This book was funny, creative, and a little sad. I'm not sure I've encountered a book that talks about what codependency in kids looks like until this book. This is probably also the first time in a while that I read a book and was sad it ended so soon. I also found it interesting that the book didn't make a big deal of being a lesbian or coming out; it was just natural and normal, which is how we wish it would be all of the time.

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth definitely lived up to it’s pre-release hype for me! I always appreciate a story about queer characters that isn’t a coming out narrative. Don’t get me wrong, coming out stories are incredibly important, but we need more stories that aren’t coming out as well.

We follow Aideen, a less-than-stellar student who is full of excuses for missing classes and is dealing with an alcoholic mother and absent father. She gets convinced to push another student down the stairs, and not just any student, but a prissy perfect student who also happens to be the headmaster's daughter Meabh. After this favor she somehow ends up fixing minor problems for several other students, with repayment in the form of favors owed.

This book got off to a much slower start than I was prepared for, so it took awhile for me to get into, but by 30% in I was hooked. Meabh gave me so many Paris Gellar vibes and I loved it. I wish the romance had been a bit more prevalent, but I still would recommend this book to my students and all readers of YA.

This book was a lot of fun. I gave it a 3 out of 5, I liked this book a lot but it wasn't one of my favorites. The main character starts a "business" helping other people and through this she makes some new friends and a love interest. The main character also is trying to navigate through problems at home and through her friendships. She eventually learns to depend on people and ask for help. Also the little romance on the side.... is really cute and it's gay! Overall, I definitely recommend this and.... it came out today so go read it.

Wow, I flew through this book! After The Falling In Love Montage, my expectations were extremely high but this somehow exceeded those expectations. Both stories are not comparable but I have a feeling Not My Problem will leave a lasting impact just as TFILM did. All of the characters were so well developed and Aideen and Maebh were amazing but the side characters were also just as amazing. Kavi and Aideen's friendship was my personal favorite. The way it handles more difficult topics was done spectacularly. Overall, I would honestly go so far as to say this is one of my favorite books I've read this year!

I loved this! I was a big fan of Smyth’s, The Falling in Love Montage, so this book was on the top of my must read of 2021 list. My expectations were high, but this book met every single one of them. I’m happily surprised to say this, but I thought this book was actually better than TFILM. This is the kind of book that I think is just a must for YA fans. And even if you are not a huge YA fan, this book is written so well that I think you will love it anyway.

This book didn’t even give me a minute to settle in. I was hooked after a few lines and Smyth had me wrapped around her little finger for the rest of the book. The writing was so good and there were many brilliant lines. I can’t even tell you how many quotes I wanted to write down since I lost track. I love Smyth’s humor. She is so witty and it is the kind of book humor that actually works for me. If I wasn’t so swamped with reading, I’d be turning back to page one -as soon as I finished this review- to read this whole book again. There are so many lines and parts that I want to enjoy again and if you read my reviews, you will know I’m not a big re-reader so it’s a huge compliment to Smyth’s writing.

Unlike The Falling in Love Montage, this is more of a coming of age story than a romance. There is a cute, sort of enemies to lovers romance, but it’s not the main focus. However, I thought the amount of romance worked perfectly with the book. With everything else going on for our main character, the amount of romance was a good fit and I thought the couple was adorable too.

While the plot is very good, never boring and keeps you turning the pages, the characters were the heart of the book for me. I loved them all. Aideen, is the perfect main character to be in the headspace of and every other important or secondary character was well done too. There were no cardboard cut-outs, instead everyone was really fleshed-out with their own unique voice.

This was the kind of YA that gave me all the feels. I did cry a little at one point, and had some misty eyes until the end, but the humor helped to keep this book much more in the feel good lane. This is the kind of YA book I love. I honestly have no complaints and am a very happy camper. I’m looking forward to gushing and chatting about this book as more reviews start coming in.

I really loved this book! It was so cute and so so funny! I really loved reading about Aideen’s relationship with her mom and how it shaped her world. The character development was amazing and all of the characters were so amazing! Loved it!

This was a great story about one girls idea to help out the spoiled kids so they owe her favors and I have to say that its genius!! Aideen is dealing with some heavy topics in this one. Mainly her mothers alcoholism. The plot was authentic and the LGBTQ themes was not a plot in the story. It was just there and that was wonderful that it wasn't at the forefront. Just for the fact that it shouldn't be. Wither the MC is straight or gay etc it shouldn't matter. I can't wait for more.

