The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre has been on my Netgalley shelf for far too long. I love YA and this is set behind the scenes of a high school theatre production which sounded fun.

What it’s about?

From Goodreads:

Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Nina LaCour, this romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley has something for everyone: backstage rendezvous, deadly props, and a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to True Love.

Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything. What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe.

So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over. Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.

Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.

What I think:

This was such a great book!

First of all, coming from an English high school where our students’ commitments to performing arts is more on the casual side, I was blown away by the facilities and and time dedicated to theatre at this school. I have no idea if it’s realistic, but it is wonderful!

Melody is hardworking and focused. She can be a bit shortsighted sometimes as her determination can come across as selfish, and she can be thoughtless to the feelings of those around her.

Her girlfriend, Rachel, breaks up with her in the middle of a performance that all of the backstage team can hear through their headphones. It’s completely humilating, and as upset as she is, the show must go on, and she must remain professional.

Convinced that the theatre is cursed, the crew make up new superstitions each year. It seems clear to everyone that Melody’s love life could be a problem, and she swears off love for the good of Les Mis. So, of course, she meets someone perfect!

Melody goes on a real journey throughout this book. She learns so much about herself and others. Her relationship with Odile is really beautiful and genuine. It grows slowly. The fact that the love curse forces them to be secretative means that they get to know each other in their own time.

I learned so much about the theatre and what goes on behind the scenes from this book. Its interesting and fun and thoughtful and witty.

I can’t believe it took me so long to read! I’m definitely going to order a physical copy for my classroom library as some of my students would love this too.

Thank you, Netgalley, for myngifted digital copy of The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre.