ARC Review: If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal

Thank you HarperTeen and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review! In this queer rivals-to-lovers story, Rochelle is trying her hardest to get into her top college. But to have a higher chance of getting accepted, she needs to have a job on her resume. Which she doesn't! When she finally gets a job at a Black-owned theater, she soon finds out who her new colleague is: her rival and former bestie Amira.

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (4)

My first love is books, my second love is movies.

So getting to read a WLW book mostly set in a movie theater, was such a fun experience! The characters were all likeable, with their own personalities. I loved that we also got a sneak peek into their lives as well. This made the side characters less flat and like they were just put into the story for the main characters to interact with.

Rochelle, the main character, had to grow on me at first. The reason why Rochelle and Amira became rivals bothered me a bit. However, this might very well just be a personal opinion. So keep that in mind. As the story progressed I started to like Rochelle more. Like every teen (and human really), she made mistakes or judged to early. Instead of sweeping it under the rug, she acknowledged that she was wrong and learned from it. This made her so much more realistic. I really appreciated how Jamal weaved that into the story. Her interactions with Amira were so cute! I loved the little snarky comments back and forth.

I do wish I read more about the community of Horizon. The regulars who order the same things, who love to have a chat. Or the movie lovers who go to their local cinema all dressed up. I think that this would've made the theater feel even more personal. Rochelle does mention that her friend is a regular there, but I would've liked to read more about the background characters, the NPCs. Like the older lady that appears in the book at some point.

Lastly, there is a side plot in the story that was a bit too predictable for me. It didn't bother me, as I knew it wasn't a mystery book. However, it would've been more fun if the resolution was a bit more of a surprise.

Besides some little notes, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! And I'm so happy with the Black Sapphic representation. I recommend this book to everyone who loves a lighthearted rivals-to-lovers romance novel!

'If We Were a Movie' comes out April 22nd 2025!

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