'It only happens in the movies' review

It only happens in the movies

Author: Holly Bourne

Published: October 2017

Blue stars: 3/5

'it only happens in the movies' is a funny, charming, romantic (even whilst being anti romance), happy, sad, angry, zombie filled, um, I think that's enough to say about it. The book features Audrey Winters, a 17-year-old girl in her second year of college. she has turned to work to try to distract herself from college, her ex-boyfriend, her heartbreak, and the inevitable exploding of her mother. However, if you have ever read a book ever, you will know that book is not just about a girl going to work (I can assure you it is not a 411-page book about a girl moping a cinema.) No, no, no, whilst working at the indie cinema 'flicker' she meets Harry Lipton, charming bad boy (of course) who takes a shine to her.

Holly Bourne is no doubt one of my favourite authors, and in her true style I knew what to expect ( A very accurate representation of a teenage boy, just read 'am I normal yet' and you will totally get what I'm on about) and because of this, I kind of predicted where the book would go, also with the help of the prologue my theory was supported (my theory being, girl likes boy, boy likes girl, but also probably likes a number of other Girls, girl gets with boy, boy disappoints, it ends). HOWEVER, the prologue did throw me off in some way, my original thought from reading the prologue would be that she leaves him after his grand gesture, but after reading on I very soon dismissed this theory (I know if you have read this you are probably screaming how utterly predictable it was that she wouldn't take him back. and yeah, I know, I now think it was foolish of me to dismiss this, but I did, so deal with it) and even with the constant reinforcement of romance films and big gestures being shown as ‘would the girl really take back the boy’, I should have seen the end coming. but nevertheless, even if somewhere deep down I knew the truth I pushed it away and convinced myself that it would be 'she may not believe in happy ending with boys but gets one' type of ending. I can say now it wasn't one of those. ultimately though she possibly did get a happy ending, an ending I was still satisfied with. Her family may still be broken but she had realised what was right from wrong and that her mum was now on the mend, and that her passion of drama, that she shut down and regretted, had been re-opened and she had a chance to follow it.

apart from the love story line being slightly predicable (unless you’re like me, hoping the love will survive) I did really enjoy this book (not a surprise though, Holly Bourne is amazing, anything she writes would be good) I also loved the fact that this book is a romance book whilst totally bad-mouthing romance and making romance readers see the huge gaping mistakes in it. The book, I believe achieved its purpose too and got me to look at love in a new light, seeing it as not totally perfect (even the mistakes being perfect) but to see it as a choice and when that honey-moon phase dies out, you then must work on that love to keep it alive. I would definitely suggest a read if you love romance, it will show you a whole new side to the genre (the unspoken of side…Dun, dun, dunnnnnnn!)

Overall my rating for this book would be a 3/5 blue stars!