I enjoyed reading this book. It was rather easy to read. I liked the characters, I liked how they all had flaws. I think the story and the plot progressed quite well and that was good. I feel like how Aideen was treated by Ms. Devlin wasn't super realistic, I'm not Irish so maybe that how things work in Ireland, but I don't think that Aideen would've been able to constantly get out of classes and homework without an actual teacher or principal intervention. Additionally, I found her to be really annoying at some times in the book. Of the things I liked, I loved how Aideen's and Meabh interacted and how their romance worked, I loved the favor for a favor plot, I think that was such an amazing concept and it was handled well. I'm not sure if teenagers a really that nice or desperate but maybe it's just an Ireland thing. I especially loved Aideen's character arc involving Holly, and how she realized that Holly wasn't such a good friend, and how she handled that maturely. All in all, the reason I probably don't find it realistic is that I call my mom mother instead of mam (joke).

I really loved this one. It wasn't a romance, in my opinion, but it was great. I felt like the romance wasn't the most important part of this book, it was a great bonus but to me this book really was about how to stop avoiding your problems and learning to ask for help and how that's not so easy.
I had a really good time reading this. I mean, I cried some and raged from time to time but I also laughed. A lot.

What an absolute delight of a book. Heartfelt & funny. It was such an enjoyable read. The characters were so interesting and dynamic. I felt the same about Ciara Smyth’s debut The Falling In Love Montage. She writes incredible YA characters and couples. It feels very authentic to how teenagers are. I enjoyed this so much.

This book was amazing. I loved every bit of it. The story had so many levels of problems. Personal, family and friend problems. The author was brilliant with bringing the issues to the personal level. I loved how everyone and I mean everyone had stuff to deal with. No one is exempt from issues. We are all struggling with something. We need to remember that.
Enjoy!

A fun and fast YA LGBTQ read. I wish there was an epilogue or something to wrap the story up a bit more. I would also have liked a pronunciation guide for some of the character’s names as they were unfamiliar to me.

This book follows Aideen who is struggling with her relationship with her mother who struggles with alcohol use, struggling with her grades at school, and struggling with her best friend who seems to be the queen of passive aggressive comments. Aideen is also queer, hysterically sarcastic, and somehow falls into a new scheme at school of helping her classmates get out of trouble. And that all starts with Meabh, her 'enemy.' We love an enemies to lovers trope, and this book is absolutely laugh out loud funny. It didn't fully work for me but fans of Smyth are going to LOVE this book as much as TFILM (which I still need to read). Definitely a great sapphic novel with so many deeper themes!

"Not My Problem" was entertaining, with a spunky protagonist, and a lot of heart. The first few chapters took a little while for me to get into, only because the school terminology is so different from what I experienced growing up in the United States. Once I got learned all the terms and slang, I got to know Aideen and really enjoyed the relationship grow between her, Meabh, and Kavi. She may think she is a misfit at her school but, after a whole host of shenanigans, it turns out she has a squad of people she can call on in her time of need. I can't wait to see what Smyth writes next.

4.5 stars rounded up.

In Not My Problem, sixteen year old Aideen makes it her mission to fix everyone else's problems; all except her own, that is. It starts with Aideen pushing her nemesis, Meabh, down the stairs. When others start finding out what she did, they come to her for help. Soon, Aideen is fixing problems for everyone else, and making her own problems that much more glaringly obvious. With a chance of new friends, and new love, on the horizon, Aideen has to wonder that if she can help others, maybe it's time she starts helping herself.

Let me start by saying I absolutely ADORED this book. This book is full of diverse characters and great lgbt representation. Ciara Smyth is definitely one of my new favorite authors after reading this!

I related to Aideen so much. All the struggles she has with trying to keep herself and her family together all while trying to cling on to the one friend she has, meanwhile battling the little voice in her head trying to put her down with every chance it has. I can't relate to Aideen's high school experience in the form of pushing anyone down the stairs, but I can definitely relate to having to battle all your inner demons while trying - and failing - to make it through math class.

This book is so full of feelings and emotions. I think a lot of people will be able to see themselves in Aideen, especially a lot of gay readers. All the characters in this book are so full of life, and I loved getting to watch Aideen grow throughout the pages, and see how all her friends influenced that growth in her.

The romance in this book was so sweet and fun. I loved the buildup to it and getting to read Aideen's thoughts. The plot itself was great from beginning to end. I love how neatly the ending wrapped everything up - I just wish it was longer so we'd get to find out more about what happened!

