A Show for Two: A Captivating YA Rom Com Set Against the Backdrop of New York City

by Tashie Bhuiyan

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?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult Contemporary

377 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2022

About the author

Tashie Bhuiyan is the award-winning author of I'll Pretend You're Mine and several other novels. She is a New Yorker through and through, and hopes to change the world, one book at a time. She loves writing stories about gaining agency through growth and surviving against all odds. When she's not doing that, she's probably traveling, attending a concert, or bothering her cat, Zuko.

Reviews

[Chloe Gong · Rating 5 out of 5]

GET READY FOR SOME EXCELLENT CONTENT

[Tashie Bhuiyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

hello! tashie here. giving this 5 stars because it's one of my favorite books ever (yes, i'm biased and wrote it) and because mina and emmitt have my heart. i wanted to pop in quickly and give you all of an idea of what this book contains, including any trigger warnings readers should be aware of. :)

first off, TW / trigger warnings for the main character's depression (she has a few depressive episodes throughout the book, as written based on my own experiences), and for mentions of parental abuse (verbal and psychological.) if either of these concern you, please feel free to reach out via the contact form on my website for more information.

A SHOW FOR TWO is a YA contemporary novel and was written as a love letter to new york city. it's inspired by when tom holland went undercover as a student at my high school during my senior year (which is still surreal to think about), even though emmitt and tom are very different from one another. i like to think they'd be friends in this alternate universe, though!

this book has hate-to-love, a poc romance since mina is bangladeshi and emmitt is half-chinese (his hair is dyed blond on the front cover as part of his undercover scheme, hence his darker natural roots!), a celebrity love interest, a complex sister relationship, in-depth discussions of mental health, a chaotic film club, loads of gen z antics (since i'm gen z myself), and nuanced family dynamics as the main character navigates her last year of high school.

with that said, i will bid you all adieu. i hope you all enjoy reading about mina's journey and am sending you all the love. <3

[ahana ⊹ [ semi - ia ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved this way more than i expected !! rtc soon <3

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

CDWY (Tashie's first book) was one of my favorite romances last year so obvs the moment this book was announced I HAD TO HAVE IT.

And especially because this was inspired by Tom Holland?!?!? Sign me up.

I don't really remember my thoughts exactly when I read it, but I think my main takeaway from this book was how much I related to her relationships in her house. BUUUUUTTTT... I can't lie and say that I didn't want to shake her and yell at her because man, her relationship with her parents gutted me.

Probably should shake and yell at younger me too. 😗

Overall, it read quickly! I don't love the fact that her calling him dickhead was a term of endearment because it didn't feel like it rolled off the tongue 🫤 the love between them... also a bit choppy. Not entirely convinced, but I just rolled with it.

[☾]

pre-read: saw the author’s tiktok and have come to support!!

-

DNF: yeah…. nevermind.

[Ayushi (bookwormbullet) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Inkyard Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had really high hopes for A Show For Two after reading Counting Down With You last year, but overall I feel like Tashie Bhuiyan’s sophomore novel fell short of the bar I had set. While the premise of the novel sounded so interesting and had so much potential, I think it ultimately ended up being CDWY but in a different font. The novel also had so many plot arcs, characters, and themes clashing with one another that it was hard for me to connect to any of the romance.

Addressing this last comment, this book is clearly marketed as a romance, but I felt like the romance between Emmitt and Mina was barely the main focus of the book (for me). Instead, plot points like the film competition, Mina’s decision between NYU and USC, Emmitt’s passion for photography, Emmitt’s own conflicts with his mother, Mina’s depression, Mina’s struggle with relating to her heritage and faith, as well as Mina’s conflicts with her sister, her parents, her best friend, Rosie, and Emmitt, made me completely forget that this novel was about Mina falling in love with a celebrity going undercover at her high school.

Speaking of Emmitt, I was honestly just very confused by his character. He first came off as this condescending a$$hole who was incredibly rude to Mina while being super dark and mysterious. However, 0.2 seconds later, he became super flirty and cocky with Mina, and I was kinda shocked at how quick that jump was. He also just felt like a walking “hot British love interest” archetype without much depth? I feel like this was my issue with Ace in CDWY, as well. It just felt like the stuff that defined Emmitt boiled down to the fact that he wears rings, has three piercings, has a snake tattoo, and says “love” and “sweetheart” every five seconds.

Also, similar to CDWY, I felt like there was this grey area of consent throughout the novel. In CDWY, there are several moments where Ace invades Karina’s personal boundaries and touches her, plays with her hair, without asking if she’s okay with it (back when they barely know each other). The same thing happens in ASFT, but on both ends. There are instances at the beginning of the novel when Mina and Emmitt aren’t fully friends yet where Mina touches Emmitt and physically drags him around, and instances where Emmitt puts his fingers on Mina’s face and lips, touches her hair, grabs her hands, and more. I feel like this was supposed to be shown as cute and romantic, but it just made me uncomfortable thinking about a person who's practically a stranger doing that to me.

This book once again explores the theme of parental abuse, at a much higher degree than in CDWY. Prior to reading this book, I was hoping to see the MC of ASFT have a healthier relationship with her Bengali parents, and was disappointed to see that this wasn’t the case in ASFT. As much as I understand the authenticity of this type of parental abuse, as it comes from Tashie’s personal experiences, I’m honestly just very tired of seeing abusive relationships portrayed among South Asian parents in books and other media. As a reader, I primarily read books as a form of entertainment and escape and as a Bengali reader, I love South Asian books that depict Bengali joy. Thus, reading books that portray parental abuse becomes emotionally exhausting and makes it hard for me to even find the Bengali joy within the pages. In my opinion, there are other ways of depicting intergenerational conflict that are much more impactful than featuring parents being absolutely horrible to their children. There also wasn’t even any proper closure between Mina and her parents at the end of this novel. Obviously, intergenerational conflict can’t be 100% solved within a 300 page novel, but ending the novel without Mina’s parents not even attempting to see things from Mina’s side left a bad taste in my mouth.

Additionally, as much as I adored Karina’s relationship with her brother in CDWY, I lowkey despised Anam in this novel and how she blamed Mina and called her selfish for ditching her to pursue her dream in California. She was also so rude to her parents, omg. There were moments where my jaw dropped at the attitude she showed--if I said half of the things to my parents that Mina or Anam said to their parents in this book I would not be alive writing this review right now, LOL.

I think what I enjoyed most in this novel was Mina’s journey to figure out where she wanted to attend college and where she wanted to end up after graduating high school. Just like Mina, it was my dream to attend film school at USC for the longest time and my ultimate decision ended up being eerily similar to Mina’s. So it was really cool to see that arc play out!

Overall, if you enjoyed CDWY, you’ll most likely enjoy ASFT as well. I’m excited to see what stories Tashie writes next, and as always, I hope for her next novel to feature Bengali rep depicted in a positive manner.

[Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

EDIT: 01/03/2022

I’ve aged out of this genre. I spoke to a friend who is currently reading this (and who also read Bhuiyan’s previous novel) and we’re just baffled by so many elements at work here. I will be going into detail so this is the heads-up for SPOILERS, though it is a standard young adult contemporary novel, so make of that what you need.

[Willem Dafoe voice] I’m something of a film lover myself, a film and media studies major in fact, and there was nothing on the page that I found remotely recognizable. The jargon and feeling was just completely off, it was like that meme of Steve Buscemi saying “how do you do fellow kids?”

Does Mina like any specific directors? Cinematographers? Composers? Is she excited about any new releases? She apparently likes screenwriting, so who’s her favorite? She doesn’t even step foot in a movie theater until Emmitt **Rents One Out For Her.** Does she care about the politics of the entertainment industry, its history or future accountability? USC's film school serves as this distant green light at the end of the bay, but USC is a 1. primarily for grad students and 2. highly specialized and specific. So what part of the industry is she truly passionate about?

It doesn’t help that I’m not a big fan of first-person point of view, which is made worse by some really strange sentence construction that Bhuiyan employs (present perfect tense which threw off my sense of time off so subtly it bothered me through the entire novel). I also think perhaps she saw criticism of her previous two protagonists, that they were in general toothless and without any flaws or friction, and then just went wildly swinging in the other direction. Mina and Emmitt are truly abrasive and unpleasant to read about. I didn't feel their relationship develop at all, just a switch flip somewhere around the middle of the novel. Their dialogue, which some call banter but I call excruciating is punctuated with unnatural pet names and "Gen Z" slang which is so hyperspecific to a certain kind of internet subculture, it reads as juvenile, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

I don’t want to harp on all of these specific, decorative elements without addressing the more serious topics that Bhuiyan is working with, namely depression and abusive households. I'm fortunate enough to have a solid family structure, but I do have depression, it’s actually somewhat severe. I understand that it manifests in different ways for different people, but it doesn’t excuse someone’s baseline behavior. Mina's attempts to make amends are hasty, but I do understand what she and Bhuiyan were going for (the one that landed most effectively was with her younger sister).

I wish we had explored the details of Mina's relationship with her parents more. One of the most emotionally resonant things in the novel is that she got her love of the movies from her parents taking her to the theater when she was younger, and despite that relationship souring as she grew up, she still loves cinema. She questions multiple times what it was, when it was, that changed. The most logical thing to do would be a revelation as to why Mina's parents treat her and her younger sister so poorly. It would not need to be forgiveness or absolution, abuse victims don't owe that to anyone. I do however believe that it would be context and emotional nuance that the story sorely needs. I know that life doesn't necessarily provide closure or answers like that, but fictional narratives do, which is why we return to them constantly, again and again.

There's just missed opportunity after missed opportunity here. Who is the intended audience? If they're anything like me, a young woman of color who likes books and movies, then I would brace for similar opinions, especially from those who identify as film lovers. Perhaps if Bhuiyan had interrogated any idea she posits in the novel beyond surface level, I would have responded to it more positively.



//

original from 12/16/2021:
i WILL finish my goodreads challenge no matter what i do

[Sumaiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me: *sees Tom Holland inspired*
Me: *sees based on true events*
Me* adds to wishlist*

[tiffany (readbytiffany)]

*slams hand on table* MISS TASHIE, I NEED THIS(!!)

