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Now a Major Motion Picture

Cory McCarthy

3.95 · Rating details · 1,500 ratings · 319 reviews

Fandom and first love collide for Iris on the film set for her grandmother’s famous high-fantasy trilogy.

Unlike the rest of the world, Iris doesn't care about the famous high-fantasy Elementia books written by M. E. Thorne. So it's just a little annoying that M. E. Thorne is her grandmother—and that Iris has to deal with the trilogy's crazy fans.

When Iris gets dropped in I ...more

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Paperback, 386 pages

Published April 3rd 2018 by Sourcebooks Fire

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May 09, 2018 TL rated it it was amazing

"Say that the book is a sculpture. You can walk around the story. You can touch it. You can view it up close or far away. That is why people love books. The stories interact with your memories, your experiences. They're personalized. Movies? Movies are a picture of that same statue. The parameters are set. The characters have defined faces. The scenes artistically rendered to one person's vision."

This was so much fun and adorable :)
I admit I found out about this way late, because I am terrible ...more

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Jun 27, 2018 ✶Rachelle✶ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, 2018, ya

4.5 stars

"You helped my production, and now I'm helping you. This is what women should do for one another. We are a continent. We stick together. We all rise up, or we all go down"

I loved this book so much. Full review to come once I get a good 8 hours of sleep. Been awake for 24 hours and counting.... ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Samantha (WLABB) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: outside-us, contemporary, arcs, ya

Iris was raised to resent her grandmother's world famous Elementia books, and her ire for the series deepened after a rabid fan crossed the line. Out of obligation though, Iris agreed to accompany her little brother to the set of the film adaptation. What she thought would be a most miserable trip, turned out to be quite life changing.

From the cover and synopsis, I thought this book would be cute and fun, but it surprisingly had a lot of depth and tugged at my heartstrings.

Things I really liked: ...more

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Jun 08, 2018 Kelley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2018

5/5

Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy is a young-adult contemporary romance about Iris Throne the granddaughter of M.E. Throne, a famous high-fantasy author. M.E. Throne is known most for Elementia, which Iris could care less about because of the crazy fans that come with it. Iris is only concerned about making music and winning the fight with her dad about college. When film producers decide to start filming a movie version of the books Iris isn’t very pleased and vows to get the mov 5/5

Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy is a young-adult contemporary romance about Iris Throne the granddaughter of M.E. Throne, a famous high-fantasy author. M.E. Throne is known most for Elementia, which Iris could care less about because of the crazy fans that come with it. Iris is only concerned about making music and winning the fight with her dad about college. When film producers decide to start filming a movie version of the books Iris isn’t very pleased and vows to get the movie shut down. Since Iris’s father is always writing a new book and their mother always ends up hiding in the greenhouse Iris has become like a single parent to Ryder. Their dad isn’t as thrilled with the movie being made as Ryder is so he makes Iris take Ryder to the filming in Ireland. This only frustrates Iris more because all she wants to do is work on her music and start recording. Things change when Iris meets Eamon O’Brien who is one of the actors on the set. Eamon who is a newly discovered actor is now in his first film surrounded by well-taught actors. After months of vowing to get the movie shut down Iris begins to fall for the production and become friends with everyone on set. Cate is the director and has put all of her heart and money into this movie. Iris begins to learn a lot from Cate and becomes a stronger person because of her. Cate and Iris are very much alike and Iris beings to see how hard it is for a women to succeed in a male dominated field.

I picked up this novel because of how accurate it sounded to real life when a novel becomes a movie. The amount of people that freak out because it will never be as good as the books happens a lot. I have been known to get very upset after seeing an amazing novel become a movie since they usually leave out my favorite scene. This novel seemed like it was going to hit on that hard and I was interested from the very beginning. I feel like sometimes the directors that they put on films aren’t going to stay as true to the book as everyone wants them to. Since they have schedules and budgets the reader doesn’t always get everything, but if you have a director that loves the novels I think they would make it as true as possible. That’s what is shown in this novel because Cate truly loves the characters and the story, which makes her want to make it the best production that she can.

I was also very interested to see where they went with the feminism and the female empowerment that I felt when I read the summary. Having gone to college for technical theatre I was always looked at as just a woman and what could I possible do to help the people who assumed I knew nothing. Being a woman in a very male dominated world is extremely hard and sometimes very tough to push through. This novel is very good at making you feel for all the characters especially Cate because she has been through so much since the very beginning of her career. Being seen as just a women can be very hard and is very hard for Cate because of how good she actually is. I had a very good mentor when I first started out in theatre and Cate reminded me a lot of that person. Cate decides to put her heart and soul in the one thing that got her through her hard times and that is Elementia. Being able to find that one thing to push you through is sometimes the best option.

Iris is a very shy but stubborn and independent woman who believes that she doesn’t need someone to make her happy. This begins to change when she meets Eamon, maybe not from the very beginning of the friendship but the reader can see the spark. Many of the boys Iris meets just want to learn more about her grandmother and the books but Eamon is different. Iris begins to realize that Eamon wants to know more about her life than her grandmothers and the world she created. They begin to have long conversations about their lives and being to breach the subject of Iris’s hate of fantasy. This is a big deal for Iris because she has always kept her past to herself and never trusted someone enough to discuss some past events with. These conversations turn this innocent friendship into a very cute relationship that neither one of them believed could happen.

McCarthy has shown through this novel that sometimes it’s hard for people to do the things they love. In every field or just in life people find it hard to do things that they want to do because they don’t have the money or the support. I have been very lucky to have support from all of my friends and family with the things I do in my life but I have also seen the opposite of that as well. I do my best to support all of my friends and the people around me because I know some people aren’t as lucky as me. I would recommend this book to anyone struggling with life or struggling with not believing they can do something. Even though it put in the perceptive of a female and has very much a feminist background, I think anyone could take away a lot from this novel. I think anyone that loves a good fantasy book should also pick this up because the reader really learns about the world of Elementia. This novel really made me believe that I could do anything I put my mind to and that’s always something a book should do. ...more

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May 04, 2020 Vicky Again rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

this was really good!!! I ended up getting super invested in the story, even if I was on the fence at the beginning.

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Dec 30, 2017 Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, standalones

“Everyone else got to read Elementia and discover something about the world or themselves. Not me. I’d read her story and began drowning in a loss I’d never known was mine.”

Now A Major Motion Picture was a really fun reading experience about fandom, family, and finding yourself. We follow Iris Thorne as she and her little brother Ryder go to Ireland to see the filming of the grandmother’s beloved fantasy series, Elementia. Iris is no fantasy fan and there’s no live list for the rabid ...more

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Aug 23, 2018 Kay rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

asodifljasodifljaslkf.uwjaeiosdkljfaiskldfj so I started reviewing this but then I accidentally tapped the close button on my computer when I brushed the touch screen aoeilsjfdaow efj awoeisljdkf o iwlejksf all that time wasted I am very salty. And this review is probably not going to be as thorough as my first review because I'm annoyed now sorry.

ANYWAYS

This book has been likened to Fangirl, which is one of my all time favorites!! It also shares many similarities to Geekerella, in my opinion, a ...more

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Aug 05, 2018 Dayla rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, romance, lgbtq, family, travelling

This review is part of a weekly Feature on my blog, Music Mondays. You can see the full post here.
___

This week’s featured book is Now A Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy, a surprisingly lesser known contemporary young adult novel that explores complex family relationships, and the surprises that life sometimes has in store.

Imagine my surprise when I head over to Goodreads and see that this book has a (well-deserved) high rating, but a low number of ratings. It’s almost tragic to know that s This review is part of a weekly Feature on my blog, Music Mondays. You can see the full post here.
___

This week’s featured book is Now A Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy, a surprisingly lesser known contemporary young adult novel that explores complex family relationships, and the surprises that life sometimes has in store.

Imagine my surprise when I head over to Goodreads and see that this book has a (well-deserved) high rating, but a low number of ratings. It’s almost tragic to know that so few have encountered this book!

In a similar vein as Geekerella by Ashley Poston, McCarthy’s novel tells the story of a family touched by the power of adaptations and fandoms. Unlike Poston’s novel, which features a main character who’s lost her father, the father in McCarthy’s novel is alive but is in no way the father of the year.

Iris is born into a family touched by success, thanks to her grandmother’s feminist series, Elementia. Unlike many of the fans, however, Iris despises the story that ensured that her family would never have privacy. Things are about to change, however, when she sets off for Ireland with her little brother. Ryder is a hyper-active little boy that inspired the song choice “Boss of Me”. He and Iris are in Ireland so they can witness the filming of Elementia’s movie adaptation. She has been a sister, friend, saviour, and mother-substitute for her brother–neither have had normal childhoods. While in Ireland, Iris is forced to confront the unspoken anger and resentment in her heart, as well as the mysterious grandmother she never truly knew.

Now a Major Motion Picture is an adventure of a read. Not because it has magic or whimsical quests, but because of Iris’s growth. She makes mistakes and is sometimes quick to speak before thinking, but she isn’t one of those annoying protagonists who absolutely refuses to change, or acknowledge that she’s being a jerk. Her growth is also more realistic because it takes a while for her to appreciate her situation.

Somewhere in the novel, it is alluded that this is a trip to help Iris’s brother, Ryder, heal from a past incident. But I believe that this novel is just as much about Iris’s healing as well as her brother’s. The complexity of family is handled wonderfully as we see that her troublesome relationship with her dad is more than just a one-sided, “he’s the strict parent” theme. Much like Iris, her father, though not actually physically with them for much of the novel, is a character who is engulfed in his emotions. He is made an honorary frequent character by the mere power that he holds over his children. He isn’t a one-dimensional plot device–he is a gale force that is a constant for Iris, always mentally there to remind her of who she was raised to be.

This book is a collection of relationships that take root and shape the story in an unforgettable way. There are strong female characters that give this a powerful feminist feel–a constant reminder to girls and women that even though there is a struggle to succeed, it doesn’t mean you have to stop trying. There is Iris’s budding romance with a surprising young man and how he helps to empower her by reminding her of the talents she refuses to acknowledge. And there are the family connections that act as the bones of McCarthy’s story: Ryder’s strong, but excitable personality; the troubled, but very layered story behind Iris’s father’s view of the world; and the grandmother that seems to lead Iris to new discovery’s despite her having passed years before.

I really enjoyed Now a Major Motion Picture and I wish more people knew about this hidden gem. I loved reading more about the fantastical side of Ireland. I don’t think I’ve ever actually read an in-depth experience of a character being on a film set. Even The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo didn’t go extremely in-depth with the filming process.

I recommend this to anyone who’s a part of a fandom and who want to read a story about women helping each other be the best they can be. If you love books about protagonists who travel and fall in love, but also have more going for them than just a love story (personal growth, difficult family situations, etc), then McCarthy’s novel is definitely for you!

Happy reading! ...more

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Apr 18, 2018 Thamy rated it liked it · review of another edition

I see why they compare this to Fangirl, but the story itself isn't the same.

3.5.

Iris is the granddaughter of a famous but deceased fantasy writer whose story is being filmed into a movie picture. She wasn't close to her grandmother and the last thing she and her family wants is more attention, which once culminated in her little brother being almost kidnapped by a crazy fan. Still, she slowly begins to understand what everyone's passion for her family's legacy is about and begins to love it hers I see why they compare this to Fangirl, but the story itself isn't the same.

3.5.

Iris is the granddaughter of a famous but deceased fantasy writer whose story is being filmed into a movie picture. She wasn't close to her grandmother and the last thing she and her family wants is more attention, which once culminated in her little brother being almost kidnapped by a crazy fan. Still, she slowly begins to understand what everyone's passion for her family's legacy is about and begins to love it herself as well.

This book... I don't know what my problem was with it but I'd read, read, read and it wouldn't end. It's not even long but I just couldn't get into it. If I have to guess, I'd say it's because I felt like the author had fooled me. I got a contemporary YA to read but had to read large chunks of some fantasy book inside, plus long speeches defending the genre, which is far from being my favorite. By the way, that's why people compare it to Fangirl, which made us read a Harry Potter slash fanfic back then. I think that was what I found most similar about the two. The rest wasn't really.

Even though I didn't really like the book, it had so many positive points. Unlike Iris and her family, I'm not against fantasy and the book raises so many good points of its importance I kept nodding back to it. Also, the side characters are quite an interesting bunch. I love how Iris actually becomes friends of the two big stars in the movie. She doesn't date them, they don't come on to her or antagonize her. In fact, the best scenes happen when they're all having fun.

Moreover, the adult characters are deep and make sense. I felt so sad for Iris's grandmother, and she wasn't even in the book. There is a whole family dark secret side story going on that made me reflect a lot.

In other words, this book had content, had funny scenes, and the romantic couple was cute. So why didn't I like it? That's a question I couldn't answer for sure, I can just say this wasn't my thing, hence this rating.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity. ...more

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Aug 01, 2018 Knobby rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'll be honest, I went in looking for a little fluff and wasn't expecting much, but inhaled this in one sitting. It was just so good!

Iris and Ryder are the grandchildren of M. E. Thorne, the famous author who wrote a sort of feminist Lord of the Rings trilogy, of which the first book is being adapted for a film. The family (their father) did not approve of the movie, but to appease Ryder (8), the kids are sent to Ireland for two weeks to observe some on-location filming. While there, the self-is ...more

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Sep 02, 2019 Iris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, read-in-2019, romance, emotional-pain, girl-power, geekiness, my-favourites-ish, so-much-fun, 4-stars, full-of-tropes

As disappointed as I was to find that this was,,, much more allocishet than I was expecting, I'm so fucking glad I read this.

I expected something fun. goofy. unmemorable.

And I got this absolute emotional powerful relatable book and I'm in awe.

There were so many good discussions - on discrimination, trauma, fame, fandom, who even knows what else - and so many parts that made me cry, and laugh, so much I could relate to - this book was everything I could have wanted.

Read it y'all. You're missing o ...more

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Dec 25, 2017 Ally (book__ventures) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Now a Major Motion Picture is perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. Both novels have an inner fantasy novel the stories are centered around. And after finishing Now a Major Motion Picture, I can saw that I hope Elementia is published like Rainbow Rowell did with Carry On.

Iris Thorne has grown up in a “double shadow”. She’s grown up in the shadow of her father, who has grown up in the shadow of her famous grandmother, author of Elementia, the female-power response to The Lord of the Ring Now a Major Motion Picture is perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. Both novels have an inner fantasy novel the stories are centered around. And after finishing Now a Major Motion Picture, I can saw that I hope Elementia is published like Rainbow Rowell did with Carry On.

Iris Thorne has grown up in a “double shadow”. She’s grown up in the shadow of her father, who has grown up in the shadow of her famous grandmother, author of Elementia, the female-power response to The Lord of the Rings, in a sense. Iris despises the books, like her father. Mostly because all it has done is bring crazy fans into their lives, unwanted. But, due to a suggestion her younger brother’s therapist, Iris and Ryder end up in the middle of filming for the first movie of the fantasy trilogy in Ireland. There, Iris meets an up-and-coming actor, Eamon O’Brien, whose cuteness practically falls off the pages. The film seems doomed from the start, with a female director that the top executives seem against and budget cuts left and right. From the beginning, Iris would like nothing better than the film to crash and burn, but after getting to know the actors and crew, she realizes that the film is helping her more than she would have originally thought. It helps her to become closer to her late grandmother and the legacy she left behind.

This book has all sorts of goodness in it. It has female empowerment, a light-hearted love story that will warm your heart, humor, and some harder topics that give this book a little edge. Now a Major Motion Picture delves into the scarier side of fandoms and the physical harm they can cause people. But it also showed the good side of fandom and how they can bring joy. It depicts a dysfunctional family, wrecked with misfortune and hurt and how they cope with it. The book has an awesome message on sexism within Hollywood, that is but a piece in helping the real reality of these remarks come to light.

Overall, this book was a quick, fun read that had everything you could want out of a contemporary YA novel. I loved every single one of the characters. I was amazed to see that McCarthy developed each character so well in their own sense and gave each their own separate background story. McCarthy added some fun quirks to the book, like a playlist for specific scenes from the book from the main character and a map of the fictional world, Elementia. It started off slow, but it will for sure pull at your heart strings.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to SourceFire Books for giving me a copy to review! ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 Heather *Undercover Goth Queen* rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks-at-library, 2020

In the beginning I thought this was so-so. Too many characters were introduced all at once and I didn't connect with them. But I ended up enjoying it a lot, even though I, like Iris at the start, am not a huge fan of fantasy stories. This was cute. I've been a fan of this author ever since The Color of Rain. ...more

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Feb 23, 2019 sage elizabeth marked it as putting-aside-for-now

been meaning to pick this book up again but i just heard that this has a asexual lead AND I AM HERE FOR THIS EVEN MORE!

