A review by chalkletters
It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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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