Star: Friends, I’ve been enjoying the audiobook of My Fault by Mercedes Ron, which is beautifully narrated by Hugo Locke and Hannah Carmona. This Wattpad sensation became a sweeping bestseller and has sold more than three million copies. But while I’m a fan, Duck can’t stand My Fault, and I’m determined to find out why.
Duck: Star, some stories of forbidden love, like Romeo and Juliet, are so moving they make a duck’s beak-holes fill. Who doesn’t shed a tear when they’re watching R&J? But My Fault is just too big a mess for an organized duck like yours truly.
Star: Mess? I disagree! My Fault’s complex, yes! But isn’t that a good thing? Two new stepsiblings have a forbidden love-hate relationship that’s positively brimming with passion. But Nick’s a leader of a bad-boy gang, and he’s a few years older than Noah. Meanwhile, Noah has had to leave her whole life to be a part of this new family. As their attraction sizzles, Noah and Nick have fiery arguments, and find themselves enmeshed in crime, gang warfare, organized fights, and a duck of a lot of forbidden snogs. How could this story NOT be complex?
Duck: Look, Star. It’s bad enough that Romeo and Juliet embroil TWO warring families in their tragedy. But My Fault just has ONE warring family! The lack of boundaries! The general quackduckery! The whole threat of being discovered at any moment! It’s far too stressful for a duck like me. It makes my beak-holes shrink to pinpoints, I kid you not.
Star: I suppose I find all that kinda exciting and romantic.
Duck: But Star, two stepsiblings living under the same roof? Can you EVEN imagine the squabbles over perfectly everyday things? Take laundry, for instance. The fights over which ducking detergent to use! The torn underpants you only bought yesterday, which have inadvertently become some kind of passion-bed! Squabbles over whether to line-dry the shirts! A sandwich made for ONE becoming a sandwich for TWO! Life needs to keep romance to SEPARATE families.
Star: I expect you dislike the riproaring pace of the plot, too. There ARE a lot of dramatic turns, and the action propels us forward at the rate of knots. It’s very soap-opera-like. Very page-turny.
Duck: The best ducks don’t go fast! We like a nice little paddle followed by a cup of pondweed tea.
Star: In that case, why did you tell me My Fault is really a duck’s fault, my duck-friend?
Duck: Oh I am super-ducking CERTAIN a duck is behind My Fault! It’s the drama. Now, I am a very organized duck. I like a pond that’s cool and pleasant, and upon which waterfowl graciously glide, smoother than your classic Mercedes, lending their streamlined appearance and upturned beak-holes to an already magnificent scene. But mark my words, as soon as you try to create some kind ducking of order among ducks, one of them is going to say something inflammatory, causing everyone to lose their lunchtime salmon! Before you know it, Ethel the Goose is apparently having an affair with Siegfried the swan, Lawrence St. Coot believes Goose Luce has stolen his teabags, and someone’s announced that the pigeons are invading!
Star: And this gossipy disorganization is similar to My Fault because …?
Duck: Clearly a duck had an idea for a plot and veered out of control like a NOT so classic Mercedes! Before you know it, stepsiblings are falling in love, racing fast cars, and yelling outrageous things at one another!
Star: Just to temper this with a human point of view, My Fault is UTTERLY COMPELLING! It does indeed rattle along at a blazing pace, but that’s just part of its star quality. It was written to keep us on the edge of our seats, watching hatred turn to passion, and passion turn to love. These characters are complicated and messy, but even the bad boy is quietly vulnerable. It’s not Sarah Waters or Jane Austen, but my goodness it’s a rip-roaring read!
Duck: What’s the name of the author?
Star: Mercedes Ron.
Duck: OHHH! Mercedes Ron? That’s DEFINITELY a duck’s pen name! We ducking LOVE a Mercedes Benz. Reread this post and you’ll find I compared ducks with a Mercedes TWICE. I rest my case. My Fault, which entangles us in ecstatic familial issues, was written by a duck.
Some duck somewhere.
But a duck, I’m pretty sure.
Star: With us differing so ducking much when it comes to My Fault, you do realize we can’t really add a nice, round star rating to this post, right?
Duck: Star, that’s nothing a new Mercedes won’t fix.
Blog post by Star Tavares and their insightful duck named Duck.
Romancey Pants 