I really enjoyed Not my Problem. The protagonist's journey is both heartwarming and inspiring. I know for a lot of younger people her story would be so relatable. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a refreshing and uplifting story.

Another fun coming-of-age from Ciara Smyth! This is a book full of heart, humanity, and joy, and I wish I'd been able to read something similar when I was a teen!

What a special book.

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth is a fabulous campus novel set in Ireland. Our heroine, Aideen, has a lot of problems of her own. No money, strained relationship with her sperm donor father, a hot mess of a mother yet she cannot help but sort out the problems of others. This lands her in many scrapes which are often hilarious. However, at the heart of this novel is a young girl who is just trying to hold things together.

I absolutely bloody loved this story from the very first page. The inimitable Irish humour jumps off the page. It had me howling with laughter and I am so sad that it is over.

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth is available now.

For more information regarding Andersen Press (@AndersenPress) please visit www.andersenpress.co.uk.

I loved this fresh and original book so much, especially the dynamic between Aideen and Meabh, I loved the humour and sarcasm, the real Irish ness coming from Smyths writing is fantastic , such a fun and engaging read

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

Not My Problem is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2021. From the story, to the characters, go the writing, I was an all-around fan.

This was a book I really looked forward to. I've read both her books now, and I really love Ciara Smyth! Her ability to mix more serious subject matters, with very snarky humor is just 😚👌🏻 I love it. Great friendships and characters. I didn't love it quite as much as The Falling in Love Montage, but that's just because that one was very specifically up my romcom-loving alley.

I received Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth for free on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much Andersen Press for approving my request! This review is also available on Book, Blog & Candle.

I adored The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth so when I saw Not My Problem on NetGalley I requested it straight away and I loved it just as much!

I loved all of the characters, they were brilliant and so fun to read! Our protagonist Aideen is wickedly funny, smarter than she gives herself credit for and a really good person. She is a bit of a lone wolf and except for best friend, she doesn't let anyone get too close. However, that is all about to change when she is roped into helping Meabh and quickly becomes the one that everyone comes to when they need a favour.

I really enjoyed how character driven this story was and I felt like I got to know all of them so well! I loved how each character had complex layers that we got to explore along the way and see behind their masks that they project to the world. It was so sweet to see the bond forming between Aideen, Meabh and Kavi throughout the story as they slowly started to let each other in and each realised that it's ok to ask for help which is such an important message to share.

The friendships formed in this story were so touching but I was also so happy with how sapphic it was! Ciara Smyth puts such fantastic representation in her stories that immediately makes me want to pick them up plus her writing style is absolutely incredible! It flows so nicely and I always find it impossible to stop reading because I get sucked into the story from the start!

Not My Problem is heartwarming, full of hope, love and friendship and packed with emotion! An amazing read and another fantastic book from Ciara Smyth, I can't wait to see what she writes next!

5 Word Review: Family, friendship, belonging, school, messy-relationships.

Oh no, I accidentally wrote an essay instead of a book review for Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth.

Not My Problem is so messy and I am here for it. It's the coming-of-age story of a lesbian who was out before people we accepting and suffered for - Aideen gets to see everyone else welcomed with open arms and acceptance, when she was sneered at years before. She is justifiably annoyed by her past ostracisation from her classmates, and bitter about how she never had the support everyone else is afforded. And I absolutely get that, and it feeds into her character and sets the tone of the story.

I highlighted over one hindered quotes on my kindle, which gives you an idea of what I thought of the writing. It left me gasping.

I didn't expect Not My Problem to tackle so many issues. But oh my gosh, get the tissues ready. Whether it's messy families, homophobia or substance abuse, it is all tackled with the greatest of care. The exploration of Aideen's life, the poverty she has no choice but to grow up in, really hit hard. It's difficult when you see yourself so clearly in a character, but it meant that I emphasised so much with her and I understood when others thought something had gone wrong.

Aideen is a disaster, but she can't help it. And I love her so much for it. She's hilarious, and whip smart, even if her teachers see her as failing. I love how she finds a role for herself in becoming a fixer for the other students, and how she sets up boundaries to protect herself. Her family life is pretty awful - her father is a narcissist and an all round dick, and her mum has her own problems and dependence.

Her voice is snarky, always. She's always got a quip or some dry banter at the ready. Her attitude is very much her defence from the world.

I think that Aideen is a bit of a marmite character - the things that I love about her, her bolshie bravado and bitter witticisms, are definitely things that other people will not like. But give her a chance, she deserves it. Aideen's PE excuses had me in stitches. If I'd been reading in public I would have got weird look and people would have moved away from me as I snorted and struggled to catch my breath.

Holly is supposedly Aideen's best friend - and it as a very weird dynamic between them. At times the friendship was so pure and lovely and true, and they had the other's back. And then there were times I'd twist my face at whatever Holly was doing next. At the beginning, it was obvious that Holly held the power, and I was never really sure whether it was the power that Holly relished, or the friendship for what it was. There were touching scenes, like Holly waiting for Aideen at the bus stop with a travel cup of hot tea when she'd had a horrendous day. And then there were the times Holly just sacked her off.

Meabh is A Complication in Aideen's life, someone who ends up thoroughly embroiled more out of panic than anything else. I felt so sorry for her, and at the same time had a baseline of annoyance very much inspired by Aideen's own feelings. Meabh is always switched on, and she surprisingly has some excellent banter. The back and forth between them was excellent. Their bickering was as amusing as it was tension building.

Not My Problem was just... It was incredible. It was filled with emotion and heartbreak and love of all kinds. It was easy to get lost in. There was the smallest thread of a budding romance that filled my heart with joy.

I am not off to check out Ciara Smyth's other book, The Falling In Love Montage, which I'm sure will find a place in my heart too.

This book is SO good I can’t even put into words how much I enjoyed reading this one. I ended up reading it in physical form rather than on here.

I really loved The Falling In Move Montage and had really high hopes for this one and Smyth did not disappoint.

I was expecting this to just be a super fluffy LGBT teen contemporary but I ended up getting a lot more than I bargained for! I loved the grittiness of this book. The novel doesn't shy away from talking about really deep and difficult topics such as alcoholism. I adored our main character and my heart was aching for her with everything she was dealing with. I found her very snarky and entertaining too.
I also really loved the side characters, particularly Kavi. I thought that the relationship between the characters was beautiful and explored some excellent themes. I will say that the romance didn't do it for me - I felt that this book would've been just as good without it, if not better because it would've given Maebh and Aideen more time to grow.
This book overall just seemed really relatable and real which made it thoroughly enjoyable.

Not My Problem is the first book of Ciara’s, I have had the pleasure of reading, leading me to immediately read her debut The Falling in Love Montage (review coming soon) straight after reading the final pages of Aideen’s story. It is absolutely safe to say that Ciara has fast become one of my new favourite authors of this year and I can’t wait to follow and fall in love with her projects in the future.

If Aideen didn’t have you smitten from the very first pages, then something has definitely gone wrong somewhere, as she is an absolute icon and a young woman that other young people are definitely going to idolise and aspire to be. Whilst her feisty attitude is hilarious and admirable, there is also a lot of depth behind it and soon you begin to realise that it is a defence mechanism to protect herself and her mum from social services. Witnessing Aideen’s family circumstances, it is easy to understand why she doesn’t allow herself to trust very easily and never let her guard down around other people. On school grounds, she portrayed that persona of herself who looked like she had her life together and she was unbothered by certain aspects of her lives that the teachers worried about, however, behind closed doors, you could see that Aideen was bothered about certain situations more than she showed and I just wanted to squeeze her in a massive hug and let her know that everything was going to be okay. There was many sensitive topics woven within Aideen’s story and Ciara did an amazing job dealing with it and providing Aideen with a wonderful set of friends that were willing to help her through it, despite her arguments against any support. I think what I loved the most about Aideen was that from an outside perspective, she appears to be a very bitter and unlikeable character, however, reading from her perspective allowed the reader to sympathise and understand the reasons behind the way she is. She is a young woman, trying to navigate life, whilst also having to grow up too quickly, in order to take care of her mam and that’s when her sarcastic, witty banter comes out to play most. There were many times where I found myself giggling at the dynamics between Aideen and Ms Devlin – they had a very mother/daughter type of relationship, which I think definitely helped Aideen’s character development throughout the story, whether she liked it or not. Ciara does an amazing job with creating Aideen’s sense of humour, the dialogue is so funny at times and she has really placed herself in to the mind of a teenager.