Blog (Read By Tiffany) | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

[Fanna]

02.09.2021 this cover really is so cute!
16.04.2021 when the author says 'celebrity love interest' and 'hate-to-love romance', I KNOWS ILL LOVE THIS

[aashna · Rating 2 out of 5]

represented stantwt better than desi people

[aanal · Rating 2 out of 5]

it be ur own people sometimes

[sam]

21/03/2022:
looks like they could kill you, is a cinnamon roll - emmitt ramos
looks like they could kill you, will kill you - mina rahman

full rtc !!

» thank you to netgalley & inkyard press for the arc !!

———

I will read any and every book by her and you should too

[tyrosine · Rating 2 out of 5]

ALRIGHT REVIEW TIME. I will be honest that I was fortunate enough to get an ARC a few months back and I am immensely thankful to the publisher. I’ll preface everything by saying that Bhuiyan demonstrated in my opinion, immense growth and maturity by acknowledging that her narrative is one of many experiences that Bangladeshi-Muslim girls have and it was a really great stride to see her balance her biases by encouraging readers to seek out other stories featuring brown women. Really impressed that she was able to take that step.

In term of the actual story, I think Bhuiyan has a very Wattpad-esque style to her storytelling. It’s not particularly a bad thing but one that you can’t help but notice as you wade through her writing and rather shallow character-building/plot arcs. I think she also struggles with a tendency to self-insert in ways that are just a little too obvious to even pretend to be subtle: case and point, Emmitt Ramos is first introduced as an actor for Foul Lady Fortune (the novel that her roommate and fellow author, Chloe Gong will be publishing this fall. Funny enough, Emmitt’s mom is named Claire Gong. See, it’s so obvious it’s almost painful lol).

I don’t think it’s my place to speculate on Bhuiyan’s life when considering her works but I think I find her portrayal of parental figures in both her books as lacking in depth. They’re presented as harsh, discouraging brown parents who don’t expand on their motivations for their attitude toward their daughters. A hundred percent, parents can be harsh figures! But like, the way Bhuiyan writes the story, Mina’s parents just hate her passion for film for the heck of it. They’re always saying she won’t succeed and that’s basically their entire personality. As the main antagonists of the story…they’re underwhelming. I know the author tries to tease at a change in the parent relationship but the switch from taking Mina to watch movies to hating her passions is just,,,,,,,so abrupt it’s hard to take seriously.

All her film club scenes are bland. Like Mina is supposed to be this aspiring screenwriter but there’s zero film terminology used in the story beyond a wayward movie references. I never got the impression that Mina was a die hard film lover like she was made out to be. The conflicts she had with Rose and Anam were also lukewarm with little stakes. Even the eventual college decision and film contest competition was passed off without any satisfying plot conclusion.

I’m also not British but I think the portrayal was very Wattpad 1Direction-esque where Emmitt was saying “love” every 5 minutes even though he’s supposed to hate Mina? It was unrealistic and dumb and not in a way that was enjoyable. I also think it’s a little annoying that his conflict with his parent was resolved off page with little angst but we get this long drawn out “Brown Parents Bad” storyline that never even concludes lol. Mina just says she’s studying film in NYU and her parents who’ve been vicious and unrelenting till that point decide to just stay out of the house to avoid her??

I also hate that this was supposed to be a love letter up NYC lolz because it had such a superficial and touristy view of the city. But I digress.

[shelvesandspines · Rating 1 out of 5]

despite being too old for books like this and despite counting down with you being one of my most hated books last year, i was still going to read a show for two. why? because i, too, am bangladeshi, muslim & gen z--and it seems i'm not going to find representation like that outside of this genre.

also i'm a big believer in second chances.

but, uh. this is genuinely one of the worst things i've read lol. like cdwy was terrible too, but at least that had SOME plot? SOME structure? i really can't fathom how you can take a pretty interesting concept as this and just make it so offensively bland.

my biggest issue with this story is that it literally is a carbon copy of tashie bhuiyan's debut. if you've read that, you've read this. if you've only read this, don't bother to read cdwy because you already have! it's like a shitty two-for-one deal you didn't want.

- emmit is literally the LI in cdwy (forgot his name)--down to the "bad boy" smirks and the rings and brooding personality that's just a cover for his sad, vulnerable heart. also they both have secret passions their parents would disapprove of so you can empathise with how HARD their poor lives are
- mina and karina are the exact.same.person. one likes to write and the other likes to write... but screenplays this time, so it's definitely different. they're also both insufferable and as interesting as looking at white paper against a white wall. (or brown paper against a brown wall...?)
- we had a supportive dadu last time, and now a supportive sister!
- the parents are literally identical in both these novels. same kinds of toxic, OTT villainess. it's so weird. i genuinely felt like i was experiencing deja vu??

before i get into the things i specifically disliked about this book, here are the things i liked:

- this was a fast read. i only wasted three hours of my life, so.
- i liked seeing actual bangla in a book, even though it was just the MC's name lol. still cool to read it tho
- its very diverse (whether it does something interesting with all that diversity is whole other can of worms tho)
- i got this from the library so i didn't waste money either.

now for the bad lol:

- this is going to sound harsh, but i just don't think bhuiyan is a very strong writer. i know she's young and just starting out, but it felt so amateur. so much telling and boring, skippable writing. very wattpad-ish, too.

- bhuiyan states this is her love letter to new york, but it doesn't show in the writing. i really wish we got to EXPERIENCE new york--instead we got passages like "we're in madison square garden. now we're on the subway. i love new york!" there was nothing descriptive; no sounds, sights or smells indicating what about new york is so amazing. i didn't get a single hint of what new york's culture or vibe is really like and i think it further proves how weak the writing was.
as an aussie living in the suburbs, you gotta give me something. i don't know shit about american cities, even ones as famous as new york.

- why does mina like film? can someone please tell me because aside from having posters of the most famous movies of all time (and i have a sneaking suspicion the author just googled a top ten list on imdb)--she doesn't ever show her passion for it. like yeah she's president of the film club, but we don't see her talk about a single film technique or use a camera besides her phone (i could be wrong tho bc i skimmed the club scenes). i would have even loved to read a drunk fratboy-esque rant about the joker bc at least it would have shown that she possesses some critical thinking skills!! but no, nothing!!

- the conflict/parents just doesn't work in this. they're cartoonishly toxic. like the dad tells mina to pick up bell peppers at 5:30 and then says "be home by six or else!!!"and it's supposed to show how unreasonable they are but it just felt like the author was trying too hard. and then nothing happens when she comes home late so what's the point?

the parents seem to hate film for the sake of hating film. we're given no other reason why besides "it's a waste" and "what will the community think" for 400 pages.
this is going to sound nitpicky, but what community exactly? the only bengalis mina's family interacts with are shown to be supportive, with a daughter in fashion school. so wouldn't mina's parents be a bit more understanding? i get that we're not a myopic and there ARE toxic parents in our community (like every other community) but man, it's such a bummer to read two books about bengali parents being toxic and "backwards" for not supporting "western dreams."

- a little side note here: for those that don't know, bangladesh is a very artistically rich country. our entire culture holds artists, poets, singers, authors and filmmakers in high regard. they're seen as the lifeblood of our nation. so i really think it would have been cool if mina's parents were supportive of her and understood her art, but she faced conflict elsewhere. like, she's a WOC trying to make it in the film industry--there could have been so many nuanced, important discussions on the barriers she'll face for simply being of colour. i also think it would have been amazing to see discussions on bangladeshi directors, films and how mina is inspired by their storytelling techniques. instead, her film is about some bland love story despite her bragging about how diverse the film club is lmao???

- how famous is emmit exactly? he gets recognised covered up in a hoodie outside on a street and also in a random convenience store but not at........ school? not amongst people his age? i dont get it. surely ONE person outside mina's group knew who he was right? also this is nitpicky: but someone recognises emmit on the street bc he has "three earrings" LMAOO like what?? is that really the most distinct feature you could have given him? i refuse to believe someone is recognisable solely based on what jewellery they wear. especially an actor who's JUST making it big. it's later revealed he has a tattoo on his chest, but why not put it somewhere else--like his arms or neck--so at least this makes sense???

- we're not done with emmit. yes, he's as bland as they come but making him say "love" at the end of every sentence?? i don't think even actual british people say it as this man did in two scenes. he also smirks too much. it seems to be his default expression and im tired of it.

- why did it take some black and white pictures emmit took for mina to realise new york is really her home . no really. why. why are we still making basic men our saviours. can we not string two thoughts together and help ourselves??

- so i don't know a lot about tashie bhuiyan but even with what little i knew, i was still so uncomfortable with all the self-inserts. she mentions in her about me that her favourite films are tangled and inception. what are mina's favourite films? the answer will shock you! you'll never see it coming!

bhuiyan's bff irl is chloe gong (i think at least lol) and emmit's mother is called..... claire.gong. i--
and another rando says "foul lady fortune" is his favourite film, which is gong's next novel. someone save me please.

there's also a character called linli. and sure enough, there she is, mentioned in the acknowledgments :)))))))))))))

for me, this just screams unoriginality. are you really so uncreative? using your friend's name is FINE, but when your friend is a ny bestselling author who is pretty well-known, it's just embarrassing lol

- the "gen z-ness" of this book should have been edited out. every time there was slang or pop culture reference or mention of tiktok i wanted to die. please. can we just have one bloody book that discusses someone's musical tastes without references to kpop or hamilton!! i wanted to fling myself into a dark hole after reading the words "emmit gives me a taehyung vibe" STOP!!!!

