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by Zakiya N. Jamal
Booksmart meets Phantom of the Megaplex in Zakiya N. Jamal's debut enthralling enemies-to-lovers queer romance, set against the backdrop of a historic Black-owned movie theater, the quirky employees who work there, and the suburbs of Long Island. Perfect for fans of Leah Johnson and Today Tonight Tomorrow.
Lights. Camera. Love?
Rochelle "the Shell" Coleman is laser focused on only three things: becoming valedictorian, getting into Wharton, and, of course, taking down her annoyingly charismatic nemesis and only academic competition, Amira Rodriguez. However, despite her stellar grades, Rochelle's college application is missing that extra special something: a job.
When Rochelle gets an opportunity to work at Horizon Cinemas, the beloved Black-owned movie theater, she begrudgingly jumps at the chance to boost her chances at getting into her dream school. There's only one problem: Amira works there… and is also her boss.
Rochelle feels that working with Amira is its own kind of horror movie, but as the two begin working closely together, Rochelle starts to see Amira in a new light, one that may have her beginning to actually… like her?
But Horizon's in trouble, and when mysterious things begin happening that make Horizon's chances of staying open slimmer, it's up to the employees to solve the mystery before it's too late, but will love also find its way into the spotlight?
"The process of solving the mystery isn't suspenseful and the guilty party's identity feels obvious. The novel's diverse cast of primary and secondary characters is both welcome and refreshing, however. Enjoyable enough but predictable and lacking in depth." —Kirkus Reviews
"Jamal's debut YA novel is a fun summer romance with an engaging mystery to follow." —Booklist
"An enemies-to-lovers romance with a cinematic backdrop… that celebrates friendship, forgiveness, and Black cinema." —School Library Journal
"This novel has the nostalgic charm of classic teen flicks with modern wit and stakes. Backdropped by a unique cinematic setting full of lively characters, this rivals-to-lovers romance will have you smiling and cheering long after the credits roll." —Racquel Marie, award-winning author of Ophelia After All
"With the cutest enemies-to-lovers romance and a friend group on a mission to save a historic Black-owned cinema, If We Were a Movie gives you characters that are impossible not to root for." —Mae Coyiuto, acclaimed author of Chloe and the Kaishao Boys
This information about If We Were a Movie was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Zakiya N. Jamal was born in Queens, raised in Long Island, and currently resides in Brooklyn. In other words, she's a New Yorker through and through. She holds a BA in English from Georgetown University and an MFA in creative writing with a concentration in writing for children and young adults from the New School. She has been published in Catapult, Romper, BuzzFeed, People.com, and more. Her nonfiction essay "Cuban Imposter Syndrome" is featured in the Latinx anthology Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed. You can find her on Twitter at @zakiyanjamal.
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