Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

tw: drug use, depression, parental divorce.

Wow. It Only Happens in the Movies was a great YA read. It's powerful, entertaining, and well-written. As someone who is a huge fan of movies (especially romcoms) I loved how the author tied classic romance movie tropes & scenes into this book. Such as the classic movie kisses, the chance encounters, the grand gestures, and so on. But putting a realistic twist on it.

I really enjoyed the characters, especially Audrey. She's a very relatable teenager. She has insecurities, she doubts herself, but she also knows who she is, as much as she can at her age. She's a strong female lead, and my favorite scene in the entire book is a scene I can't talk about without a huge spoiler. But she's a badass, and I loved her.

This story was enjoyable, and tackles love, heartbreak, friendships, and more. I highly recommend if you love YA contemporary romance novels. So good!

Within a chapter or two I knew that I loved the writing. The smart and crisp style was what made it such an easy read for me, but the banter was what had me smiling and chuckling. It didn’t hurt that I was easily captivated and enchanted, thanks to an original plot, and lots of wonderful characters. If you're looking for books about female friendship, It Only Happens in the Movies is an excellent place to start. It has one of the most honest accounts of friendship I've read so far.

Hands down, my favorite element of If Only Happens in the Movies was the relatability and realness of all of the characters. Bourne truly imbued vulnerability into each character, which made the story feel more authentic and really come alive. On the surface, this seems a deceptively shallow and fluffy read. I had wrongly assumed the emphasis would be on boy drama and an overdose of teenage angst. In reality, this is actually a tragic and endearing account of how life progresses after a traumatic episode in someone's life.

I thought that this book was beautifully written; each of the characters, even the unlikeable ones, terribly realistic; Holly Bourne writes from the young person's perspective so well. Her characters' feelings towards their parents and their parents' reactions are very real. I remain impressed.

I was instantly sucked in by the title and popcorn on the cover! I enjoyed the references and the commentary on romance in films. I liked how several scenes occurred in a movie theater and how the staff often made remarks about the popularity of Marvel and interest in Oscar nominations. Audrey's school thesis tied in well and many chapters began with her reflection on the typical movie cliches and how they adhere to a specific formula. It was clear she was jaded from her own personal experiences with love and the collapse of her parents' marriage. I appreciated the portrayal of relationships and how they are not so cookie cutter. While it made sense that a book about movies included the making of a movie, not being a fan of zombies caused me not to enjoy the subplot. I'm glad the scene with the counselor was included and how it brought an adult perspective of how love is a choice and most movies end before the development of a full relationship really begins to take place. While some may not like the ending, I wouldn't have expected it to end any other way if it really wanted to stay true to the theme.

This book was a somewhat cynical approach to romance and finding love. The ending was different from a typical romance movie, but that was expected because the protagonist discusses how she does not like typical romance movies throughout the book.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group & NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Welp even though I did some skimming, I still feel like I wasted my time on this one. And while I appreciate that this book tells the story of a more realistic teen relationship, it’s just not for me at all. And if you are the type that likes a HEA or a HFN ending, then this book won’t be for you either.

The main character, Audrey, has a lot on her plate. Her parents are divorced and her father is remarried and has twins with his new wife. Audrey’s mom isn’t handling this well and has a lot of mental issues. And it falls on Audrey to take care of her, even though she is only a senior. She is also dealing with a heartbreak- her boyfriend dumped her shortly after she lost her virginity to him.

She gets a job at a cinema, mainly to get away from her mom, and meets Harry. He’s too charming for his own good, but Audrey has sworn off boys and love.

But of course, Harry wins her over.

I’m not sure how though. I never really felt the connection between the two of them. He’s stoned out of his mind in the majority of their scenes together. So their conversations consist of how they can’t have a conversation because he is so high, or a fight happens because he got high with his on again off again f-Buddy, Rosie, and tells her everything about his relationship with Audrey.

He never once won me over, and I always felt Audrey could do better. Maybe that was the point?

Then the ending. I hated it. Yet at the same time, given what happened, it made sense.

A refreshingly honest look at love. Audrey (as in Hepburn) knows life isn’t like the movies. Her parents nasty divorce saw to that. She even decides to do a school project on how bad rom-coms are. When she gets a job at the movie theater and meets Harry, she finds that love is even better...and worse...than she ever portrayed on the silver screen. A poignant and agonizingly real YA romance.

It Only Happens In The Movie is a great young adult book. With funny characters and a great romance, this will be a hit. Audrey and Harry are adorable and I loved the story and couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read another book by Holly.

It Only Happens in the Movies is a breathtakingly funny and emotive read that explores the realities of love, and how relationships are not like the movies and don't always have that fairy-tale happy ending. It's an original story with engaging characters and situations many will relate to.