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If This Was a Movie

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Zara Hayes came to New Zealand with one keep her head down and do her job. As head makeup artist on a Viking blockbuster, she spends her days working on Jamie Cameron—Hollywood’s most untouchable star. He’s gorgeous, guarded, and completely off-limits. He should be easy to ignore… if it weren’t for the stolen glances, lingering touches, and the kind of tension that makes her forget to breathe.

Jamie Cameron has spent his entire career doing what’s expected of smiling for the cameras, protecting his brand, and playing the perfect leading man. But with Zara, everything feels different.

The problem? Jamie’s glamorous co-star, Lola Beaumont, is also his fiancée—at least, that’s what the headlines say. In reality, their picture-perfect romance is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Off-screen, the chemistry between Zara and Jamie burns hotter every day. On-screen, the world believes he belongs to someone else. With paparazzi circling, contracts forbidding them, and family drama threatening to blow everything apart, one wrong move could cost them everything.

If This Was a Movie is a laugh-out-loud, slow-burn Hollywood romance filled with sizzling tension, witty banter, and all the swoon of a binge-worthy romcom—perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, and contemporary fake-relationship romances.

383 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2026

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About the author

Melissa Arancio

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5 stars
11 (34%)
4 stars
14 (43%)
3 stars
6 (18%)
2 stars
1 (3%)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Kaity.
1,839 reviews43 followers
April 12, 2026
woah, that was angsty AF!!!
Profile Image for Stella Luna.
268 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2026
Thank you to BookSirens and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy for free! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Tropes: Celebrity Romance, Insta Lust, Secret Workplace Romance, Forced Proximity, Mutual Yearning, Love Triangle (kind-of), Denial of Feelings, Forbidden Love, Family Drama

I really wanted to love this one. I have been crushing celebrity romances lately, but this one fell so flat for me. I was so sad and disappointed. Now, this book might work for a lot of people. It definitely had the bones for a great romance: forbidden love between a celebrity and his makeup artist, mutual yearning, “just this once,” forced proximity, and some family drama and celebrity and paparazzi drama thrown in to make it spicy. But for some reason, this just didn’t work for me.

Right from their first meeting, which was literally a scene from *The Proposal*, I swear, there was this insta-love feel and attraction. Which is fine, really, but for some reason it didn’t work for me. Zara is just a girl trying to get through life, maybe make it as a singer in the future, and then Jamie takes an interest in her and basically makes her life more complicated. But it’s fine because love, right?

Jamie, for all intents and purposes, has a fake girlfriend for media purposes and is in a contract for two years. Like what? You signed a legal document that forces you to be in a relationship for the media for two whole years, even though you are done with this movie in six months?

Don’t get me wrong, Jamie’s dad is very controlling, and there are some serious issues within that family. But Jamie is also a grown man, just saying. But I digress.

These two, of course, start a secret relationship. It’s all very “just this once” vibes. The smut scenes are okay. I don’t know, I was kind of skimming through them. What really pissed me off and made me want to stop reading was when Jamie finds out something about Zara’s life and says, “You have to start telling me things,” or something like that. Meanwhile, he literally has not told her a single thing about his life and is keeping so many secrets it is comical.

If that isn’t a red flag, I don’t know what is. At that point, I was like, “Zara, girl, you should run while you still can.” It very much felt like Jamie wanted Zara to sacrifice everything for him, but he was not trying to do the same for her. He wanted his cake and to eat it too.

To be honest, I skimmed a lot of the book after that because I really didn’t want to DNF it since I received it as an ARC. Things hit the fan at the end, though. There is a lot of family drama for both Zara and Jamie. But then the ending seemed to wrap up way too nicely, topped with a cherry on top and a nice little bow. It felt like all their problems disappeared in a couple of pages, and I was like, hmm, this seems more like a happy for now rather than a HEA.

