Reviews with content warning for Drug use - It Only Happens in the Movies

I picked up It Only Happens in the Movies at a work book sale, probably because the title and premise reminded me of Love You Like the Movies by Anthem Lights1. I'm definitely a fan of romantic comedies, so I expected to get most of the references, and I enjoy any media that's calling attention to tropes and how they work.

It Only Happens in the Movies was a little slow to get going. Holly Bourne only writes from Audrey’s perspective, so the opening chapters are all setting up the status quo of her life and feel a little predictable. However, this comes to be one of the strengths of the book: because the narrative is exclusively focused on Audrey, readers can really see how she develops and changes throughout the novel. In this respect, it's similar to The Arctic Curry Club, though complicated by the presence of a romantic male lead.

Due to the nature of the narrative, Harry doesn't get as much interior life as Audrey does. It's hinted at, and Holly Bourne leaves it up to the reader to decide whether Harry grows or not, but there are a lot of unanswered questions. In a way, that's refreshing. Why should a female character's story give equal weight to whether it 'reforms' the male character? Some readers might find the hints frustrating, though, in that they never pay off with any actual answers (and they're not leaving a hook for a sequel, either, or at least not one that's been published yet).

It's hard to talk about the ending without spoiling it, but it felt in keeping with the themes Holly Bourne had spent the novel developing. There was a much appreciated focus on Audrey's friendships, and on healing those relationships and intimacies as well as the more-expected 'learning to love again'. Like Dani in The Arctic Curry Club, Audrey also had and developed a hobby, thought this revolved around Harry a little too much to give many points for it.

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jessicaschutte's review

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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freshpageonthedesk's review

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emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

A bit disappointing

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kayleejanes's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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chloelj27's review

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As far as YA books go, I really enjoyed it. This book had me looking back to my first love as a teenager and all the struggles we faced in those years.

Audrey was such a strong, beautiful character to read about. She took on so much and always kept going despite how hard things were and the pressures she faced. After all she went through, she had matured a lot and so having Harry as the complete opposite was interesting. His end gesture was so beautiful 😍 I would have liked to have seen a bit more about his relationship with his parents however as it was brushed over a little, in my opinion.

Going through comparing romance films to real life romance was such an interesting take and one I’ve found myself doing a lot over the years. Holly could have easily made this a conventional HEA, but she stayed true all throughout the book, showing the real side to relationships with the arguments and insecurities as well as the good moments.

I was stuck of where to rate this, but judging it as a YA book that had all the feels - happiness, sadness, frustration and more, I settled on 4 stars. It had me reflecting back to my own teenage years too. Holly really portrayed a young teenage girl dealing with life’s issues really well.

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faithharsh's review

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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librocubicularist_x's review

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funny inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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