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Mar 06, 2019 Silvia (roomforbooks) marked it as dnf · review of another edition

DNF @ 29%
I'm either too old for this (not possible) or the characters' immaturity is just too exaggerated to be considered realistic which only makes them annoying. ...more

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Apr 08, 2018 Reading Teen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

*full review to come*
I adore this book. - Rea

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Mar 28, 2018 Mandy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemp, review-copies, the-bookshelf-of-actual-bookshelves

I'm so conflicted about this one, my bookish friends.

It had so many moments that I was dying/loving. But then there was so many moments that I just stared at the book, moved it slightly to the side, and side-eyed it.

I originally thought that Cori McCarthy jumped into my head like Osmosis Jones and somehow slithered down to my bookish heart and soul because this book is so me it hurts? Not only does it have two of my favorite Bastille songs in the after book playlist, it's one giant ode to Flore I'm so conflicted about this one, my bookish friends.

It had so many moments that I was dying/loving. But then there was so many moments that I just stared at the book, moved it slightly to the side, and side-eyed it.

I originally thought that Cori McCarthy jumped into my head like Osmosis Jones and somehow slithered down to my bookish heart and soul because this book is so me it hurts? Not only does it have two of my favorite Bastille songs in the after book playlist, it's one giant ode to Florence + the Machine (another ultimate love) plus fandom life, an epic cover, FEMINISM, and an adorable ship, and IRELAND. Whenever a book is set/visits my home state or anywhere I have traveled, I instantly place it on my TBR at lightening bolt speed just like the Elementia book cover. This book went to literally all of the places I went in Ireland so I was one big blubbering Irish fangirl mess the entire book. I'm one of those sad little people that goes OMG I WENT THERE. I KNOW THAT DOLPHIN STATUE. So...imagine me doing this the entire book.

With all of this "omg, this book so Mandy" gushing, how did it go wrong? I think my issue was with the narrator, Iris. There was at times that I FELT for her. I got her, and I liked her. However, most of the time, I was like, omg, girl, chill. Her redemption arc took a bit far too long for me to get excited about her. She was Jaded Iris, and the things she was doing had me doing the buggy eyed, WHY, GIRL, WHY. She was so judgy of things -and yes, I get certain things since she did have something very traumatic happen to her and her brother- but I still feel like some of it was too much and I just got annoyed with her. Even when she made progress, it seemed like she took some steps back. I felt like she could have changed her mind about a lot of stuff a lot earlier on, and it just turned me off of her for a long time.

The side characters were good. I liked Ryder, and I felt he felt very realistic and had some deep psychology behind him. Eamon, Julian, and Shoshanna were decent side characters. Drunk Shoshanna was my favorite character of the entire novel. I felt they were all pretty dynamic, and they did feel realistic with their differences and flaws. They weren't just 1D. Cate was interesting as well, and I think she provided a powerful, strong female role model in the novel.

The romance was cute. I dug the ship...although it was super instalove. I mean, it was intense, and it got a bit too into the cheese - even though I love me some cheese. There was so much doubting, too. I mean, I get you doubt the romance, but even when they expressing discuss the fact they're in a relationship, I blink and Iris is all like, but wait, is he with me? I was like IDK. I THOUGHT HE WAS. IS HE NOT??? AM I ON AN ACID TRIP? It was quite cute, though, and there were some adorable feels to be had.

Let's all take a moment and give a big hooray for the feminism that was broughttttttttttttttttttt in this novel. Okay, there might have been a few PSA moments, but Cori McCarthy BROUGHT THE FEMINISM. I love how she worked in the gender pay gap, how women do have to fight for work and roles that men get without an issue, and so much more. If fist pumps were a thing again and not used up all by the Jersey Shore peeps, I would be fist pumping here.

