She’s helped create online apps that teach young people about sexual consent, works with Women’s Aid to spread awareness of abusive relationships, and runs Rethink’s mental health book club.

She talks about the movie trope of the gay bff, and then proceeds to re-enact this trope in her own story. With fantastic chemistry between the two protagonists (who I knew I would be rooting for from their first meeting! Holly started her writing career as a news journalist, where she was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. There are entire other layers to this book, and I actually liked some of them even more than the romance plot. Talented actress Audrey (named after Hepburn) has just started working in an indie cinema where she begrudgingly serves gourmet hotdogs to the well-heeled inhabitants of Bridgely-upon-Thames alongside zombie-movie-maker and “player” Harry.This book will challenge your opinion of love and romance and will have you questioning your enjoyment of any romantic films in the past. First of all, the main character seems to use and discard her friends very easily and when it's convenient to her, and even admits to this throughout the book. In her final year of studies before going to Uni, she lives alone with her Mum who is mentally struggling to cope with all of the stress. I also want to acknowledge how Audrey yells about how she’s DAMAGED and emotionally traumatised and not CUTE. Audrey was a character who at first I really liked and I really wanted to see her development and growth but this just got so, so annoying that I couldn't really stand her after a while.

There aren’t enough books set in UK high schools and sixth forms and I so enjoyed reading a book with a setting that I could relate to more than the typical US high school stories. I always used to save my 5 stars thinking that there have to be a better book than this but when I read it I thought this deserves to get a 5 star. With an enemies-to-lovers romance between a witch and a witch hunter, this YA fantasy series is highly addictive. This is not a spoiler free review because there is something that happens at the end that I find _very concerning_ and incredibly problematic. It showed just how awkward a first time with a new person can be, along with the importance of learning about your partner.

I got the point of what Holly Bourne was trying to achieve with this book but I found that the actual story itself fell a little short.

Even though we're given 400 pages for this to be explained, if it was I zoned out, because I don't think this was ever cleared up. To begin with I didn't really know what to think of her, she'd pushed her friends away, stopped all the things she once loved and seemed distant. I felt my thoughts drift to that scene in The Notebook -- the one where Noah and Allie lie in the middle of the empty road. I completely get not liking that your ex found a new girl; but that shouldn’t mean we tear her down?The title actually just told us that it only happens in movies but with our perspective we just assumed that clićhes collided with reality giving a typical ending to the book but it only happens in movies. With all these stresses and complications, it’s no wonder Audrey looks at the canon of romantic comedies and finds her life wanting. I’ve just read Frostblood and I absolutely loved it ( see August wrap-up) so I am so excited that the sequel is going to be released in less than a week. Sharp, honest and laugh-out-loud funny, Holly Bourne's radiant novel offers a welcome twist on a regular YA romance.