Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: anxiety/depression, toxic relationship with parents, parental emotional abuse, death of a parent (past), grief

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f hollywood romance
-frenemies to lovers
-a love for movies
-an agreement
-love of NYC

I have loved the premise of this story since I first heard it, a teenage Hollywood actor trying out an american high school to learn for a role. This book was fun in a lot of ways, and the banter was excellent. Tashie Bhutan is excellent at hitting the nail on teenage angst and what it's like to struggle with your parents growing up.

I adored all of the locations throughout NYC, the adorable agreement as these two fell for each other, well Mina much more resistant, but getting there in her own way. How Mina and Emmitt saw each other. Mina accepting her life and what home really is.

Steam: 1

“Home is where you find love, and I am loved by this city and the people in it more than anything.”

High school senior Mina Rahman has two goals: win the Golden Ivy student film competition, and go to California for college. But to win the competition, and get away from her parents, Mina needs a miracle. Enter Emmitt Ramos—an indie movie star undercover at Mina’s school for an upcoming role. When a deal is made between the two, a guaranteed win for the film is nearly in sight. Between filming scenes, tour-guiding Emmitt around New York City, and the growing pains of college applications, Mina is forced to confront her real motivations with the competition and college. What does winning really mean for Mina?

A Show for Two is a fun, fast-paced, easy-to-binge book that has a wonderful sense of growing up and figuring out what you want. While the romance between Mina and Emmitt is a major part of the book, I would say the main themes of the story revolve around Mina discovering what home means to her: Home is where you find love. An important note, a significant amount of conflict in this book comes from Mina’s abusive and emotionally manipulative parents. Mina’s relationship with her parents does not resolve by the end of the book, but that relationship does underscore Mina’s growth as a character. Other details I enjoyed include movie references (snaps for Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Howl’s Moving Castle) and Taylor Swift mentions (shout out to Cornelia Street!). There are lots of small moments and layers that add a strong sense of realism to the story, such as perspective on Bengali identity and celebrity ‘stans’ culture. Overall, Tashie Bhuiyan’s sophomore novel is definitely one to check out. I look forward to seeing Bhuiyan grow as an author and reading more of her heartfelt stories.

(Pine Reads review would like to thank NetGalley and Inkyard Press for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

As a student studying video production in college, I really wanted to like this book, it seemed like the kind of contemporary romance I'd fall deeply for. It turns out that being a video production student who was involved with film in high school made this novel harder for me to relate to because the production part of my brain would not stop nitpicking how Mina's club and filmmaking process worked. I wanted to be able to fall into the story and instead found myself constantly stopping to question why decisions were being made and why this film club was making things harder on themselves than necessary.

I struggled a lot with the fact that Mina is in a film club and filmmaking is an intensely collaborative process but she didn't seem to want to collaborate with anyone but Rosie. Her brush-off of Grant because he's viewing the film club as a fun activity instead of a life or death situation rubbed me the wrong way, especially because she states that he's part of the club's leadership which means that she should be welcoming his ideas and feedback as part of the collaboration of leading a high school club and as part of the filmmaking process. I sat in my multiple college film classes questioning why USC was the end-all-be-all for her when New York has great film schools as well and contemplating how Mina could even afford the realities of the unspoken costs of film school and living in LA if she needed the scholarship to afford to attend USC in general. I wanted to like this book and get invested in the romance but I didn't find it interesting enough to get past the barrier in my brain that was yelling about the film industry and film school.

I think that at a different time in my life when I was not as fully aware of what attending an actual film school program was like, and hadn't chosen to attend an in-state school with a less expensive program instead of pursuing a more expensive and prestigious school in LA or New York, I might have fallen in love with this book. Unfortunately, I'm currently drowning in screenwriting assignments and too deep in to fall into the dreamy mythos of film school as a creative haven where doors open automatically to outsiders if they have a prestigious enough degree.

📚BOOK REVIEW: A Show for Two, by Tashie Bhuiyan

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5

Happy release day to A Show for Two! I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Here we go.

I absolutely loved Tashie’s debut novel, Counting Down With You, and I was worried this one doesn’t have the same magic, but it definitely does!

I found the plot super fun and interesting, Mina and Emmitt are complex and likeable main characters, the romance is sweet and tender, and the book explores complex themes of anxiety, unhealthy family relationships, and more, very well.

While I do feel like things kind of piled onto Mina towards the end of the book (she just has to go through So Much and I want to give her a hug), I thought this book was a great YA romance with a fun plot. It takes its time developing Mina and Emmitt’s relationship, as well as Mina’s relationships with those around her, and the stakes feel grounded and real.

Lastly I just have to talk about how much I love the way Tashie Bhuiyan’s books explore mental health struggles. Anxiety and depression are treated with the seriousness they deserve, but there is never a question that things will end up okay. I love this type of representation, that you can struggle with your mental health, but with the right support system you can learn to manage it in a healthy way.

If you read and loved Counting Down With You, or if you’re interested in a contemporary romance with vibrant characters, a fun story, an incredibly sweet romance and an exploration of some heavier themes with the promise of a happy ending, I think you’ll love this book.

This is a fun take on the enemies to lovers trope.

Mina has a plan. She's focused on winning a film competition so she can escape her strict Muslim parents who care more about appearances than Mina's dreams and happiness. Mina's plans for her school year definitely do not include babysitting an Indie film star going undercover at her high school. In fact, she despises him. Mina and Emmitt have the opposite of a meet-cute when she crashes into him on the street, and he assumes she's a crazed celebrity stalker.

But it turns out they both need each other. Mina needs Emmitt to guest star in the film club's film to ensure they win the competition, and Emmitt needs a guide around NYC for a photography contest who won't rat him out to his mom.

Their banter is to die for. I loved the natural feel of the progression from enemies who despised each other to friends to more than friends. They are an adorable couple!

The city of New York was almost a character in this book, too. As Mina tours Emmitt around the city, the readers get a peak at places that only the locals know about. We also see its beauty and wonder through Emmitt's photographer eye. 

Mina's torn between love for her friends and sister and the bright new future she's imagined for herself in California.

Perfect YA romance! If you loved Tashie's first book, you'll love this as well! It's just so sweet it makes your heart warm from beginning to end.

Thank you Netgalley for an early read of this!

3-3.5 stars.

This YA rom com is the “so sweet it gives you cavities” story of our dreams!!! I love the origin story of this rom com, what a fun idea. Although I enjoyed the story (& read it in one sitting), I had high expectations, and it didn’t quite meet them. It was lovely though!

I enjoyed the complex relationships between Mina and Anam, and Mina and her faith, and her culture.

I liked Emmitt, but he also felt made up (as in, are real people like this? Is he just a figment of our rom com obsessed imaginations?) making the plot a bit fanfiction-y… He didn’t have much personality or character development (aside from calling everyone “love”) - and read a bit like a manic pixie British dream boy.

I really hated Mina’s parents. I know that was the point, but I could barely stand to read the parts of the story they were in. I get that this wasn’t the point of the story, but I do wish we’d seen some sort of resolution, or sign that their relationship will change or be good. I just hate constantly seeing books about Muslim or South Asian parents constantly being portrayed as unreasonable, and in direct opposition to their kids’ dreams. I totally understand that it happens, it just sucks that so many depictions in popular media follow this same format.

Aside from the parents, the main conflicts in this book felt a bit forced, and took me by surprise. Anam and Rosie ganged up on Mina really weirdly, and we didn’t really have the chance to develop the conflict, or get more depth in the conflict resolution, so it felt like an underdeveloped afterthought. It went from 0-100 so quickly, I wish we’d seen the conflict develop more.

All in all, I tore through this book, and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Though this book was a romance, I was particularly drawn in by the conversations surrounding family and family relationships.

I wish the romance was a bit more fleshed out, but it was still adorable. The banter between Mina and Emmitt was everything!!!!!

In all, it was a cute romance for YA audiences.

Oh, and WE LOVE THAT REPRESENTATION!!

