Not My Problem

Starred review from April 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-In this witty and engaging novel, Irish author Smyth creates a flawed teen girl, Aideen, who makes a credible journey from self-protectively tough to ready and willing to face her main problem: her single mother's neglectful alcoholism. When Aideen makes a snap decision to help the principal's overachieving, overscheduled, and generally disliked daughter, she begins doing secret favors for classmates in return for them owing her their help. She develops unexpected feelings for one of her clients and makes a new friend in Kavi, who is chatty and humorous but also has his own problems as, Aideen discovers, everyone does. The story unfolds effortlessly, detailing both suspenseful and hilarious moments, as does real life. Populated with believable high school friends and very few adults, Aideen and most other characters are white, and Kavi is Indian. Here, Aideen's lesbian identity is not a plot point, but a detail that gives her authenticity. VERDICT This engaging novel will hook readers immediately. Recommended for all collections serving teens.-Francisca Goldsmith, Lib. Ronin, Worcester, MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2021
Sixteen-year-old Irish student Aideen Cleary faces some big obstacles. After walking in on perfectionist classmate Meabh Kowalska, daughter of the school principal, crying in the toilets, Aideen gets roped into a drastic plan to help her fix her problems. Aided by Kavi Thakrar, a witness to Aideen's pushing Meabh down the stairs--part of their harebrained scheme--Aideen soon finds herself running a favor-for-favor business for the student body. She silently struggles with her own home life while solving the issues of others to cope with her feelings of helplessness. Smyth paints a snapshot of someone who appears to have everything sorted but on the inside is falling apart at the seams. Aideen begins somewhat rough at the edges and soon becomes a character readers can easily root for: Between her mother's drinking problem and her own failing grades, Aideen deals with issues faced by many young people. A spark of emotional authenticity runs throughout, making the narrative engaging and enjoyable. The language used is very Irish, featuring sentence structures and colloquialisms that set the cultural scene in a completely natural way. Aideen and Meabh are both lesbian, and while Aideen mentions experiencing some homophobia in the past, it is not the focus of the story; ethnic diversity is similarly part of the background texture. A noteworthy take on vulnerability and seeking help that doesn't offer platitudes. (Fiction. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 25, 2022
Grades 7-10 Aideen's homelife is troubled, thanks to an impoverished alcoholic mother and a selfish biological father who shows up unannounced to seek respite from his "perfect" marriage and family. School isn't much easier; Aideen is behind on everything, relying on her best friend Holly to keep her going. The pressure to succeed is high at St. Louise's, and when class know-it-all and Holly's rival, Meabh Kowalski, confesses her struggles to Aideen, the sympathetic teen can't help offering to assist with a push when she sees Meabh's on the edge, of both her emotions and a set of steep stairs. Kavi Thakrar, witness to the resulting sprained ankle, begins to find other "clients" for Aideen to help, and she finds herself in a mire of plans and plots, torn between her supposed best friend and her new unexpected crush, and dodging suspicions and questions about her homelife from a concerned teacher. Smyth's characters are fresh and memorable, from tall, unpredictable chatterbox Kavi to Kristen Stewart-fangirl Aideen and multifaceted Meabh. As Aideen struggles to parent her own parent, learning that she can fix everyone's problems but her own, she might have to finally seek help to get her own life and well-being under control.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
Bossy know-it-all perfectionist Meabh and underachieving social outcast Aideen are enemies at their Irish high school (think Derry Girls, but co-ed and with more than one wee lesbian). But when Aideen comes across the overwhelmed Meabh having a meltdown, they hatch an outlandish scheme to get Meabh out of some of her many scheduled activities: Aideen will push Meabh down some stairs, injuring Meabh's ankle; she will thus be excused from yoga, team sports, gym class, etc., while still being able to practice cello, do homework, and, most important, run for student council president. The pushing-down-the-stairs scheme actually works, but it's witnessed by odd-duck though super-sweet classmate Kavi, who then begins bringing Aideen "clients" so she can solve their problems, too. As Aideen's services become more and more sought after, escapades ensue, and her life gets very entangled -- but, also, her social orbit begins to expand as "clients" turn into a network of friends, and she and Meabh start to fall for each other. Meanwhile, Aideen's heretofore sole friend, Holly, manipulative and vindictive, decides to run against Meabh in the school election -- forcing Aideen to make some hard choices. Aideen's first-person narration is sometimes hilarious, tart, and sarcastic; sometimes heart-tuggingly poignant (especially when she's trying to suss out if her single-parent mam is drinking again; or when finally allowing herself to realize what a false friend Holly is); always compulsively readable. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
Bossy know-it-all perfectionist Meabh and underachieving social outcast Aideen are enemies at their Irish high school (think Derry Girls, but co-ed and with more than one wee lesbian). But when Aideen comes across the overwhelmed Meabh having a meltdown, they hatch an outlandish scheme to get Meabh out of some of her many scheduled activities: Aideen will push Meabh down some stairs, injuring Meabh's ankle; she will thus be excused from yoga, team sports, gym class, etc., while still being able to practice cello, do homework, and, most important, run for student council president. The pushing-down-the-stairs scheme actually works, but it's witnessed by odd-duck though super-sweet classmate Kavi, who then begins bringing Aideen "clients" so she can solve their problems, too. As Aideen's services become more and more sought after, escapades ensue, and her life gets very entangled -- but, also, her social orbit begins to expand as "clients" turn into a network of friends, and she and Meabh start to fall for each other. Meanwhile, Aideen's heretofore sole friend, Holly, manipulative and vindictive, decides to run against Meabh in the school election -- forcing Aideen to make some hard choices. Aideen's first-person narration is sometimes hilarious, tart, and sarcastic; sometimes heart-tuggingly poignant (especially when she's trying to suss out if her single-parent mam is drinking again; or when finally allowing herself to realize what a false friend Holly is); always compulsively readable.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)