If We Were A Movie is a Sapphic Young Adult debut filled with friendship, love, and a little mystery. All of the characters in this book were wonderful and hilarious. I loved how well they were all introduced and written. I was worried there would be too many introduced at once, but they were all so individual and unique that I never got confused. I’d read many more books with them all just having adventures and being friends. This is the kind of book I wish I had as a teenager, but I’m so thankful that I have it now. 

The rivals to lovers aspect of Rochelle and Amira’s relationship was literally so cute. I loved watching Rochelle realize that she’s actually been crushing on Amira way longer than she wanted to admit. I think that I needed a little more development of their relationship, but it was still cute. I think because there were so many other characters, it was hard to balance the group and the romance, but I still really enjoyed their scenes together. 

The mystery aspect of this book was more of a side plot, in my opinion. It was pretty clear who was causing all the problems, so there wasn’t a ton of suspense. I think it was pretty good for the vibe of this book though. If it had been any more serious, it would’ve thrown off the rest of the story. I think it went well with their plot to save the theater. Rochelle growing to love the theater and the people there was my favorite part of this whole book. 

I am disappointed there weren’t physical galleys for this book because it deserved to be shared all over the place. This story is so amazing, and I will be shouting about it for a while. 

This is such a strong debut novel, and I’m so excited to read more from Zakiya N. Jamal!!