Book Review: “Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling” by Elise Bryant

Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant (2023)

Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Page Length: 400 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except . . . it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist?

Review:

I immediately fell in love with one of Bryant’s previous novels Happily Ever Afters and I couldn’t wait to read Reggie and Delilah’s story. Bryant’s novels manage to tackle important topics while also feeling like a warm cozy hug. I know that my teenage self really could have used this book. I felt so seen and connected instantly with the main character’s point of view and stories. As an anime fan and girl whole loves alternative music (especially in my younger years) I could relate to the struggles of not being “Black enough”.

Watching Reggie and Delilah grow in their journey together and individually had me hooked on the novel’s overall narrative. I thought the concept of various holidays framing the plot was very fun and made it entertaining. Besides hitting all the major holidays, the novel also focuses on smaller kitschy holidays such as “National Catfish Day” which I loved. The romance aspect was sweet and the initial meet-cute moment that evolves into many heartwarming moments between the two put a smile on my face.

My only complaint is that the third act of the novel felt a bit rushed but for the rest of the novel the pacing is very smooth. I appreciated the commentary and discussion on how Black people navigate discusses dyslexia, chronic migraine representation, and prejudice. A very wholesome and highly recommended read!

Final Verdict: