Language: R (100+ swears, 37 “f”); Mature Content: PG - 13 (psychological abuse, severe depression); Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Mina Rahman is a Bangladeshi-American high school senior who is obsessed with filmmaking. Films are her favorite escape from her emotionally abusive parents. Mina’s future depends on winning the Golden Ivy Student Film competition so she can leave her parents and her NYC home for good. She is focused on winning at the expense of everything else, like her friendship with her BFF, Rosie, and her younger sister, Anam. However, when Chinese-Spanish-British indie film star Emmitt Ramos secretly enrolls in her school as research for his next role, Mina is forced to reconsider if her filmmaking dreams are really the only things that still matter.
The secret celebrity love story premise of this book is fun and would appeal immensely to teenage girls. The author got the idea for the novel when Tom Holland enrolled in her school. However, the tone of this book was odd. It was difficult to balance the fluffy nature of high-school romance with the main character’s mental health issues and abusive family relationships. I appreciated the diversity in the characters but I wished there was more resolution. I think teens will appreciate the frank discussion of difficult family relationships, the POC representation, and the celebrity love story.
Reviewer: BookswithBeddes
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment