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dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I LOVE this book. 10 outta 10 would recommend!
A cute sapphic coming-of-age YA dramedy that will have you laughing out loud (literally) and a little misty eyed.
This book, as funny as it is, handles some serious themes like anxiety, alcoholism, emotional manipulation, neglect, food and financial insecurity, toxic relationship/friendship, and a child parenting their parent.
Not My Problem is narrated by 16-year-old transition student, Aideen. Aideen isn’t the best student and she finds it hard to care about her education when she’s busy trying to keep social services from investigating her mom. Her mother is a recovering alcoholic and Aideen has made it her responsibly to ensure her mom stays sober so she can work and keep their flat and food in the house. Aideen attends a nice school that her father pays for (though it’s all he helps with), as a form of guilt or to ensure neither Aideen or her mother won’t out him to his wife and kids (yes, he cheated on his wife, mother of his 4 other children, and has a secret baby and sometimes mistress). Whenever her father comes back into their lives, Aideen is ready for the fallout when he leaves and her mother goes on a bender.
Aideen only has one friend, Holly, who’s been her friend since primary school. Though Holly is much higher up in the school social ladder than Aideen (like much higher). People avoid Aideen, and she was outed before it was “cool” to be queer. Now, plenty of students, including popular ones, are out and proud. One day, top-of-their-class perfectionist, Meabh, is in desperate need of reprieve from her academic and extracurricular commitments. She’s afraid to quit something and look like a disappointment to her parents. So she convinces Aideen to push her down a flight of stairs so she’ll break her ankle and get out of sports and PE. Aideen does this reluctantly but is, unknowingly, witnessed by fellow student, Kavi.
With Kavi’s “help” he finds other students for Aideen to help in return for favors. Eventually she’s helped half a dozen kids, while getting closer to Kavi and Meabh. She now had people who talk to her in school and save her seats. She’s realizing she’s helping other people with their problems, because she can’t solve her own. She also starts standing up for herself with Holly who doesn’t treat her well. And she realizes she’s developing feelings for Meabh, Holly’s academic rival.
She carries on granting favors for favors until her father returns just to leave her mother broken hearted again. After missing more school and falling further behind to keep her mom from spiraling, and nearly losing her new friends, Aideen realizes she can’t keep doing everything on her own.
Aideen is absolutely hilarious. I was getting a little bit of Derry Girls vibes while reading. I think the dynamic between her and Meabh is great and they balance each other out. The book does a great job of highlighting this concept of living inside you’re own bubble. I think as a kid you have this assumption that everyone lives similarly to the way you live. And of course, for some kids, this bubble bursts a little sooner than others.
Kavi is so lovable. And there’s a few moments that he makes a comment on what it’s like for him as the only Irish-Indian student in school and Meabh had even brought up the lack of socioeconomic and ethnic diversity in their school and community, and services that would actually benefit these groups’ specific needs. Meabh even has to check her privilege a few times when Aideen points some things out for her. If I were to critique anything, it would’ve been a little more highlight on the issue of race for Kavi since he’s Aideen’s other new best friend and so many other problems of anxiety, depression, and strict-to-the-point-of-being-problematic parents are highlighted for the other characters. Especially since he was pretty much the only student with a healthy relationship with his parents and it seemed that being different was the one thing that bothered him. In general, the side characters were defined really well considering some only got a little time in the limelight.
Holly and Aideen’s mom are the two most problematic relationships in Aideen’s life. Aideen constantly makes excuses or gives them the benefit of the doubt, even if they’ve proven time and time again that they’re unreliable and emotional manipulative, for fear of appearing to be needy or dramatic or a burden. I recognize that addiction is a disease but when children are parenting you and forfeiting their education and social life on top of it? Absolutely not.
I really appreciated Ms. Devlin. She was funny and genuinely cared about Aideen. She even believes in Aideen. Though I hate the open-ended ending, I love that Aideen finally asks for help, and given how much the reader knows Ms. Devlin, there’s no doubt that she’ll go above and beyond to help Aideen.
I related to both to Meabh and Aideen despite how different they are. I was the perfectionist, if-I-don’t-get-an-A-I’m-a-failure kind of student and I grew up in very low middle class. Picking the mold off bread still gives me nightmares. And I definitely got not wanting to be a burden to anyone and going so far as to letting people walk over me or making excuses for them. I think in a way you can relate to the characters in someway.
I enjoy how subtle the romance was until the end. It wasn’t even a subplot or anything, but it was just nice and felt natural. I’m not a huge fan of the fact that the seriousness of Meabh hurting herself because of the pressure she’s under wasn’t really addressed. But overall, I think this book is great older teens. And anyone who needs validation and a good laugh.
