About the Book
-
Author:
- Jennifer Dugan
- Genres:
- Contemporary
- Girl-Girl Romance
- Voices:
- Bisexual
- Cis Girl
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Book With a View
BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh
Talky Talk: Contemporary Conflict
Bonus Factor: Tasty Business
Anti-Bonus Factor: Meddling Mothers
Relationship Status: Missed Connection
Cover Story: Book With a View
We all know how pervasive illustrated covers are these days, but I do appreciate how accurate this one is to the story within. And I kind of wish I could be sitting up there with those figures, enjoying the sunset and the scenery. It looks absolutely idyllic.
The Deal:
The night before her best friend-forever Chloe left for college, Fallon spent a magical evening with her, leaning into her true (romantic) feelings after years of trying to ignore them. But in the year since, the two have basically become complete strangers, and Fallon’s doing her best to cut Chloe out of her life. When her mother tells Fallon that she needs to step up and drive their family’s ice cream food truck across the country to their biggest event of the year, Fallon reluctantly agrees—but then she finds out that she’ll have to do the drive with Chloe, and Fallon resigns herself to having the worst trip ever.
BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh
I know (stereotypically) teenagers are notoriously bad at communication, but Fallon (and Chloe) are unbelievably bad at it. Even when her friends are telling her to be honest and make sure that she and Chloe are on the same page, Fallon holds tightly onto her perceived slights and her side of the story. This conflict was vital to the plot, but it got frustrating long before the end of the book. Were we friends, I’d have wanted to physically shake Fallon into understanding that she was in the wrong, or at the very least, that she couldn’t stay mad without investigating fully.
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Fallon and Chloe have some major chemistry, but it’s completely hindered—both for them and me as the reader—by their complete inability to talk things through. There are a lot of stops and starts in this book when it comes to swoon, and by the time they got their acts together, I was too sore from the whiplash to fully enjoy the HEA.
Talky Talk: Contemporary Conflict
Dugan has a deft hand at writing contemporary novels with elements of enemistry, and Melt With You is another example of such. And although the road trip adventure was short (only a matter of days, and they only stopped at a couple of places), it was entertaining. The setting(s) and the secondary characters (specifically the lesbian couple they meet at a sketchy campsite) in this book were the best part, however; the main character and her love interest were sadly a bit too insufferable—and their chemistry questionable—to make reading their story fully enjoyable.
Bonus Factor: Tasty Business
Fallon and Chloe’s mothers took a shared love of ice cream and romance novels and created their Love at First Bite food truck, stocked with small-batch, specialty ice cream with names like “I Like Your Boots” and “Beauty and the Feast.” It’s super corny, but exactly the kind of business I’d love to run or patron.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Meddling Mothers
Fallon and Chloe’s mothers think they know best for their daughters, but they’re equally in the dark as to what’s really going on and therefore meddle in a way that goes beyond. (I wanted to Roger Murtaugh the mothers as well as the daughters, and realizing that they’re probably very close to my age made me feel even older.)
Relationship Status: Missed Connection
I wanted to like you, Book, and there were parts of your story that really drew me in. But we’re incompatible on a basic level, and the extras just weren’t enough to make me want anything more than one date.
Literary Matchmaking
Another example of Dugan’s talent at writing teen conflict and confusion.
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland’s novel also features two people who’re stuck in a small(ish) vehicle on a road trip, forced to work together.
And for more conflicting feelings and road trip fun, check out Becky Albertalli’s third book in the Simonverse series.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Melt With You is available now.
