in the beginning of this story, ruby mentions that matty has been setting her up on blind dates since she turned 21. to me, this entire book is matty setting ruby up on one last, amazing, blind date with luke. i am absolutely stunned by the character development shown on both character’s parts, as well as the evolution of their relationships with their respectives pasts and with each other, of course. i’m very, very happy to have read this book.

This was a cute romcom book! If you are a movie buff, you will love all of the references in here.

The hate to love romance between Ruby and Luke was perfectly built for me. The tension was there, and the interactions they had were genuine and playful. There was also a sense of trust that was built early between them that I think helped make their bond seem more realistic and adorable.

The characters were lovable, and experienced growth, which always makes me happy to see more depth in a novel. The plot was solid, and the writing was delightful. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk and @onemorechapterhc for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this novel as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ruby Graham is mourning the death of her best friend and work partner Matty. Matty was the owner of a theater in London called the Royale and he leaves her half of it and the other half to his estranged nephew Luke Devlin. The chemistry between Luke and Ruby in this novel he’s awesome and the charm of the people who work in love the theater is sweet. I highly recommend this fun, flirty novel!

tw: several mentions of suicide

Just Like In The Movies is the perfect blend of romance, drama, and comedy which is only enhanced by the many film references. I'm a huge film geek so this story was a really fun read. I highly recommend rewatching each of Matty's favourite films alongside reading the book, as I did. This just lends an added depth to the references and their meanings in the story. That said. you don't have to have watched any of them (although maybe this story might encourage you to give them a try).

The supporting characters were also well-rounded (Jacie and Beryl especially were hilarious. And I would like to hear more of Jack's story *hints at author*) What was perhaps unexpected was the poignancy of some of the revelations. Full of emotion and with a delightfully satisfying finale. Recommended.

p.s. Who knew hair washing could be that hot?!

Overall rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Heat rating: 🔥🔥
Emotional rating: 😢😢💓💓

Favourite Quote:

People were fallible, parents made mistakes, love didn’t always conquer all, she of all people knew that.

There’s that saying, you can’t make this stuff up....well, clearly you can. Just Like in the Movies by Heidi Rice is something you totally see in the movies. It reminded me of Notting Hill, which is ironic that the setting is in Notting Hill 😉.
🍿
Ruby Graham just lost her best friend in her boss, Matty Devlin. When she learns he left her half of his beloved movie cinema, The Royale, to her she is taken aback. Little was she expecting though that the other half would be left to Matty’s nephew, Luke, a rich real estate investor. While Luke has no interest in helping to save The Royale, it doesn’t stop him from wanting Ruby....
🎞
The development of these characters is so well written that you feel like you are living this story with them. Besides, who wouldn’t want their life to end up like a sweet rom-com?!

Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter and Heidi Rice for an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

Calling all movie lovers, this one is for you!!!! What a fun story! First of all, how amazing would it be to live in a movie theatre?!? This story is perfectly nerdy, adorably romantic, and capable of giving you the squeals! The characters are very entertaining, the chemistry is great, and the heart is real in this one! I can see myself reading it again and again!

Ruby loved her boss Matty, who owned the Royale Theatre, as much as she loves movies so she was both devastated when he died and thrilled to have inherited half of the theater. But wait-there's a lot of bent and, even worse, the other half was left to the grumpy Luke who, as in all good rom-coms, doesn't care one whit about either the movies or the theater. Readers of the genre know that these two will eventually come to an, ahem, agreement. What sets this apart, however, is the wonderful use of films as a plot device (the Wizard of Oz figures prominently). There aren't any big surprises here but I liked this for the characters and for the positive spirit. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This is a sweet and sexy romcom. I loved all the movies references throughout. The build up between Luke and Ruby was sizzling - that hairwashing scene 🔥🔥🔥 this is one of my fave romance tropes, it's got all the makings of a Hallmark movie (guilty pleasure all the way)
The merry band of misfits that make up the rest of the cast are fab, from endearing to kick ass. I loved the little quips they would throw in from time to time.
Perfect ending, dreams can come true when you are true to yourself.

A chick lit worthy to be a film by Richard Curtis. Would definitely recommend this to film lovers. It made me want to watch About A Boy again. Wonderful plot and characters. Luke was such a complex character, a swoon worthy leading man. I really enjoyed all the movie reference and Luke and Ruby's movie review throughout the book. Overall, a fun, sexy, romantic read for lovers of chick lit and movies.

JUST LIKE THE MOVIES was a decent read for me, but fell short where the characters were concerned.

Jake was the only character I felt was written with complexity. He is a great leading man. But Ruby (and all of the supporting characters) felt very one-dimensional.

Ruby is sweet.
Her best friend is feisty.
Her stand-in dad is a series of gay cliches.
Jake's mother is overly dramatic.
There are no other sides to these characters.

It was a shame because I LOVED the only other book by this author I have read, but JUST LIKE THE MOVIES just wasn't for me.

I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

A fun book for romance readers and film lovers.
Ruby lives and works in The Royale, an independent cinema in North Notting Hill. Her mentor, best friend and father-figure Matty Devlin unexpectedly passes away and leaves her half the cinema.
The other half of the run down cinema is bequeathed to his nephew, Luke. Luke is a bad tempered, cynical, Manhattan property developer who couldn’t care less about the cinema and has no intention of taking of the debt associated with it.

I have such mixed feelings with this book. For about the first half, I struggled. I didn't care much about. the characters. But near the end of the book, my heart was breaking along with Ruby's and I was close to tears. I think the concept of this book was cute, and if you like the movies The Wizard of Oz, About a Boy, Brokeback Mountain, They Way We Were, and The Last of the Mohicans, you will enjoy this story. I think splitting up the different parts of the books in terms of these movies, and starting each section with Ruby and Luke's thoughts on the film was a really creative idea. There are a couple other movie references thrown in there, two of my absolute favorites being "Optimus Primer" and "He was your father, Luke" that were some of my favorite parts of the book. Long story short, if you are a film buff, you will likely catch and enjoy the references.

Please, please go read this book for yourself before reading my thoughts, there are spoilers ahead, and I don't want to sway you with how I felt.

I think I would have been more invested in the story earlier on if the author decided to dedicate the first 10 to 15% of the book to life before Matty dies. Ruby is naturally devastated at the loss of her father figure, but I almost found it hard to relate to her grief having never met Matty before. Sure, she describes what Matty was like, but it would have been so much more effective to actually read his character for myself, then his death would have been as much of a shock to me as it was to Ruby, and I would have felt her pain a little deeper.

Luke's backstory is nothing short of tragic, and I think a trigger warning is in order, as part of his story deals with his father's suicide. But I also almost wish we got more of Ruby's past. She mentions brief details in passing, but I would have liked it if the two character's childhoods got more of an equal balance. It would have been a nice bonding point for the two of them, too, if they both talked more about what their parent's were like, and the hardships they suffered growing up.

There were plenty of sweet moments throughout the book, but I felt like the relationship between Luke and Ruby escalated far too quickly. I mean, one moment, Luke's coming over to fix the boiler in Ruby's flat, and the next he's washing her hair and talking about how turned on they both are. The moments like that didn't quite feel realistic to me. That being said, I think Ruby's pain at Luke leaving was so well done, I mean I was feeling it in my heart almost as much as she was, and that final moment in the bar, and their struggles to move on, brought me close to tears.

I feel like there were too many supporting characters to keep straight. Naturally there's a full staff of the Royale to keep track of, but if the inner circle of employees had been kept to a minimum, and those characters actually got attention, as well traits that set them apart from everyone else, I would have been more invested in the group as a whole. They would have felt like a true, close-knit family, and it would have been a wonderful execution of the found family trope if their characters were more developed, as well as if we actually got to see Luke fall in love with the Royale more.

Overall, I think this was a decent contemporary romance, but there were so many things that were off-putting for the first half of the story that it's strong ending didn't do much to blow me away. Ruby at times felt almost pretentious in her love for certain movies, as if it was a crime against humanity that someone wouldn't like The Wizard of Oz. And Ruby perfectly sums up my thoughts about Luke at the beginning when she says "And that huge stick stuck so far up your bum I'm surprised it doesn't give you lockjaw." Luke was nothing short of an asshole in the beginning, and yes, character development is important, but I felt that he needed some more redeeming qualities. Either that, or establish his tragic past earlier, so we as readers can at least somewhat understand his behavior. He comes around of course, but the fact that he just assumed from the moment he met Ruby that she was Matty's bimbo felt super derogatory towards her and made me seriously dislike his character at first (I mean, the guy didn't even know her and he was set in his opinion that Matty was her sugar daddy). Like I said, the story and the characters pick up in the end, which is why I am so conflicted. With a couple character and story tweaks this book could have been fantastic, but it just wasn't completely for me.

This book reminded me a little of a hallmark movie, but I really enjoyed it. It's one of those books that you pretty much know what's going to happen in the end but your not quite sure how they are going to get there and what things are going to get in there in the way.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

CW: suicide, death of a loved one, homophobia

I'm going to start by saying I had relatively high hopes for this one. I love a good romance, of course, but especially a British one! Are British romances a whole separate genre? Because if not, they need to be. This book was absolutely lovely!

Just Like in the Movies follows Ruby Graham as she navigates trying to save her beloved workplace and second home, The Royale, when her best friend and father like figure, Matty, passes away unexpectedly. Matty left his livelihood to Ruby and his brooding nephew, Luke, to either save from going on under or to sell. Of course Ruby wants to do everything in her power to save The Royale continue Matty's legacy, but working with a grouch (a very attractive grouch) who doesn't even like the cinema makes Ruby's plan a little complicated!

This is sort of an enemies to lovers trope. Luke is a curmudgeon who doesn't really want to get involved in this massive project, but ends up sticking around anyways. I absolutely loved how the relationship between Ruby and Luke evolved, as well as all of the other supporting characters! This book was heartfelt, emotional, and overall a joy to read. If you are a movie buff, this will totally be up your alley!

3 stars

The word adorable is thrown around a lot by Heidi Rice's characters and I think it is a perfect description of the book as a whole. It felt like the literary version of a Hallmark movie with all of the pros and cons that come along with that statement.

Pros: Cute leads, quirky situation, fun side characters, happily ever after!
Cons: Misunderstandings for the sake of moving the plot along, somehow manages to both be too long and not enough at the same time, tons of "wait, what?" reactions

Now don't get me wrong - I love watching Hallmark movies. It's something nice to have playing in the background and know that you don't need to be laser-focused in on. This book did what it set out to do and I can't fault it for that. Whatever issues that I had with it didn't truly hinder my enjoyment of it - they were more things that I wish could be improved on. If you want something light in the middle of a really dark time, this will definitely deliver!

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

A cute and quick read! The characters were quirky and I loved Ruby's determination and will power up against Luke's much more negative attitude. I do wish I had been a bit more attached to the characters or that there had been a bit more pining so the separation had seemed more intense but overall still a great love story!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Just Like In The Movies is a lovely light read when you're in the mood for something fun.

What I Liked

I liked how the theme of grief and loss is handled throughout the story. Both of the main characters experienced significant losses in their lives, yet how they handle it is much different. I found the use of the theme impactful, looking at the different ways people experience and process grief in their lives, from closing off part of themselves to finding peace in sharing remembrances to working hard to keep the dead's wishes alive. All responses were genuine and raw and were handled in a manner that I could instantly recognize and feel compassion.

I enjoyed the main plot of figuring out how to keep The Royale going once Matty passed. The theater is such a unique part of the community, providing color and vibrancy in many patrons' lives. I loved the inclusivity and the creativity that was part of every event that took place there. It is such a cool place and would definitely be a fun way to experience old movies and spend an evening.

One of the main characters, Luke, is developed very intricately and with empathy for all that he has had to overcome. He is not always likable, but the more you get to know him, the easier it is to understand why he is somewhat standoffish. Unfortunately, Ruby did not get equal development, and her backstory remains a mystery. I needed to know more about her and less about her sexual likes and fantasies to really understand and embrace her character.



What I Wish

I wish there had been more of a proper budding romance between the main characters. I missed the innocent ideal I am used to in the genre and was a bit put off by the explicitness that bordered on erotica. I could see the characters together, but the lack of a romantic build left me feeling like their romance and relationship were missing a key component and, in turn, credibility.

To Read or Not to Read

If you are looking for a light read and love movies, this is an excellent choice for your next read.

Just Like in the Movies follows Ruby, who inherits half of the Royale, an independent theatre owned by her late best friend and father figure, Matty. It comes as a surprise to her that the other half of her beloved theatre has been left to Luke, Matty's nephew. The story follows Ruby as she tries to convince Luke of the Royale's importance.

I loved this concept. Anything revolving around cinema is an instant like for me, and this book was no exception. While I loved the characters and the story, there were times when I felt the dialogue could have been a bit more natural. The film references were fantastic, and I did love watching Luke and Ruby banter and develop throughout the story.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel the story was ok to read, but I feel that it could have had more too it. I liked the fact an old cinema was used. I feel the characters made the story.

Cute, but completely predictable. Doesn’t really set itself apart from other books in this genre. A lot of the time it felt the author was trying to tell the reader a character would act one way, but would then have them doing something that didn’t support that.