I knew this would be something exceptional, but it exceeded my already high expectations.

May All your Skies Be Blue is the definition of a devastatingly beautiful novel. It broke my heart and made me cry (not once!), but also made me smile and filled my heart with so much love and warmth. Scarlett's writing is so easy and authentic, and has so much depth. With its funny witty Irish dialogues the novel explores serious topics like dementia, alcoholism and the consequences these may have on families. Though, mainly, this book is still a love story and it will not disappoint you. It took me about 25 pages to get into it and then I just inhaled it in 2 days (including waking up very early in the morning to read).

The novel will be published on 13 February 2025 and I highly recommend pre-ordering it (and having a date with this book for Valentine's Day) 🙈

Synopsis: Shauna and Dean meet as children in suburban Dublin, and together with Pam and Mark form a tight friendship. Shauna and Dean's friendship develops into a beautiful love story, but as they grow up, family issues threaten to pull them apart. How will their story unfold?

A quirky love story set over 2 time zones with Shauna as a young girl just arriving in the area and then as a woman looking back. A bit sentimental for me but I can see the appeal.

This completely captured me from the first page, and broke me by the very end. I loved every minute of it. Each nuanced character, each piece of 1990s nostalgia, each breadcrumb of the inevitable twists of the journey, and each morsel of hope weaving through this loving yet troubled little community. Simply beautiful.

I adored Fiona’s first novel Boys Don’t Cry so was delighted to get to read this one via Netgalley.
Starting in Summer early 90’s this novel follows the first love story of Shauna and Dean.Authentically chronicling the 1990’s and being a teenager in Dublin we follow Shauna,Dean,their families and friends to almost three decades later.
The love between Shaun and Dean is never doubted but as often happens life and events have other ideas.
I enjoy dual times in a novel but l found it did get a little too complicated at times for me to follow.However this is a beautiful novel and the end broke me.

A beautifully written story about friendship, love and loss. Such a captivating Irish novel, short chapters and 90s nostalgia - my only criticism was that I read it to quickly! I expect this to be very successful.

May All Your Skies Be Blue is a beautifully written, heartfelt story that explores love, loss, and resilience. Scarlett’s writing captures raw emotions with a gentle touch, making it easy to empathise with the characters. Though a bit slower in pace than I expected, the novel’s depth and poignancy made it a memorable read. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy reflective, character-driven stories.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC!

A beautifully written story of love and friendship in a small town in Ireland. Incredibly well written and highly recommended.

This book had me head over heels, absolutely fell in love with it. I knew it would be good after reading her debut book ‘boys don’t cry’ but honestly it blew me away. Loved the originality of the storyline and the characters. I wish I could read it all over again!

I didn’t warm to the characters and I didn’t enjoy the short snatches in different timelines that get us from beginning to end.

A lovely story of young love and loss in Ireland two main characters Shauna and Dean along with their amazing friends Mark and Pamela set mainly in a hairdressers salon.Beautifully written love and friendship story with lots of happenings I was in bits on and off throughout the book.Would highly recommend this book Will definitely be looking to read further stories from this author.
Thankyou to the author, publisher and net galley

This book follows various events over the years of Shauna and her friends, in particular, Dean. It also follows one day in her life as an adult. A story of love and loss. Very well written and kept me following every step from start to finish. I would definitely read other books by Fiona Scarlett. Highly recommended.

I was lucky enough to receive this as an advanced reader copy and leave this review willingly.

beautiful, devastating and raw. I don’t think this book will ever leave me.

in ireland 1991 shauna and dean meet as teenagers, and now their lives will never be the same. This book follows them across 30 years, written in beautiful prose.

a profound story of love, loss, regret and the impact of life itself. i found myself really rooting for the characters.

this book left me feeling overwhelmed in every emotion in the best way. fiona scarlett has an incredible talent, and i’ll be recommending this book to anybody and everybody.

Absolute corker of a book, that I will be recommending to absolutely everyone .
It was a warm nostalgic look at childhood, the friendship, the parents.
The struggles we go to in pretending all is alright.
As time crept forward, and the glances at today left clues as to what was happening.
I was crying before hitting the last few chapters.
I'm left feeling a little bit broken for what could have been, and what is.

Boys don't cry was the first book I read this year, and it too left me in bits.
It's safe to say I'm going to be reading everything this author writes from now on.

I would like to thank Faber Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of 'May All Your Skies Be Blue' by Fíona Scarlett.

Ever since 'Boys Don’t Cry', I’ve looked forward to Fíona Scarlett’s next novel, hoping she’d deliver the same brilliance. After reading ‘May All Your Skies Be Blue’, I can tell you, she doesn’t disappoint.

Fíona has a rare talent. For writing, beautiful and sensitively, without resorting to sentimentality. For bringing characters to life. For representing the working classes as they are, as a diverse group; not glorifying, not putting down, not condescending.

I won’t give away any of the plot. But if you like love, loss and real people, then this should be your next read.

This novel is going on my ‘want to read again’ stack, hardcover pre-ordered.

No surprise then, that I’m giving ‘May All Your Skies Be Blue’ five stars (but only because six stars aren’t available).

Fiona, I’m already looking forward to novel number three.

May All Your Skies Be Blue is the forthcoming novel from Fíona Scarlett, author of Boys Don't Cry.

