Title: IT ONLY HAPPENS IN THE MOVIES
Author: Holly Bourne
ISBN: 9781474921329
Publisher: Usborne Publishing
Pages: 410
Source: Private copy
Audrey is over romance. While dealing with her parents’ contentious divorce, a breakup of her own, and shifting friendship dynamics, she has every reason to feel cynical. But then she meets Harry, her fellow coworker at the local cinema. He’s brash, impulsive, and a major flirt. And even though Audrey tries to resist, she finds herself falling for his charms. But in this funny, insightful, and ultimately empowering novel, love—and life—isn’t what it’s like in the movies.
Official Summary
01 September 2023
This book follows Audrey, a young girl who has recently had her heart broken and has just started working at a cinema. There she meets Henry, a guy whom she is quickly warned about by everyone else. Through a series of events, Audrey somehow ends up staring in Henry’s original Zombie movie.
This is a very quick read, as the story will have you gripped and you will hardly want to put it down.
Audrey was such a fun character. I loved how I very rarely got upset with her. I loved that although she was a very guarded character, she had no problem communicating with the people around her. I loved that we never really got the misunderstood trope and I loved that. Audrey’s character as a whole was pretty great.
I will say one of the only things that really upset me about this book is how Audrey treated her new stepmother. Don’t get me wrong I think both she and the father were wrong for their actions. However, it annoyed me that Audrey seemed a lot more upset with her and the things she said to her stepmother were really mean and should have been directed at her father.
Overall I loved this book and I cannot wait to read more Holly Bourne. I could not recommend more.
Also by Holly Bourne
The Yearbook
The dramas, the traumas, the rumours – it’s time to expose it all… The Perks of Being a Wallflower meets Mean Girls in this scathingly funny and relatable high-school takedown from the queen of UKYA.
Most likely to…be forgotten
Working on the school newspaper, Paige is used to dealing with fake stories. How popular girl Grace is a such an amazing person (lie). How Laura steals people’s boyfriends (lie). How her own family are so perfect (lie).
Now, Grace and friends have picked their “best” high-school moments for Paige to put in the all-important Yearbook. And they’re not just fake. They’re poison.
But Paige has had enough of all the lies in her life. And with the help of Elijah – the only boy who could ever understand her – she’s going to reveal the truth.
About The Author
Author Bio from the Author’s Site
Holly Bourne is a bestselling and critically acclaimed author. Inspired by her work with young people, and her own experiences of everyday sexism, Holly is a passionate mental health advocate and proud feminist.
Holly started her writing career as a news journalist and was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. She then spent six years working as an editor, a relationship advisor, and general ‘agony aunt’ for a youth charity – helping young people with their relationships and mental health. Inspired by what she saw, Holly started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling, award-winning ‘Spinster Club’ series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When Holly turned thirty, she wrote her first adult novel, How Do You Like Me Now? examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark.
Alongside her writing, Holly has a keen interest in women’s rights and is an advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health problems. She has helped create online apps that teach young people about sexual consent, works with Women’s Aid to spread awareness of abusive relationships, and runs Rethink’s mental health book club.
Holly lives in London, but dreams of the day she has a garden, a dog, chickens, and a beehive.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think in the comments below….
Goodbye.