-i'm not even going to comment on the "romance" bc it's truly forgettable. not a single scene between mina and emitt was memorable. i've already forgotten every interaction between them.

anyway that's it. sorry this was so long but all i wanted was a cool bangladeshi character and we didn't even come close lol

[Diya · Rating 2 out of 5]

tashie is consistent in one thing: disappointing me

[Yusra ☾]

i’m so TORN on the rating bc she’s muslim and this was all haram haram haram (just like Counting Down With You, which i loved but is ALSO unrated but me)😭 if she wasn’t, then this would easily be five stars, it was so freaking cute

every single time this beautiful british boy called her “love” or “sweetheart”, i died and was resurrected bc why in gods name is he so cute?

and the banter? TOP TIER. i love how much they despised each other and when we should call him a d*ckhead, i was just dying like omg they’re so cute what?

ohhh the epilogue, five years later? I’M DEADDDD

this girl is the better version of my sister lowk like they both bully people sm then end up loving them later lol.

also, the short chapters deserve an honorable mention? like it was so amazing to finally not have 30 page chapters!

but yeah i just loved this sm but i can’t rate it. islamically it feels wrong to rate it highly and my heart won’t let me rate it low 💔

[Anshu · Rating 1 out of 5]

i have absolutely no words

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 3 out of 5]

That moment when you read the name of the book in a sentence inside the book.
It's like donuts on crac-

Rating: ✨✨✨ 3.4

Anyways, hello darlings! And welcome to another review of ‘If I were to do or say the things the main character said to her parents to my own, I’d be fully reincarnated as a slipper, so they can step on me whenever they’d like’.

Isn’t that nice?

Isn’t it???

Of course, as nice as trying to remember a book I read months ago to then write a review of the ARC that literally got published a WHILE ago, while trying to sound as coherent and responsible as possible.

Hehe, responsible.

And okay, maybe I overreacted with my previous notions of what I felt for this book.
SUE. ME

Please don't though, I'm barely managing stealing books as I am-

As time has gone by (literal months to provide an accurate albeit exaggerated timeframe) and the fangirling feelings I had once upon a time for this story started to diminish and make clear all the flaws I was too lazy to find previously, I’ve decided that this was an ‘alright’ book.

One I probably wouldn’t reread.

Perhaps if I had a physical copy, I would gift away.

Or stay with it because it would make my shelf look pretty, and I’m shallow like that.

A book that you would read solely to stave off boredom and let go of stress, and a story that you shouldn’t look too into it.

But of course, I looked into it.

Like five seconds ago-

In a very mentally spaced and agonized way.

And came to the amazing conclusion that I remember like half-

Here are some things I enjoyed about the book itself!

* The photography contest was so cuuuuuute!! LIKE YGUIKJHGFGTYUJBVFGYUJ, TYPE OF CUTE. OKAY? WHY AM I SCREAMING? HAVE NO CLUE-

* There was the representation aspect, which, as always, I adore reading about. The struggles of living among people who would maybe not understand the struggles you face, and I felt like that was delved into thoughtfully and quite well.

* Another thing would be how easy to read it was. Not the topics, since there were parental problems and other issues, but the way the writing was interpreted and simply decorated. It was like a fresh squeezed lemonade in a hot, humid, sweaty, disgusting, crusty, musty desert- can you tell I’m living in said environment? *giggles in ‘please save me in an ice truck’* I am READY TO BE ELSA Y’ALL. I can’t anymoreeee- let it gooooooooooo

* *cough* The celebrity romance!!! LIKE???? EXCUSE ME???? YES???? PORFAVOR??? The THINGS I would sacrifice to be able to experience this. Well, maybe not experience- because the drama is an added bother in my existence. But maybe fictionally experience? In a fake yet real way? I’ll shut up now.

And as always, the part I adore the most in any of my reviews-

(The end?)

(The hot yet unattainable love interest you will never even be able to glimpse in your pathetic mortal body and soul?)

Let’s pretend we didn’t hear anything, for the sake of my heart-

THE RANTING PORTION, MWUAHAHHAHA

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN

I was about to burst into song, but I think the universe and Apollo forgot to gift me with good memory when it comes to music-

ANYHOW, ANYWHO AND ANYWHERE- ayyy, Dr. Seuss. How are ya? *wink* (I apologize deeply)

(not really)

(well maybe)

(depends on the reward….)

AHEM, well, here are the things I disliked:

* How shallow the familial relationships were (I believe they were flesh and cardboard, so it’s an improvement! Right?) I think this has been my problem with books from this author and Asian representations, be it South Asian among others. See, I am from the Hispanic community, so I have no hand to judge it, however, BECAUSE I’m part of a minority, I can say that not all parents are like that, and it’s sad that all the Asian representation I see nowadays just touches on that aspect. Yes, it’s incredibly accurate, more so than most, however, I believe that there is some good to be found. Some understanding to comprehend in how the parents act. Don’t get me wrong, trying to dictate your child’s way of living is unforgivable, but I feel like the main character and her sister made them out to be worse than they were.

I longed to see a multidimensional side to how the parents were acting and why, you know? But the sisters in this book didn’t let them get in a word otherwise, and it made me confused, because are the parents really THAT bad? Or are the kids not giving them a chance to explain? I am aware this is a very controversial topic, so I’ll leave things here by saying that this is how I view things, and it has nothing to do with the cultures themselves.

* This was marketed as a romance, which it was. But also, really wasn’t the focused of the book, so if you’re looking for something fun and lightly romantic to jump into, maybe consider another book, my darlings. This story touched on depression, anxiety, the main character’s journey to choosing what exactly she wants to be and all in all, was a deep-ish read and that’s one of the problems. Not that it had those topics, but that it skipped over them after a while, like the romance. One of the points I did not like about the romance at all, was the fact that it went from 60- to 100 at the speed of light, and looking back I liked it, yet even so, if I were to read it again, it wouldn’t sit well with my angsty loving alter ego self. (this one’s called Cleopatra)

* Her sister selling her out on Emmett.

HAHAHAHAHHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHHAHA

I loved you and you did this.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA

I will cut you.

On a closing hand, this was a spontaneous add on my part and I don’t exactly regret it, just wish some things were slightly different. The arguments were sound and relatable yet at times, too unrealistic to understand, the romance was quick and fun but at the same time, rushed some interactions that could’ve added the spark this book was definitely missing for me.

And I would be missing if I had the attitude these kids had with their parents.
I'm sorry, but I-
I can't get over the fact they cussed them out-
Child-

-----------------
My heart is broken yet so full of so many bloody emotions LIKE THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW????

Thank you Netgalley for ruining my expectations once again. If a celebrity doesn't call me sweetheart or love- Dang it, I need a life.


Never mind, I'll just fall down a Rom Com loophole and pray that I come out alive.
I read this book in four hours, I'm emotionally not okay.

[Victoria Pewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want nothing more than this book. RIGHT NOW.

[m · Rating 4 out of 5]

she an icon she's a legend amazing,show-stopping, spectacular, never the same.
watch me be the first person to go buy this when it comes out 🏃‍♀️
the mmc was literally a soft version of Aaron Warner (ily grumpy bae) and supposedly based on tom holland? HELLO??
this book slayed



thank you net gallery for this e-arc!

[kaylina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish for happiness in whatever form it might be.

i don't think i ever knew what it felt like to want to protect a fictional character with your whole heart until i met mina rahman, i'm just......no words.

there's so much heart to tashie bhuyian's writing, it's almost overwhelming because both books of hers have made me cry one way or another and it's all because of how much i care about her mc's, karina in cdwy and then now mina in asft. it's stepping into her characters' lives the moment i open up the first page and i could see the love that surrounds them both by the people who make up their families. it's the exploration of the negative relationship that lots of teenagers have with their parents and sometimes there's no light at the end of that direction in the tunnel but there's certainly so much more of it in the friends and close relatives who keep you feeling grounded.

the sibling dynamic between mina & anam was absolutely heartbreaking because these two are so young and they hold so tightly to each other in the face of a toxic living environment that tries to suck their spirits away. but rather than giving in and believing that this is all there is for them, they fight in their own little ways and they have so much spirit every time because no matter what their parents think, they know their worth and that was so fucking important to me. this author has this way with words where the dialogue and character interactions feel so natural that it endears you to the story right away. with mina & anam, it wasn't just about seeing them at their strongest but also all the easy-going parts, the way they so naturally banter with each other and support each other in irreversible ways. sometimes there is a faulty line that reveals some fragility underneath but seeing how much they cared for each other was enough for me to know they'd always make it through together.

and if it's not just them, it's mina with emmitt, whose first meeting is absolutely terrible and riddled with so much antagonism and i couldn't help but wonder "how are they possibly going to soften up to each other? and then i just found myself so caught up in the adventures they take around new york city, capturing so many moments together on film, it was like they were in a motion picture with them as the starring leads. seeing the way they lower each other's defenses and genuinely connect over their shared love of the arts and how it connects to their lives, it was very sweet and so incredibly heartfelt because there's so much surprise they find in how much they come to relate to each other. it's as if they couldn't even fathom the idea of the other being an equal of sorts and yet as soon as that line connects them both, they bond so well it made me shriek with how much my heart bursted at the seams (honestly).

it was absolutely everything how much love the author put into painting the different boroughs of new york city the way that she's always seen it, and with each frame put into place, it made the city just as picturesque on page as i'm sure it was behind emmitt's camera as he took countless pictures of the scenery he & mina passed by. mina herself also filming everywhere she went was touching for all sorts of reasons; she was immortalizing small moments that felt fleeting and so she urged herself to capture it in video to make it permanent--to leave her something before saying goodbye in her pursuits of moving to california.

it always hits when you can see how the story is unraveling at a slow pace and you can practically tell where things might go but yet it leaves you overcome all the same. mina's determination to keep her eyes on the University of Southern California because she believed it was her one & only chance to escape her parents was like witnessing a film reel unravel at the seams and the further the line went, the blurrier the images became until mina herself was left to wonder what she really was trying to chase after. the trauma she's experienced under the scrutiny of her parents who clearly didn't think she could aspire to be anything else but a disappointment to them was an incredibly hard pill to swallow, and what made it even harder were the memories that mina recounted of the days where it wasn't all like this--where she and her parents loved each other genuinely. to see how much it fractured over the years and the icy distance split between her and them felt so concerning that even when it seemed there was a spark of mina who wanted her parents to see her, and not some caricature, seeing her place clear boundaries and rise above the disgusting comments her ma and Baba make towards her meant so much to me.

and it's not like these comments don't get to her, because we have her fierce determination to prove them wrong about the promising future that awaits her in her pursuit for film--but it's also the moments where she's spent alone and the world feels so heavy on her shoulders as she tries to keep her feet going one step at a time. the mental health rep in tashie bhuiyan's books are absolutely astounding, and seeing the way she depicted mina's depression meant so many good things to me, you have no idea. while mina's way of coping at times felt like she was digging herself into a bigger hole, her love for film was always there and it comforted her above all else. in that comfort, she burrowed herself so deep that she eventually lost sight of the people around her who are there to love her and care for her without her needing to run across the country. the incredible passion she harbors in winning this film contest is a testament of how much she's capable of, but what made it such a heartwarming plotline is the way it made this story shine even brighter with these cast of characters who are more in the background in the big parts but you can still hear them cheering for each other to the end. this story isn't just a love letter to nyc but to the film industry because the way the author has captured the camaraderie between everyone, becoming mina's own family in a way, it was so captivating.

i loved this story so much, i love mina rahman so much, and the romance that blossoms between her & emmitt was very sweet. there's something so genuinely enamoring with the way that tashie bhuyian writes her ya romances and i will read every single one of them for as long as she continues to write, i know that for certain.

content warnings:
gaslighting/emotional manipulation by a parent, depiction of depressive episodes

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5⭐

I first saw this book on TikTok, when the author was promoting it, and well... the fact that this is based on Tom Holland going to the author's school undercover is absolutely nuts! I love undercover celebrity love stories; they're always super fun and cute. So of course I had to check it out. My expectations were a little too high.

This is why I always finish the books I start. I was halfway through this one and I wasn't really enjoying it cause I kind of hated the main character (I still don't like her, but I don't hate her now), but she has some character growth and I end up liking the book and the romance.

First, the main character, Mina.
She frustrated me sooooo much. I get that she had a lot of family issues with her parents, but that is no excuse to treat everyone like shit? She literally met a stranger on the street and without even knowing him, started insulting him because she has anger issues. Not only that, she also never considered her best friend's feelings or her sister's!! She was mad at the world for a good 90% of the book. The arguments were super ridiculous and most of them could've easily been avoided if she were more empathetic.
Ohhhh, I just remembered there was this one boy, who was trying to help her out with the film contest because he has contacts. Instead of hearing him out, she was super rude to him because he was supposedly "hitting on her" (there are better ways of rejecting someone than being rude to them)
Another problem I have with her character? Her passions. She was always talking about how much she loved filming and the industry, but I never saw that passion reflected. Only the passion to win the contest and get out of her house. Also, the parts of the script that were seen... did she really win with that? I'm not an expert on screenwriting or anything, but I don't think I would enjoy a film with that script... Examples:

“It says, ‘I can’t remember the other twenty-one letters of the alphabet. All I know is U R A QT.’ It’s addressed to me. What do you think it means?”

“It doesn’t feel real, you know? Like why would someone leave a note in my locker? I’m just...me. I don’t know.” She looks up, a soft smile playing at her mouth. “I guess I never thought the day would come.”

Am I the only one dying of cringe?

I don't know what else to say about the main character. I think you get how much I didn't like her. However, the rest of the characters were really good. I love Emmitt, Rosie, Anam, and Grant.
The romance was adorable; their "dates" filming and taking pictures for Emmitt's contest were super cute and I enjoyed it. I also really liked the amount of representation. The main character is Bangladeshi, Emmitt is half-Chinese, and half-Spanish, and Rosie is a lesbian and has a sapphic relationship with another character who is bisexual. There's also mental health representation since Mina struggles with depression.

I guess my experience with this book wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. It was really entertaining and it had some good moments :)

➼ Also, fun fact, I finished reading this on my birthday <3

[jenna (jennajustreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I had meager expectations going into this book. I wasn't exactly a fan of this author's first book, "Counting Down with You", which led me to believe I would feel similarly with Bhuiyan's second novel.
Needless to say, I was proven wrong. This plot felt much more profound than "Counting Down with You", and the love interest was much more interesting than I had expected. The lines were significantly less cheesy than CDWY; I actually could see them being said in real life.
This story was cute and fun, and I would definitely recommend it!

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hurted.

I.... I am a little sad LOL. This hurt a lot.

I will post my review closer to the release.
__________________
Okay. We released.

When a book name drops Tangled AND Howl's Moving Castle, I know I am destined to enjoy it. I'll admit, we got off on a rocky start. Mina was kind of insufferable at first and I really just wanted to tell her to chill when it came to her comments to Emmitt early on, but once we finally calmed down I found her much more enjoyable to read.

I spent all of this book feeling like there was a lump in my throat. I wanted to cry, and then I did.

Mina just wants to get out. Her home life is terrible and although she loves her sister, she needs to get out of New York. Her one way ticket? Winning the short film competition and getting into her top school in California. She has tunnel vision on this end goal and when she runs directly into Emmitt, she's not too eager to have to bend just to get him to agree to help her and the film club win.

Emmitt has his own plan - he'll help Mina if she helps him with his photography contest. Mina, desperate to find anything that will help her get closer to USC, agrees to his terms and thus begins this new partnership. When Mina's world starts to slowly fall apart around her, she sees Emmitt as a constant, reliable presence and their bond shifts. But she still needs her out, and nothing will distract her from that. Not even the people who are important to her.

B R U H. OUCH? Depression has always dug deep into my heart and hurt me so much. No inch of your brain is safe when it rears its stupid head. Watching Mina fall helplessly into the consequences of the actions that she was basically cornered into by her parents hurt. It was like watching a small animal try and fend for its life as a predator closes in on them. Mina was a little hedgehog that needed to fight her way through her days in high school in order to survive getting out of them. I can't say I blame her, her parents were awful.

I wish her support group was more aware of her. I know mental health is as silent as you let it be but if her friends and sister knew what was going on... I think the conflict was unfair. Being depressed doesn't give you a right to be terrible to people, don't get me wrong, but I think Anam was the only one who I felt was justified. Rosie just... it felt like a huge overreaction. Maybe I missed something but I definitely think that Mina trying everything in her power to get out of the suffocation of her parents outweighed the crush that Rosie had on Sofie.

But I get it too, the lack of actual presence you'd have (or not have) in your relationships if you hyper-focused on a goal like Mina did. It felt like a fight that you couldn't pick sides for.

THE MAN OF THE HOUR! EMMITT, MY MAIN MAN. What a soft boi? I loved him. His thoughtfulness, the attention to Mina's mental wellbeing while also not drawing attention to it and risking her acting out as a defence mechanism (because she would. She was feisty). He was great. When he saw her at a low point and brought her to her favourite place, I almost had a meltdown?

All in all, loved this. Another great read from Tashie and I couldn't be happier about it.

[leanna &#x131a9;♡&#x131aa; · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5

I read ‘Counting down with you’ back in November of last year and gave it 5/5 stars and loved it. And I honestly loved this one even more.

The characters, the believability of it all, the fleshed out secondary characters. I thought it was feel thought out, well executed, and well put together.

I only had one problem, and I don’t know if it was just me, but I feel like everyone came after her for no reason. And then she had to apologize to everyone and they were like, ‘It’s ok, it’s kinda my fault too’ and I’m yelling, “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! MINA, STOP APOLOGIZING!” but maybe I’m biased because we’re in her pov.

Anyway, I loved it and i can’t wait for the next book from this author. Seriously, cannot wait.

Also the Taylor Swift mentions in this book has me one hundred percent sure that romance readers/authors and taylor swift = 🤝. They just work, in my opinion.

Ok, bye <3

[Hannah]

THE COVER I’M CRYING I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

[Zahira⚡️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for sending this e-arc my way!

First off, this book has been on my 2022 anticipated releases ever since I read and loved Tashie's debut Counting Down With You. Bonus: this book was actually inspired by how Tom Holland went undercover in her high school for his first Spiderman movie.

I've come to tell you that this book did not disappoint me at all. I somehow knew that Tashie would hit all the right points for me. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. I fully enjoyed meeting Mina and seeing her struggle with depression & toxic family issues which is something I've struggled with for a long time.

Her disconnection from her roots & religion was so fascinating because it's another thing I feel and relate to. Mina's story resonated a lot with me and I felt so many things. I felt truly seen and it made me happy. I loved the plot. Honestly, who wouldn't like the "secret hidden identity undercover" plot where this famous celebrity participates in this photography contest while the MC is trying to win the film award to gain a scholarship for her upcoming uni program. Both decide to help each other to meet their ends and it was amazing to see their interactions. I loved how dedicated she was to her passion to the point that she would push the people who care about her away. I really appreciate seeing the flaws in teenage characters. It makes them more realistic to me.

I absolutely adored the sibling bond between Mina & her sister. It's something I share with my sister and it was so wholesome to see the love & care between them. The relationship between our MC and Emmitt was so good. Honestly, they are superior to Karina & Ace (Counting Down With You). The banter was hilarious because the first time they meet... it goes wrong. They do not like each other. In fact, she didn't even realize he was a celebrity and he treated her harshly because he thought that she was just another fan trying to get his photo. I loved seeing the relationship evolve and the bantering was amazing. His snarky teasings always had me smiling + his British accent ;)

Overall, this was the perfect contemporary story to read while I was going through my finals and I needed something to make me feel good. I loved the characters & the relationships. It was super entertaining and easily binge-able! I highly recommend it <3

P-S: apparently, this book had many Taylor Swift references, so if you're a fan go for it. I'm not a fan so I didn't notice lmao.

[olivia !! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!
I was so excited to be able to read this before it comes out since it was one of my most anticipated releases for 2022 and it did not disappoint at all.
I enjoyed every second of reading this. The plot is really fun and entertaining but also mentioning serious themes such as depression and toxic family relations. I absolutely loved the characters and found myself relating to Mina in many occasions.
ALSO THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS SUPERIOR AND HAD ME SMILING LIKE AN IDIOT!
My final thoughts:
THE TAYLOR SWIFT REFERENCES OMG they own Cornelia Street, Stay Stay Stay and London boy I don't make the rules
Emmitt is so funny and their banter is unmatchable.