I enjoyed Ciara Smyth's other novel The Falling in Love Montage so I was excited to read her new release, and wow, I flew through this book in just two days!
One of my favorite things about Smyth's books is that romance is not at the forefront of the story. Family problems and family relationships are at the heart of the story, which I think adds so much depth to the characters.
I loved the two main characters and how their relationship progressed so naturally, I absolutely adored the side characters (I'm officially leading the ProtectKaviSquad!!), and the ending was perfectly done.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not My Problem is truly a delight. The rivals-to-lovers trope was well done, and the characters were fully fleshed out and had great development. It was authentic and charming, but also really funny. Overall, this book really delivered.

This was a ton of fun. I definitely preferred this book to the author’s first novel. It felt far more authentic. It balances humor and tough topics deftly. An excellent read!

While hiding from her own problems, Aideen accidentally became the go-to problem solver for her classmates.

Smyth delighted me with her debut, The Falling in Love Montage, and she delighted me even more with Not My Problem. When I finished this book, my mind was bursting with all sorts of positive adjectives to describe my experience, and this book is one I will definitely be shouting about.

I was hooked into this story from page one. I immediately loved Aideen, even if I wasn't supposed to. It was easy to see that there was much more to her than met the eye. Her attitude and disinterest were her armor. She wore it to protect herself from feeling the full impact of her problems. Due to her mother's alcoholism, Aideen dealt with constant worries related to paying bills, having food to eat, and her mother's well being. But she still had the average teenage issues to deal with as well, such as her dismal grades and her struggling relationship with her best friend. This could be a lot for one person to deal with, which was why I was so excited when she starting the favor-for-a-favor arrangement. Her role as problem solver helped her make new connections and lead to breaching the barriers Aideen had built to protect herself.

Aideen learning to trust others with her problems and allow them to share her load was a big part of this story. It happened slowly as she grew to fully realize that she was forming honest friendships with those she had been helping. It was beautiful and touching, and I was really moved by the way Aideen's world grew and changed for the better.

I must admit, some of the most fun parts of this book were when they were "problem solving". The first assist Aideen offered was completely insane, and the capers that followed were even more elaborate and crazy fun. I loved how with each new problem, this little community grew. Aideen thought it was a quid-pro-quo sort of arrangement, but the bonds they formed were real. The interactions with Maebh and Kavi were especially stellar, as were the moments Aideen shared with Ms. Devlin (those excuse notes - 🤣).

Not My Problem was a complete package for me. Great characters, a touching story, humor, wit, and lots of heart. It was so satisfying to see Aideen stop hiding her troubles, open herself up to others, and accept their support.

Not My Problem is a fantastic and imaginative coming of age novel that is witty and humorous while still dealing with difficult but relatable topics many teens face today. The writing was top notch and the characters were brilliant. I really enjoyed reading as relationships developed and storylines played out in a way that made me instantly fall in love with the characters. The lesbian representation was done well, though there wasn't much of a romance storyline until the very end. All in all, the story is mainly about friendships/relationships and what I really appreciated was the piece about knowing when to let certain friendships go.
*ARC copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Funny, heartwarming, and surprisingly sad at times, NOT MY PROBLEM is a whirlwind of a book about friendship, mothers, and problems. I was a huge fan of Smyth’s debut, and her sophomore novel definitely stood up to reader expectations.

Not My Problem by @ciaraiswriting ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received this advanced reader copy via @netgalley and I fell in love. The narration was so real and honest. This book hit me in my own vulnerability. Everyone has trouble asking for help on some level, but this really did show it is ok to ask for help.
All of the characters were jumping off the page in their authenticity. Especially Aideen, who might be the funniest narrator I have ever seen. I also found myself appreciating the small details of the enemies to lovers and opposites attract romance. The main characters are lesbians, but their sexualities were not discussed very much. They were not lesbians in a straight world. They simply exist. It was very refreshing to see.
I truly loved this book so pick it up when it comes out on MAY 25TH!! and thank you to @harpercollins and @ciaraiswriting again for this arc.