Overall, I was really sad I didn’t enjoy this one more because it had all the bones for a great romance, but it leaned too heavily on insta-love and lust, had some red flags from the MMC, and ended with what felt like a quick-fix resolution.
Profile Image for Aleksandra.
1,162 reviews10 followers
April 13, 2026
If This Was a Movie by Melissa Arancio is a contemporary celebrity romance that had so much potential but ultimately didn’t quite land for me. It’s easy to read and has all the classic ingredients of a Hollywood love story — forbidden attraction between a famous movie star and his makeup artist, intense chemistry, paparazzi drama, and family pressure — yet, somehow, the magic didn’t fully ignite for me.
The setup is fun: Zara, just trying to do her job, finds herself drawn to Jamie — the untouchable leading man — and the “forbidden” element should have sparked fireworks. But right from their first meeting there’s a heavy insta-love vibe that felt more like lust than connection, and that undercut the emotional buildup I craved. As the plot unfolds with secret romance and contract drama, I found myself wanting deeper development of feelings and motivation rather than just the trope checklist.
Jamie’s behavior — especially when he urges Zara to share while keeping his own secrets — raised more red flags than romantic tension, and at that point I seriously wanted Zara to rethink her choices. For me, this shifted the experience toward frustration instead of swooning. While there are some satisfying moments later on, the ending wraps up a bit too neatly, almost like someone waved a movie magic wand rather than letting the real issues resolve naturally.
That said, the book is easy to breeze through and might be just the thing if you enjoy celebrity romances with glitzy settings and familiar rom-com beats. I liked elements of the characters’ backgrounds and the family drama provided some texture, but overall it didn’t give me the emotional payoff I was looking for.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars — fun framework, entertaining in parts, but slightly too surface-level and trope-heavy to be truly memorable.
Profile Image for Kirsten.
61 reviews74 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
April 5, 2026
If This Was a Movie is a solid debut novel that makes me look forward to Arancio’s future works. It could have been a little shorter and accomplished the same storyline, I think (?). But it’s easy to read and is fairly well balanced on steamy scenes vs storyline vs inner monologue. It was nice to read a rare contemporary romance set outside the U.S.; and while New Zealand didn’t have as much a starring role as I might have wished, what was included renewed my wish to visit. I immediately rooted for Zara to “get the guy” while achieving her own career goals. It’s that typical dream of an “average girl” nabbing a famous figure, however I liked the twist of who he wanted to be and what he would become differing a bit as all too often this trope ends with the girl having to fit in with the life of a famous person and nearly give up everything she is to do so. For those who love any book featuring a MMC that is Scottish, this should not disappoint, despite taking place outside Scotland. Future books featuring Jamie’s siblings should be entertaining. Children with difficult parental relationships may find some subject matter difficult and one scene in particular quite triggering but it shouldn’t be enough to keep you from reading the book altogether. I’m grateful to have received an ARC, am leaving this review voluntarily, and I hope it helps others discover and support Melissa’s stories.
295 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2026
If This Was a Movie is a contemporary, workplace, celebrity romance and the debut novel of author Melissa Arancio. It takes place on a location site in New Zealand, and the main characters are from Scotland and England. I thought the characters were well written and I was able to understand both of their personalities. Jamie is the lead of the film with his father as the director. Complicated family dynamics are front and center stage between them. Zara is his makeup artist with hidden talents and no desire to become involved with a conceited star. Their meet-cute is hilarious and sets the tone for their banter. The chemistry burns slowly, but finally flares one rainy night due to the well - loved trope of stranded with only one bed!
I really like Zara and Jamie but some of their actions and reactions gave me pause. However, I realized that Zara's parental experience affects her life choices and her seemly over reactions were to protect her bruised heart. Jamie questionable choices come from moving from lust to actually caring for Zara.
As the story progresses, Jamie's layers become evident and he shows Zara that he is more that he appears to be, but he continues to make mistakes.
If This Was a Movie was an easy fun read with just the right amount of spice and emotions. I look forward to reading her next book that features Jamie's uproarious sister Ava!
I received an ARC and am leaving a voluntary review based solely on my personal reading experience.
Profile Image for nickybookbug.
21 reviews
April 13, 2026
3.25 ☆

After an embarrassing meet cute, famous leading actor Jamie can't keep Zara off his mind. But acting on his attraction isn't the best idea. Not only is she his makeup artist, but he is also (fake) dating his leading lady, Lola. Zara just wants to get on with her job drama free, but Jamie's good looks and charm are making it hard for her to stay focused.

This book was a quick, fun read. I liked the slow burn, and the romance was good generally. The chemistry was there, and the more intimate scenes were well written. I found it quite difficult to get into the book initially. There was more telling than showing, and it made it hard for me to visualise what was going on in the story in a vivid way. I think this picked up a little in the middle, and I did become invested in the characters and their relationship,

I thought Zara was quite immature and quick to judge without really trying to understand the position that Jamie was in. I liked him better - he came across as caring and always concerned with Zara's wellbeing, except one big decision he made later in the story that seemed wild and quite out of character.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I read it over a couple of days. It was a sweet, easy distraction for a few hours.