When I heard about this book, I immediately knew I had to request an e-arc for it. The author said it is based on Tom Holland impersonating a high schooler at the school she went to in order to prepare for his Spider-Man films. I'm not a big fan of young adult books anymore, but Tashie Bhuiyan's writing is so good. I read her last novel called "Counting Down with You," and I really enjoyed it, so I was hoping I would like this one as well. I did really enjoy this book. The main characters and side characters were great, and the chemistry was impeccable. I will be getting a physical copy of this book when it is available. The book releases on May 10th, so go grab a copy if you love a good, comforting YA contemporary romance; it will not disappoint!

Wow, okay! This book is a delightful YA read and I loved every moment of it.
A Show for Two is about Mina, an aspiring film student who dreams of going to USC, to leave her overbearing family in New York and start a new life. The only way she can get her parents to approve, though, is to win a film competition to prove to her family that she can "make it" in the film industry. Good thing undercover celebrity, Emmitt, is willing to help in return for a favor of his.
Besides the insanely cute love story (featuring an Asian/Latinx mixed character!!!) the story was just such a heartfelt reflection of what so many of us feel. The pressure to appease our parents and prove to them our dreams are valid, even if we don't see eye to eye. I loved Mina's character growth in this story and the banter between Mina and Emmitt was fun and overall, the story had a really nice theme surrounding where home is. I think this is a great YA book that I actually enjoyed so so much. I looooved it.

Rating: 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for sending this e-arc my way!

First off, this book has been on my 2022 anticipated releases ever since I read and loved Tashie's debut Counting Down With You. Bonus: this book was actually inspired by how Tom Holland went undercover in her high school for his first Spiderman movie.

I've come to tell you that this book did not disappoint me at all. I somehow knew that Tashie would hit all the right points for me. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. I fully enjoyed meeting Mina and seeing her struggle with depression & toxic family issues which is something I've struggled with for a long time.

Her disconnection from her roots & religion was so fascinating because it's another thing I feel and relate to. Mina's story resonated a lot with me and I felt so many things. I felt truly seen and it made me happy. I loved the plot. Honestly, who wouldn't like the "secret hidden identity undercover" plot where this famous celebrity participates in this photography contest while the MC is trying to win the film award to gain a scholarship for her upcoming uni program. I loved how dedicated she was to her passion to the point that she would push the people who care about her away. I really appreciate seeing the flaws in teenage characters. It makes them more realistic to me.

I absolutely adored the sibling bond between Mina & her sister. It's something I share with my sister and it was so wholesome to see the love & care between them. The relationship between our MC and Emmitt was so good. Honestly, they are superior to Karina & Ace (Counting Down With You). The banter was hilarious because the first time they meet... it goes wrong. They do not like each other. In fact, she didn't even realize he was a celebrity and he treated her harshly because he thought that she was just another fan trying to get his photo. I loved seeing the relationship evolve and the bantering was amazing. His snarky teasings always had me smiling + his British accent ;)

Overall, this was the perfect contemporary story to read while I was going through my finals and I needed something to make me feel good. I loved the characters & the relationships. It was super entertaining and easily binge-able! I highly recommend it <3

P-S: apparently, this book had many Taylor Swift references, so if you're a fan go for it. I'm not a fan so I didn't notice lmao.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the e-ARC and opportunity to read and review this book early. A Show for Two is my second read by Tashie Bhuiyan, and ultimately, I feel the same way about this read as I did for her debut. I am very excited about the author's career ahead, as I feel she's a great writer and among this early group of popular and widely-published Gen Z authors starting to write specifically for Gen Z and that's compelling in and of itself. I can see lots of promise ahead, but ultimately I was more interested in this book's premise and story-behind-the-story than I did the actual plot or reading experience.

For most of my reading, I felt like I didn't enjoy any of the characters' interactions at all, but was enjoying the actual reading experience, so I found it net positive and engaging to follow along with each unfolding chapter. Somewhere along the way though, I found that I actually wasn't enjoying the reading either. Mina was unbearably mean to everyone in her life, and as 50, 60% of the book passed, I wondered when I'd be able to either unpack some of the reasons why and try to understand where she's coming from, or when there would be consequences for her to deal with. This felt very delayed, and I couldn't believe she had such a ride-or-die little sister, (super underdeveloped but) warm group of friends supporting her closely, and laser-focused-on-her, dedicated love interest when she was just so horrible to everyone. As we finally get to understand a bit of the why, or hear a multi-dimensional look at the situation, it felt like too little too late. Her parents constantly said obviously awful things to her and her sister as well, so I felt like I was just reading people being some combination of passive aggressive, rude, name-cally, selfish, etc. on a loop depending who was talking.

