Fun realistic fiction about an oddball group of friends. Throw in some romance, throw in a bunch of things for movie lovers and you get a great light read.

I think I'd probably give this on 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the cast of wacky characters and really enjoyed Ethan. It was different than a lot of the YA novels I've read recently. But still a fun read. I do wish some of the secondary characters were a bit more fleshed out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Movies and the old, outdated Green Theater have sustained Ethan through the worst times of his life -- the death of his father & the loss of his best friend. Now the Green is slated to be sold and torn down. He and a rag-tag group of his friends & fellow movie lovers are trying to save the theater.

This is exactly why I love YA fiction! The characters are real & engaging -- I loved Ethan and the oddball friends who work at the theater with him. There are moments of hilarious antics and moments of gut-wrenching emotion. The adults stay out of the way & let the teens/young adults run the show, and there are definitely times when I just shook my head at their feeble attempts. But overall, this is a wonderful read filled with classic movie references that don't get in the way of the story. You don't need to be a movie freak to enjoy this great story.

Note for parents & librarians -- this is a novel featuring older teens, but there's nothing objectionable here even for younger ones. Little profanity, some drug references, and only the mildest of sexual references.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

When I first started this I thought “Eh. Boy-meets-girl story line. Disconnected/depressed parents. Quirky teens living life in the moment.” However, this is actually a cute story with lots of life lessons.

Really love the title!

Overall an okay, forgettable read. It was boring and not a whole lot happened. That being said, I enjoyed the character of Ethan which kept me reading until the end.

While it took longer than I usually give a book to grab me, it paid off in the end. I like that it was not a neat and tidy ending. I love the stone cold pack of weirdos (I stole that line somewhere...) that populated this story. And I just plain loved that it was set in Minneapolis, from whence comes one of my favorite people ever! I want to BE in this story so I can watch movies for a living, too, and I found it hard to read from craving both popcorn and junior mints! 💜🤓📚

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

As a mom with a son majoring in film, how could I not love this story of Ethan - a teenager with a heart for movies and a film professor dad. And honestly? There aren’t enough stories like this featuring male characters, so it’s a hard YES for me!

YA’s will love the unusual characters on a mission to save the old theatre and how they are each unique in their ways of wanting to save it. A funny but thought provoking story, with a love story also thrown in.

What a sweet, sad story this was. Ethan, poor lost Ethan, trying everything to save the very old and very rundown theater that's his last physical connection to his dad. and since his dad died several years ago, it's where he spends most of his time. But now it's slated to be turn down. And Ethan, along with his group of employees who are just as lost as he is, determined to keep that from happening. Funny, not entirely plausible, but completely enjoyable.

This book was great! I loved the main characters and the quirky supporting cast. It will especially appeal to movie and A/V nerds, and I was one of these in high school and college, so it was a perfect match!

While there is a (maybe?) romance, it is not a mushy love story. And there isn't a clear-cut ending, so some readers may be disappointed there.

Ethan is the main character, a kid who graduated early (after the death of his father), and works as the manager of the art house movie theater where he and his father had so many memories. When the theater is threatened with demolition, Ethan's crush, Raina, returns to Minneapolis from her life as an actor in LA.

This was a fast, enjoyable book that I recommend to teens and adults. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by celebrated young adult author Peter Bognanni.

The book tells the story of Ethan, also known as Wendy, a manager of a failing, falling apart movie palace that has definitely seen better days. Reeling from the untimely death of his movie history professor father and the fact his longtime unrequited love Raina has deserted him and moved to Hollywood to star in movies, Ethan has become more than a little despondent.

To add to his misery, the movie theater is served an eviction notice and it's up to Ethan and his ragtag bunch of employees to save their home. When Raina appears back in Ethan's life, he realizes that he may need to consider life beyond the big screen instead.

This book was written in a very amusing way, but with real heart, and an authentic voice. I think, as a middle school teachers, this book will resonate with students who love reading, movies, and have ever had a passion that was difficult to understand.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.com for my advanced copy.

Realistic and contemporary, this was a good read. I love a goo quirky cast of characters and a lot of heart. One of the things I really enjoyed was the ending. It was real and it fit with the story the author was trying to tell. I'm glad that I took time to read this one, due to the themes of loss, grief and friendship. Thank you netgalley for this arc.

Wow, I love this book.

