It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne
Published by Usborne Publishing on October 1, 2017
ISBN: 1474921329
Pages: 410
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

On the surface, this book is about love and zombies.  But once you look below the surface, you find themes of divorce, trauma, sex and women, mental health, and substance abuse.  Audrey hates romance and all of its tropes.  Setting out to write a project for her media studies class about it, her life seems to be going another direction.  She ends up falling for her co-worker, Harry,  against her better judgement.  As she helps Harry film his zombie movie, he starts to break down her walls and helps her to get over some of her past sex-related trauma.  However, she’s also dealing with her family’s trauma and Harry is not the perfect boyfriend.  In the end, she stands up for herself and gets to a place where she’s ready to move on in her life and not focus so much on the past.  Each chapter starts with a section of her report, and is a clever way to tie the story and her report together.  Recommended for ages 15+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library