I definitely recommend this to every YA reader. And I'll totally be buying a copy of my own for my bookshelf.

You know how sometimes you try something for the first time and while it is fun, it doesn't quite hit the way you thought it would? But then you try again, and suddenly you can't stop thinking about it? That is me currently with Ciara Smyth and NOT MY PROBLEM. This novel is a fun romp in sapphic romance and high school hijinks, with a dash of reality to bring the reader back down to earth. You gotta read it.

A thoroughly engaging YA book full of humour and drama.

The book opens with Aideen Cleary’s views and thoughts of Meabh Kolwaski, the polar opposite of Aideen; Meabh the overachiever and Aideen, generally going nowhere.

When Meabh had an unprecedented meltdown, Aideen agreed to “fix” Meabh’s problem which subsequently led her to be the “fixer” of other students’ problems. However, underneath the resourcefulness and quick wits, Aideen had been keeping a secret, one that is diminishing her brightness and consuming her whole.

4.5 stars. There is so much to the character of Aideen that readers would enjoy. She is quirky, bright, sarcastic but really funny. I enjoyed watching her manoeuvre and twist under trying circumstances and in the midst learn and grow through her bumps.

I just reviewed Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publisher for the ARC.

Excellent book. It successfully created a strong female character who is complex and a real person. All the character were really well developed and Smyth successfully wrote dialogue that sounds like what actual teenagers would sound like. It’s realistic, funny, and full of heart. #NetGalley #NotMyProblem

This book wasn't for me, but I could see how people would enjoy it. Well written and the story seemed okay, but I just couldn't get into it.

This was a incredible read from start to finish.
I truly loved how well layered and fleshed out the characters were. The book follows its main character Aideen. Aideen is sharp, sympathetic, loyal to a fault and funny as hell. Plus she's great at texting and PE(Meabh and Ms. Delvin can attest). There wasn't a dull moment in the book thanks to her and her layered personality. She uses sarcasm as a coping mechanism. When the story begins, she only has two people, her mom and her best friend, Holly. Both, damaging her self worth in different ways and her, always making excuses for them. By the end she goes through incredible character development and finally decides to work on 'her own problems' and has the most endearing group of friends.

Meabh, the love interest, on the outside is a annoying know-it-all but once you get a closer look, she is still a annoying know-it-all but she is also super passionate, adorably nerdy and in most things the complete opposite of Aideen. Which is one of the reasons why their relationship worked so well, others are their snappy banter and wonderful chemistry.

My favourite aspect of the entire book were the relationship dynamics. I can't describe how genuinely real the relationships felt, especially between Aideen and her toxic best friend Holly. I really like how this storyline was concluded as well. In fact I really liked the ending overall. It was refreshing to see that not everything got resolved with a magic wand within the last 50 pages and the characters will actually have to work on themselves.

Overall, It was sometime a hilarious and sometime emotional, but throughout an amazing read that I enjoyed immensely.

Copy provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.

Ciara Smyth is one of the funniest writers I have ever read. What truly makes her stand out is her ability to be extraordinarily funny while also tackling difficult subjects, in this case poverty and a parent with alcoholism. Those anchors into the real, messy, difficult world of Aideen make her humorous voice all the more potent.

Smyth manages to surround Aideen with well-drawn, lovable friends who push her with love, humor, and the occasional kick in the butt. I absolutely loved this book as much as Smyth's first and will be recommending it to everyone. Smyth is truly a must-buy author for me.

This was a surprising delight. I have not read anything else by Smyth so I had no expectations.

It was like watching an episode of Derry Girls. It was laugh out loud funny with real, developed characters that grew over time. The characters were likable and their actions were understandable. And the social media references were actually current.

This is a story about teenagers, not a romance, and I think maybe my romance-averse teenager would enjoy it. I know the kids in the GSA would.

12/10 would read again

4.5 stars. I was a fan of The Falling in Love Montage and - dare I say - liked this one even more. This is not romance-centric like the author's first book, but rather a coming of age snippet/psychological exploration into one girl who makes it a business to solve everyone else's problems so that she doesn't have to look too closely at her own.

