First, a big thanks to the author, Zakiya N. Jamal, the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to be able to read
this YA coming of age/romance fiction novel, If We Were a Movie. I will share my review to Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble upon release.

Amira and Rochelle were very cute characters and this is the kind of book I would've loved to have been able to read as a teenager. There's a lot of representation, as the movie theater in the story is a Black-owned theater and both characters are queer POC. The two have to work together to save the theater and keep an important space in their community open. In coming together, they learn more about each other and discover they have a lot more in common than they thought. There was lots of sweet moments that had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Even though it's a queer story, the common themes of queer stories present which can become tired aren't here. There's an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers theme that I found really sweet and enjoyable to get caught up in, even though the enemies part isn't super strong early on.

The cover is super cute, the colors are pretty, and the girls are really cute and enjoying a moment at the theater, so it sets up the story well. The characters are really relatable, and the story itself feels like it could happen. It's nice to have a fun rom-com without too much competition or major traumatic events occuring. This story is a great example for a healthy teenage friendship and community power. I look forward to reading more from this author!

If We Were a Movie is one of the best books that I have read in a while! Zakiya N. Jamal did a fantastic job with this story and fleshing out the details of the plot in a believable and relatable way. Throughout the book readers experience topics of friendship, love, and balancing personal goals with trying to live up to what you think are the expectations of others. There are so many hidden nuggets of life lessons in this book for readers.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of stories related to friendship, movies, supporting small Black businesses, enemies to lovers story lines, and queer romance!

It was a fine read. The theme of the cinema is pretty nice. I like how all the characters are connected to each other and I like the different personalities, although it feels like the side characters are a bit one-dimensional, but with the amount of them, I see that it’s impossible to give each of them depth.
I could connect to the characters on a ground level, as in, I understand their reasons and I understand their wants and goals. But not really beyond that.
There’s a lot of representation. It’s nice to have a black sapphic couple.
The foreshadowing was a bit too obvious. I feel like the plot twist would have been so much better if the foreshadowing was reduced by a lot.
After a while, the plot started dragging a bit, and I found myself a bit bored because it felt the same.
I read this because I was interested in the romance, but reading it, I especially didn’t like the history of their relationship because… what? Also, Amira honestly felt like she was just genuinely mean at times, and I think that wasn’t the intention of the author.

Overall, it’s a decent book, and I believe a lot of sapphic people out there would like reading it.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. This is everything I expected it to be and somehow more. If you're into something queer and cute please pick this up

I really enjoyed “If We Were a Movie.” Naturally, the adorable cover caught my eye. However, it's the story and characters that kept me reading. I absolutely adored the main character, Rochelle. She was smart, funny, charming, and so much more. I wanted to be apart in her friend group really bad and work at the Horizon.

I need a stronger word than “perfection” to describe this book. What a true delight this book was! Brimming with sweet and solemn moments that I couldn’t get enough of.

I really enjoyed this YA romance. I think the LGBTQIA+ representation was well-done, especially as it was not a story about coming out or discrimination like many books are. The author paced the story well, so that the enemies to lovers trope was believable, There was a large cast of characters but the author did a great job of making each one unique and believable. My only criticism is that I wanted there to be a twist at the end of the mystery about who was sabotaging the theater.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story, and the plot was fun and easy to engage with. I do wish that the author had leaned more into the enemies to lovers dynamic by showing us some of their academic rivalry.

So they're rivals, but we never really see that on the page. And they're in academic competition for college, but it takes place during the summer. There wasn't really any chemistry between Rochelle and Amira, which unfortunately means there was nothing to save this book from the stupid movie prankster plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for allowing me to read this book!

I thought this an adorable book! YA romance is a genre I do not have great experience with, particularly contemporary. I at times struggle to feel the connection between characters, or find myself too buried in emotions to contemplate much else other than the angst. However, If We Were A Movie was filled with heart and hope enough that I found myself enjoying very much.

There are, of course, emotional aspects of the book, with Rochelle's deceased father, her reasons for the why of college, her realization about never being a teen again, Rochelle's conversations with her mother, and Rochelle's social struggles. She is incredibly relatable, and any teen with anxiety, romantic or social struggles, ambition, or even just with a job? can understand depth of her feelings.

Funnily enough, I was telling myself how relieved I was that there was no third act troubles, just as they happened. But that is the genre, and I think the way it was handled felt mature enough and true to both characters.

4.5⭐️
This book was such a blast! I adored every character; they were all so charming and fun. Rochelle’s determination really stood out. The relationship between the main characters was absolutely adorable. Jennie might be my favorite—she was hilarious!
The friendships in this book were truly something special.

This was so cute! Great sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance for YA crowd. I thought the characters were really well-developed, and was very invested early on in their friendship & relationship. That cover is so perfect for this book, and really fit the story well.

I liked how much Rochelle overthinks things, and thought the author did a great job with her intensity about school while still keeping her a kid. Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and Zakiya N. Jamal for the chance to read and review, my opinions are my own! This one should absolutely be a hit!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book! All opinions stated below are my own and honest thoughts :)

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 - I loved it!!

