Thank you to Netgalley, @onemorechapterhc, and @heidiromrice for the eARC of JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES to review! This book is the perfect read for lovers of reading romance, and movie buffs! It follows Ruby Graham as she tries to cope with the grief of losing her best friend, Matty, while trying to run the independent movie theater they operated together. However, in his will, Matty left half of the theater to Luke, his nephew. While trying to run they business, they discover The Royale is in debt and on the brink of financial ruin…will the two work together to save the theater?

While this book started a bit slow for me, once the romance picked up, it went full steam ahead! I appreciated all the different movie references, the cast of somewhat zany characters, and the hopeful ending readers are left with.

If you’re looking for a (mostly) light, romance full of heartfelt moments, definitely grab JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES!

If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be? Mine would definitely be Singin’ In The Rain! (Gene Kelly…swoon)


CW // suicide; death and grief

Just Like In the Movies is a cute and quick paced rom com. I thought the insta love was a bit much, but apparently that's most romance books lately.

This was a sweet book but for me it was very predictable. A sweet and somewhat naive woman inherits 1/2 of an arthouse cinema, which sounds like an interesting place to watch vintage movies. The other 1/2 is inherited by a very handsome and iconic businessman with no interest in movies. The ups and downs of this love story keep it going. This would be a nice beachread, definitely. Thank you Netgalley for this relaxing book.

This book was definitely a lot more different compared to the books I'm used to reading. All the movie references were quite intriguing. Also, the way Luke's character development improved throughout the novel and learns to gain self-confidence after everything he has been through was very interesting to read about. I am also very proud of Ruby, as she realizes it is time for her to get out of her comfort zone, and create a path that supports her dreams. A wonderful novel about challenges in the public eye and self-identity.

Ok, so I am a huge movie buff ... and this book gave me all the feels!
RomCom Book + Movie References = 4 stars

This book is funny and with fast pace read that will give you all the romcom feels leaving you not wanting to put it down. I enjoyed how the author made the male lead a character that came into him own and found himself worthy of love. In romance we tend to the that role played by the female and this was such a nice and refreshing switch.

I could not get into this book. While the ideas of this story were great and all the Wizard of Oz references were making my childhood heart so happy, the characters did not live up to expectation. They were all very one dimensional and there wasn’t much development beyond the male lead. I need my characters to be rootable and this didn’t work for me. I wanted to love this story from the Wizard of Oz themed memorial but sadly it fell flat for me.

I’ve been missing the cinema during lockdown and as an avid movie watcher the title of this novel drew me in

I did like Ruby and Luke as a couple but there wasn’t any great depth to Ruby’s character. I would have liked more back story for both but it was lacking sadly. As a couple they were believable and the chemistry was definitely evident but the plot lines also felt repetitive.

A fun romcom if you like classic Hollywood love stories but unfortunately it could have had a bit more. Sometimes it just seemed the only thing they did was have sex. Like I get it Ruby had a lot of O’s!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing me this arc via Netgalley!
I wanted to like this so much, since I haven't had any luck with my romance novels lately, but I just couldn't.
The couple had some chemistry, but the way their relationship progressed was just so weird.

After Matty Devlin's devastating death, Ruby is stuck managing his theater, The Royale, with Matty's cynical nephew, Luke. Luke has never even met Matty, let alone been to his theater. He's not interested in his share of the theater and is eager to return home to New York. However, he finds himself enchanted with Ruby's quirks and ends up getting roped into community service hours to help her fix up The Royale. Both of them try to keep their distance, but sometimes love is just like in the movies.

This book was so fun! Ruby and Luke were complete opposites, which made it all the better. Ruby's fun nature brought out the best in Luke, but they were both still able to sit down and have some really serious, meaningful conversations. I loved how different sections of the books were introduced, too! Ruby and Luke would share their respective opinions about a popular movie and I thought that was a phenomenal plot device for characterization and foreshadowing! I shed a tear a few times, too! (Sometimes from laughter and sometimes from the genuine pain these characters felt). I also definitely fell in love with Luke. Because he was hot? Yes. But also! It was so nice to be inside his head and it really felt beautiful the way his character arc unraveled. I think he grew the most in this book and it was wonderful to watch and experience. (And he made the steamy scenes all the better, but I digress). At times, however, the book did move a little fast from scene to scene for me without giving me enough time to absorb. Despite that, I think this book is a wonderful rom-com for romance readers and movie watchers alike!

Ruby and Luke meet when Matty's will is read. Matty was Ruby's best friend and Luke's estranged uncle. Just like that, they find themselves co-owners of a local movie theatre known as The Royale. They are definitely opposites. Ruby is bubbly, loves movies, people and is dedicated to preserving The Royale. Luke is reserved, not as enthusiastic about old movies and is realistic about the money that needs to be spent to bring back The Royale. Ruby hopes to help Luke fall in love with The Royale and want to continue his uncle's legacy. Luke wants to find a way to make Ruby aware of how much money and work it will take to update The Royale. They are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum with their expectations. Yet, somehow, Luke worries about Ruby. Ruby finds herself caring about Luke's opinion. One thing leads to another and these two fall into each other's arms. However, they still don't acknowledge their feelings. They treat their relationship almost as a "friends with benefits" arrangement since Luke plans to leave and return to the States soon. Of course, feelings will sneak in whether you want them to or not. Then what will Ruby and Luke do? Will they get their happy ending?

This was a sweet romance with a fair amount of steamy scenes. The movie references are plentiful, which was a cute way to tie the theme of the book to the theatre. Overall, this was an enjoyable book that had some serious content blended in with the lighthearted.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

If you're a film buff, I think you'll really enjoy Just Like in the Movies. Unfortunately, my taste in movies is...notoriously bad (I like it that way!), so I didn't really get or care about the movie references so much. But that's a me problem! Still, I can occasionally sense a bit of pretentiousness from the film buff characters (like Ruby) when it comes to movies. Overall, I struggled to relate to either of the characters, which hindered my enjoyment of the novel. There's nothing wrong with Just Like in the Movies - it just wasn't for me!

Oh I do love a good rake! and this one doesn't disappoint. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Just Like in the Movies by author Heidi Rice is a nostalgic read perfect for fans of movie-centric rom-coms and the unlikely lovers/enemy to friend tropes. After the death of her beloved Matty, Ruby Graham must fight to keep her family’s cinema and finds hope, and maybe even love, along the way. With references to classic Hollywood staples such as The Wizard of Oz, Just Like in the Movies is akin to a rom-com version of Disney’s Great Movie Ride.

‘Movies are like life, if you look hard enough. A good movie can allow you to walk around in someone else’s shoes and also help you escape your problems, at least for a little while.’

Ruby has recently inherited half of The Royale movie theatre after the sad passing of her friend, mentor and father figure. Apart from badly being in debt, the other fifty percent beneficiary of the cinema is Luke - the son of two famous movie stars who has no time for the movies or movie lovers. Thus proceeds the tale of love/hate relationships with the requisite happily ever after. There are, however, certain endearing qualities to this read that make it stand out.

Of course there will be the predictable encounters (loads of explicit sex!), followed by numerous mullings and musings ... yet thankfully there are little snippets of something deeper and richer. It certainly is not all fluff as there are some painful and poignant themes. The strongest for me was the backstory of Luke and the life he led with famous parents and how that formed the man we see today. Tied into this is the mystery behind why he would be left part ownership of the cinema in the first place. Ruby was also a solid character and I really appreciated her story arc - one of strength tied in with her growth over present security - a win for me.

All up you will read this if you love the chick lit genre full of romance and a cast of quirky yet loveable secondary characters. Yet, there is more to this tale with its themes of forgiveness and unconditional love and growth.






This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

3.5 Stars

Ruby loves the magic of the big screen and the beautiful escape that they provide, so when she meet Matty they had an instant connection, so much so that he became more than just her employer, he was more her substitute father and mentor. So when Matty dies and leaves half of the Royale Theatre to Ruby she is determined to turn things around and bring her mentors favorite place back to its former glory, the only problem being the other half of the Royale has been willed to Matty’s nephew Luke.

Luke is over Hollywood and the spotlight, having come from famous parents the last thing Luke wants now is to have to deal with The Royale. But alas Luke doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter not with having the place being willed to him and the overly enthusiastic Ruby trying her hardest to revive the place. But the question is will these two enemies turn into lovers and find their movie happy ending?

This is a first (non HQN Series) book by Heidi Rice for me and I do have to say there is definitely something about her writing that holds a lot of promise for future books. Just Like In The Movies is definitely your classic enemies to lovers romcom, with a moody broody hero and a sweet bubbly heroine. I absolutely loved all the movie references, this is definitely a movie lovers book.

I am a huge fan of the opposites attract trope and Ruby and Luke just played into this role perfectly. I loved the way Ruby’s sweet bubbly optimistic nature balanced out all the grump that Luke had blocking his soft heart. It was super cute watching these two come together to grown and heal each other. The only negative for me was that I felt Luke got a more character development and backstory apposed to that what was given to Ruby, nevertheless this was just a minor thing.

Over all Just Like In The Movies was a cute romance that touched on a number of sensitive topics all while still being able to proved a cute movie like happy ending.

When Matty dies, he leaves her his vintage theater, The Royale, to his best friend, Ruby, and his estranged nephew, Luke. Luke is the son of his sister, a Broadway actress, and a prominent movie star and has no interest in this theater. He has looked through the books and has discovered that it is badly in debt. He suggests that Ruby sells the theater and makes a profit, but Ruby is determined to kept the Royale going like Matty wanted. As Ruby tries to persuade Luke to help her with The Royale Theater, Luke starts to get to know her and sees just how important this theater is to her.

This was such a cute, feel-good story and I loved every page!! The characters were easy going and likable, which is a huge plus for me! I thought the writing was refreshing and flowed easily. The author shows Ruby grieving in very real ways, but also manages to keep the tone of the book light and romantic.

The story opens with our two main characters having their first meeting. It plays out similar to a movie where the two characters are seemingly opposites and are “forced” to be together in a common event. It was a great premise and one of the main reasons why I was excited to read this story, however, I walked away from it with mixed feelings as there were parts that were brilliant and others that just did not work for me. Every reader is different, so some might struggle with parts that I loved (or vice versa) or not struggle with anything at all. There are multiple movies highlighted that give a correlation to each part of the story. The movies featured were really cute and included: The Wizard of Oz, About a Boy, Brokeback Mountain, The Way We Were, and The Last of the Mohicans.

Ruby Graham is devastated after the sudden loss of her best friend, Matty. We open the story at an attorney’s office to read Matty’s last will and testament. Matty has left half of The Royale, the classics movie theatre that he owned, and was Ruby’s workplace since she was a teen. The other half of the theatre was left to Matty’s nephew, a New York high-end real estate developer, Luke Devlin. Matty and Luke never met so Luke and Ruby are baffled as to why half of the theatre was left to him. Luke also does not have an interest in movies or theatres, so he is confused even further about this inheritance. Due to an unfortunate incident involving some trespassing, Luke cannot escape The Royale and must complete community service at the theatre. This means that he and Ruby are forced to spend more time together while he works on projects here and there. The two start as enemies and eventually become lovers with the added forced proximity troupe.

Luke was a fantastic character with a well-written backstory. He is a complex character with an interesting past and a complicated relationship with his family. His life has been in the public eye due to his mother being a famous actress and his father is the worst kept secret in Hollywood. He lives in the shadow of his parents and prefers to live a quieter life away from the spotlight. Unfortunately, Ruby does not get the same treatment with a detailed backstory. She talks here and there about life with Matty at the theatre, but you never fully understand their story. Her character, therefore, never feels complete as you get the very basics of her personality where she loves movies and she is optimistic about its future. I would have loved some flashback chapters where the reader can fully experience Ruby’s life at the theatre when Matty was alive. This way the reader can fully understand how special their bond was and also give more insight into her character. There are additional hints that, like Luke, have some tragedy in her past, but it seemed to be put on the backburner in favor of focusing on Luke’s.

If you love films, then you’ll love the introduction of each of the movies where Ruby and Luke’s individual thoughts about the films are written. I am sure there are lots of readers that would like this idea, but, for me, I thought maybe the first one was necessary, as it did not bring much to the story, except to reiterate that Ruby absolutely adores movies and Luke does not. This fact was established at the very beginning of the story and is repeated every time Ruby made a movie reference, so I felt that these “reviews” of the movies were cute, but not necessary. Aside from their opinions on the movie seeming to be repeated, it also seemed there was some déjà vu happening with some events between the two characters in their will-they-or-won’t-they moments as I felt that it was the same event just at a different point in time. For those times, it seemed that it was not for the plot, as the story would have the same impact without them, but instead, it was for page length and to draw the story out longer. The banter, chemistry, and bond seemed to be there so, for me, it just seemed like all the potential was there, but it was not executed in the manner I prefer.

Overall, I loved that this story was told from both Ruby and Luke’s perspectives. It gave a great insight into both characters and made their growing relationship more engaging. The last part of the book was well-done as there was a lot of heart that brought the story together. You care about the characters by the end, but it just took longer than expected to get there. The romance between the two characters was sweet, but their initial moments escalate quickly. While this happens in multiple stories, I wish there some inner thoughts expressed to at least give some background before any feelings are expressed out loud. The story is very cute and has great potential. There are parts that I wish were done differently, but I would encourage readers to form their own opinions as they might think completely differently from me. If you are a movie-buff who enjoyed an enemy to lovers romance, then this would be a great book to try! [3.5 rounded to 4]

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for this enjoyable ARC to read. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

“Love is a wonderful gift... Mostly because it’s never ever what you expect it to be. Sometimes it’s fleeting, sometimes it lasts, sometimes it can’t. But each time you unwrap it, it’s entirely unique.”

Just Like in the Movies, is a British Rom-Com, centered on Ruby and her beloved Royale movie theater. Ruby’s best friend and father figure, Matty, unexpectedly passes and leaves her as part owner of The Royale. Ruby wants nothing more than to keep Matty’s life’s work alive, but her new fellow owner, Luke, Matty’s long lost nephew, has other ideas.

What I Loved:
✨All the Movie References - My film loving heart was so full seeing all the various film references interwoven into the story.

✨The Sunshine and Grump Trope - I loved how different Ruby and Luke were from one another - optimistic, movie loving Ruby, couldn’t be more of an opposite to jaded and cynical Luke. Seeing them eventually fall for one another was just so satisfying!

✨The Setting - From scattering Matty’s ashes in Hyde Park to the Royale being located in Notting Hill, I adored how this tale took me on a journey to some of my favorite London locales!

✨The Humor - Romance that makes me swoon as well as laugh, is one of my absolute favorite things. Just Like in the Movies, had me rooting for Ruby and Luke’s romance but also laughing out loud constantly.

✨The Dual Points of View - Experiencing the story from both Ruby’s and Luke’s perspective was wonderful because both had such differing mindsets.

In short, I sincerely loved Just Like in the Movies. From navigating loss to traversing the complicated path to happily ever after, any fan of rom-coms (cinematic or bookish) will find something to love about Ruby and Luke’s story.

Thank you to @harpercollinsuk @onemorechapterhc and @netgalley for the ARC!

What could happen upon the death of a Notting Hill cinema owner bequeaths ownership to his best friend, movie-loving mentee and his estranged nephew whom he's never met? Ruby Graham and Luke Devlin are as opposite as you can get, but they plan to get The Royale up and running in its former glory.

Just Like in the Movies is such a fun read, filled with great characters and an adorable synopsis reminiscent of all of your favorite romantic comedies. Ruby is an absolute darling of lead filled with so much heart and kindness. Luke's struggles with being likeable based on his past (and present) family issues, but somehow being around Ruby changes him for the better.

Truly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good, heart-felt romantic comedy.

I can't believe I am actually doing this, but I am going to DNF this book. I normally don't DNF books, but there are sooo many good books out there for me to read, and this is not one. I made it 25% in and couldn't do it anymore. I found myself skimming a lot. I couldn't relate to the characters. I felt it was cheesy in parts. There was no build up. I needed some background information on these characters. I wish I couldn't finish it, but I just can't. I may pick it back up another day.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the copy of this book!