Review of Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie

This was a good read. It took me a little while to get into the book -more on that later- but once I did, I was hooked. My plan was to read half the book one night but I read it all in one sitting since I was enjoying it so much. Because I read a lot of books, I sometimes find myself forgetting certain stories quite quickly. I’m happy to say that this book has the type of feel to it that I believe certain characters and storylines will stay with me for a long time to come.

This is contemporary fiction first and a romance second. I would probably say the split was about 70/30 or so. This book is written in first person from the POV of our main character, Skye. Now, this is where I had a bit of a struggle getting into the book. Skye, is not always the easiest character to like and you really experience some mixed feelings for her at the beginning of the book. I noticed in the early reviews that while there were a lot of people that loved the book, there were some people that did not finish it and I think that might be a reason why. My connection with Skye was very slow going, but as her character grew, my connection to her character grew. Anyway, my long-drawn-out point is that this is a book to be patient with. If you are unsure while reading, give it more time. This is the perfect example of a book that actually gets better every single chapter that you read.

While it took me a while to bond with Skye, the characters are the heart of this book. The characters are all extremely well written. It doesn’t matter how small of a role they might have played, they all took up space and felt like fully formed characters. From Skye’s egg donor child to her disabled mother. From a best friend who is a transwoman to the Reverend, this is one of the better casts of characters I have read all year and I know I’m going to miss them.

I found that I enjoyed how many feel-good moments that the book had. While this book does talk about racism, some biphobia and transphobia, abuse and neglect, and policing before I could get too upset over something the book would have these nice warm and even humorous moments to lift you back up. This book had a lovely message about community and how important your made family is. And the relationship between Skye and her egg daughter really got to me emotionally. I did start to tear up a few times but I also smiled -a lot- and even laughed.

In the end, I would recommend this one to contemporary fiction fans. I think people looking for well-written characters, especially ones that have growth and a journey to take, will enjoy this one. It does take a little bit to get into this book so be patient with this one. I have a feeling I will remember these characters for a long time to come. I hope McKenzie will write more LGBTQ+ fiction as I would love to read it. 4 stars

An ARC was given to me for a review.