The Never Ending Bookshelf

When Irish Guys are Smiling

Author: Suzanne Supplee

Published: January 10, 2008

Blurb:

For seventeen-year-old Delk Sinclair, studying abroad in Ireland means one thing: escape. Delk is tired of hearing about her friends? debutante parties, watching her pregnant stepmother redecorate her mother?s house, and having to smile sweetly even though she doesn’t think she?ll ever get over losing her mother. Ireland is Delk’s chance to be happy. With the stunning green landscape as backdrop, Delk revels in all things Irish, from living in a real Irish castle, to celebrating St. Paddy’s Day in Galway, to enjoying Irish music and dance, to studying Yeats and shearing a sheep! So when Delk begins to fall for a very handsome Irishman, she wonders if there’s more to the Emerald Isle than it first seemed. It is fun, to be sure, but will those smiling Irish eyes really be able to heal her broken heart? From Goodreads.com

My Review:

Starting with the title, I picked this book because it had the words Irish, guys, and smiles. I have a feeling that it intrigued me because of the recent One Direction outburst that has captured the world. Anyway…

This book is a contemporary young adult fiction. I will say ahead of time that I’m not quite the fan of contemporary young adult, however, this book was interesting. It’s mainly about a teenage girl (Delk Sinclair) in hopes of running away from her past by studying abroad to Ireland. Throughout this book, the reader follows Delk’s journey across the Irish countryside as she makes new friends, new experiences, and finds a bit of love. 

Overall, I would say that I enjoyed this book. It was very cute and entertaining. What I really liked about this book was the fact that, at some points, I actually learned some Irish slang and traditions. There’s not a lot mentioned, but I’m glad to say that I finally learned what “craic” meant (or at least I hoped I did). Character development was decent. Each character had different personalities that seemed noticeable. The setting was decent as well meaning that the author was descriptive of the areas the characters came across. I’m going to be completely honest. The setting and the Irish slang made me want to seriously go to Ireland. 

What I didn’t like about this book was how quickly the story progressed, some of the character development, conflict, and the dialogue. As I was reading, all I thought was how some of the main points felt a bit rushed such as the chemistry between the main character and her love interest. It’s almost like a “love at first sight” type that I’m not a big fan of. Delk’s character seemed a bit too perfect in my opinion. She did have flaws such as being ashamed of her life at home, but some of her actions kept making me think that she was more perfect than normal. I don’t know if this is weird, but I try to make sure that there is a form of conflict within the plot and if it’s follows well with the plot and the characters. Here, the main conflict was all the problems that Delk wanted to run away from (I do not want to spoil much). That conflict was decent, however, didn’t seem like a strong obstacle. Dialogue wise, I didn’t like how most phrases sounded unnatural. With connection with the Irish slang, the author included words to emphasize the Irish accent, but sounded slightly forced. 

Long story short, this is a decent book. Setting is pretty well descriptive. Writing is pretty well written. Adorable story. I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to those who want to read a cute love story, learn a bit of culture, and people who are fans of One Direction’s Niall Horan.