I received an Advance Uncorrected Proof of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. On Sale July 15, 2025
Why, I wondered when I heard about Heather O’Neill’s newest book, is this coming out in July? Surely, a February release would have made more sense? Turns out this book is not at all about Valentines Day but about a young woman named Valentine who lives in – you guessed it – Montreal.
The chapters of this book were originally published as weekly installments in the Montreal Gazette and O’Neill discusses that process a little bit in the Note at the beginning of this books. The idea is all together charming and not something we see much of in today’s publishing world. Of course, many famous books (Dickens perhaps most notably) started out as serial installments and so it was quite lovely to see a modern take on the idea. O’Neill is a great choice for such a venture because she’s just the right amount of quirky while also being an excellent writer.
The book is very much an ode to Montreal. Our main character, Valentine, is a lover of the Montreal metro system. She lives and works almost entirely in this mostly underground setting. Each chapter of the book is named after a different Montreal metro station and I can imagine how delightful these references and descriptions would be if you were a frequent Montreal commuter. Yet, even as someone who has not yet visited Montreal, I was still able to understand and enjoy the book for what it is. Truthfully, if you’re someone who has ever spent significant time commuting on public transit, you’ll find familiarity here.
Valentine lives a steady and routine life, as orderly as the metro system itself, until one day she spots a woman who looks exactly like her. This throws her life into disarray as she is drawn into a world of mob bosses, ballerinas, and life above the metro system. There is a lovely sense of discombobulation throughout, as if anything could be possible and as strange as Valentine and her world are, we can’t help but root for her. Arizona O’Neill’s illustrations add to all this, bringing to life some of the strange ideas and visions on the page.
Karissa Reads Books 
I love how mother and daughter team up to do these things. And I also love the idea of a book made up of weekly installments that we can look forward to reading, one week at a time. It feels like we’re really missing that these days – the delay of gratification.
They seem like a fun duo – they have a bookstagram together. I love that concept of delayed gratification for a story too. I wish I could have read this in its original format!
[…] Valentine in Montreal – Heather O’Neill […]