The plot was pretty fun. It's a book of self discovery - about finding yourself, your passion, your voice, and who you can be. I love these kind of stories, and the movie set infused with parts of the story and adventures were fun. Sometimes, it did kind of feel all over the place and like, the book could have really ended in a few parts and then I looked up and discovered I had 100 pages to go. I loved the ending, though, and overall, it was a fun story of self discovery with some deep moments.

McCarthy always has fantastic writing (um, please forever check out her book, You Are Here which is an ultimate love), and she infused so much goodness in this story. Although I kind of wanted a bit more description of the scenery since while I had it in my mind from seeing it, I'm not entirely sure that it translated as well. She has an ease in her writing, though, that makes her a true name in contemporary.

Overall, I did enjoy this story for the most part. The only real issue I had with the story was the narrator - but there really was so many great parts to the story. I don't think I'm ever going to find a more me story again - although last year brought me Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things - so I just got to soak this all in. Overall, I thought it was fun, and that outweighed the sketchy moments. Three crowns and a Belle rating! ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 keira marked it as dnf · review of another edition

dnf at 20%

really wanted to enjoy this but i couldn’t connect with any of it and found the characters to be immature and annoying

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Mar 31, 2018 Karla Mae (Reads and Thoughts) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: travel, cover-love-love, young-adult, 2018-reads, arc-blog-tours

*ARC Kindly provided by Sourcebooks Fire for review*

Admittedly, at first, this book wasn’t even on my radar but thank you to my generous friends from Sourcebooks Fire for offering this book for review. I’m immediately hooked! Now a Major Motion Picture is such an underrated gem that deserved all great hype

Iris is the granddaughter of the famous M.E Thorne who wrote the famous Elementia trilogy; but Iris has spent her life trying to escape her grandmother’s legacy. Now, she’s forced to accompany *ARC Kindly provided by Sourcebooks Fire for review*

Admittedly, at first, this book wasn’t even on my radar but thank you to my generous friends from Sourcebooks Fire for offering this book for review. I’m immediately hooked! Now a Major Motion Picture is such an underrated gem that deserved all great hype

Iris is the granddaughter of the famous M.E Thorne who wrote the famous Elementia trilogy; but Iris has spent her life trying to escape her grandmother’s legacy. Now, she’s forced to accompany her younger brother, Ryder to Ireland to sit on the sidelines of the filming of Elementia.

From the beginning, we see how openly hostile Iris is towards anything related into the fantasy world especially of Elementia unlike her brother who’s a die hard fan of the series and was too excited to witness the filming of this movie. However, over the course of the story, I saw Iris’ attitude shifting as she started to get to know the casts and film crew. I really love watching her change from this pessimist, closed-off and jaded Iris into someone that is more open and happier.

The other characters makes the story stronger. There’s Eamon who’s intriguing, fun, nerdy and cute. There’s the daring actress Shoshana, heartthrob Julian and Cate – the director who for me is a great depiction of a strong independent woman. She’s strong willed and determined; she believed that despite the sexist challenges she encountered in the film industry (being a woman director) she did not back down and instead teach others that it is important to speak out and that women should help lift each other up.

Of course, its not all bright sky and green pastures as they are filming. The team encountered several challenges along the way. Just when you thought everything’s okay the next crisis arises. But the thing there is that the crew and cast created a family and they together helped each other to resolve whatever crisis that may be.

The story also touched about mental illness. I appreciate how open the characters are about this.

There are only 2 things that kept me away from giving this book a complete five-stars rating. First, I’m lost at the Elementia World. I do read fantasy stories, but it feels like Elementia is not just it for me. I wanted to delve deeper into that world and see if that would somehow change my mind about it. Second, I’m a bit sad and even disappointed how Iris’ issues with her parents ended. Not to spoil you guys, but there seems to be no closure there. Iris and Ryder’s parents are negligent from the very start; Yes, they took their children to therapy and such but closing them off and prioritizing other things more than them will not be helpful. I wished that their parents at least give them a talk and take a step and amend the mistakes they have made.

Overall, despite my last two points on the last paragraph, it was a good read for me. The premise is catchy, fun and a quick read.

PS. This book makes me want to visit Ireland ASAP, so I can see the stunning landscapes and maybe find my own Irish guy. ...more

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Aug 21, 2018 Nia •ShadesOfPaper• rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, standalone, young-adult, contemporary, books-read-in-2018, 2018-releases, romance

For more review follow my blog shades of paper

I didn’t know this was a feminist book, and when I read it in the cover of the novel, I got so excited! It ended up being quite different from what I expected, but I overall really enjoyed it and had an amazing time reading it, and it had some feminist elements that I adored.

Okay, I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with film making or acting, and these two things clearly were quite important throughout the story. And even though it wasn’t as fo ...more

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Mar 17, 2018 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018

Now a Major Motion Picture completely surprised me! I went into it expecting to like it, but I never expected it to adore it as much as I did.

What I Liked:

1. The Setting - Ireland is one of those places I would love to visit; however, until that day comes I guess I'll just live vicariously through books. I thought Cori did such a fantastic job of setting the scene. The descriptions were vivid and drool worthy, and I loved getting to see the country side as well as the towns. I didn't think I co ...more

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Apr 21, 2020 Anna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2020, 5-stars, favorites, romance, read-in-english

Oommg. This was even better than I imagined.

Iris is a granddaughter to a famous author who wrote a fantasy trilogy with a strong female lead. Iris doesn't want anything to do with that world but her brother, Ryder, is a fan. They go to the set of the movie that is being made from the Elementia book. Irish scenery opens up Iris's mind to much more than she thought.

First of all this is such a great read which I finished in one sitting.😍😍
Elementia series is a feminist fantasy story that is compare ...more

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Aug 11, 2018 rayna ♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-lit, fiction, this-is-so-cute-i-m-crying

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. SO SO SO MUCH. I read this in one sitting in the middle of the night and I loved every damn word. I love stories like this. They are my weakness. Girl going abroad. Meets foreign boy. ROMANCE. Saves a thing that she didn't believe in at first.

TROPES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL, PEOPLE!! AND WHEN THEY'RE THIS FABULOUS I WILL SUPPORT THEM TIL I'M DEAD. I LOVE THESE FLUFFY LIGHT BEAUTIFUL THINGS. Ugh. My 4am raving probably makes a limited amount of sense but I adored this book with my ...more

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May 26, 2018 Veronika rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The biggest surprise of 2018 so far! Now a Major Motion Picture was a pocketful of dorkiness, mixed with complex portrayal of family, friendship and an adorable as hell romance. There's a huge emphasis on intersectional feminism, therapy positivity (!) and following your dreams, and wow, I'm impressed by how good this was, plain and simple.

1000% recommended! ...more

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Sep 20, 2019 Abi (The Knights Who Say Book) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, diverse-reads, standalone, feminist-focused, best-contemporary, lgbtqa-minor-characters

There was definitely some awkward writing in the first half (one of those things where the author's thought process doesn't quite translate into print and things are kinda jumpy and stilted), but I ended up loving this book. Think Geekerella with more feminism. The complex family relationships are wonderful. ...more

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Apr 10, 2018 Sam rated it it was amazing

This was such a cute book, and I got so emotionally invested in the story. Seriously...I can honestly say that I ended up being late getting back to work after break because I was reading and forgot to pay attention to the time.

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Jun 07, 2019 Fabiano rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cori-mccarthy, 2019

4 ⭐
I love it when things like this happen: you go into a book expecting one thing but what is delivered to you is something else.
Yeah, this book is definitely something else!

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Oct 11, 2019 Paige rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2k19, for-the-brits

Cute, cute, cute! I felt like we were kind of thrown into the story off the bat, but once I got further, I enjoyed it more! I liked the complicated characters, literary references, & Ireland as a backdrop.

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Aug 17, 2018 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018, contemporary, young-adult, celebs

This was delightful and it especially resonated with me as I have loved Tolkien's works since childhood but have always, always, always bemoaned the lack of women. ...more

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May 10, 2018 Pie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Figured I can write a longer review now that I'm done with my history exam, so here we go.
LIKES:
•Behind-the-scenes movie stuff is my FAVORITE. I've watched all of the stuff for Lord of the Rings and can probably still recite weird trivia for a lot of other movies, so it was great to see a book about it.
•I always think books with a made-up fandom are interesting: what the fans are like, what kind of stuff the author chooses to include about it, whether or not the fandom is based off of a real one Figured I can write a longer review now that I'm done with my history exam, so here we go.
LIKES:
•Behind-the-scenes movie stuff is my FAVORITE. I've watched all of the stuff for Lord of the Rings and can probably still recite weird trivia for a lot of other movies, so it was great to see a book about it.
•I always think books with a made-up fandom are interesting: what the fans are like, what kind of stuff the author chooses to include about it, whether or not the fandom is based off of a real one. Plus, I thought it was cool that the Elementia trilogy is an in-universe more feminist version of Tolkien.
•The romance was really cute and Eamon was a great love interest. I also really liked other side characters like Shoshanna and Julian.
•I loved all the stuff about Cate Collins, the female director, and how she succeeded in Hollywood despite challenges and facing so much sexism.
•It was really cathartic to see Iris work through her family issues and come out a better, happier person on the other side.
•The ending wrapped up maybe a little too neatly, but I still liked it. It was great to see how all the characters were doing a year later. And one of my side ships got together! Victorious!
•Learning about how Iris's grandmother sort of wrote her family problems into the series and how that affect Iris's father was pretty interesting although it was a total trainwreck.
DISLIKES:
•The plot felt unrealistic. A major problem the characters are facing is the possibility of filming being shut down on the movie because they've gone over budget, but I don't really think that's something that happens to a highly anticipated movie with a big fandom and a teaser trailer already released.
•In my opinion, I think a better filming conflict would have been the fear of the director getting replaced. That's happened with a lot of recent movies (Solo and Ant-Man come to mind) and it could have been a great way to explore to explore sexism with the female director.
•Another huge conflict facing the cast is backlash by the Elementia fandom, aka the "Thornians," but … I'm not actually sure what the fans were mad about? Was it the casting? The director? Considering the movie was still filming, I'm not even sure what the fans HAD to hate. It felt like just another way to add drama.
•Plot hole: who owns the rights to the Elementia movies? Clearly the Thorne family doesn't since the movies are getting made despite their dislike of it (Iris's father apparently screamed at Cate when she approached him to talk about the movies), but it's never explained who owns the rights or how they got them.
•Iris's dislike of Thornians for disrupting her life felt pretty justified. However, I really think the thing about her younger brother being almost kidnapped by a crazed fan who wanted to drink his blood was way over-the-top and dramatic. Considering it's apparently common for Thornian fans to do invasive stuff like hit on Iris while showing her their back tattoos of the Elementia map, the kidnapping stuff seemed like an unnecessary way to showcase the bad side of the fandom.
•Some of the family issues Iris's family had felt sort of cliché. Neglectful mother, father with high standards who doesn't get along with his children, grandmother they didn't know … I'd read it all before.
•Iris herself came off as overly abrasive sometimes, and it took her a little too long to stop being rude to Elementia fans for no reason.
Despite my kind of long list of dislikes, I actually really did enjoy this book. I just wish it had focused a little less on the manufactured drama and more on the aspects that I liked, such as fandom and feminism. ...more

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About Cory McCarthy

Cory McCarthy

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CORY (previously Cori)
…earned degrees in poetry and screenwriting before falling in love with writing for children and young adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. They have authored four acclaimed YA novels, with a middle grade series, young adult contemporary, and nonfiction picture book forthcoming. Cory coauthored the bestselling ONCE & FUTURE, a finalist for the New England Book Award, with ...more

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“Stories end in a rush. One minute, Will and Lyra are in love on their bench. The next they’re in separate worlds. One minute the Pevensie’s are kings and queens. The next, they’re back through the wardrobe. One minute, the One ring is lava-dissolving in Gollum’s hand, the next…well, that example doesn’t work. The return of the king has like seven ending scenes, but for good reason.” — 1 likes

“Reality came with a bite, a pinch, a kiss. Longing, loss, resentment, and the most impossible of all, passion. Passion was real. It wasn't an obsession with the thing you couldn't get better at, like my dad had coldly told me long ago. It was the only thing you could get better at.
Without passion, there could be no growth.” — 0 likes

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