Book Raves Pt. 7: It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne
- Lindsey
- Jul 21, 2018
- 3 min read
Warning: the ending may irritate your eyes, causing you to cry.
So, it was a normal day and I visited Waterstones while I was strolling about in town. Waterstones sometimes changes the books they put on display, and this particular book caught my eye (probably because of the title and the bright yellow cover). The title intrigued me, and the fact that one of my favourite authors (who created one of my favourite trilogies), Patrick Ness, read and reviewed the book made a 'GO!' sign appear in my head, which propelled me to purchase the book.
Since I'm a hopeless romantic and this book was a romance, I walked out of Waterstones happily smiling. But just like every romantic story, there are, of course, moments that tug at your heart, allowing you to feel what the protagonist feels. This book would resonate to those who have had a similar experience - no wonder I felt a pull towards the book.
It Only Happens in the Movies features a cynic called Audrey, who hates, and I repeat hates, romantic movies due to heartbreak and seeing the effects of a failed relationship on her mother. She ends up working at her local cinema where she meets Harry, who is "every movie cliché rolled into one" and has an interest in film-making, as well as zombies. Audrey, being a talented actress, somehow plays Harry's zombie bride. They develop feelings, reaching the point of being in love.
I love how Bourne decided to tell the story. She incorporated content which seemed to analyse romantic movies as a whole, and I realised further into the book that this information acted as Audrey's Media coursework. The story occurred while she examined why romantic movies were unreliable and 'dangerous', which indicated to me that this book may be aimed for young adults (there were also moments in the book that made me want to hide behind a pillow due to a blushing malfunction...).
This book was even more relatable due to the fact that the story was set in England, so the way each character spoke was familiar and very similar to how individuals my age spoke. After doing some research, I discovered that Bourne is a British author and that the book was published in 2017, which explains the modernity of the story.
SPOILER ALERT. With every love story, a tragic event always seems to occur - The Big Mistake, as Audrey describes it.
"The course of finding true love cannot run smoothly. Hero and heroine can never simply meet, get along, kiss and The End... We need an OBSTACLE for them to overcome before they're allowed to disappear into the sunset."
The Big Mistake in this story involves cheating. Yeah, okay Harry, you were super duper drunk and super duper wasted but somehow remembered the events of your cheating moment. Totally makes sense. Of course, this resulted in Audrey breaking up with him, and I applaud her for having the guts to do that because cheating is unacceptable to me. I'm getting angry just writing about it.
However, Harry tries to win her heart back towards the end, but Audrey chooses herself, despite her feelings of love still being present.
Audrey's words on the very last page of the book reminded me that working on yourself is crucial to the progress of self-love. You may still have feelings for the one that broke your heart, and they may have the genuine intention of asking you for a second chance, but just like Audrey said, you might not be able to forget the hurt inflicted upon you. And I agree with this.
"Because I couldn't forgive it. I couldn't forget it. That's just me. I'd seen too much pain from love. I couldn't be with someone who had stung me so sharply so early on."
So, it's better to just walk away because this book emphasised what I already knew about love - it's both a feeling and a choice. One can choose to stay with you, or kick you out of their life.
Work on yourself to the point where you're mending your own heart, to the point where all that hurt transforms into self-love, allowing you to focus on your strengths and weaknesses to improve who you are. But don't forget that you can't be perfect - your flaws and your weaknesses shape you as a person as well.
When you reach that point, you have all the happiness cradled in your arms.
"The only love affair I needed to invest in right now was one with myself. Spend some time with me. Figuring out myself and why I picked the relationships I did. I was holding out my heart to me. Because I'd realized I was the only person who could give me a happily-ever-after."
Kommentarer