A cute sapphic coming-of-age YA dramedy that will have you laughing out loud (literally) and a little misty eyed.
This book, as funny as it is, handles some serious themes like anxiety, alcoholism, emotional manipulation, neglect, food and financial insecurity, toxic relationship/friendship, and a child parenting their parent.
Not My Problem is narrated by 16-year-old transition student, Aideen. Aideen isn’t the best student and she finds it hard to care about her education when she’s busy trying to keep social services from investigating her mom. Her mother is a recovering alcoholic and Aideen has made it her responsibly to ensure her mom stays sober so she can work and keep their flat and food in the house. Aideen attends a nice school that her father pays for (though it’s all he helps with), as a form of guilt or to ensure neither Aideen or her mother won’t out him to his wife and kids (yes, he cheated on his wife, mother of his 4 other children, and has a secret baby and sometimes mistress). Whenever her father comes back into their lives, Aideen is ready for the fallout when he leaves and her mother goes on a bender.
Aideen only has one friend, Holly, who’s been her friend since primary school. Though Holly is much higher up in the school social ladder than Aideen (like much higher). People avoid Aideen, and she was outed before it was “cool” to be queer. Now, plenty of students, including popular ones, are out and proud. One day, top-of-their-class perfectionist, Meabh, is in desperate need of reprieve from her academic and extracurricular commitments. She’s afraid to quit something and look like a disappointment to her parents. So she convinces Aideen to push her down a flight of stairs so she’ll break her ankle and get out of sports and PE. Aideen does this reluctantly but is, unknowingly, witnessed by fellow student, Kavi.
With Kavi’s “help” he finds other students for Aideen to help in return for favors. Eventually she’s helped half a dozen kids, while getting closer to Kavi and Meabh. She now had people who talk to her in school and save her seats. She’s realizing she’s helping other people with their problems, because she can’t solve her own. She also starts standing up for herself with Holly who doesn’t treat her well. And she realizes she’s developing feelings for Meabh, Holly’s academic rival.
She carries on granting favors for favors until her father returns just to leave her mother broken hearted again. After missing more school and falling further behind to keep her mom from spiraling, and nearly losing her new friends, Aideen realizes she can’t keep doing everything on her own.
Aideen is absolutely hilarious. I was getting a little bit of Derry Girls vibes while reading. I think the dynamic between her and Meabh is great and they balance each other out. The book does a great job of highlighting this concept of living inside you’re own bubble. I think as a kid you have this assumption that everyone lives similarly to the way you live. And of course, for some kids, this bubble bursts a little sooner than others.
Kavi is so lovable. And there’s a few moments that he makes a comment on what it’s like for him as the only Irish-Indian student in school and Meabh had even brought up the lack of socioeconomic and ethnic diversity in their school and community, and services that would actually benefit these groups’ specific needs. Meabh even has to check her privilege a few times when Aideen points some things out for her. If I were to critique anything, it would’ve been a little more highlight on the issue of race for Kavi since he’s Aideen’s other new best friend and so many other problems of anxiety, depression, and strict-to-the-point-of-being-problematic parents are highlighted for the other characters. Especially since he was pretty much the only student with a healthy relationship with his parents and it seemed that being different was the one thing that bothered him. In general, the side characters were defined really well considering some only got a little time in the limelight.
Holly and Aideen’s mom are the two most problematic relationships in Aideen’s life. Aideen constantly makes excuses or gives them the benefit of the doubt, even if they’ve proven time and time again that they’re unreliable and emotional manipulative, for fear of appearing to be needy or dramatic or a burden. I recognize that addiction is a disease but when children are parenting you and forfeiting their education and social life on top of it? Absolutely not.
I really appreciated Ms. Devlin. She was funny and genuinely cared about Aideen. She even believes in Aideen. Though I hate the open-ended ending, I love that Aideen finally asks for help, and given how much the reader knows Ms. Devlin, there’s no doubt that she’ll go above and beyond to help Aideen.
I related to both to Meabh and Aideen despite how different they are. I was the perfectionist, if-I-don’t-get-an-A-I’m-a-failure kind of student and I grew up in very low middle class. Picking the mold off bread still gives me nightmares. And I definitely got not wanting to be a burden to anyone and going so far as to letting people walk over me or making excuses for them. I think in a way you can relate to the characters in someway.
I enjoy how subtle the romance was until the end. It wasn’t even a subplot or anything, but it was just nice and felt natural. I’m not a huge fan of the fact that the seriousness of Meabh hurting herself because of the pressure she’s under wasn’t really addressed. But overall, I think this book is great older teens. And anyone who needs validation and a good laugh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia