If We Were a Movie

Debut author Jamal delivers a fluffy romance about making time for interpersonal connection while pursuing one’s dreams. Having been raised by a single mother following her father’s death, Black, queer 17-year-old Rochelle Coleman is always aiming high. With the summer in full swing, she’s eager to land a job, hoping to gain experience to add to her college applications. She’s hired at Horizon Cinema, a historic Black-owned theater near Queens that screens classic and recent films by Black luminaries. Unfortunately, Rochelle’s former friend and rival, Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican Amira Rodriguez, also works at Horizon. But after Rochelle, Amira, and the rest of Horizon’s high-energy crew learn that the theater is in financial trouble, the teens band together to save their beloved establishment. References to contemporary internet culture and Black-led movies like Space Jam and Shaft (part of the theater’s Monthly Classics series), as well as an engaging queer love story, enliven this summer read. The characters’ individual struggles with grief are approached with lighthearted tenderness. Jamal’s low-conflict interpretation of Rochelle’s unintentional alienation of her loved ones supports the novel’s focus on the importance of meaningfully engaging in one’s own life. Ages 13–up. (Apr.)