I also did not feel any of the motivations or passions behind Mina or Emmitt's work at all. It seems very much like Mina dreams of going to USC simply because California is the furthest place she can think of away from her parents in NYC, and that would be a totally valid plot point if it were incorporated. If she'd exclusively applied to west coast schools, or had some specific experiences or opportunities that tied her to California... even if she just watches a lot of movies (as we learn) and dreamt of recreating specific scenes from her fave films, or going places she's seen in film. That would at least make sense in the logic! Like, I understand there are a million books and movies about teens' senior year because it's so transformative, but Mina seemingly just picked a school to get away from home, running on the passion of "I like movies and my parents hate that I want to make what they see as a hobby my major." That's so loaded and complicated, but she simplifies it down herself because we can't see if she's actually really talented or knowledgeable about film or production in any way. Similarly, Emmitt's own tie to photography was quite literally, "I like taking photos," to which Mina is blown away that he also has inner artistic depth, like her!! He's already a professional actor, and there's just so many unwritten possibilities there.

I will continue to read Tashie Bhuiyan's works because, like I said, I really like what she's up to. I am left with this feeling that I can revisit these books (or even my reviews of them) in 10 years and think, yeah, she was a part of a new generational wave of YA that may have been a little underdeveloped at first, but it's because it was taking the overall conversation in a different direction. It's not brand-brand-new of course, but still a relatively more recent concept in the grand scheme of things, to be writing about teens grappling with respecting culture and traditions but ultimately going their own way. It's newer to see depression on the page in its uglier forms (like the selfishness and retreating from friends, as I mentioned earlier) but still show that character deserving the fluffy love story and the successful wins that other, more-perfect characters seem to get. So while I don't think it's quite there yet *for me*, I think this work will be greatly enjoyed by and ultimately foundational for readers who can take these conversation-starters to heart.

This book was cute, but had a slow start. I felt as though parts of the book were incredibly cringey and strange. The character development was alright by the end, but the beginning was just kind of boring and slow. I get that this is based on personal experience, but I would’ve enjoyed it more structured. Dual POV would’ve been better and I would’ve loved if she didn’t know who he was for a good portion of the book. I just find their meet cute to be totally dull when it could’ve been suspenseful.

A Show for Two is the story of Mina Rahman. All Mina wants is to win the Golden Ivy student film competition, get into USC, and leave New York. Then, indie movie star Emmitt Ramos enrolls at her school under a fake name to research his next role. In order to get him to agree to star in her film for the competition, she agrees to act as his tour guide for New York.

Believe me when I say this book had me absolutely sobbing. I absolutely LOVED this book! I love the enemies to mutual respect and understanding to friends to lovers relationship development. The way Mina and Emmitt’s relationship grows is amazing. I love the way they bring out the best in each other and grow individually as well.

I absolutely adore the side characters! Rosie (Mina’s best friend) is iconic and so is Mina’s sister, Anam. The way they care for Mina and also grow on their own is amazing!

I loved Counting Down With You so it’s no surprise that I love this book! I can’t wait to see what Tashie Bhuiyan comes out with next!

*This review can be seen on Goodreads*

This is a creative and insightful book. Mina is the president of her high school's film club and determined to leave New York City and go to USC's film school. She believes that finally winning the Golden Ivy student film competition will greatly enhance her change of getting into and going to USC. When Emmitt, a rising British film star, enrolls in her school under an assumed identity to learn more about American high school for next film role, Mina is desperate for Emmitt to appear in their student film. Emmitt finally agrees on the condition that Mina serve as his tour guide around New York City. Through the time they spend touring New York, Mina and Emmitt grow closer -- and Mina starts to reconsider whether she really wants to leave New York, and everyone there, behind.

This is story that balances well its fun and clever premise with a serious exploration of family relationships, mental health, and what it takes to pursue one's dreams.

Highly recommended!

