It Only Happens in the Movies

I wanted to love thisI really, really did. I loved the concept, but I never fell in love with the characters. I wanted to like Harry, but I could never really trust him. I will say the ending tempted me to give this another half star or so, but I will leave it at 3/5. Overall, it was a decent read and kept my attention, but I wouldnt be quick to recommend it to others.

college & career pressure and a side of family destruction; such is the framework for It Only Happens In the Movies, by Holly Bourne.

Audrey is a senior in high school and Harry is a few years passed. She has given up her dream of being a movie director because her familys in a shambles and Harry is making a zombie movie. They meet at the towns theater, get involved and Audrey takes the lead in his movie. You can read more details on the webpage. The relationships are whats important in this story.

Bourne has crafted some great characters. Audrey and Harry are both very complex and altho young, have quite an history behind them. Both have difficult family situations that effect their actions all along the storyline. The relationship between the two of them is very layered and not your run of the mill YA/New Adult story; it could rival lots of adult literature. In addition to the two main characters, there are a roster of secondary players that are rich, quirky and memorable; many of them remind me of folks I know.

Conflict resolution is critical to the success of this story and it will both confuse and amaze you as the story progresses. I found it hard to believe these kids were teenagers or in their very early twenties.

The book is not appropriate for younger teens as the language is rife with expletives, theres mature sexual content, altho its not overly descriptive and theres substance abuse that occurs on a rather cavalier basis. Some question of the propriety for the later two issues does happen in the story but not enough, IMO. Much opportunity for discussion with your kids exists!

All things considered, a well written book with topics that are germane to life for most folks today; presented in a style that will invite interactive conversations

Audrey has sworn off romance – and NO not in a “totally swears it off but is secretly looking for love” – she actually means it.

She’s just gone through her first breakup, she’s seen her parent’s divorce, she’s read all the books and watched all the movies.

She knows every possible romance plot there could conceivably be and she says NO to all of them.

When her home life gets a little too much for her, she picks up a part-time job at the local cinema.

There she meets Harry.

And despite herself, she finds his corny jokes, his movie obsessions and his love for life addictive.

One thing leads to another and now she’s the star of his feminist zombie flick (the feminist bit was Audrey’s idea)…and despite swearing off romances…she can feel a small…small part of herself feeling the romance.

This one worked really, really well.

I love Audrey’s take on life and her story was really sweet…and surprisingly realistic!

It was so fun to see how the romantic tropes worked in this one. I feel like so many books focus on “finding love” and this one took that but also made things grounded.

It also poked fun at all the common tropes as part of Audrey’s “Research”.

I loved how this book showed that not all love was terrible (like the divorce or her first one) but to also know your worth.

The book ends on a really good note – kind of an anti-trope that really fit well.

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne is a book that has a lot of potential but failed to deliver, in my opinion. I loved the feminist messages as well as the indie cinema setting, but I had trouble connecting with the main characters. As well, I am not the biggest fan of books in which the message is made explicitly clear and is constantly pushed on the reader, and that is what happened in this case. While this one wasnt my favourite, there are still some aspects I found enjoyable, and those interested in books about cinema, feminism, and mental health might enjoy it.

This book tells the story of a girl who is frustrated with the way relationships are portrayed in the movies, and she gets a job at an indie cinema as an escape from home. Also working at the cinema is a boy who is making his own zombie movie, and what follows is a romance unlike that depicted in the movies. I loved the indie cinema setting as well as the scenes of Harry and Audrey actually making the movie, and the book challenges many common romance tropes. This is a feminist story that feels realistic, and it is a fresh take on a rom com.

MAIN CHARACTERS ARENT STELLAR

Honestly, I didnt love either of the main characters. Both of them are fine, but not stellar. There are aspects I loved about Audrey, such as her strength and her ability to call out misogyny (both in the movies and in society), but also, something about her didnt sit right with me. She seemed whiny to me at times, but I also feel like she expects too much from Harry. Before they got together, multiple people warned her about him, and she knew he did certain things she didnt like. Yet, she still had expectations that Harry would never have been able to meet. I was also put off by a scene near the end of the book, which I wont spoil, but to me, it contradicted everything Audrey stood for earlier, especially about consent. I never really felt a spark in Harry and Audreys relationship, and I had trouble connecting with them.

FEMINIST MESSAGE

I think part of the reason why I had some trouble with this is book is because I enjoyed its feminist message, but I didnt really like the way this message is delivered. This might just be me, but I feel like there are more subtle ways to get the message across than telling us why a certain romance trope is harmful at the beginning of a chapter and then immediately subverting it. I feel like the author comes across as though shes trying too hard to subvert conventional rom com tropes, and while the book does contain important messages, I got sick of having them pushed in my face. Also, Im not sure how I feel about all the criticism of romance movies and how they arent realistic. Yes, there are absolutely some problematic tropes, but others are less harmful to me, and romance movies are generally are not meant to be like real life. Sometimes, we just need an escape, and I think that we should be allowed to have our fun.

A BOOK WITH A LOT OF POTENTIAL

Ultimately, It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne is a feminist novel with an interesting setting. The book has a lot of potential, but I couldnt connect with either of the characters, and I wasnt a fan of the way each trope is explicitly subverted, really pushing the message of the book at the reader. However, I know that many will find this book empowering, and I would recommend it to cinephiles.

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