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Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything.
What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over.
Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.
Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love. 

This book was so entertaining and so much fun! I loved the concept of this and the whole feeling of the theatre, I felt like it was captured so well in the book. We follow Mel, who is the stage manager for a show where everything starts to go wrong. The cast blame it on the curse, because in the last show they did, Mel’s girlfriend broke up with her during performance. Because of this, they make Mel promise to not date anyone before their spring performance of Les Mis….and then along comes Odile Rose.

Although the logic is absolutely through the roof with the superstitions in this book, it was honestly super creative and I really enjoyed it. It did feel a bit silly at times how everyone was acting with the amount of superstitions, but it was also super funny to read about and I can really see why the cast got so wrapped up in believing in it all.

I also really liked Melody as a main character. She did have her issues (including the major one of not being honest with her closest friends) that annoyed me slightly, but I just couldn’t help but see myself in her. Her stubbornness, work ethic and passion reminded me of myself and because of that I just couldn’t not like her. Even though she was a terrible friend and girlfriend in places, I completely understood why she acted the way she did.

I just loved how this book was so casually gay. There was no discussions of coming out, Mel was just bi. And her dads were gay. Obviously, I have nothing against coming out stories. They are very important and much needed. But I also really appreciated how this book was just so unapologetically gay from the off, and there was little-to-no discussion about it in the book. It was just part of who Mel was.

I would definitely have enjoyed this more if I happened to be a theatre geek, and I would honestly recommend it to anyone who is as I imagine it would be even more fun for you than it was today. But I still found myself really invested in the world of theatre and I really wanted to read on. The writing was funny and lighthearted, but also had some brilliant speeches that packed a punch.

Overall, this one isn’t groundbreaking. But it’s creative and a lot of fun, and I really liked it for what it is. If you’re looking for an entertaining, kind of far fetched sapphic romance, look no futher! Bonus points if you also love theatre.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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