Now, where to start on the dynamics between Aideen and Maebh!? Maebh is Aideen’s love interest and a complicated one at that. She has extremely similar traits to Aideen, which can either bring two people together or allow them to clash. Like Aideen, Maebh is a stubborn young woman, but in the most admirable of ways – she has her beliefs and her morals, never letting anybody sway her mind elsewhere, in order to “fit in”. This may have made her unlikeable towards the other students, however, sticking to what you believe is so important and quite frankly, trying to be in with the crowd is highly overrated! Another lovely addition to Aideen’s new friendship group was Kavi. My gosh, was he absolutely adorable! You knew a chapter was going to be great when he made an appearance, he literally is like when someone walks in to a room, everything and everyone lights up! The friendship between Aideen, Maebh and Kavi was so unexpected, yet so unbelievably precious, to the point I felt emotional sometimes during their bonding. I especially loved the scene where they all hid away in a bathtub during a house party; it was extremely raw and vulnerable, allowing the readers in to a deeper understanding of each one of them and also witnessing their connection grow stronger.

Not My Problem is an absolutely delightful book, in which we are opened up to a world full of authentic and vulnerable characters, in which, despite Aideen’s talents at fixing problems, displays that not everything can be fixed immediately and most of the time, it can take a long journey to get to where you want to be. It explores complex relationships between friends and family, allowing many readers to be able to relate to multiple characters and feel seen. Whilst there are scenes that are harder to read than others, Ciara balances those out perfectly with humour, romance and a light at the end of the tunnel. The lesbian representation was lovely throughout and the conversations/scenes around sexuality were enjoyable. I loved this book so much and Aideen is a character who has found a small place in my heart forever. I just know that she is going to be so important to a lot of young adults around the world and it warms my heart just thinking about the ways she is going to change many people’s lives.

Not My Problem is a hilarious and heartfelt coming of age story, set in Ireland. I revelled in the irish colloquialisms and the familiarity of the characters. I could see myself, my friends and my family in these characters. This is the only YA I have read that is set in Ireland, something I should have read more of. It would have been comforting to read as a teenager. But honestly, I never saw such books available. Fortunately, the tide is turning and this book brought much comfort to me, even as a twenty two year old.

From the outset, it had me cackling with laughter. Nothing beats Irish humour, a bit of ‘craic’ and the flamboyant use of curse words. Simultaneously, it pulled me straight back to being in 5th year, riddled with school induced anxiety. I saw a lot of myself in Maedbh. I empathised with her because I was her once upon a time. I saw glimmers of my friends in her too. I also saw my friends in aspects of Aideen, the main character. Set in Ireland, these were very real, relatable and tangible characters to me. Aideen reminds me a lot of Erin from Derry Girls while Maedbh reminds me of Clare. If you like Derry Girls, you’ll love this.

A book with many layers. The storyline is often bizarre as the characters get up to antics that one would question the legality of. All of which is done with good intent, even if it is a bit daft. Beneath that, the book discusses bullying, cyber bullying, sexuality, peer pressure, alcoholism and parental neglect. There is also a sprinkle of romance involved. An enemies to lovers with wlw, yes please!

A story of friendship and learning to ask for help.
Witty, inspirational and comforting. A supportive big sister, in book form.

Content Warnings: Alcoholism, absentee parents, toxic friendships, broken bones, helicopter parents

When someone says to me “sapphic hate to love” my ears immediately prick up, so of course, I was interested in reading Not My Problem. I’d heard really good things about Smyth’s previous novel, The Falling in Love Montage, so I’m really pleased to say that I had a great time reading Not My Problem.

Not My Problem follows Aideen, who has way too many problems to focus on, her mum’s struggling with her alcoholism, her awful dad might be back in the picture and she’s basically failing everything in school. Then one day her nemesis asks her for help, which leads Aideen down a path of fixing people’s problems. But it’s her own problems she really needs to look at.

Smyth deals with a lot of topics throughout the course of Not My Problem, from absentee parents to budding romance, and in my opinion, they were all very well done and handled with care. Though there were a couple of threads throughout the story I wished had had more time, namely Aideen’s mother’s alcoholism. I just wanted a little more closure on this front, I think even just a couple more chapters would have satisfied me a little more.

All the characters had really interesting voices, and I loved Aideen and Meabh and the game of cat and mouse they play throughout. I hope the author comes back to these characters in spinoff novels as well because I really want to see more of Kavi, he really left an impression on me from the few moments he was in the story.

Not My Problem deals with the gradual breakup of a friendship and I think that is such a good topic to cover in a young adult novel as it’s a thing a lot of us went through or will go through in adolescence. There are friends who you only become friends with due to the fact that you sat next to each other in a few classes and suddenly developed a loyalty to. I certainly remember a lot of my friendships in high school gradually fading away because we realised that we weren’t as close as we thought. I really loved Aideen’s realisation that her friend isn’t the person she thought she was and maybe they’re not destined to be friends.

The build-up with the romance was also fantastic. It was a little bit slow-burn and also super soft, the vibes were immaculate. Another reason I wished there was just a few more chapters in Not My Problem was because I wanted to see more of the relationship after this Happy For Now ending for them. I find that’s the case with a lot of the books I read though, I just want more of the ‘ship.

I really want to read The Falling in Love Montage now because this was just such a fun but, at times, emotional read and it tells me that Smyth’s style of writing is definitely something I can vibe with. Comparisons aren’t something I normally do but I think the perfect way to describe Not My Problem is Sex Education meets Derry Girls in terms of both plot and humour and it just really worked for me.

What I was looking for: Recently, I have been reading more contemporary and the blurb for this one sounded interesting. Additionally, the book market seems to be full of US American stories and Ireland is a very welcome change.

What I liked: I really liked how the friendship between the main characters developed, and the growth (although realistically slow and full of set-backs and obsticals) of Aideen. The pressure she is under and the way she can deal with it. It was also interesting and realistic how, while new friendships form, old ones might end. As a bonus, I really liked the lingo (again, quite a nice change from contemporary US YA stories).

Conclusion: Authentic relationships with (mostly) lovable characters – I highly recommend this great novel. Although it deals with some heavy issues, it is still a very fun and enjoyable read.

Not My Problem was a really enjoyable contemporary read. It’s packed full of wit and warmth, with inevitable glimmers of Derry Girls shining through.

I really enjoyed following all of the characters and watching their arcs grow and develop. Their relationships between them were fascinating and I loved how it was like a snowball effect, connecting all these social groups together. In particular, I loved the relationship dynamic between Aideen and her eventual partner. Their dialogue and snappy wit complimented one another perfectly, though it was often used against one another. Their chemistry crackled off the page, though I appreciated the slower burn and gradual build up of their enemies to lovers dynamics.

Aideen was a fantastically complex protagonist as well, dealing with her own issues but also having a heart of gold beneath her sarcastic exterior. Smyth seems to excel in complex characters, whose tough exteriors hide their internal struggles. Aideen’s home life is a battle and that stone exterior translates to her perceived coldness. Watching her be able to tear down some of those walls and find a place where she feels fully accepted is cathartic to witness. You can’t help but root for her, despite her flaws.

The writing was brilliant. It always felt fresh and new, with a spark of some intangible magical quality behind it. There’s plenty of humour to be found here, often of the drier, sarcastic kind. It left me with a smile on my face plenty of times. That’s not to say that it’s without heart however, as Smyth deals with tough issues in a sensitive and nuanced way. I really loved how the favours only got more and more elaborate, culminating in heist like schemes.

Not My Problem is a fierce, fresh and ferociously funny story of high school, finding your place in the world and ever escalating favours.

This was such a refreshing read. I enjoyed the dynamic between Aideen and Meabh, and how they bounced off one another. There are some important themes that underlie in this book, which is also nice to see how those messages came across.
If you like Derry Girls or Sex Education, I think you will like this book.

Like Smyth's debut, Not my Problem is sharp and witty with a surprising dark side that balances out an otherwise lighthearted novel. The premise hooked me right away, when prickly, outwardly flippant Aideen agrees to help her classmate Meabh injure herself to get out of some of the extra curricular activities that are putting her under too much pressure. Meabh is a know it all, overachieving principal's daughter and the opposite in many ways to Aideen who is scraping by in school and has a lot on her plate with helping care for her mother who has addiction and mental health issues. Helping Meadb - by pushing her down some stairs in their school, no less - should have been a one time deal, but when the girls are caught by a classmate, his request in return for his silence sets off a chain of highly entertaining hijinks as Aideen has to help more and more of her peers get out of sticky situations.

I really loved Aideen and Meabh, though I'd only imagine they would be difficult to deal with if you were in the same year as them! As the book went on the buried insecurities and hidden good natures of both girls become more apparent, and it's clear that what they've both thought of as shameful weaknesses were strengths all along. I particularly thought that the treatment of Aideen's home life and relationship with her mother was really sensitively handled, as was how she protects her mother from people who are only trying to help. The romance isn't the main element to this book but the "opposite attracts" tension between the two girls is really compelling and I was surprised by how much I was cheering for them.
Once again I was delighted to read about a young lesbian protagonist who was already out, where her sexuality isn't a source of conflict or secrecy or shame. Even more than The Falling in Love Montage, Not My Problem is full of characters who's sexual orientation or ethnicity is carefully included to paint a diverse picture of a contemporary modern secondary school in Ireland. These details aren't "the point" of that characters inclusion, and while once or twice I was taken aback by how diverse the town is I was very happy and hoped this is representative of the inclusive schools that Smyth's readers would recognize.

