Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for providing an arc for an honest review.

I absolutely adore this book! It is a Contemporary YA Romance between a punk rock singer and a D&D(Dungeons & Dragons) DM. It is filled with amazing characters and friendships, beautiful dialogue, and a story that had me smiling the entire time! This book tackles issues such as imposter syndrome, dealing with your identity as a teenager, and how people of color navigate spaces and communities that they love when maybe those communities don't love them back as they should.

It is seriously one of my favorite reads so far this year and I cannot recommend it enough!

Elise Bryant has done it again because this one was supercute!!!!!!!

What do you get when two Black teens, one a DD Dungeon Master and the second, a lead singer in a punk rock band, fall in love?

You get Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling!

I love it when my young adult stories leave me with the fluttery, butterfly, swooning feeling, and this did just that!

It took a while to get there but when Reggie and Delilah learned to accept themselves for who they are, so that they can be their authentic selves with each other and the people in their lives, it was so worth it!

This wasn't just a typical YA meet cute though. This book tackles some realistic issues facing Black folks in predominantly white spaces. Learning how to manage and stand up to microaggressions, racism, insecurities, and leaning into doing what you love without feeling like you don't deserve it. This is what Reggie and Delilah showed us while making their way to each other, and the level of bravery and patience it took them is commendable.

So adorable, heartwarming and inspiring. You will enjoy this!

Id like to start by saying thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for providing me an ARC to “Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling”

I DNF this book somewhere around the 17% mark. I’m sad to say that this story just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t able to connect to the characters and could not hold my interest in the story. One of my issues was that this story has the insta love trope which I do not like in romance books. It automatically takes me out of the story because once the characters like each other to fast I begin to wonder what the rest of the book is about. Secondly, the writing wasn’t exactly my favorite. Mainly the use of dialogue sounding “cringy” per se. Also there were quite a few times where the character spoke to the reader which felt odd and took me out of the story completely.

Reggie and Delilah’s story was everything and more to me. I saw so much of my own teen experiences in Reggie and Delilah’s story.

Bryant does a stellar job in exploring what it means to be Black in spaces that aim to apply their own definitions of Blackness onto.

Blackness is what you define yourself to be.

Seeing Reggie and Delilah over the course of the story learn and evolve into confident individuals within themselves and their identities. It was more satisfying to see how Bryant showed how eventually it does get easier to love yourself unapologetically despite what others may perceive of you.

Alongside the also cute romance throughout the book (trust me Reggie and Delilah are adorable 🥰) Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling in Love is fantastic journey of self discovery and understanding what it means your true authentic self.

Yep and Yep. A YA love story with the biggest blerd and black girl rocker. Sign me up. It warms my heart to read stories that speak to what is not considered "mainstream" for black youth.

The author does a wonderful job at including neurodiverse and queer characters.

First off, I want to thank Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so cute! I’m usually not a fan of insta-love, and Reggie fell pretty quick, but I like how Bryant wrote their relationship. It was a really sweet story, and the texting conversations, miscommunication, and questionable advice from friends made it all feel very real. Navigating relationships is tough enough as an adult, but as a teenager, it’s even more confusing, and Bryant did a great way of showing that, especially with how hard Reggie was trying to play it cool. I also think the holidays aspect of it was an interesting way to have them keep up their connection.

I like that Bryant not only wrote an adorable love story, but she showed how hard it is being in predominantly white spaces. Reggie loves D&D, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t see the flaws, such as the racism within the fandom. Delilah is in a punk band, and she loves being onstage, but she’s also dealing with the comments that come with being a Black girl in the punk music scene. They have each felt “not Black enough” because of what they love, but these things that they love have also meant dealing with issues. The way Bryant approached these topics was well done and the conversations they had surrounding them felt very natural.

The disability representation was also very well-done! It all felt very natural, and readers can see how Delilah’s migraines affect her and how Reggie’s dyslexia affects him, but also how it can be when others don’t understand.

I really loved seeing their character growth! Delilah was especially very relatable, reminding me a little of myself as a teen. Watching her confidence grow, especially as she starts learning more about performing and letting herself have fun, was really great to read about. She also starts standing up for herself, and I think anyone who reads this story will be rooting for her throughout the whole book. Reggie does make some mistakes, but you can’t help but hope it all works out for him too. The challenges they were dealing with individually were so relatable. Within this love story is the lesson that your interests are your interests. What matters is if you like it, not what others think. But that’s also easier said than done. The way both these characters developed showed the importance of being true to yourself.

Overall, this was a really cute read, and I give it 4.5/5 stars!

Special thanks to Spark Point Studio and Balzer + Bray for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up

Tl;DR: This was a fun coming-of-age YA contemporary that was a well-balanced mix of fluffy and serious. It tackles themes of racism, identity, mental health, learning disability and bullying in a sensitive and well-rounded way. Both of the characters felt like real teenagers who are simply doing their best and despite being frustrated by their actions sometimes, it was easy to root for them to find their happiness. The romance was admittedly a bit too cheesy for me at times and I felt like the build-up of the story felt too drawn out, I still enjoyed this and I think many YA readers will too!

What worked for me:
- This was a great coming-of-age contemporary that was a well-balanced mix of fluffy and sweet, as well as serious. Bryant covers some important themes including racism, identity, mental health, learning disabilities, and bullying and I think the themes were handled sensitively. I enjoyed seeing how Reggie and Delilah dealt with these issues individually and how they grew from their struggles.
- Reggie and Delilah were easy characters to root for. They both had their struggles to deal with but I liked how they supported and buoyed each other especially when they were together. I admit that the decisions these characters made were oftentimes frustrating but... Teenagers? 😂 I felt like these were very realistic portrayals of teens who are confused about who they are and where they fit in, on top of finding and embracing their passions, as well as dealing with both familial and societal expectations.
- Of the two, I think Delilah's personal arc had the most satisfying growth. She starts as this shy, uncertain young woman who doesn't have a lot of self-confidence or worth. She sees herself in a very unworthy light despite her talent and she would constantly let others take advantage of her kindness and willingness to accept things as they are. It was so great to see her realise her worth and find confidence in herself, even if that growth resulted from someone being dishonest with her. I think Delilah is someone many readers will be able to relate to and it was a joy to see her find peace with her identity, embrace her talent, recognise her worth and stand up for herself!
- Reggie experienced growth but it took slightly longer for him to get there. I kept waiting for him to embrace who he was, D&D nerd and all, and each time that didn't happen the further the story progressed, the more I found myself feeling disappointed. I'm not a fan of lying and although he definitely didn't have any bad intentions, he approached the whole thing very poorly. I mean, it was comical in a way and I guess somewhat (stereo)typical for a young teen wanting to very badly impress a girl with a certain level of cool. But I did like his realness when he was being himself with his friends. They were a great group of teens and I loved their delightful banter—reading about them goofing around was kinda infectious!
- The romance, while definitely on the cheesier side of cheesy, was full of angsty teenage moments wondering whether the pining and crushing were mutual. I really liked the premise of them always ending up in the same place on holidays and it gave the story a solid timeline structure. I thought these two were perfectly cute and fit well together.

What didn't work for me:
- This was slightly instalove on both ends but most definitely for Reggie. As much as I liked their romance and the holiday meet-up premise, the nature of it meant that we didn't get to see them spend much time together for a good portion of the book. I wished that we had more scenes with them actually hanging out and getting to know each other earlier in the story rather than leaving it all until the very end when it felt a little too late.
- This brings me to how I felt the build-up of their story was a little too drawn out and I think the back-and-forth nature of both these characters' thoughts made the narrative feel slightly repetitive, especially when it kept repeating. With this taking up so much space, it made it feel like Reggie's character growth got pushed to the sideline and his arc didn't get fully realised. I think this element is what disappointed me most because I would've loved to have the resolution of Reggie's storyline with his parents and brother be more fleshed out; it was good but it could've been great if there was more depth!
- I wished some of the side characters had gotten more page time. I would've loved to see some of these characters play more of a role but they felt pretty two-dimensional and served only to push the romance along.

3.5 Stars

This book was on my most anticipated releases for January and I was originally on a book tour for this book before withdrawing as the HarperCollins Union continued to strike. However, once the contract was ratified I excitedly picked the book up to read and review.
Unfortunately, this book disappointed me, the writing style didn't sit well with me. There was nothing wrong with it, it just didn't mesh with me as a reader.
I also felt that the side characters felt very 2-Dimensional, more like caricatures and less like characters. Some of the conversations and scenes that took place in this book felt less like a part of the plot and more like educating an audience that wasn't a part of the communities mentioned in this book.
For most of this book, I wasn't a big fan of the romance between Reggie and Delilah, since Reggie is always pretending to be the person he *thinks* Delilah will fall for. Delilah wishes she was more like the fake version of Reggie and when instances of the real Reggie slipping out happens, the disappointment in Delilah is palpable.
My favourite parts of this book were the music scenes. I felt the descriptions were riveting and I discovered a new band to listen to from the inspirations Delilah drew from.
The discussions surrounding mixed children and being "Black enough" was interesting and I felt this book brought a fresh perspective to the table.
Finally, I bumped this up to 3.5 stars because while I'm definitely an anti-third-act break-up person, the makeup scene definitely had me kicking my feet.

1. Why have I not read a book by this author sooner?
2. I now need all the author’s books.
3. This was so sweet and swoony and beautiful.

4-12: HARPERCOLLINS HAS BEEN ON STRIKE FOR 50+ DAYS AND I REALLY NEED YALL TO FIX YOUR SHIT

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Added on 3/3/2023

This book was so sweet and full of heart! I loved seeing Reggie and Delilah constantly running into each other and trying to stay together despite outside forces trying to draw them apart.
I’ve now purchased Elise’s other books to read because a sweet read is just what the doctor ordered.

This book is my favorite read of 2023 and I couldn't talk about it for months because of the strike. I'm glad it's over and can finally continue to tell people about it. I loved:

-The migraine rep. (I've had migraines my entire life and seeing them depicted in a book made me feel so seen.)
-The dyslexia rep (I have a sister who also has dyslexia and she uses the voice notes and the record in the text chat as well.)
-The way life they felt as they were in these spaces that they thought weren't for them. I went to a Catholic school and was one of 2 Black people in my whole grade.
-And of course the romance itself was super cute. They way he simped for her as soon as he saw her?! YES PLEASE. It was definitely my favorite YA romance I've read in a long while.

This was a light and fun read. Reggie and Delilah were so cute and awkward. The author did a great job tackling some of the social issues that teens go thru like imposter syndrome and anxiety. Would highly recommend and I look forward to reading more of her books.
Thank you to Hear Our Voices for the gifted ARC!

-this was a great slow burn, but i think it struggled with too much happening in the last 15%. nearly all the main conflict happened in that small chunk and it just felt like too much all at once
-i loved delilah and her POV a lot more, but still enjoyed reggie’s as well
-HOWEVER, i really feel like reggie did a totally 180 during the conflict and acted way out of character, to the point where i almost didn’t want them to get back together
-i know they are still young, 16 and 17, but reggie behaved very much one way the whole book, a completely different way during the conflict, and then went back to his regular behavior afterwards. it was a bit confusing
-as someone with migraines, i wish delilah’s had been mentioned more than just the couple times necessary as a plot device.
-i loved the relationship delilah and georgia had, it was so lovely and of course i was a huge fan of their love for taylor swift!
-the conflict and especially reggie’s behavior threw me a bit, but it didn’t dampen my overall liking of the book too much, mostly because delilah’s journey of finding herself and her voice was so powerful

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging romance. I love that the book tackles social issues while being a romance. I love that one of my least favorite romance tropes in this book did not make me cringe, and, in fact, just put me on the edge of my seat. I love that the whole thing took a year. Finally, I love that both Swifties and punk rock fans can relate to this book. This book is darling.

This is my second read by Elise Bryant, and which I enjoyed the first book by her, this one I think shows how much she has grown as a writer! This book was so interesting and had a bunch of great elements that made it stand out against other YA romance novels. This coming of age romance had lots of meet cutes, but they were all on holidays! The couple got together halfway through the novel instead of at the end, but they still had to work through their differences. The main character was in a band, but it was not her entire personality. I loved how Elise Bryant took what could have been a boring YA romance like any other and added unique elements to make it so so much better!

Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling is a YA/Teen Romance between two young adults who have divergent personalities but understand and care for each like no other in their own independent worlds. Reggie was clearly smitten at first sight while watching Delilah sing with her band. For Delilah, it was a much slower burn. In reality, it was a year-long burn for both of them. By fate or circumstances, this romance between a D&D player and a practicing musician spanned a year, meeting during holidays and special events. Delilah appreciated Reggie's gallant nature and care, especially during her bought with migraines. She liked Reggie for his personality, but he made himself appear more accomplished and confident than he truly was. While they had a falling out during the black moment in a romance, they came back together as they should have, giving a satisfying happily-ever-after. This was an enjoyable story. There were moments when the pacing was a little slower than I prefer, but that didn't stop me from wanting to see them be happy in their individual interests and as a couple.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really cute. I really liked how they became friends at first and then slowly progressed their relationship into something. Even though this was a young adult book it was just a little too young adult to me. It was still cute though and I liked the character development.

4.5 stars

I really liked Happily Ever Afters by this same author, so I still had her on my radar for upcoming releases, and when I heard about this one I saw that one of the main characters is a Dungeon Master and a nerd…and honestly that was all that was needed to sell me on this book. But I also thought the concept of two people who keep meeting on holidays to be kind of fun and interesting.

I picked up this read a couple months ago, read a couple chapters, and liked it, and wanted to keep going, but then things got a bit crazy and I set the book aside, finally picking it back up a few days ago….and then I finished the book in only a couple hours.

It was good. I liked following Delilah and Reggie, both on their individual journeys, and every time they ran into each other. I feel like their relationship built up at a nice and realistic pace. There are so many romances where the couple goes from first meeting to declaring their love for each other in a few days, perhaps a week or two, and man, that feels very fast. Yes, sure, I know it can happen. I actually know couples who got together very quickly and are still together years and years later.

And man did I relate to Reggie. I have felt the need to role play as someone who is more confident and suave than I am a lot in my life. Of course I also definite relate to D&D taking up a big chunk of my life: playing it, thinking about it, reading about it, watching actual plays, watching videos on YouTube about different aspects of the game mechanics or role play. It was also so real to see Reggie’s family just not get it, and to try and get him to do other things instead.

Honestly both Delilah and Reggie felt so real and sincere to me. Okay, fine, I’m a 34 year old woman, so it’s been a number of years since I’ve been a teen, but I think feeling insecure with yourself and dealing with anxiety and familial misunderstandings and friend drama…those are things that are true at any age.

The reason I rated this book down a half-star is because at times it felt like it was dragging a bit, so even though I pretty much read the book in a couple hours, there were some scenes/chapters that seemed a bit slow. Still, overall it was a really good book, and I’m glad I read it.

This was so sweet and her characters were well developed. I wasn’t interested in any of the things the two characters enjoyed taking about from the get go so as a personal preference that made this my least favorite of the authors books.

4 ⭐️

I was really excited for the concept of this story and it delivered! I loved how Reggie and Delilah called it magic that they kept seeing each other on holidays and as a structure, I think it worked really well for a YA story for two teenagers who don't go to the same school but live in the same area. I really enjoyed the personal growth journeys of both Reggie and Delilah about being true to yourself and finding the confidence to do so is a really great topic to explore in YA. I thought that the story did drag a bit in the middle and I was losing steam a little just past the halfway mark but overall, I really liked the connection between Delilah and Reggie and was rooting for them to make it from the start of the book.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I will be holding off posting any in-depth public reviews until the HarperCollins Union receives a fair contract.

This book is such an amazing read. I really enjoy watching reggie an delilah both slowly figure out their identity while falling in love. I also loved how much I related to delilah when it comes to anxiety and staying quiet to keep the peace.