The plot centers around the attempts of the narrator, Ethan, to save a decaying independent movie theater from demolition, but the story is more about the death of Ethan’s father and his inability to come to terms with his loss. That’s the reason the theater is so important to Ethan. It’s a place where the two of them shared their love of films, and losing the theater seems like losing his father all over again. But the theater closing may be a blessing in disguise, because Ethan’s attempts to stop it help him learn how to move on from loss, how to recognize what’s important to hang onto and when it’s all right to let go.

That description sounds like this would be a really heavy book to read, and at sometimes it is, but I laughed a lot, too. The author has a gift for writing funny scenes and quirky oddball characters. Ethan isn’t bad with a snarky line, either. Maybe my favorite bit of the novel is when an especially poignant moment between Ethan and the girl he likes, Raina, is interrupted by the discovery of a dead rat. Talk about destroying the mood! Pathos to comedy, at breakneck speed.

Film buffs might especially appreciate this novel. A lot of great movies are referenced during the story. Some of the scenes and dialogue wouldn’t be out of place in a film, and it doesn’t surprise me that Bognanni’s first book was turned into a movie. An especially nice touch is “Ethan’s Glossary of Film Terms,” short descriptions of different aspects of film between chapters that serve commentary on the action.

Be warned, though—this book doesn’t a classic Hollywood ending where the hero saves the day and gets the girl. If that’s your jam, you might not like where the story winds up. It’s more like an art film, which generally aren’t so tidy in terms of the conclusion. But that’s what makes them interesting, right? And while the ending here isn’t clear cut, it is hopeful.

I’d highly recommend this for anyone who likes smart, well-written YA novels. And movies, of course!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

This book includes many elements I enjoy: smart and sassy dialogue, a cast of quirky characters, and fun friendships. Hand it to readers who like John Green, who are fans of humor, and/or who like contemporary fiction. It's a delight!

Seventeen year old Ethan is a serious film buff and the ad hoc manager of a quirky movie theater. Three years earlier his world was rocked when his father died suddenly and his best friend became a famous movie star and moved away without a word. After finding solace in spending all of his time managing the movie theater, his world is falling apart again because of the threat of the theater being shut down. Cinema lovers will appreciate the film allusions, and there is a certain amount of suspense regarding the fate of the theater. Most compelling, though, is the character development of the interesting folks populating this book.

I’m a sucker for these quick, quirky, simple, not-too-deep realistic fiction reads, especially after a long fantasy book. The author didn’t always make the changes in time very clear in the ARC, but perhaps that will be fixed before publication. I loved how authentic Ethan was, and I enjoyed the spirit of this book so much. This felt like an early 90’s movie in book form- it was a bit poignant, and very enjoyable. I got to the last page of my e-book, though, and didn’t realize it was done. I thought my app had frozen....so perhaps the ending comes a bit abruptly.

As a librarian, most of my reading life consists of assessing and recommending books I think other people will like.. But in the case of this book, all I can say is it was right up my alley and I loved it. If you appreciate small town life and the loss of indie businesses, you will root to save the Green Street Cinema. If you grew up around a seedy old theatre that had seen much better days but still had a whiff of glamor, you will love this book. If you love old and obscure movies, this is your jam.

I think this book's best audience is New Adults, not Young Adults. College-age and up. I really liked the characters. Ethan was extremely knowledgeable and articulate for a kid, but that's kinda how these books work. His love interest, Raina, actually IS a movie star, due to having been discovered and plopped into filmdom. The Oracle is an old hippie film projectionist who never seems to leave the booth but keeps a shrine to Steve McQueen in the projection booth (horrific fire risk, but that just makes it interesting). She is given to random pronouncements that are either brilliant or mad or both. Sweet Lou, the organist with cigarette clamped firmly between her teeth, and the other staff are all wonderfully wacky characters.

Wrapped up in all this is Ethan's desire to save the theatre because it contains so much of his late father. I just found so much to like about this book.

A love letter to the movies and old school movie houses. The thing I liked the most about this book was the ending. I wasn't sugar-coated and all happy rainbows. Things didn't work out in a Hollywood ending. Much more palatable ending for a realistic YA novel.

This book was a quick read that was lighthearted but still covered real topics like loss, grief, and feeling lost about your future. The characters were likeable and real with flaws. An excellent book for a cinophile!