~ I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily ~
2 reviews
April 19, 2026
Where do I even start? First and foremost I don’t tend to read romance novels, in fact I steer clear of them in anticipation of their over the top gushyness and predictability. “If This Was a Movie” is neither of those things. The story started of quickly which I appreciated and both characters Jamie and Zara are relatable and likeable. The tension between the two is exhilarating and I found myself itching to get back to reading so that things could progress for them both. The tension between the two made me giddy at times and the heated scenes, well let’s just say I couldn’t bring myself to read them on the tube for fear of someone reading over my shoulder, if you catch my drift. Both characters have their own story and explanation as to why they are how they are and this runs nicely alongside the main plot. The book provided laughter, hope and heat, I’m not sure what more you could ask for!
78 reviews
April 23, 2026

If this was a movie is a great debut novel. I zipped through this, completely engaged with the chemistry and the banter between the 2 main characters. I also loved the other characters in this book and some had me laughing out loud. I especially loved Ava and Finn. Too bad he is married, as I could see him definitely popping up again in another story.
I can’t wait to read Ava’s story next - it sounds like we might be in for a bit of a wild ride.
It was so nice to read a story set in New Zealand which is completely different to the usual locations we see in books.
The only thing that I would change is that I feel this could have been slightly shorter and some bits could be cut to stop it dragging in some sections.
This story will suit those who love a storyline with celebrity romance, forced proximity and a secret workplace romance.
I received this as an ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.
159 reviews
May 4, 2026
This is a story about the consequences of pretending to be what your not, of letting others dictate your life to benefit their own. How telling those "little white" lies can destroy you. I was pretty disappointed with Jamie throughout the entire book, yet I couldn't help but hope that he would stand up to the powers that be and take control of his own life before he lost Zara for good. Zara is an emotional mess and the very last thing she needs is someone like Jamie in her life, yet somehow he is her perfect forever man. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. While reading this book you will laugh, cry and get so mad you want to scream and cuss. There is lots of wonderful heat that rounds the story up perfectly. Pretty good book! I would have given this book a five star but I felt like there were a few times when the story boggled down a little bit. But certainly not enough to stop you from reading and enjoying the story.
1 review
Review of advance copy received from Author
April 9, 2026
I had the chance to read this as an ARC, and it completely pulled me in without me even realising. I kept thinking about the characters during the day and genuinely looked forward to picking it back up in the evening, which doesn’t happen often as a very busy first time mum.

The writing is beautiful — the descriptions are so vivid that you feel like you’re actually there in the moment, watching everything unfold. It makes it really easy to get lost in.

It’s such a good page-turner too. The storyline keeps you hooked, and you end up really rooting for the characters and needing to know what happens next.

I’m soooo excited to see what comes next in this series!

Honestly, I’d 100% recommend it. It’s one of those books you just don’t want to put down.
21 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2026
I'm still processing how i feel about this book, and will probably be for a while. It has a good plot with good character development, but the main characters fell for each other way too quickly in my opinion. It took them a while to even get to know each other but they were moving very quickly relationship wise.
I also felt like for how much they emphasized the contract situation there really wasn't any consequences for going against it.
I did feel like the story lines did all have a good solution carried out. Except it went a little too fast with the main characters father completely changing.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Evy.
769 reviews1 follower
April 18, 2026
This was my first book by Melissa and it was quite fun. The banter between Jamie and Zara was hilarious by times. They have this instant attraction going on between them. Although they faced a very bumpy road to be together, it wasn’t easy. I did have a remark at the beginning of the book when they were caught by the parazzi and Zara decides to go to the red carpet with Ava and expose herself like that. I received a copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily. I’m very curious to read Ava’s story because she’s hilarious and a very fun character.
2 reviews1 follower
Review of advance copy received from Author
April 9, 2026
Melissa kindly sent this to me as an ARC and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a rollercoaster of emotions up and down throughout Jamie and Zara's story and their estranged and complicated family dynamics. We always love a forced proximity due to a storm and a only one bed trope hehe! This contemporary romance set in New Zealand was sweet with just the right amount of spice and was an easy, quick read.
Profile Image for Elena Rueda.
117 reviews
April 19, 2026
2,75 ⭐️
I really thought I was going to really like this book. The beginning reminded me of that scene in The Proposal and made me laugh out loud. However, the relationship between the main characters was very based on a insta-love that was hard to believe.
It had great points and the main idea was fun, but it lacked depth to make it more enjoyable and real for me.

Thank you to Book Sirens for the ARC.
Profile Image for Iris Goldsztajn.
14 reviews8 followers
May 26, 2026
If This Was a Movie is a totally delightful romance that has everything you could want: a faraway setting, forbidden love, magnetic attraction and most of all… hefty helpings of spice! Speaking of which, the author is incredibly talented at writing fast-paced, believable, hot and heavy s*x scenes that really had me believing Jamie and Zara couldn’t keep their hands off each other. So excited for the sequel!!!
414 reviews6 followers
April 22, 2026
This book might work for a lot of people. It definitely had the bones for a great romance: forbidden love between a celebrity and his makeup artist, mutual yearning, “just this once,” forced proximity, and some family drama and celebrity and paparazzi drama thrown in to make it spicy. Zara and Jamie are pretty cute together. Overall, a solid freshman effort.
165 reviews3 followers
April 13, 2026
I like reading about movie stars falling for non-celebrities. I enjoyed reading this author's debut story and am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future. I received this book for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
1 review
April 16, 2026
Omg where do I start?! I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for this book, I was hooked from the very first chapter! The characters were loveable and I felt like I actually got to know them when reading this book. It was the perfect amount of spice with an emotional love story aswell. I loved it!
1 review
April 19, 2026
Wow. What a book! It was hard to put down. I was so invested in the characters, right there with them, and stayed there daydreaming long after I put the book down. Tense, spicy, exciting, NZ backdrop- what more could you want? I can’t wait for more from this author!
7 reviews1 follower
May 9, 2026
What a page turner this was! There were parts that made me laugh out loud, yet the forbidden love between Zara and Jamie kept me hooked and rooting for them.

I am grateful to have been an ARC reader for this. With this as a debut novel, I cannot wait for what’s to come.
Profile Image for Em.
2 reviews
April 19, 2026
This was my first movie star celebrity romance, and it definitely did not disappoint! I love stories that I can just easily fall into and Arancio mastered that perfectly ☺️
Profile Image for Mary.
597 reviews2 followers
Read
April 28, 2026
Unfortunately I just cannot get into in this book but maybe in the future, DNF for now.
1 review
May 10, 2026
This was my first book by Melissa and wow did it not disappoint! It had me hooked from the first chapter! A wonderful book to read! Looking forward to the next book in the series!
Profile Image for Marine SAINT-AUBIN.
381 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2026
Zara, maquilleuse professionnelle, se voit devoir s'occuper de Jamie, la grande star de cinéma, pendant le tournage de son prochain film ! Mais à passer du temps ensemble, les sentiments vont se développer...et compliquer les choses 🙈

J'ai reçu un mail pour de nouvelles sorties en anglais, et le résumé de celui-ci m'a carrément fait de l'œil ! Alors hop, je l'ai mis sur ma Kindle (il est dispo dans l'abonnement) et c'est parti pour un friends-to-lovers/proximité forcée 😊

Et je dois dire que j'ai passé un bon moment de lecture, dans l'ensemble !
Zara et Jamie sont canons, j'ai aimé la façon dont leur relation a été construite, a évolué, plutôt lentement, ce qui m'a parfois provoqué quelques frustrations 😏

Ils ont cependant chacun des choses à gérer, pouvant impacter à la fois leur vie personnelle que celle professionnelle : entre une fausse fiancée, des contrats de non-relation ou une mère qui vous a abandonné, créant un sentiment de non-confiance et d'insécurité...eh bien, disons que ça n'aide pas forcément à s'épanouir et profiter de l'amour que vous apporte l'autre 😅

Du coup, on se retrouve avec une romance avec de l'action, des héros attachants, des scènes d'intimité bien présentes comme des moments de douceur et de partage 🥰
Il y a aussi des personnages secondaires parfois détestables, une intrigue de fond sympathique, entre 2 métiers du 7ème art et avec des remises en question ou des changements de vie 😊
J'ai oublié les quelques paysages néo-zélandais qui ne nous donnent absolument pas envie d'y aller 😂

Une histoire bien agréable à découvrir et que je vous conseille donc 😊
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews