YA contemporary queer rom-commish hate-to-love story. Originated, or so the rumour goes, as a Rory/Paris *Gilmore Girls* fanfic, and you can see those roots, but it has been turned into quite good YA. I thought one of the central characters (Rachel) felt a bit over-the-top and a bit caricatured early on, though less so as the book progressed. The other central character (Sana) felt real and spot-on throughout, and the insight into her and her family’s dynamics is one of the anchors of the book. The story and the progression of the relationship between the two is believable and lovely. I appreciated how – well, you know how it’s a common YA thing to give a character some kind of passion for some activity or hobby or interest or thing, and then lean on that pretty hard as a source of characterization, imagery, and even structure for the story? Rachel’s passion for filmmaking combined with Sana’s mother’s work in the industry and the actual making of a movie as a central plot element certainly put film front and centre here, but it never felt like a storytelling crutch, and in fact the engagement with both the industry and the art of making movies felt reasonably substantial and clever and interesting. Overall, quite enjoyable and sweet.
Originally posted by Scott on Goodreads.