The story is told in two timelines, one punctuated rhythmically with entries from the booking diary of the hair salon in which Shauna now works, and in the past that Shauna remembers, from when her mother first bought that salon, bringing them into the lives of Pam, Mark, and especially Dean. Something I noticed quite early on is that, while Shauna narrates the entire book, the parts of the novel set in the past are written in the first person and the parts in the present are written in the third person, and as I read on I felt strongly that this must mean a real disconnect between the two selves, as Shauna seems them, though Scarlett withholds a lot of key details until towards the end of her book, and the reader has to piece together a lot of what is happening themselves.

Like her first novel, her second is something of a tearjerker, so bring your tissues, but I don't want to spoil why 😂 its a really poignant picture of friendship, and how the bonds we make as children can last a lifetime. It's about growing up, in the sense of reaching adulthood, sure, but it's also about the growing up people have to do as they realize the "real adults" around them are getting older, or more frail, or just aren't as strong as they thought they were.

I can see how this will be a favourite of many readers, especially those who grew up in the eighties and nineties in Dublin, and I think Scarlett is a fantastic writer. The type of story isn't exactly my favourite and it was a little sentimental for my taste, but I still could see a lot of strength in it. If you liked Boys Don't Cry, you should absolutely pre-order May All Your Skies Be Blue.

I’ve read nearly one hundred books so far this year and this may be the most powerful and moving yet. Fíona Scarlett manages to create instantly recognisable characters and storylines in this book which feel so nostalgic for the 90s.

May All Your Skies Be Blue switches from the past events of Shauna, Pamela, Mark and Dean’s teenage years to present day, with Shauna working in a hair salon where we meet her at each appointment of the day. The chapters detailing key events in their teenage years are not long, but I found myself instantly identifying with them and I’m struggling to remember a book which manages to do that so well in such a concise way, stories by Claire Keegan come to mind as a comparison. The book is around 250 pages but certainly packs a punch and by the end I was in bits, thankful to have a box of tissues to hand.

Just wonderful and much like her first novel, a must read.

May All Your Skies Be Blue takes readers back to the summer of 1991, a time of sticky ice pops, long walks to The Green, and the arrival of new faces in town. When Shauna first meets Dean, the brooding boy with jet-black hair who hides his emotions as he dreads returning home, it’s clear their lives are about to change. Shauna, standing behind her mother in front of their new salon, is equally haunted by her past, with the smell of Body Shop perfume clinging to her jumper—a fresh start for both her and her mother.

From that moment, Shauna and Dean become inseparable, their friendship blossoming into something deeper as time passes. Yet, with the pressures of school, family responsibilities, and the painful blushes of youth, their bond is continually tested. The story masterfully explores their journey, with dual perspectives showing both Shauna's present and her memories, adding layers of emotional tension as love, loss, and regret colour their lives.

Aoife Larkin captures the indelible mark one person can leave on another with vivid storytelling. I found myself completely absorbed in Shauna and Dean’s struggles, rooting for their happiness as the pages turned. The writing beautifully conveys the complexities of growing up, finding love, and holding on to the hope of reconciliation even when it seems all is lost. The dual timeline is particularly effective, making their emotional journey feel all the more poignant and immediate.

May All Your Skies Be Blue is a tender and moving portrayal of young love, heartbreak, and the ties that bind us across time. I couldn’t tear my eyes away, feeling every emotion right alongside these compelling characters. A captivating read that will linger with you long after the final page.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview.

My guess is that anybody that read Boys Don’t Cry, will be keen to get their hands on this book.
It is as well written, and I enjoyed the depth of the characters, but I read Boys Don’t Cry a couple of years ago and it stays vividly in my mind, this one won’t be the same.
The story is told in dual timeline and I thought I knew how it was going to pan out and I was right, so no real joy or mystery in the end.
It has put me off egg mayonnaise sandwiches, with a very insightful piece of writing.
It’s definitely worth reading.
Out in Feb 25, I was given a free digital copy from Faber and Faber Limited.

This was my first Fiona Scarlett book, and it won't be my last!
This decades-long story is beautifully written. Scarlett's prose is so vivid and you can feel the sharp iciness of the ice pops from the opening scene, the smell of shampoo in Shauna and Maggie's salon, the sun when it touches the characters' skin. The emotional rollercoaster of being a teenager is plastered on the page throughout, as we follow Shauna, Dean, and their gang of friends and family over thirty-odd years. I could hardly look away, and I found that reading this on the train was a hazard as I nearly missed my stop multiple times. The structuring is very clever, with the alternating of past and present deepening the emotional impact of the story.
I loved the characters in this too. I cared deeply for Shauna from the start, and I loved the people around her, especially Pam and Mark. I wished they'd had a stronger presence on the page, especially in the back half. Even though I could see that this was partly due to Shauna's isolation in places, I wanted more detail on where they ended up and how they got to the present day. I also wished we'd had more detail on Dean's character, both because his backstory was genuinely intriguing and to understand his and Shauna's connection better.
I found the ending a bit unsatisfying. I think I understand why it ended the way it did, but the episodes of miscommunication throughout made it feel bleaker than it needed to be – and I thought some ends that would've been better off tied up were left loose.
All in all, a beautifully told story, that I wanted to love more than I actually did!

I absolutely loved this book & reading it made me feel all nostalgic for times gone by.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it