It Only Happens in the Movies

October 26, 2020
Audrey Winters is off romance. Her mother is still suffering from her father’s abrupt departure, and Audrey’s not entirely over having “bought the I-lost-my-virginity-to-an-attractive-but-morally-bankrupt-asshole T-shirt.” When she starts a new job at a fancy movie theater in Bridgely-upon-Thames, she recognizes coworker Harry as a charming flirt who hits on everyone. This doesn’t make her immune to his charms, however, especially once she’s starring in his zombie movie, a return to acting after her post-breakup retirement from high school theater. Seventeen-year-old Audrey is also working on a school project about romance movies, which she thinks encourage unsustainable relationship expectations. Alongside snippets of Audrey’s rom-com essay, British author Bourne draws her protagonist as a believable mix of self-awareness and inexperience as she does her best to cope with her selfish father and hurting mother, her largely absent brother, and Harry’s omnipresent ex. Audrey’s struggles with whether to trust Harry and whether love is worth the pain it can cause are plausible, and though the book does fall prey to an old trope, with Audrey pitted against Harry’s ex, it’s a smart, funny, and emotionally satisfying rom-com. Ages 14–up. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary.

Nicola Barber narrates a teen romantic dramedy. Audrey wants nothing at all to do with love, so why does the cute boy she works with flirt with her at every opportunity? Barber's narration is solid and breezy, highlighting the fronts that Audrey and Harry present to the world, as well as their true inner selves. Some awkwardness that Barber's strong narration cannot overcome is the result of the British story being reworked for a U.S. release, with strange and inconsistent vocabulary substitutions having been made. But the principals are well done. Audrey flips believably between poised, angry, and insecure as her world crumbles around her, while Harry is incredibly--and at times obnoxiously--charming and glib. Barber also gives all the secondary characters distinct and charming portrayals. K.M.P. � AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine