Book Review: IF WE WERE A MOVIE by Kelly Oram

Book:  If We Were A Movie

Author:  Kelly Oram

Publisher:  Bluefields

Genre:  YA Fiction, Romance

Blurb Via Goodreads:

Music meets Movies in this sweet college romance from the bestselling author of Cinder & Ella. 

NYU freshman Nate Anderson is a triplet who is desperate to escape his wild and crazy brothers. After they screw things up for him one too many times, Nate flees his housing situation and takes the first available room for rent as far from his brothers as he can get. 

Enter his new roommate Jordan--a quirky LA girl who believes that everything in life has already been done in the movies. In this heartfelt tale of love, friendship and family, Nate learns how to deal with his new adult life using Hollywood films as a guide. 

My Review:

The first thing about this book that intrigued me was the title.  As a movie lover and book addict, I figured I couldn't do better than a mix of the two right? Add to that the fact that the author is Kelly Oram..... She who wrote THE BOOK that wrenched such emotions from my body and that which remains one of my favorite YA romance stories ever, Cinder and Ella.

This book uses many movies as reference for moments and directions Jordan's and Nate's lives are heading, as well as titles for each chapter, which makes me want to watch those I have never seen (like Sid and Nancy) or re-watch those that I have (How to Lose a guy in 10 days etc).  I can imagine Oram having a blast watching all these movies and more for research.

The book itself isn't melodramatic and in a way, is predictable in that some angles I have already read elsewhere before.  But being predictable isn't bad if the ride to the end is a good one.  And in this case, it was.

Nate is a triplet who is fed up with his two boisterous brothers.  Pushed by fate, he finds himself living in a beautiful apartment owned by trust fund baby Jordan. Everything goes seemingly well except for Nate's beautiful but shallow and jealous girlfriend Sophie who has a hard time choosing between Nate's brothers and Jordan as the lesser evil.  Jordan and Nate are worlds apart in terms of family life but at their very core, being artists who feel such passion for their craft, they are the same.  And this very factor is why they end up becoming the best of friends and falling in love.  But just when it seems everything is already oh so perfect, Sophie drops a bomb that kills all joy and hope for both.

Compared to Ella’s (of Cinder and Ella) issues which are many and massive, Jordan's is pretty simple.  The only problem she has is LOVE. Will she get it or won't she?  I do like how at the bottom of every situation and problem, she refers to a movie because she believes there is no situation in life that has not been tackled in film.  And I guess she is right, based on the many references here and other movies that I am personally familiar with...... Is there anything left that hasn’t been used in cinema?

When it comes to twists, If We Were A Movie is relatively straightforward.  Reading it is like riding a Japanese bullet train:  it is relaxing, smooth and it gets to its destination.  I appreciate the storytelling ability of Oram and I always enjoy her endings.  They are well thought out, nicely paced and clean.  No cursing. No sex.  And it leaves no doubt about the future of its protagonists. 

As with other Oram books, I do recommend this one.  Though Jordan and Nate aren't my favorite Oram characters (yay Cinder and Ella forever), had they been real people, I would have loved to hang out with them.... Maybe throw in Colin, Chris and Ty too..... And let's not forget Pearl the matchmaker.  Who is she?  Her middle name is Fate and all that happens in this book is her fault.  Read it.