My inner theatre geek absolutely adored this book - give me all of the backstage nerdery, please! Even more so if you throw some queer romance in to the mix, and a little bit of 'real life' drama. For what is a relatively long book, I raced through this, and really enjoyed watching the romance blossom between Melody and Odile, as well as feeling the very real tension as they all endeavour to put on an epic performance. I felt Melody's stress as stage manager, for sure! 

I felt like the 'love curse' part of the story sometimes got a little bit lost and was used as a bit of a crutch to move the story along in ways that didn't 100% make sense (Melody is 16... it's not like serial monogamy is a real issue for her?). And actually, I think it was strong enough as a concept and story without some of that.

That said, I really enjoyed this book - it was fun, witty and made my theatre-loving heart happy. But you might want to be vaguely familiar with the plot of Les Mis before you pick this one up...

After everything goes wrong during the school production, it's decided that Melody being in a relationship during a production is a curse. For the next production of Les Mis, Melody must stay single. Then superstar Odile Rose returns to school and Melody is suddenly finding staying single very difficult.

I really enjoyed this sweet novel of high school love and musical theatre. It was a heartwarming read about first love and friendship and I tore through it in two days. 

Thanks NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book!! I'm a theatre kid at heart so having a musical production be the driving force at the centre of this story was absolutely wonderful. The details about the production process really brought this one to life for me; and the side characters were wonderfully individual.

I especially loved the format and the way it was structured like a performance, it was just a wonderful added touch and it really cemented the theatre aspect in a way that, I feel, worked really well. 

Some aspects of the story felt a little cliche, and while communication issues are very prevalent in high school and theatre, I would personally have preferred for the main drama to have had something else behind it too.

I loved both the main character and the love interest and rooted for them from the very first page!!

This book is cute and cheesy and I enjoyed it! I'm not even that into theatre but it was fun to read. The sapphic romance was adorable, and was probably my favourite part of the book. I did performing arts in high school and enjoyed acting, not that I've done any acting since, but reading this showed me that the crew who do all the sound, lighting, props, costumes, etc. are awesome and I'd love to be part of that. Though I doubt I'll ever be in a theatre other than to watch shows, but I digress. The crew and cast were pretty cool (but mostly the crew), the superstitions were intriguing, and the ending was heartwarming. Very enjoyable.

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre takes you on a journey with two girls working a theatre production. It chronicles their budding relationship which is lovely to witness. But also takes you behind the scenes of putting on a production and makes you feel as if you are there witnessing it all.

It's no secret that I am a fan of Robin's novels, so when The Love Curse jumped out, I knew I had to give it a go!

Let's start by saying, MUSICALS. Damn right this book has lots of references and I'm sure my husband got annoyed with me singing Les Mis a few times, but who cares? not me!

Melody is a Stage Manager at her high school, it's all she's ever dreamed off. However, rituals and curses float around the drama teens and they worry it'll impact their next big show.

You follow the drama department during their highs and lows, and of course so teen issues are thrown in there too. I did enjoy the book, but I did feel that sometimes I wanted more pace.

3.5

Mel is the stage manager for her high school theatre group. When she's working the light cues her girlfriend breaks up with her during the most difficult lighting scene. This ruins 2 minutes max of performance for the opening night, and nothing else really goes wrong. However, this causes the rest of the crew to decide that whenever Mel is in a relationship that the play/musical has more things that go wrong with it - the curse of their theatre! So clearly the solution is that Mel can't fall in love during the rehearsals and run of Les Mis in the Spring. Unfortunately, she falls harder than she ever has before for the returning Odile who's been off shooting for some Game of Thrones show. And then many unfortunate events happen to the crew, cast, and in the theatre itself....all while Mel is keeping her new found feelings a secret from the rest of the crew and cast (or trying to...). 

It's enjoyable but not so memorable. Definitely my favourite contemporary of Talley's I've read so far. Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen references are at a minimum and generally eye-rolled AT rather than eye-rolling...unlike other queer theatre-loving teenage books out there. 

Sure a lot of this book doesn't make sense and superstitions are silly but that's all addressed near the end of the book. 

I'd recommend not reading the e-book for this as the lists and diagrams are ruined in the formatting.

I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley and HQ Young Adult to give me the chance to read and review this book.

In this novel we are introduced to a high school theater company. They have a lot of rules that they have to follow, but also they have a specific regulation for the current production. In this year it is that Melody McIntyre, the stage manager, can’t fall in love. She thinks that it’s something easy to follow, yet when Odile starts to act in the stage play, she feels that have a problem because start to have feelings for her. 

This book was really interesting for the way that it is writing. The reader feels that they have a countdown on every chapter, because in the beginning you can read the days, hours or minutes until the opening of the production. Also, the different mandations or official papers to the cast and crew are included when you finish the chapters. Using this, the writer make sure that the reader will be more involved in the story.

