heavy themes like poverty with a sweet queer love story.

Not My Problem is a cute and funny YA read.
One thing I absolutely love is that the main character is an out and proud lesbian, and no one gives her shit for it. Yay!
This is definitely a great choice for teens.

This review contains NO spoilers.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book despite initially being wary after the first chapter. It has everything you could want in a YA novel: sarcasm, realistic troubles, romance (bonus points for being sapphic), and complex characters.

The Pros
Aideen is a wonderful character that is easy to get attached to. She has many problems in her life between struggling with her failing grades, a best friend who constantly gaslights her, self-esteem issues, being poor, and trying to help her mom not slip back into her drinking habits. All of these things helped her be a complex character without feeling like she was just another stereotype. The issues addressed were genuine and written about from a place of understanding.
The diversity in this book is great! I loved all the characters and the sapphic romance that evolved from the story.
My pros list might seem small, but it is just because I don’t have much to say beyond the fact that the majority of this book was great. It had great representation and was an easy book to get through.

The Cons
The initial spark between Aideen and Meabh just seemed so unrealistic to me. I know that part of Aideen’s character (as seen throughout the book) is that she loves helping people and fixing things, but the first problem she fixes felt off to me. I won’t tell you what it is, but I will tell you that it is pretty serious.
The romance between Aideen and Meabh didn’t develop the way I wanted it to. This could just be a personal preference, but it felt almost rushed. There were only a couple moments where Aideen really thought about Meabh in a romantic way and then the book was essentially over. There was never any real moment where she thought about her feelings even after she had realized she had them.
I would’ve loved an epilogue or something to show where Aideen was at a year in the future. I craved a more substantial ending to make me feel better about it all. What happened with Holly? Did it work out with Meabh? How was her mom doing?

Overall, the pros outweighed the cons for me in this book. It really captured my attention and made me want to keep reading which is exactly what I did. I would read this book again (and I even might!) in the future.

Interesting, funny, and witty, Is a nice coming-of-age story with a cool heroine. The characters are well-fleshed out, giving the novel the needed depth.

Aideen is sharp tongued, unfiltered, and funny as hell. She’s 16 years old and fantasizes about an HEA with Kristen Stewart that’s sure to happen someday. In reality, troubles at home and the difficulties of being a poor teen trying to keep up at a wealthy school are slowly drowning her. She’s not a loner but she’s not really seen by the other students which I think is by choice. Whether it’s because of shame or a sense of failure, Aideen works hard to hide her family secrets by showing up to just enough classes and shooting off a quick wit that deflects anyone from getting too close. Her best friend seems to have drifted away, making her feel even more alone. Then some unforeseen hijinks come Aideen’s way pushing her down a new path.

Two remarkable things about this author’s writing. One is that she buries her main character in the reader’s heart. The other is that she does not let you off the hook because once she’s gotten you to care, then you’re getting the whole story and you’re not going to turn away. I teared up, I belly laughed, and I wanted to tell Aideen that all would be well.

The secondary characters are wonderful. Aideen learns as we do that everyone in life has their own story and struggles. There are also new friends who refuse to let Aideen tackle the world alone and a sweet crush is involved. I loved every bit of this book and recommend highly.

This book was fabulous. I haven't read The Falling in Love Montage but it has jumped up my TBR list based on how incredible Not My Problem was. This book primarily focuses on Aideen. Aideen is a teenager in high school dealing with all kinds of teenage problems. And some....not so teenage problems. Her best friend is manipulative and mean but she makes her happy. She is failing or behind in all of her classes. She has fallen ill with a bizarre array of illnesses including the plague and a humours imbalance (not really). And her mother is a struggling alcoholic who has had a relapse and Aideen has to deal with all that this entails.

This was an unexpectedly heavy read but I think it’s really necessary. Without going into too many spoilers or details, this book has some especially great commentary on the ways social services can harm youth in unsafe situations as well as what typically “destructive” or “indifferent” behaviors can actually mean. It’s also so important that it is from Aideen’s perspective but includes some outside voices like Meabh and Ms Devlin.

Lastly, I loved most of the characters but I love LOVED Aideen and Kavi. Ciara Smyth is really great at creating fully-realized, well-rounded characters in just a few pages and that aids to her novels. She is now officially on my auto-read list.

**I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!