I also loved how Irish Smyth's humour was, from Aideen's sarcasm and potty mouth (her description of Meabh as "a hectic pain in the h*ole" is genius and so unique) to Ms Devlin's dry wit reminded me of people I have met and I think Smyth's ear for these characters and their different types of humour is so impressive and is consistently very funny. I also love that an Irish reader can recognize their own teenage experience; for example, Transition Year is never something you hear about in books and films that are about or cater for British or American teenagers.

The author is able to pair the more "local" or specifically Irish context with beloved teen drama and romantic comedy tropes that situate this novel in a wider genre and make it feel like an instant classic. I love a madcap scheme in teen films or books and the ridiculous situations Aideen gets herself into to help her newfound friends are so enjoyable. Her finding her tribe is something familiar to many readers of young adult coming of age stories, but is so sweet here as I loved all of them - particularly the overly earnest, fast talking Kavi who should have been extremely annoying but was so lovable and brought a smile to my face because he was just so we'll meaning, if generally misguided. Aideen's vulnerability about having one close friend who seems to be moving on without her and feeling left out are universal but doesn't feel tired because the characters are given a lot of depth.

Aideen's family life brings a darker element to the novel and we see here how thoughtfully Smyth is able to handle tough themes like addiction, mental health and the hidden difficulties of children in the school system from low income as well as disruptive backgrounds. Scenes where other characters are confronted with the disadvantages Aideen faces are very sensitively and thoughtfully handled, showing those characters true colours to the audience and to the protagonist. Smyth has a gift for writing such real and refreshing and complicated characters but it never feels weighed down by heavier themes. If her first two novels are anything to judge by, Smyth is a writer with a great talent, great heart, and GREAT sense of humour.

I really enjoyed this book! I love The Falling in Love Montage so was very excited to see what Not My Problem would be like, and it did not disappoint! The dynamic between Aideen, Meabh and Kavi was brilliant, and the discussion of serious issues in a way that still kept them light and relatable for a younger audience was fantastic. I specifically liked how there were early call backs to things that happened later (such as “This is the moment where it went wrong” etc.) and the way Aideen typed when texting Meabh made me laugh out loud. The ending did feel slightly rushed and there were definitely some unrealistic things happening, but this was over all a fun, quick read that I would absolutely recommend!

From the very first chapter of Not My Problem, Aideen’s personality jumps from the page. She is such a compelling character and because the book is written from her perspective, it feels so effortless to read. I could easily picture myself going on these missions alongside Aideen and going through all those struggles with her. I felt for her because she felt so real.

The other characters were just as fun to read about. I loved Kavi and his word vomit. He was such a fun and bubbly character and I constantly wanted to give him a hug. Maebh was such an unexpected delight in this book. At first I was taken aback by the tantrum but the more I read about her, the more I wanted to know.

Ciara Smyth has this way of breathing life into her characters through her writing so that they feel real and fleshed out. When reading Not My Problem, it feels like you’re there, experiencing what the characters are experiencing. I found the pacing to be just right and the action was spread out nicely to keep you interested. I do think, however, that the ending fell a little flat and I was hoping for more closure or conflict resolution. Compared to the rest of the book, it felt a bit rushed.

Not My Problem definitely reminded me of Sex Education on Netflix. With that comparison in mind, I thought that some of the problems that Aideen needed to fix felt trivial at times and I feel like I didn’t always feel as emotionally invested in the missions. Ciara Smyth is amazing at writing real and raw familial conflict. I sobbed when reading her previous novel, The Falling in Love Montage, and this book also pulled at my heartstrings (it didn’t make me cry though).

I loved reading about Aideen’s struggles at school. It’s important to see characters in books that don’t have everything together and who are sort of stumbling through life.

Overall, this was a fun and engaging read and I flew through the book. Although I felt like the conflict at the end was a bit unresolved, I enjoyed reading this book so much. I fell in love with Aideen, Maebh and Kavi. They make such a great team. Thank you to Andersen Press for sending me an eARC of Not My Problem!

Not My Problem is a fun, fastpaced story about a girl who doesn't want to face her own problems, so she goes around fixing others'. While doing so she gets particularly close to the girl whom she usedto despise...
I loved this book!
The characters felt very reel, unique, and pretty loveable despite their evident flaws.
Ciara Smyth knows how to create an extremely enjoyable story with great characters.