*** Thank you HarperTeen and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for honest review. ***

Not My problem is a great book; it brought me back to the school days when I was a teenager. I found myself smiling while reading about Aideen’s journey. She is funny, caring, and lovable. However, her story with her mother broke my heart. And even though I loved all the characters in the book, I didn’t like her mother.

“Will there be drinking and drugs and sex at this party?” Mam asked.

I was surprised, like Aideen, that her mother bothered to ask her about the party after what Aideen went through before this question.

When Aideen’s father came to the house, Aideen was so upset with him, and she went to spend the night with Holly, her best friend. Aideen’s mom didn’t call to check on her sixteen-year-old girl.

The very next day, Aideen came home after school and her mom wasn’t there; there was no food in the house and her mom took all of Aideen’s savings and left her with nothing. Aideen tried to call her mom, but she didn’t answer. She went out looking for her mom in a nearby bar, and she wasn’t there either.

It was like someone hollowed out my inside.

This was heartbreaking for me; I nearly cried for this child. Aideen had to walk to a nearby church to ask for some food. The way Ms. Smyth described Aideen’s feelings at that moment was brilliant. I could feel Aideen’s pain completely.

Now let’s talk about the other characters. They were real and complex. I liked Kavi; the way he talked was irritating but funny. I wondered sometimes if he ever stopped to take a breath while talking without stopping!

Meabh was something else.

I didn’t like her at first. I thought she would be another version of Tracy from Election Movie (while I thought Reese Witherspoon was brilliant in this movie, I hated Tracy) so I, subconsciously, thought that Meabh would be a copy of Tracy. She wasn’t, and that was a good surprise. I really liked her, and I liked the romance between her and Aideen (the romance wasn’t central to the plot and it came very late, but it was a good romance)

Overall, the book was funny, easy to read, and enjoyable. Ms. Smyth talked about important subjects like child caring for an adult, child abuse, and alcohol abuse all together with mentioning Aideen’s struggling in school and friendship between the characters. I highly recommend this book to adults before teenagers.

4/5 stars

TWs: alcohol abuse/addiction, child neglect, child caring for adult
there might be more I didn’t pick up on.

This book hit close to home in far too many ways that I needed to take a step back for a few days to reflect before I could give my feelings. This book perfectly encapsulates the life of someone on the edge of disaster and I appreciate that kind of representation in books. I loved the found family aspects of this book to pieces. It was funny, clever, had amazing characters and I LOVED Aideen, her journey, and her romance. However, I do wish it had one more chapter to wrap everything up more with the mother subplot. Seeing more of Aideen opening up and being comfortable with her friends would have been nice for me as a reader to know she's going to be okay. . Overall a fun read I could not put down and truly connected to.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. A lot. 4.5/5 stars. .

The only reason why this is 4.5/5 stars instead of five stars is because, while I love a good slowburn romance, this one was very, very slow. But the plot was strong enough that even though it wasn't centered around the romance, I enjoyed it immensely. Once I got into this book I could not put it down and I found myself up at 2am straining my eyes to read it. The pacing was incredibly fast and the plot was well thought out and suspenseful. I loved all of the mischief that the characters got into helping Aideen complete favors, and each of these favors were unique and not repetitive. As someone who typically reads fantasy and adventure for the adrenaline rush, I found my heart beating incredibly fast during some of the more suspenseful scenes.

I also fell head over heels in love with each and every one of the characters, especially Aideen, Meabh, and Kavi. Each of these characters felt like real, complex people with intersecting lives and multiple conflicts. Both Aideen and Meabh were incredibly well developed and I loved the lesson learned from Aideen taking care of everyone else problems accept her own. Her inner monologue as well as her interactions with her teachers and other figures in her life were absolutely hilarious. The book, while lighthearted, with a ton of funny lines, also dealt with many serious topics such as alcohol addiction, bullying, class differences, and friendships. The way that the author wrote the difficulty of letting go of an old friendship despite knowing the toxicity of it was incredibly well done and I could see my own experiences within that conflict. Kavi, Aideen, and Meabh have what must be my new favorite fictional friendship. Every time they had a scene together, I found myself beaming and trying to savor the rest of that scene until it ended. I also loved how this book had a wlw romance, but it wasn't centered around coming out. It just involved two girls navigating their feelings together with a high school backdrop. This is the queer book I've been looking for.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve fallen arse over tit in love with Ciara Smyth’s hilarious writing style. If I had to relive my teenage years, I would definitely want to hang out with Aideen because I know that we would never have a dull moment between us. I couldn’t stop laughing at Aideen’s entertaining wisecracks and I truly enjoyed tagging along with Aideen, Meabh and Kavi while they were caught up with pulling off mischievous schemes in order to help other students solve their problems. This phenomenal author went above and beyond to create relatable, endearing and well fleshed out characters who were trying their best to deal with their emotional baggage and painful family issues.

