Blurb: In this irresistible romantic romp, movie fanatic Kensington Shaw is thrown into love—Hollywood-style—when her gorgeous ex presents a series of big screen challenges to win back her heart.
What girl wouldn’t want to experience the Pretty Woman shopping scene? It’s number two on the list. Or, try the lift from Dirty Dancing? It’s number five. One list, ten romantic movie moments, and a handful of shenanigans later, Kenzi has to wonder . . . should she marry the man her family loves, or risk everything for a love like the movies?
Imagine this: You are almost hitting thirty, and a rom-com
fanatic. All your life, you’ve believed the perfect love is the love that’s in
the movies. There’s not a line you cannot recite, a scene you do not remember
or a character whose name you don’t quite recollect even if the movie was a big
flop on the Box Office. The butterflies, the chest expansion, the tearing eyes,
if real life love doesn’t bring you those overwhelming emotions, it’s not the
perfect kind of love.
Your ex comes back into your life after his cheating exit,
one that is most dramatic after he refused to give you the slightest
explanation. Now he’s back with some absurd ‘Love Like The Movies’ list. And on
the list, your ten most favorite rom-coms of all time (he knows because you two
used to sneak under the duvet during high-school watching them), for you two to
enact them, hoping to win you back or for some sadist project of his or for
whatever. You just do not know what’s on his mind, and that’s just with him.
You are not going to do this, you keep yelling at yourself. But then, you fall
for his grandiose and ‘movie-like’ gestures. And goddamn his absolute sexiness. By the time you can stop yourself,
you are in too deep, enacting all those ten great moments in rom-com history…
with him!
I didn’t mention you have a mum who doesn’t quite approve of
this ex, a sister-in-law whose bent on proving to your mum she’s more of her
twin than you are, a boss who would give you the heave-ho if you do not do
‘everything, everything,’ in your power to save a client from turning his back
on your company, a best friend who is constantly withholding information from
you and setting you up with your ex against your will, a ‘sorta friend’ who
keeps sleeping with all your past and future prospects and a fiancé who you are
very sure is the one!
Kensington’s
life summed up for your utmost delight!
There are two kinds of chick-lit, very modern chick-lit and
very conventional chick-lit. I love conventional chick-lit. I mean, why
wouldn’t I when it was that style of writing that drew me into the genre. So
did I love, love this title?
First of all, the heroine is just so relatable! That’s what
we all love in our chick-lit titles. A heroine, you can reach out and touch,
relate to, feel, shed tears with, sympathize──no, sorry──empathize
with. I loved Kensington’s voice, it was fresh and humorous, a recipe for all conventional chick-lit heroines
(which I absolutely ah-dore!)── ★
Secondly, I can’t review this book without commenting on the
story-line. Beautiful, sensational, unique. Again, a piece we can all relate to.
Like which of us doesn't like the cheesy collection of rom-coms, the
boy-meets-girl-and-sparks-fly movies? To certainly base your work on that makes
the piece a winner. And just quoting lines from favorite rom-coms of
all-time is just so sinister to get us on your fan page!── ★★
A star should be awarded to the humor in this book. Maybe it
wasn’t rib-cracking, but it was certainly above average to keep you smiling all
throughout (thanks to the humor-laced plot).── ★★★
The cast of lead and supporting characters in this book were
extremely entertaining to read about. From Ellie, our lead’s best friend who perhaps
considers herself a match-making genius; Renson, the sister-in-law whose acts
of trying to outdo our lead girl were both annoyingly riveting and humorous;
The mum who spends much time shopping matching outfits with sister-in-law than
she does spending some alone time with her daughter; Tonya, the ‘sorta friend’
who wouldn’t mind feasting over our lead’s (hot) leftovers; The Cop who always,
always, catches our lead in the most embarrassing apprehension situations.
Bradley, the fiancé, the sometimes adorable, sometimes jealous who everyone
seems to think is a perfect match for our lead (and maybe definitely is);
Shane, his grandiose romantic gestures gave this book the perfect amount of
swooning factor to keep me glued. I
loved each and every one of them, plus all the extras employed to execute the iconic
Pretty Woman shopping scenes (humorous Mary and Mary), the Sleepless in Seattle
scenes, the My BestFriend’s Wedding scenes, the Love Actually scenes… and all
the other all-time fav rom-coms included in the Love Like The Movies List
(which I do not plan on revealing). And oh, not forgetting, Bethany Chesawit,
the fairy godmother wedding planner──★★★★
It’s a long time, I took a book and gasped, “OMG!” This
title certainly had lots and lots of OMG moments, some shocking, some funny,
some “Aww…” worthy, some “I remember this line (or scene)!”. I ah-dore my
chick-lit with such plot complications.── ★★★★★
This review is incomplete if I do not consider the ending.
Like a perfect rom-com, it gave that chest expansion feeling that made my eyes
go misty. It’s certainly going down on my Most Romantic Rom-Com list for the
year. I’m going back to repeat all those movies Victoria mentioned in this
title! The soundtracks that I vaguely remember are just haunting me!── ★★★★★★
My rating: 
Five stars.
Five stars.
And I hardly give an author five
stars on their debut, because they are supposedly to get better in their
recurring titles, so I can only imaging what Victoria Van Tiem’s next would be.
BIG APPLAUSE and A STANDING OVATION!
Victoria Van Tiem’s debut, Love Like The Movies is available
on...
Simon and Schuster Gallery Books are giving away…a Rafflecopter giveaway
I recommend this title to anyone who loves chick-lit with a
heroine they could almost reach out to and hug.
Anyone who fancies their romantic comedies. Anyone who simply thinks
Rom-coms are not dead (like me). And anyone who just wants to have a blast!
My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.