In spite of these things, that are amazing, I feel that the narration was a little bit low, because sometimes nothing (or almost nothing) happens. Initially, I didn’t empathise with Melody, I sensed that she was a good character but a little bit egocentric. On the other hand, Odile is a mysterious character, maybe a lot mysterious, but when she is introducing you know that she is a wonderful woman with so much pressure. I love other characters like Gabby, Dom or Will. I believe that this book have a marvelous representation of LGBT character, whitout feel that all the story is based about this fact.

To sum up, Robin Talley created an original way to narrate a love story about two independent girls that have as a result a cosy reading.

This is a really fun and heartwarming contemporary romance. The high school theatre setting was an interesting one - different from any of the contemporaries I've read before. The theatre Curse was entertaining and I loved the awkwardly funny characters. The banter between characters was great and I loved the sapphic romance. A great contemporary novel, this was my first experience with Robin Talley and I'm sure it won't be my last.

Melody McIntyre is the stage manager for the plays and musicals performed at her high school. Every year the performances are amazing, but bad things happen which are attributed to a ‘curse’ on the theatre. After Melody’s love life meddles with their performance of Romeo and Juliet, the crew come up with a new superstition for their next show. Les Mis; Melody McIntyre must not fall in love. Which sounds easy enough, until famous Odile gets the part of Fantine and ends up spending more time with Melody...

I love Robin Talley’s books, and this one was no exception. As someone who loves the theatre, this book was extra-special to me as all the things that go on behind the scenes to make a musical work were highlighted in the novel, and I’ve really been missing the theatre this year so reading about it was the next best thing! I really liked both Melody and Odile (as well as the supporting characters of course) and their romance, although I wish I could have read even more about their relationship as it seemed so awesome! Yes, some of the elements of the book were a bit predictable and unrealistic, but nevertheless I really enjoyed and would definitely recommend it to other theatre fans!

A fun book with a heart. I always enjoy Robin Talley books and this was no exception. It was an enjoyable high school story in which people's sexuality was no big deal. The storyline following the rehearsals for the school musical was so full of detail that I wanted to be able to see the play for myself! Mel was a competent but flawed character who, as any 17 year old, still needed guidance from her parents and teachers. The love story was written beautifully with the slow acceptance that yes, she did have a crush on Odile, and then that Odile might actually like her back. The rush of teenage love, where nothing else mattered, came across strongly and I was rooting for them to work out their problems by the end. A great book if you want low-key peril and a sweet sapphic love story. Thoroughly entertaining and easy to read, it kept my attention all the way through and I couldn't wait to get to read the next chapter.

I had high expectations for this book. Every book of Robin Talley's that I have read so far has been outstanding.

Melody is a stage manager for her high school. Much of the storyline is heavily focused on musical theatre production and the antics backstage. If you don't have a good grip of Les Mis or an interest in musical theatre, you may struggle with this one.

I liked the quirk of the cursed theatre, although I felt it started to get a little silly. 

Overall, this isn't my favourite book my Robin Talley, but I still enjoyed it. It's a cute, queer, young adult book. 

With thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for the copy in return for an honest review.

<b>*4.5 Stars*</b>

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre is a YA romance about - you guessed it - Melody McIntyre.
Melody is the stage manager at her school. In the middle of the fall play Premiere, her girlfriend makes a scene and breaks up with her while the entire teams hears it and it also causes her to mess up the lights she is in charge of. (I'm still angry about it tbh)
Anyway, since it's communally known that the school theater is cursed, the crew team decides that Melody and her frequent relationships is the problem, cause things seem to go wrong when she's in a relationship during the play and that, for the spring performance, the counter curse should be that Melody doesn't date. Then, they inform her of it and she somehow agrees not to fall in love with anyone. Sounds easy? Yeah, not so much... Especially when rising actress Odile Rose shows up and somehow seems interested in Melody? Melody can't quite believe it...

Anyway, I really liked this book. It read it so fast, I just could not stop. I basically read it in one night. I really loved Melody and fell for her hard, even when she drove me mad. I loved being thrown into the theater department, especially in the crew part of it. It's rare that we get to read about this side of things and it was so good. I really loved Odile and Gabby (most of the time) and Dom, the secondary characters were really on point.
I also loved to hate Nick and some of the other actors, I actually felt like I was part if the crew... The only reason I didn't rate this 5 stars is that I'm still pissed about a couple things. And some things were just too not okay to me and some characters really should have apologized and didn't. I like apologies. (Except when I owe them to people ofc...)

So yeah, great book, I'm just annoying!

This was really fun with a side of being serious and tackling serious issues like most Robin Talley books. However, this was probably my least favourite of the ones I have read, it just wasn’t for me!

Enjoyable sapphic YA rom-com which as a bonus has stressed out theatre kids (I remember those days) and a musical production of Les Miserable. This was fun.

I am not sure how I managed to not find out about this one until after it had been released because I would have most definitely have pre ordered but it definitely lived up to all my expectations and hopes and dreams.  Mel is my ! teenage sefl in a book form, although she is more open about her sexuality! This is bisexual representation done perfectly! People just are who they are and its not a major plot point. If your a musicals geek like me, you'll love this

Melody McIntyre, ambitious Stage Manager at Beaconville High School, intends to put on the most perfect production of Les Mis. Her last production wasn't bad, but was hit by yet another branch of the theatre department curse. True, some of that may have been her own fault, after neglecting her girlfriend for weeks before the performance, but it was probably the curse.

So, at the tech crew's insistence, Melody swears off falling in love for the next production. But she didn't bet on the budding young 'ingenue' Odile being part of the next production. Which will bring all of Mel's faith about the theatre curse, and the role of actors and crew, into question.

First off - I get that theatre kids/adults/people can be superstitious. It's one of the fun parts of that kind of work. But at what point did anyone think 'oh, we can't actually prevent someone from falling in love, we shouldn't demand that, how silly of us.' Well, at no point apparently, as that's exactly what the crew demand that Mel does. And she goes along with it, as she wants what's best for her precious theatre.

I really enjoyed the level of theatre-immersion in this book. But quite honestly found it frightening that students could be so committed to the theatre as they are in this book. Every moment and every penny is spent on the most ambitious set design, costumes and lighting. Every hour is spent there - I can only presume they're all failing their courses. Is this just an American thing? Or am I just not that passionate about theatre? I loved the passion that came through in Camp for theatre, but this was ... intense.

I love Les Mis, know the story and references, and have enough general theatre knowledge. But if you didn't ... I think you could find that whole massive area of the story quite inaccessible. Not to mentioning finding the rivalry between cast and crew silly and immature.

And Mel ... Mel is not a particularly good person. She's authoritative without leadership, selfish in her pursuits and not prepared to admit that she could be wrong about anything. She's also selfish with other peoples' emotions. I'm not convinced that that makes her a good main character.

And, there's this big thing about her having had lots of short relationships - at 16 - before finally falling properly in love. Is it just me, or is that a very young age to be slut-shamed at?

In all, I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the theatre. I enjoyed the f/f/ romance and I enjoyed the diverse cast. But there were quite a few things that didn't quite gel for me.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I read by Robing Talley and I really enjoyed it. I've never been in a theater group nor seen the musical Les Misérables (read the book though) but I still could follow the story quite well. I think the author showed really well how everything works backstage during a theater production and I enjoy this as much as the 
 romance between Melody and Odile!
The only thing that bothered me a little was all the superstitions and "curses", I thought that was a bit over the top but it might be exactly that crazy in a real theater setting.

All in all I enjoyed the book and can recommend it to anyone who likes YA romance. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A sapphic theater romance? I was sold before I even opened the book. And happily for me, this book was everything I wished for, and even more!

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre is your sapphic Hollywood romance, but make it high school theater.

The whole book is set in a high school theater, and the characters are all theater nerds. I felt like in a little warm bubble, and Robin Talley made a great job to translate exactly what it feels like to be part of a theater company. I love the idea of an ancient curse that jeopardizes shows if someone breaks a rule, and all those theater superstitions. I liked how it was introduced, and what Robin Talley made with it. And I'm not going to spoil you, but I really like how this ends, and what they do about that curse.

The romance is really cute, both girls showering the other with support and love from the start. There is no homophobia, no pressure to come out, nor to hide because this is a sapphic relationship. Both Melody and Odile are casual about their sexuality.

You'll like The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre if you love musicals and theater, Hollywood romance, and YA feel-good books.

Robin Talley’s books are always a must read for me – they are quite diverse, but I’ve enjoyed them all.

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre is a light, fun read - it’s basically a high school rom-com - which lacks the wider social commentary of many of Robin’s other books.  That’s fine, because it’s a really engaging read, centring around a high school production of Les Miserables for which the eponymous Melody is the stage manager. Superstitions abound, and when Mel’s girlfriend breaks up with her during a production of Romeo and Juliet, distracting her and almost wrecking the show as a result, her fellow crew members decide that Melody’s love life is bad news for theatrical success. 

She’s happy enough to promise not to fall in love for the run of the next show, this staving off any possible curse. But she hasn’t reckoned on Odile Rose...

I loved all the behind-the-scenes details about a theatre production, and things like the mistrust between the cast and the crew felt very believable. I was rooting for Mel throughout, and for the show to be a success. 

A great read.