Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
3.75/5 stars

When I read the description for this book, I was very excited to read it. I liked the story but it definitely was not what I was expecting. This book spends a lot of its time on very heavy topics. The romance isn't really an actualized part of the story until the last 30ish%. This story ultimately is about an almost 40 year old finding herself and doing the best she can with the situations she's been given. Skye's voice is very comedic but dives deep into past traumas and how those take root in personality as well as reactions to stressors. There were several times during this book where I was staring at the page in frustration going "Skye! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!", but that's the beauty in this story, you feel for Skye and you want to see her grow.

I loved the characters in this book. There was a ton of diversity and lovably queer characters. Each character stood out in their own way, nothing fell flat in their developments. There is a strong sense of community. Learning about the lives of those in this specific community was engaging. Philly seems like it's own person entirely.

I struggled with the pacing during this story and I didn't understand why Skye was calling herself a lesbian but then hooking up with men. I've seen this a few times in book media lately. A main character will be talking about how they identify as a lesbian and then wake up next to a man in bed. I don't know where this stems from or why authors are feeling uncomfortable in just calling their MC's Bisexual, pansexual, etc. She labels herself a lesbian frequently until Chapter 19 when she says she's "mostly a lesbian". There is harm in continuing to paint lesbians as sleeping with men as many of us are still being told that we just haven't met the "right man" to turn us. I would take that into consideration in the future.

I honestly didn't like this book that much. I loved a lot of the supporting characters but I honestly wasn't a fan of the main character, Skye. I think that something that kind of put me off is that she described herself as "mostly a lesbian" and seemed to use the lesbian label for herself, but she also had multiple sexual interactions with men even as she labeled herself as a lesbian. That just put me off from her character in general, but she also just didn't seem to interact with everyone else in a very good way. This is obviously just personal taste, other than my criticism of her lesbianism (I don't think she should've used the label lesbian for herself if she likes men).

I was so excited to start reading this book when I read the description. It sounded so exciting! And, once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. The whole time I was reading it, it felt like a good friend was telling me a WILD story about a time in their life when everything was going so wrong and so right at the same time.

Sky Falling follows an almost-forty-year-old queer Black woman named Skye who works out of a suitcase, coming to Philly just between flights around the world. When she was 26, Skye decided to sell her eggs to a childhood friend for some quick cash. But she never expected to meet her “egg” while hungover at her ex-best friend’s art show. Skye was never good at any social interaction or keeping a relationship, but she decides now might be a good time to change that.

I think my favorite part about this book was seeing it all from Skye’s perspective as if she was telling a story to her good friend. Skye was HILARIOUS and I found myself laughing along at her jokes (and of course feeling sad when she was going through it). It was a fantastic way to read a book, and I couldn’t put it down. I also really appreciated having a main character who makes a lot of mistakes. I think there are times when the main character can do no wrong in books, but Skye felt very real and very much like someone a lot of readers would be able to relate to. Also, the representation in this book was incredible! Viva is a Puerto Rican trans woman and speaks a mix of Spanish and English (which is close to my heart since my family speaks it, too), and a majority of the characters are queer. Amazing!!

Nostalgia plays a huge part in this story, and anyone who returns to the place they grew up in can understand how meaningful Philly is to Skye. This story also focused on extremely important topics such as gentrification, racism, homophobia, transphobia, police brutality, and mental health.

Mia McKenzie is a remarkable author, and I can’t wait to buy a copy of this book for myself to keep on my shelf (and lend to every single person I know). It’s clever, it’s hilarious, it’s heartbreaking, and an overall fantastic read. 5/5!!!

This book is character- and place-driven, like many romances are, and after I pigeonholed this book's genre as closer to romance than, um, "domestic fiction"—what year is this?—the book really soared. I understand the genre classification; again and again, the romance plays a melodious second fiddle as the narrative (rightfully!) focuses on more expansive ideas of family, love, and community than the sometimes-trap of romance where romantic relationships have primacy over all others. In fact, the romance doesn't really get going until 60% in—but it is certainly a love story.

This book's real story is about family and community rallying around Vicky, the 12-year-old whose life Skye's accidentally become involved with after Vicky's mom passes. This book is also about Black life and culture, queer life and culture, family, and place. Whatever else you go into this book thinking, know that these characters—in all their hilarious, deep, angry, wanting dimensions—will take you in.

Skye's character voice is extremely immersive and grabs you from the first. Skye is a deeply flawed character; she sometimes lies, she very literally runs away several times from difficult situations, she's not very good at owning up to her shit. She's spent the last twenty years running and is finally faced with her unhappiness about her lack of connections. Her narrative energy is the book's central drive, making it a relatively quick and easy read, despite that—as you might imagine is true to a story called "domestic fiction"—the plot itself is relatively slow. I don't mean this at all pejoratively: getting to know people takes time. A character facing up to her past and dealing with it in these complex and evolving ways takes time. This balancing of past—romantic pasts, familial pasts, friendship pasts—with present—standing where you are instead of running away, being there for the people who need you, letting people love you—is done so excellently in this book.

This book has slid easily into my top contemporary romances. The romance itself is complicated and compelling, heavy and sweet. As a character-driven novel, its foremost strength is its characters, but sense of place also features prominently here. This book was a love letter to Philly, replete with joy and grief, overfamiliarity and adoration for the city, and the bone-deep sadness of losing to gentrification the places that made you. Philly is another site of love and tension, another relationship for the book to explore. It does this, like all its relationships, incredibly well. I came away feeling so well fed.

A couple things in the book took me out of the story—I'm afraid the Spanish went over my head, though I discerned what I could from my knowledge of French. It added to the depth of character and community, it wasn't integral that I understood, and as a white Canadian I'm not the target audience, but it did take me out when it wasn't totally clear from context what was said. Certain heel-turns in the back half felt a bit rushed to counteract how establishing so many of those amazingly explored relationships naturally slowed down the pacing. And while it took a second to adjust to Skye's breaking of the fourth wall with all-caps declarations, it became part of what made Skye's voice so exceptional.

There's so much humour and catharsis in this book. How Skye and Slade approach their mother especially resonated with me: the mix of trepidation, hurt, anger, sorrow, and compassion. Excellently crafted. If you like stories centered around Black lesbian, bi, and trans women about community, love, family, place, and the deep joys and sadnesses that come along with them, don't give this book a miss. It handles its themes so deftly and with so much care.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

It was a very interesting read. It's not every day that one would read about meeting the person that results in you donating your egg. There are many stories out there that men would meet their biological child after donating their sperms decades ago. It's a refreshing change. However, this story is much more than just a meet and greet. It has a powerful message and yet not so serious that it would be a heavy read.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the initial description I thought Skye was going to be one of those lovable rogue types, someone who needs to learn and grow up a lot to be worthy of love and joy, but really what an unfair rap! Skye's just doing the best she can with the life she has, and she totally deserves the major upgrades to her relationships with herself and others that this book has coming for her. I loved this jawn.

When I came across this novel I expected to enjoy it—how could I not with that premise (the hijinks! the drama!)—but what I didn’t expect was to find so much of myself in it. After all, I have never been much of a traveler and I have never considered selling my eggs and I have never been to Philly, and yet there I was devouring the book and looking over my shoulder convinced that the author had somehow eavesdropped on my inner monologue. It was almost eerie how I would react to the situations in the book, flip the page, and then see my exact inner thoughts articulated so perfectly on the next page like magic. It was quite a captivating experience, and it is not lost on me that she and I share an astrology sign which tickled me greatly.

Skye Falling reads very similarly to a coming-of-age novel and stars Skye who is nearly 39 when she gets confronted by a girl claiming she’s “her egg” (what a brilliant opening line). As Skye navigates this new and unexpected relationship with her "egg" she also slowly unravels and dissects the nature of her other relationships—with family, with friends (bless Viva), with ex-friends, with exes, with her community—and realizes that maybe the self-inflicted isolation she’s been practicing isn’t as good as she’s convinced herself it is. On this journey she is accompanied by a great cast of supporting characters who show Skye that maybe there is something special about finding a community you belong to and that maybe avoiding every “problem” before they get to become “problems” isn’t really a solution. There is growth, though it comes slowly, as she finds footing with Vicky, her "egg", and Faye, Vicky's aunt and guardian (who she unsuccessfully tries to pick up in a highly entertaining scene before she learns that Vicky and Faye are related), and I couldn't help rooting for Skye because her experiences so closely mirror my own.

The author also does a wonderful job setting the scene and creating a sense of nostalgia while weaving in relevant and important issues like racism, police brutality, health (both mental and physical), gentrification, and trauma. None of it feels forced either--that's how effective the scene setting and characterizations are. Also of note is how effortlessly diverse the book is! The main character/narrator is a queer black woman who's romantic interest is also a queer black woman and Skye's closest friend ,Viva (who I adore), is a Puerto Rican trans woman! What a gift!

My one and only gripe (very very minor) has to do with the pacing of the romance. I know that this isn't a romance novel, but I wish there were more Skye/Faye scenes, or that the scenes we did get were longer.

Overall this book was truly a delight!

I enjoyed this one.

This was about finding yourself but also trying to find relationships that mean the most to you. I found myself laughing and crying at this one. Skye was totally relatable and I felt every emotion she was feeling throughout this book.

Great choice!

Thank you for the e-galley.

4.5

I hate to sound cheesy, but this book was just a delight. I ended up staying up late to finish because it felt like a friend telling you the craziest story. Sometimes it felt like I was reading an episode of Insecure, it has that same funny-cringe-sweet tone to it. In one page you can go from laughing, wondering why Skye just did or said that, to a heartbreaking thought that cuts you at the core. I'm just really happy I got to experience this little world.

McKenzie has created some rich and diverse characters that just come off the page, I loved Skye, Vicky, Viva, and Faye- they all felt so real with their inner struggles and bonds. Even the neighbors felt like people you’ve encountered and love to remember (except you Ethan, not you). I have to include Philadelphia as a character too, you can tell McKenzie is a born and bred Philadelphian with the way she captured the city - the summer nights on the stoop, the wall murals, the food, the communities that form, the ongoing gentrification, and the overreach of the local police. The bus scene alone tells me she has dealt with SEPTA!

While it’s a breezy read with Skye’s conversational tone, I really related to Skye’s pain and how she didn’t trust people. Why bother when you’re just going to be let down, right? I know all about putting up walls and testing people without even realizing it- eventually finding yourself alone within those walls. Her pain for a lost friendship and not being able to own up to it felt real (as did the resolution).

Thank you Random House for the ARC.

A witty romp that hits you with the deep feels. The city of Philadelphia is another character in this novel that uncovers family ties, both those born into and made. A black woman's quest to finding solace with her past helps her find herself.

This book was really fantastic. I devoured it in about two days. I love the writing, the voice, and the incredible humor. I love seeing so many queer women, and especially, queer women of color, and their friendships, relationships, and sex. I really enjoyed the complexity of the egg donor relationship and how friendships can change over the years. I also loved how rooted in Philadelphia this book is, with the rich and specific descriptions. I would absolutely recommend this book, it's a complete gem.