Review: Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie

Most reviews I’ve seen for this book on Goodreads are either four-or-five-star ratings or the reader DNF’d it incredibly early on. The writing style here is so specific and I can understand readers not enjoying the book for that alone (because honestly, otherwise this is a flawless book). As someone who doesn’t read light, fluffy books usually, I felt that this was exactly what I needed. I welcomed the change with open arms and absolutely loved this book.

Skye Falling is arguably one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. I don’t know how much that means considering I tend to read ultra tense and dark thrillers most of the time and almost never go after either romance or contemporary genres, but I was actually laughing out loud and rereading snippets to my husband because this book was downright hilarious.

Make no mistake: I have found myself in some pretty horrible and humiliating situations over the course of my adulthood. I once licked shit off a baby because I thought it was cake batter. A peacock once chased me around in circles at the zoo while a hundred kids laughed hysterically. And they were Black kids. Black kids don’t just laugh at you. They let their bodies go limp and fall on one another and on the ground because what’s happening to you is so uproarious it atrophies their muscles on the spot. But let’s be clear: Running down the sidewalk to escape a woman who thinks I just tried to abduct her kid may be the most horrible and humiliating thing that I have ever experienced.

Skye is such a fun character, and she’s obviously the driving force of this book. She’s in her late-thirties with no real direction in life. She owns a great business that allows her to travel to different countries constantly, but it means she really has no stability. The only time she feels grounded is between jobs when she stops in her hometown for a week or two before leaving again. She has very little attachment to any friends or family, has zero interest in relationships, and refuses to let anyone get close to her. The best part is that she’s very self-aware; she knows her flaws well and wears them proudly. Honestly, she’s a bit of a mess, but that’s what makes her so great.

The book follows Skye as she tries to find some normalcy and stability in her life upon meeting her “egg,” Vicky. Vicky is rambunctious, sharp, and sometimes fueled by her frustration. I mean, she’s twelve, so she’s exactly what you’d expect a twelve-year-old to be like. The two form a bittersweet, hilarious bond, and throughout the book they realize how much better their lives are with the other in it. Vicky starts getting into less trouble at school, and Skye reconsiders how she’s navigated her life and what’s truly important to her. I loved their relationship, with Skye falling into this “cool aunt” vibe instead of a motherly figure.

The story also introduces us to Vicky’s aunt, Faye, and the tension between Skye and Faye is insaaaane. This is the romance aspect of the story, so you know they’re going to wind up together (maybe, hopefully, please, they’re such a funny duo as they’re polar opposites, but the chemistry!!). I truthfully don’t read a lot of LGBT books, but I found the story of these women finding each other to be really well done and realistic.

They’re forced to be around each other as they’re both prominent people in Vicky’s life, but there’s no insta-love here. They discuss their hurdles as people; they hurt one another; they know when to push any feelings aside for the sake of Vicky. I also appreciated how open and honest this relationship was. They discuss understanding their sexualities and their exes; there’s exploration on sex and sexual tension, and it was done in such a way that it doesn’t come off as some weird steamy romance targeted for middle-aged moms (looking at you, 50SoG), but rather in a light-hearted way that just makes you happy they’re happy.

Overall, this is such a fun, lighthearted book that is still fully capable of tugging at heartstrings. It has you rooting for the right relationships, it makes you proud to see the character change over the course of the story, and has you laughing nonstop. It’s also incredibly inclusive, depicts the reality of gentrification in bigger cities, and showcases a Black community under scrutiny by your average, typical white man who doesn’t respect or understand Black culture. There are some heavy-hitting subjects within this story, but they’re never done in a preachy kind of way and only add to the strengths of the characters.