After being blown away by how good of a debut Ciara Smyth had last year with The Falling in Love Montage, I was eagerly awaiting her next book, and was super excited when I received an ARC of Not My Problem.

And my high expectations were totally met. This book is great!

This book follows Aideen, who is struggling to take care of her mother, struggling with her grades, and struggling with her relationship with her only friend, but seems to have a knack to come up with solutions to all of her classmates problems. One of these is she "helps" model student Meabh get out of several of her extracurriculars by breaking her ankle with a little push down the stairs, she is seen and that sets off a chain of actions Aideen didn't exactly sign up for.

This book was so enjoyable. It was extremely funny, it was heartbreaking, it was interesting in the sense that you couldn't always guess what was going to happen next, it was raw, and felt real.

I loved Aideen. She is such a wonderful and flawed character, and had to grow up so fast, and with that hasn't always learned the best coping mechanisms. She is so funny, her witty retorts can almost carry the book all on its own, but there is so much more to both her and the book. As an adult reading, a lot of her choices she makes can seem so frustrating but also so believable because I honestly couldn't say if I wouldn't take similar actions when I was in school. Aideen cares so deeply too. She is very closed off but after the life she has, naturally her defense levels are high, but people she trusts, she really loves despite flaws. Aideen just felt so human a character and was so well rounded.

Also seeing a character like her was really refreshing in the sense, a lot of YA books I've read recently, the families might have some struggles but never with money. I really appreciated having a character who isn't coming from a wealthy background and can't throw money to solve many of her problems. Similarly with her grades. Many YA novels that show students in high school, grades aren't a real struggle- the struggles can come from other places. But having an MC have many things she can't control in her life affect her grades, to me felt very real.

The relationship between Aideen and Meabe is very cute and I enjoyed seeing them progress from not being able to stand each other, to growing on each other, to genuinely learning from each other and open up, to a relationship. It was a very heartwarming progression. But my favorite relationship and how this book explored it was the strained friendship between Aideen and her best friend Holly. Aideen can feel Holly pulling away from her and is very hurt by this, but as Holly is her only real friend, there is no one she can talk to about it. And at the same time she needs Holly when other areas of her life spiral. And I felt like it was a very real dynamic between friends. It reminded me a lot of the dynamic of being friends with exes (for the record Aideen and Holly are not exes) and walking on eggshells with certain topics around them, but also them sometimes being the only ones who see you when something is going wrong. I just really like how Smyth explored the decaying of their friendship yet a strong bond between them. It was really well done.

There are other relational dynamics that are really well done too, especially the complicated relationship Aideen has with her mom, her new friend Kavi, and her teacher who cares for her and sees through her. I can't pontificate about everything in a review, but there really is fantastic character work in this book.

The story is really amusing too! I think shenanigans would be a good way to describe everything that happens, but it's wildly entertaining seeing Aideen jump through hoops with her little crew to solve everyone's problems.

As a side note, I have seen criticisms in reviews of other queer books, both YA and adult, often times sexualities aren't specifically labeled. And that isn't always a bad thing, but it is nice to see specifics mentioned. And in this book Aideen (and Meabh) definitely aren't afraid to call themselves lesbians.

I had a streak of disappointing to above average books for a bit, but this is the second straight book to get a 4.5 or above rating and I hope I'm on a new streak of great books! This was great, especially with it's characters. I'm definitely a full fledged fan of Ciara Smyth now, and will eagerly anticipate her future releases! 5/5

In Not My Problem, Ciara Smyth provides for a well-worn but appreciated trope of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. The concept is far from new, and the actual pacing of the novel isn't superb, but the story as a whole will likely steal readers' hearts. The text is extremely readable and the resolution is adorable and real.