Title: It Only Happens in the Movies
Author: Holly Bourne
Genre: Contemporary YA
Format: Paperback
Length: 410 pages
Publisher: Usborne Publishing
Publication Date: 1st October 2017
My Rating: ★★★★ (4 stars)
Goodreads | Storygraph
Synopsis:
Audrey is over romance. Since her parents’ relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy. Because real love isn’t like the movies…
The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies… YA star Holly Bourne tackles real love in this hugely funny and poignant novel.
My Review
“The only love affair I needed to invest in now was the one with myself.”
This novel challenges the notion of romantic movies and I lived for it. A lot of Audrey’s thoughts about romantic movies I myself have voiced so it was so nice to see it. Holly Bourne dissects the problematic notions of romance prevalent in society; calling them out against real-life situations.
I found Audrey to be an authentic relatable character; she has highs and lows and isn’t afraid to be who she is. I loved that Audrey grew as a character and shared her experiences with Milo. Harry did have that cliché bad-boy attitude to him, but it worked in this novel, it didn’t feel overdone. He is obsessed with films and is a charmer.
There is a strong group of female friends in this that I really enjoyed. I wish Audrey talked to them more because they were a great group who are there for her. While romance does play a huge part in this novel, it explored the relationship between the two main characters and their lives as separate people, not just as a couple.
Bourne is a fantastic writer with a great sense of humour. This book was a highly entertaining read and it discussed some real issues that I haven’t seen in a YA novel before, it doesn’t sugar-coat any of the issues that it discusses but portrays the good, bad and ugly in a very real way. This was my second Holly Bourne novel and it won’t be my last.