Aideen helps her best friend's nemesis with a favor. The only other witness to this favor then presents Aideen with another classmate who also needs a favor. Aideen embarks on a "social enterprise," that consists of performing favors for the price of favors owed in return (taking advantage of her lack of close friends/invisibility at her school to be able to do things like exact revenge on someone's cheating ex boyfriend with none being the wiser as to the culprit). This enterprise takes more and more of her time, which is fine when her mom is sober... which unfortunately is not always the case. Aideen feels she has to hide her mother's alcoholism for fear of having her little two person family torn apart. Meanwhile, Aideen grows closer to the aforementioned nemesis and there is an undeniable spark between them. Though I admittedly would have liked more of Meabh's perspective in what exactly about Aideen it was that made her start having feelings for her, I can understand the exclusion both because this is the story of Aideen's journey and also not wanting to editorialize.

The characters were fabulous. I loved the developing friendships as well as the letting go of a friendship that is realized to be toxic. This book has a lot of big themes and tackles a great deal of difficult subjects, handling everything with tact and humor in a delicate but powerful way. Nothing felt too heavy despite the difficult subjects, mostly because it was so engaging and our narrator Aideen has a sharp tongue and quick wit that makes us want to root for her every step of the way.

The ending gutted me in the best way.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for the ARC!

This YA read was thoroughly entertaining, engaging, and relatable.

Aideen was a sixteen year old with many problems. She was struggling academically and personally. Her home life was heartbreaking with an alcoholic mother and an absent father who only provided child support. She often pretended to be sick to take care of her mother after one of her benders. Aideen only had one person she called a friend. But after she aided a classmate with a disturbing favor, Aideen found herself much in demand- demand for other risk taking favors.

Aideen was a very likable character. She tried to fix other classmates’ problems. She also generally sought the good in people even when they were mean to her. Aideen also had low self esteem with regards to her academic ability. I think many teenagers will be able to relate to not only Aideen’s struggles, but the other characters such as Meabh and Kavi. Even though they were successful academically, they often felt alone and misunderstood.

I loved the way these teenagers interacted. Aideen was witty and sarcastic while Meabh was serious about trying to make things better for her school and classmates. She was at times annoying, but behind that annoyance Aideen saw a very caring person and ultimately someone she was found very attractive. Kavi had a great imagination in helping Aideen with her favors and always made sure he had her back. Then there was the teacher, Ms. Devlin, who actually cared about her students and their problems. She often went above and beyond her role in order to help Aideen.

I think many teenagers will relate to this story or at least some aspect of it such as bullying, popularity groups, economic status, failing classes, student council elections, LGBTQIA+ representation, home problems, ending long term friendships, and high school romance. Not My Problem would be a great asset to school libraries and perfect for classroom discussions.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

Aideen tends to disappear into the background. Her bestfriend Holly only pays her attention when it's convenient, her teachers when she's disappointing them, even her own mother who won't answer her messages. Our heroine discovers it's exactly this that becomes her strength as she helps various students in her school with favors that require someone who operates unnoticed.

The novel premise is great in itself- the idea of a girl working through and gaining connections from small favors here and there. The pain of growing friendships and new love are both explored in this novel. I felt the romance took away from the plot a bit as it didn't seem to wholly fit in. The character Meabh kind of felt shoehorned into the story at times.

A certain bright spot of the book is author Ciara Smyth's writing. She is able to create hilarious dialogues that come naturally. Oftentimes you will read books and think, "has this author ever HAD a conversation?". Smyth is able to mimic the ping pong type conversations with ease and grace.

Aideen attends school in Ireland and is barely surviving. Her best friend Holly only has time for her when her new friends are busy. When Meabh, the girl who excels at everything but no one likes, has a melt down at being overloaded, they come up with a solution. Push her down the stairs. From this starts a new friendship and a new identity for Aideen. She becomes the person who can fix things at her school. All she asks is a favor in return. I kept thinking of "Derry Girls" when I envisioned her new gang.

These are situations high schoolers and older can relate to. Dating, best friends, running for student office, parties, detention, and grounding from phones. Aideen has some more serious issues too. A father that occasionally shows up and a mother who drinks when she is unhappy. The book is entertaining as Aideen makes new friends and finds acceptance as a fixer. Ms Devlin, the PE teacher, is great as an adult trying to keep an eye on Aideen and get her through school.

I enjoyed the story which is light and fun but with some serious overriding issues. Aideen's notes excusing herself from PE daily are classic. There is great diversity in the book and it is positive in representation. Aideen is seemingly out as gay. I would say this is for 9th grade and up because of some of the topics covered. Language also puts it more for high schoolers with over 50 uses of the f-word. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review from @NetGalley.

I wasn't a fan of Aideen but I did enjoy reading about how her only friend was drifting apart from her. Her rivalry with Meabh wasn't as interesting as I was hoping it would be.