Review: I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner

What does happily ever after look like? That's the question at the heart of this sweet YA graphic novel by Hari Conner. Set in England toward the end of the Regency era, it tells the story of Eleanor, her friend George (never Georgiana) and Eleanor's cousin Charlotte. Each of the three women are of a marriageable age, but there is a twist. George has no desire to marry, feels more comfortable in men's clothing and has also inherited a large fortune meaning that they don't have to marry if they do not wish. Charlotte is in love with a man who has little income. And Eleanor, well, she doesn't want to marry anyone and she is finding herself more and more confused about her feelings for George ...

In many ways, I Shall Never Fall in Love feels like a mash up of Heartstopper (unsurprisingly, there's a quote from Alice Oseman on the front cover) and Jane Austen. And within that second part lies my biggest issue with the novel. Parts of it feel very much like a LGBTQI retelling of Emma, but the plot doesn't follow Emma quite closely enough to actually be a retelling. It feels as though the author just picked a couple of good bits, gave the characters similar names (ie George Kingsley) but didn't really get close enough to the original story. Where it shines is in highlighting the secrecy that existed in the era for people like George and Eleanor, and how someone like Charlotte could be ignored and slighted by her own grandparents under the guise of respectability. The ending is appropriate for the setting and gives the characters a happily ever after of their own making. 

Perfect for fans of Heartstopper.

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