Preston Butler's and Shayna Small's youthful and engaging voices are perfectly cast to portray two misfit teens who serendipitously run into each other on every holiday. Butler's performance is high-pitched and excitable as Reggie, a passionate but insecure Dungeons & Dragons player who develops a fake confident persona to impress punk singer Delilah. Delilah, portrayed by Small, is starting to doubt if she belongs on the stage, but Reggie's confident act inspires her to keep going. Small's voice has an easy laid-back quality that matches the cool, aloof singer. The teens are often the only Black kids in their chosen spaces; Butler and Small dial up the emotion as the teens bond over this shared experience. Their delightful narration elevates this twist on a holiday romance. J.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling
Narrated by Preston Butler III, Shayna Small
Elise BryantUnabridged — 9 hours, 55 minutes
Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling
Narrated by Preston Butler III, Shayna Small
Elise BryantUnabridged — 9 hours, 55 minutes
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Overview
Centered around a hook-y romance and layered with honest insights, Reggie And Delilah's Year of Falling is woven with universal themes around music and Black nerd culture. This is a rom-com that exemplifies both pieces of the genre.
From the NAACP Image Award-nominated author of Happily Ever Afters comes a dual POV rom-com about Reggie and Delilah, who fall in love through missed connections and chance meetings on holidays over the course of a year.*Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jenny Han, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.
Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow-which is how she ends up singing in her friends' punk band as a favor, even though she'd prefer to hide at the merch table.
Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.
These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year's Eve. And then again on Valentine's Day. And then again on St. Patrick's Day. It's almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.
Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie-open about what she likes and who she is, even if it's not cool. Except . . . it's all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.
As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they've each fallen for a version of the other that doesn't really exist?
Editorial Reviews
★ 12/19/2022
After biracial (Black and white) 16-year-old Delilah Cole joins her friend’s punk rock band, Fun Gi, as the lead singer, she finds that being onstage offers a blissful respite from her self-doubt and chronic migraines. Despite the freedom she feels while performing, though, she worries about being singled out because she’s Black (“Am I just... a novelty to them?” she says of the band). Meanwhile, Black 16-year-old Reggie Hubbard has always felt different because of his interest in D&D, which garners his parents’ silent disapproval, and his dyslexia. Reggie and Delilah’s lives intertwine after he watches her in a Fun Gi performance and, over the course of a year, they meet up serendipitously on various holidays, such as Valentine's Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Through these chance encounters, their relationship unfolds, initially as a kinship among their largely white peers, before blossoming into earnest courtship. Together, they learn to embrace the parts of themselves they feel they must hide from others, including Delilah’s desire to make Taylor Swift–inspired music and Reggie’s determination to continue critiquing racism in the D&D community. Via inspirational self-discovery arcs with fated romance vibes, Bryant (One True Loves) pens a tender tale prioritizing conversations on disability and tokenism. Ages 13–up. (Jan.)
"Bryant has truly mastered her medium, delivering powerful lessons for characters and readers alike in the form of a delicious, cozy, joyful romance to usher in the new year." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
"Via inspirational self-discovery arcs with fated romance vibes, Bryant pens a tender tale prioritizing conversations on disability and tokenism." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A darling ballad for the shy and nerdy yearning to belong.” — Kirkus Reviews
"Told through dual narration, this sweet, will-they-or-won’t-they romance has refreshingly authentic depth." — School Library Journal
“Hand to contemporary romance readers who enjoy social commentary but love a warm dose of fluff.” — ALA Booklist
“An irresistible love song dedicated to hope, joy, overcoming fears, and trusting your voice, Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling is unapologetically swoony and refreshingly honest. Another exceptional addition to the Elise Bryant collection and every reader’s shelf.” — Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions and Right Where I Left You
Unapologetically swoony and refreshingly honest.”
01/01/2023
Gr 8 Up—It's New Year's Eve and Delilah's inability to disappoint her cool friends at her new private school means she's the front woman in a punk band and about to sing in front of people for the very first time. Enter Reggie, a self-conscious Dungeons & Dragons nerd whose anonymous online essays about race in D&D have been gaining traction. Their meet-cute would have gone perfectly if it weren't for Delilah's unresolved crush on a guy in her new band. And thus begins the year of falling. Reggie and Delilah's paths cross on Valentine's Day, then St. Patrick's Day, until they're sure the universe is trying to tell them something. As the year progresses, they start inventing holidays as an excuse to hang out as they slowly grow closer. Delilah finally starts gaining the confidence she needs to finally do her own thing, but Reggie, who has faked total self-assurance, still has things to hide. Told through dual narration, this sweet, will-they-or-won't-they romance has refreshingly authentic depth. It leaves room for Reggie and Delilah to grow, mess up, and explore their relationships with friends, family, and each other. While the secondary characters are a bit flat, Reggie and Delilah shine. Delilah is biracial (Black and white) and Reggie is Black. VERDICT Recommended for all collections. Hand to fans of Brandy Colbert's Little & Lion or Kristina Forest's Zyla & Kai.—Katie Patterson
Preston Butler's and Shayna Small's youthful and engaging voices are perfectly cast to portray two misfit teens who serendipitously run into each other on every holiday. Butler's performance is high-pitched and excitable as Reggie, a passionate but insecure Dungeons & Dragons player who develops a fake confident persona to impress punk singer Delilah. Delilah, portrayed by Small, is starting to doubt if she belongs on the stage, but Reggie's confident act inspires her to keep going. Small's voice has an easy laid-back quality that matches the cool, aloof singer. The teens are often the only Black kids in their chosen spaces; Butler and Small dial up the emotion as the teens bond over this shared experience. Their delightful narration elevates this twist on a holiday romance. J.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
2022-10-11
The lead singer of a punk band and a D&D Dungeon Master find love and find themselves in Bryant’s latest teen romance.
Hoping to come off as a cool girl at her new school, Delilah Cole, a biracial Black 16-year-old, just goes with the flow…and ends up as the lead singer of her friends’ punk band, Fun Gi, despite not having any musical experience at all. Black 17-year-old Reggie Hubbard plays Dungeons & Dragons weekly with his friends and writes online essays critiquing colonialism and racism in the game under a pseudonym to protect his identity. When Reggie sees Delilah perform with her band on New Year’s Eve, he’s instantly smitten and works up the courage to talk to her. Charmed by his nerdiness, Delilah immediately takes a liking to Reggie, but their meet-cute is interrupted when band mate Charlie finds them and Reggie assumes Charlie is her boyfriend. They part ways only to run into each other on Valentine’s Day. Reggie and Delilah’s relationship is measured in chance meetings on various holidays, including St. Patrick’s Day, Juneteenth, and even National Catfish Day. Bryant’s adorable, introspective, authentic story alternates perspectives between two insecure teens struggling to be true to themselves: Delilah wishes she were more like seemingly self-assured Reggie, while Reggie worries about what will happen when Delilah realizes his confidence is just a front to impress her.
A darling ballad for the shy and nerdy yearning to belong. (Romance. 13-18)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940175496957 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 01/31/2023 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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