I could not get on with the plot or prose style of this book. It jumped from past to present with every chapter, so I lost the thread of the story. Was there a story? I didn't get it, sorry.

Very well written, nostalgic and nuanced, we follow different timelines with the same characters. Shauna and Dean and the important figures in their life.
The setting and characterisation were very authentic, especially if you are familiar with Ireland, you will enjoy this book.
However, the relationships, the conflicts, the struggles and joys are universal, and Scarlett does a great job of capturing it.
Nearly 5 stars - just some elements of the plot and the structure were less to my taste, yet, I am so glad I read this book and loved its literary quality.
Scarlett's writing is something I will look forward to.

I really loved the concept of this novel. Dual timeline: in the 1990’s in Ireland we meet a group of 4 characters growing up and becoming adults. The love story between two of the characters, Shauna and Dean is dreamy, all consuming and everything that a first love embodies.
The second timeline is set over one single day in present time, split into Shauna’s appointment at her saloon.
I should have loved this book but I struggled with the prose and I found the story unresolved.

NO SPOILERS:

The publisher’s blurb for May All Your Skies be Blue did not really grab me. I thought this book would be another one of many. But this from Donal Ryan made me read it:

'A beautiful, deeply affecting story. These characters will work their way into your heart and become part of your life. Fí has a deep knowledge of the vagaries of the human condition, and a rare and immense talent to bring a story and its cast to stirring life with humour, with unending empathy, and love. She is a writer of the very first order.' DONAL RYAN

And I’m glad I did. It’s so well crafted.

The story goes back and forth from the present to the past, with each time the past getting a little closer to the present. The back story is gradually revealed in the present tense, which gives a sense of involvement, and a mix of first and third person. Well written characters, well developed plot and some beautiful, evocative writing make this a book worth your time.

The plot held no surprises for me but the writing overshadowed that. So thank you, Mr Ryan, you were right!

Oh, and the final page is…yeah, it just is.


Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the Advanced Review Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

A bit of a slow burner, but what a devastating ending! Fantastic ending. I loved getting to know the characters and slowly revealing the characters shared history.

May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fíóna Scarlett is a heart-stealer. Told in a beautifully woven dual timeline, it follows Shauna - living in present-day Dublin, navigating family, love, and the challenges of caring for a parent - while flashing back to the 1990s, where we see her teenage years filled with friendship, first love, and all the promise of youth.

I adored this book. The Irish craic and humour, the incredible 90s nostalgia (so many memories came flooding back!), the friendships and love stories, and the tender yet unflinching look at dementia and alcoholism - all of it made me laugh, made me cry, and completely captured my heart.

My favourite Goodreads review of this book says (in its entirety), “Have the five stars Fíóna, have them. Twice now you’ve broken my heart, I hope you’re happy with yourself.”

I couldn’t agree more 😂

It’s rare to find a book that balances joy and heartbreak so perfectly. I already want to read it again. And while I can’t wait to dive into Scarlett’s debut, Boys Don’t Cry, I think I need a little time to recover first… 💔☘️

May All Your Skies be Blue comes out in paperback on 28th August and I will definitely be adding this one to my shelves. Highly, highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber Books for gifting me a copy of this book. All views are unedited and entirely my own.

For some reason I assumed from the title that this might be an uplifting and heartfelt read but it's really not. Instead it perfectly captures all the awkward devastating angst of teenage love. The uncertainty between Dean and Shauna and their inability to actually communicate what they're feeling, or to even really know what they're feeling, makes for an often uncomfortable and heartbreaking read.

Told across two timelines, it weaves a beautifully nostalgic story filled with just the right amount of pop culture references in the past, while the present carries a growing undercurrent of unease, hinting at troubles ahead for the young lovers.

It may not have been the book I thought I was going to read, but I loved it anyway.. Thoroughly recommended!

Evocative and sentimental, this is a love story set in early 1990s Ireland. The descriptions of everyday life instantly transport us to different times. The smell of Body Shop perfume on Shauna's Ma's jumper.

I found it hard to read. It's written in Irish street jargon. The narrative is constantly switching. It becomes frenetic and distracts from the plot. 3.5 stars.

Amazing heartfelt love story. I love Fiona’s writing and how she portrays her characters and the irishness shines through in them especially their dialogue. I also love the way th story was slowly unraveled using past and present timelines. The use of the present timeline set solely over one day in Shauna’s hair salon was so well done, almost like a play, characters coming on and off the stage and each person gives you another bit of the story. Beautiful story of love and friendship. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

When Shauna’s mom opens her own hair salon, Shauna doesn’t realize she’ll end up falling for Dean, a local boy. First love, first kiss — all so sweet and precious. The whole setup feels lovely: small-town life, a tight-knit community, the everyday routine turning into something special.
The problem for me was the structure and the language. The story jumps between past and present, and it’s all written in Irish street slang. For me, that made the reading experience difficult.
This book might be a little gem, but probably only for readers who can really tune into that style.

Set in Ireland and told over a dual timeline, we follow Shauna, Dean and their friends as they navigate their teenage years and family responsibilities.
A story about friendship, love and putting others before yourself, this book made me smile and cry……and don’t get me started on the ending.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Boys Dont Cry and this was as good, if not better. Really fantastic novel which really put me through the wringer

I don't think we take enough time to stop and really thank the universe that some people were both given the skill and then chose to use it to write for us, to us. And this is one such author. Woweee this had me by the throat, heart and soul.
The fleshing out of all the character. But mainly our two main ones was beautiful,delicate and so intricate to the detail I felt like I could be there with them.
Their lives took on too many turns for my poor heart. I needed to know both their stories spanning the years but also I was desperate to know the ending. Please bring me tissues. Please don't break my heart.
Everyone should read this authors books. And this being her 2nd I cannot wait for what comes next. Send them my way. They are like sunshine and moonbeam and everything in between

I found this book so moving. How Dean and Shauna’s relationship grows over time. The care they have for one another and how that might not be enough to keep them together. And when that conflict comes, it’s not one big dramatic moment - instead just those familiar circumstances of life and all its responsibilities coming in between them to move them away from one another. And somehow that’s even more heartbreaking.

There’s sadness and hard truths in this novel but also hopefulness and the love and appreciation for community. And it’s not just romantic love, it’s the love between friends, family. I felt like I knew the four friends at the centre of this story by the end.

Fíona is brilliant at writing that human story and I was in tears reading that final page. An indication of a good story, if you ask me.