Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant - OPTIONAL

Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant, 392 pages. Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins), 2023. $19

Language: R (100+ swears, 58 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (repeated teenage drinking, one BDSM joke, and one instance of off-page marijuana use); Violence: PG-13 (repeated bullying of the protagonists based on race, gender, and hobbies)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In modern-day, sunny, Southern California, Delilah is a biracial 16yo punk rock goddess & introvert, who prefers to go with the flow. Reggie is a Black 17yo self-proclaimed nerd (blerd) and D&D Dungeon Master, who tries to hide who he really is from his brother and father. They met, by chance, at a New Year’s Eve performance, and they continue to meet throughout the year, on purpose, as they get to know each other more. Each thinks the cool, confident version of themselves they present to the other is reality, when it’s not. What happens when they realize their relationship was founded on a lie?

I loved this book. I do have a penchant for YA rom coms but this one had some welcome depth to it. I appreciated the discussions around Black culture and what it really means to be “Black”. Both Reggie and Delilah come to their own terms with their racial identity, and it’s very satisfying to watch. I also appreciated how the author depicted sibling relationships in the book and actually teared up at the end. Bryant also touched on so many other things that I don’t normally see in YA lit like SpEd education, living with dyslexia, D&D and online gaming culture, etc. Overall, I felt like this book was awkward and sweet, and vulnerable and authentic. 

Reviewer: Kiera, #bookswithbeddes