Review by Dany Caballero
Simon and Schuster, 2024
400 pages, Hardcover, $24.99 CAD, 9781481499019
Young Adult, Ages 14+
Romance
When I’d agreed to go to the festival, I could immediately see it playing out in my mind like a movie, the way I was sure everything would unfold. It would be an amazing adventure, all sun-dappled light and zippy montages, the two of us running around and having fun and getting to listen to some of the best bands ever under never-ending western skies. And since I was going out of my comfort zone and taking a risk, like a heroine in a movie, I was sure I’d be rewarded with a great time, because that’s how things worked.
Right before she leaves for college, Darcy sets out on an adventure to a music festival, but on the way back, everything goes wrong. The friend she went to the festival with ditches her to keep the party going, and the bus that was supposed to take her back to LA breaks down, leaving her stranded in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, Nevada, with a dead phone and no charger. In her search for a charger she meets Russell, a cute guy who might not be able to lend her a charger, but might just give her the opportunity to have a romance like those from the movies.
The dynamics of Russell’s family were definitely a highlight of my reading experience. His family is very unconventional, but the scenes where they interact made me laugh and want to know more about them. Most of the scenes they appear in, they are setting up a game of Fishbowl which I would have loved to be a part of. The family offers wholesome vibes reminiscent of moments from classic rom-coms, like when Benjamin Barry’s family plays card games with Andy Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.
Even though I loved the interactions of Russell’s family, I would have liked to see more variation between the voices of the two main characters. Several of Darcy and Russells’ arguments and conversations were so perfectly complementary that it felt a little hard to believe. Their interactions felt less like an actual conversation between two different people, and more like a conversation you make up in your head before going to bed. This, for me, took away some of the story’s credibility.
I would have also loved if Darcy’s character had been more fleshed out. I felt that, for the first part of the book, the biggest thing we learn about her is that she adores romance movies and is obsessed with the idea of love at first sight. While this has the potential to make an interesting character, adding more facets to her personality would have not only given a much-needed depth to her romance with Russell, but also would have made it so much easier for me to connect with her character. Later in the book we get some glimpses into some of her family trauma and a few other small goals she had. I would have liked to see these aspects of Darcy’s character explored earlier in the book to help foster more of a connection between the reader and the story.
The Ballad of Darcy and Russell is the perfect book for anyone who adores romantic comedies. Even though this was not the book for me, it was, overall, a fun read. If you’re looking for a deep and thoughtful book, this might not be the book for you either, but if you’re looking for a light story that has perfect rom-com vibes, I definitely recommend it.
Dany Caballero is an aspiring writer who loves fantasy and has a soft spot for mythology. She is currently studying Creative Writing at UBC and spends her days trying to turn her daydreams into stories.
YOUNG ADULTING 