Rochelle Coleman is an introverted, hard-working student with big plans for her future. Amira Rodriguez is a bit opposite; she's loud, out-going, and quite popular at school. Rochelle and Amira used to be best friends as a by-product of their mothers' friendship, but a falling out freshman year has had them at each other's throats in competition for academic success. Now, it's the summer before senior year and in order to get into her dream school, Rochelle has decided she needs a job to help round out her application. She lands a job at the Black-owned local movie theater, Horizons. The problem? Amira works there too, and she's the assistant manager, effectively making her Rochelle's boss for the summer. When Horizons starts struggling and an unknown prankster starts wreaking havoc on the theater, these two characters have to set aside their differences in order to help save the beloved local business. But they might find more than just an unexpected friendship along the way...

I absolutely loved this YA sapphic romance! "If We Were a Movie" gave me that nostalgic teen, summer-movie feeling (seriously, a production company should reach out to Zakiya N. Jamal ASAP for negotiations here). The setting of the local, Black-owned theater, Horizons, was so quaint and cozy - it made me want to attend a movie showing there! The details in the scene and character descriptions were thorough and made visualizing every aspect of this book so easy. Each of the characters were unique and quirky and I loved every single one of them. I felt like there was great character development by the main character, Rochelle, both internally and in her relationships with other characters.

The only thing I wish was a little different, is that I would love to see more of Rochelle and Amira's rivalry prior to working together. I feel like their competitiveness/animosity is just touched on as background information and I think I would have liked to see more of it actually on-page. But I do understand that the main driver of the plot is the mystery surrounding the theater prankster, so I get why the book was written the way it is - this is just a personal preference I have.

If you are a fan of friends-to-enemies/rivals-to-lovers romance, YA romance, or books featuring LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC characters, I would HIGHLY recommending checking out this book. It's sweet, cute, and a fast-paced, easy read. I'm looking forward to reading more works by Zakiya N. Jamal in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc!!!

Although I really enjoyed the writing of this author, I didn't think the romantic aspect of the story really flowed as nicely as it could have.

The protagonists are supposed to be academic rivals, but the book was set in the summer, therefore adding no academic aspect to the plot. If they were "enemies" in any other way, I believe it would have made for a better plot.

Frankly, I didn't really feel the chemistry between Rochelle and Amira. They were both great characters, but their romance could have been developed more and slower.

Another thing, is that I found the conflict between them, a little over halfway through the book, quite unreasonable. There would be more intriguing drama, had the conflict been something bigger.

Lastly, the "mystery" aspect could have also done with more suspense, although I understand the obviousness of it was on purpose.

However, I absolutely loved all the characters and the bond they created throughout their summer working together. Their dynamic and their mutual love for Horizon was so refreshing and it made me feel like I was part of their group.

Overall, a fast-paced, sweet read!

Thank you NetGallery for the eARC!

I honestly don’t have too much to say about this book—overall, it was a really cute sapphic romance that I ate up in a day. The characters felt real, and I loved them working at a movie theater (a throw back to my own first high school job). There were definitely a few moments where the pop culture references were outdated (I’m thinking Among Us and Jojo Siwa specifically) but these were the only moments I felt taken out of the novel.

Amira and Rochelle are just two gals trying to make it through the end of highschool and rekindle their connection along the way. Nothing more I could have asked for!

'If We Were a Movie' is divine! Genuinely, it felt like I was reading a love letter to black culture and community. The writing is engaging and timelessly modern. The characters are all so well developed and interesting to the point that I was sad when the book ended, because I wanted more time with them. Rochelle and Amira's relationship arc feels authentic and made my heart so happy. This book really dives into the hard balance of being someone who's immensely ambitious while also trying to live like all other teenagers do, portraying the anxiety that teens feel in that situation really well. As an avid film/tv watcher myself, the way that their workplace, Horizon Cinemas, brings together a diverse and inclusive community, providing them with a space where they can see themselves be the main characters onscreen, is everything to me. If this were my universe, I'd be there every week. While I do wish that the mystery prankster storyline was a bit more extensive, I really enjoyed the blend of teen angst, mystery, and budding sapphic romance so much.

I enjoyed this book - typically, there isn't that many LGBT Young Adult romance novels out there so I appreciate the author taking the step in having representation for all. I loved the enemies to lovers trope and I think this was extremely adorable.

I'm definitely going to encourage others to give this book a try - it was an absolutely heartwarming sapphic love story.

WOW !!

i genuinely loved this book! i am so invested in the characters and the success of Horizons movie theatre. i don’t often read young adult romances but Zakiya Jamal’s writing created a movie in my brain that had me excited to read the entire time! i had to give this book 5 stars ♥️

Overall: 4.5/5
Tropes: Rivals to lovers

This was a new to me author and I really loved this sapphic YA story! It was full of fun and heart and culture. The friends to rivals to lovers vibe between Rochelle and Amira!

By the end, there was sso much friendship and camaraderie between Rochelle and her coworkers after they found out who was pranking the theater. The story was also really diverse, which I loved!

I absolutely adored Zakiya Jamal's IF WE WERE A MOVIE!! While I'm not usually picking up YA books, reading IF WE WERE A MOVIE made me a bit emotional because I know younger me would've enjoyed reading this. In fact, younger me probably needed this. This heartfelt story about two Black queer girls falling for each other in an enemies to lovers manner was a quick read. I loved the inclusivity, especially because it didn't feel forced. My favorite character was Amira-- Rochelle's rival and love interest. All the characters were quite dynamic though, making this such a fun YA read. Also-- the cover is STUNNING!