*Spoiler free*
Mina Rahman has a plan for her future: • Finally win the Golden Ivy student film competition • Get into her dream school across the country • Leave New York City behind once and for all Mina’s ticket to winning the competition falls into her lap when indie film star—and known heartbreaker—Emmitt Ramos enrolls in her high school under a secret identity to research his next role. When Mina sets out to persuade Emmitt to join her cause, he offers her a deal instead: he’ll be in her short film…if she acts as a tour guide to help him with a photography contest. As Mina ventures across the five boroughs with Emmitt by her side, the city she grew up in starts to look different and more like home than it ever has before. With the competition deadline looming, Mina’s dreams—which once seemed impenetrable—begin to crumble, and she’s forced to ask herself: Is winning worth losing everything?
After absolutely adoring Counting Down With You, I was ready to read whatever it was that Tashie was going to write next. And a book, inspired by Tom Holland going undercover at a highschool, about a girl who ropes the undercover celebrity at her school into being into her film project, even though they can’t stand each other, sound freaking amazing. And I was so, so eager to read it. Trigger warnings: emotional abuse, depression
I hold Tashie Bhuiyan books in a special place in my heart, and A Show For Two is no different. It is so, so good and I love it so, so much.
One of my favorite things about it is the writing. It feels like a hug. There is such a warmth and caring in every word and it makes the book shine even more. There is so much love packed into every single aspect of this book, and it completely reflects through the writing.
I adore Mina. I adore her and how dramatic she can be. I adore how she feels so much, and she wants, and how she sometimes feels like a mess and doesn’t know what to do. I love how she sometimes comes across as brash because her emotions are just so big and so there, and sometimes things come out the wrong way. I love her passion and her determination. She is imperfect, and I absolutely love that about her.
Mina does struggle with depression, and I really, really, really loved seeing that portrayed. There were parts that hit my in the chest, in personal ways, and made me so, so proud of Mina. There were certain scenes when I just wanted to hug her, because yes, I was so proud of her.
Really, I adored all the characters. I adored Emmitt and his assholeness, and his sweetness underneath all that. I loved how much he cared. I also loved Rosie and Anam and the entire film club. All the characters were so complex, and they felt like they had such a role. I loved them all.
Tashie knows how to write romance . She knows how to write yearning. This was absolutely top notch hate to love with fantastic banter and teasing and nicknames, and ALL THE TROPES WOW I LOVE IT SO MUCH. There is also such a genuine caring between them and it was completely adorable.
Also, this book felt extremely, authentically teenage, and I mean that as a huge compliment. And the text messages were truly top notch.
And the ending, oh my gosh the ending, it made me cry and was so wonderfully done.
Overall, I love this book a whole whole lot. I love the humor and the mental health rep and the friendships and the sister relationship and the romance and writing. I love so much about it, and it is so, so good.
A Show For Two comes out May 10, 2022! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!
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