What a treat A Show for Two is! This is a romance with so much to give. It follows Mina, a Bangladeshi-American teen who dreams of going to film school to escape her emotionally abusive parents. When actor Emmitt Ramos starts attending her school undercover, things get more messy. They hate each other...or do they? Their romance is enemies to lovers excellence. Also, the undercover actor thing is inspired by Tom Holland doing it at the author's high school, which so cool.

The romance is the real highlight of this book. The banter is off the charts, and their trips all over NYC are sweet and wonderful and make me miss the city so much. Still, this book is heavy. The main character and her sister struggle with their controlling, and, frankly, mean parents. This leads to some pretty selfish behavior from Mina, and I'm deducting a half star for that. Other than that, I think the heavy stuff is well done, and the mental health representation is very well done.

Overall, this is the self-insert, enemies to lovers story of every teenage stan's dreams. I have big plans to read this author's debut, and hopefully swoon just as much as I did with this. What a joyful reading experience.

WOW I VERY MUCH ENJOYED THAT :))

solid 4 stars

I feel like this is the type of book to get better as you go along. I’m not going to lie when i first started, the characters, their actions, and even their reactions seemed a little unrealistic. I didn’t understand why the characters were doing certain things or why certain things were happening to them, but the longer you read, the more the author seemed to settle in and the more realistic the characters became. By the end of the book, I was in love with both of the main characters. I think it’s possible I like Emmitt more than Ace. The banter between Emmitt and Mina was absolutely everything. And the way it was so clear when he had fallen for her and she didn’t see it oh my god my heart. I also loved the relationship between Mina. I do think that the author does a lot in this book, she tackles a lot of themes, issues, plot points, etc… and while some of them fell a bit short for me (Mina’s relationship with her best friend), for me the sibilant relationship was amazing. As someone who has just gone off to college and left a younger sibling behind at home, that pain and transition felt really realistic to me. Another big part of this book was Mina’s relationship with her parents. To me, it felt like the author did a lot of telling instead of showing with the parents. I wish we would have gotten more interactions early on between Mina and her parents instead of just paragraphs of info dumping to give us context. But I would say overall this was such a fun cute read and would recommend.

tw: parental abuse (verbal and emotional), depression, grief/death of family member mentioned

What a wonderful book! This book was incredibly well-written and I found myself continuing to pick it up so that I could finish it. The whole concept was really interesting and I loved that it was based off personal experience. The author tackled some important topics for teens and I think this is a powerful book to add to the YA genre.

The first think I absolutely adored about this book was the dynamic between Mina and Emmitt. I love how they started off in a rocky place and through their banter they came to a place filled with love. They pushed each other to fight for what they truly wanted out of life. The author could not have created a more wholesome relationship that is perfect for a YA contemporary romance.

I also really appreciated the side characters in the story. The layers between Mina's relationship with her best friend, sister, and parents helped to paint a relatable picture for many who are on the brink of transitioning from high school to college. The tension that developed was authentic and heartbreaking at the same time and it made it all the more moving as Mina came to grips with it and worked to solve her problems,

Above all else, I think it was incredibly powerful that the author created a main character who battles with depression. The author was subtle but also made it prevalent enough to make sure that it wasn't just a frivolous add in. I think it was a great representation of how many still live their life with depression and getting a better understanding of what their emotional states are and how they deal with issues. It seemed life a great exposure for those, including myself, who don't have experience with depression or interactions with those with depression.

Overall, I thought this was such a well-written book and I can't wait to buy a physical copy when it comes out!

super fun and different. i loved how our mc found herself and her voice throughout. plus, love an inspo story revolving around tom holland!!

I’m going to cry. This book was perfect.

Mina Rahman is me, I am Mina Rahman. She is the most relatable character I’ve ever read about. I wanted to hug her so badly throughout the entire book. She deserves the world. I cried bc it hit a little to close to home.

This book had some good fucking character development bc I literally hated both Emmitt and Mina at the start 😭 BUT EMMMMIIITTTTT MY GOD I LOVE HIM SM. EMMITT AND MINA WERE THE CUTEST PEOPLE. So sad that I’ve finished it now 🥲 this book is definitely on of my fav reads of 2022 so far.