If You Change Your Mind by Robby Weber
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Special thanks to Harper Collins for sending a copy for review.
Summary:
Harry wants nothing more than to write Hollywood screenplays. He knows the first step toward achieving that goal is winning a screenwriting competition that will seal his admission into the college of his dreams, so he’s determined to spend his summer free of distractions—also known as boys—and finish his script. After last year, Harry is certain love only exists in the movies anyway.
But then the cause of his first heartbreak, Grant, returns with a secret that could change everything—not to mention, there’s a new boy in town, Logan, who is so charming and sweet, he’s making Harry question everything he knows about romance. As he tries to keep his emotions in check and stick to his perfect plan for the future, Harry’s about to learn that life doesn’t always follow a script (Goodreads).
Thoughts:
After reading this book, I discovered my enjoyment of LGBTQ+ books and romances. If You Change Your Mind has a unique plot that intrigues readers and keeps them captivated. It also demonstrates the theme of life and that we should not limit ourselves to a narrow-ended future and instead look forward to endless possibilities.
The main character, Harry, dreams of becoming a screenwriter, and throughout the book, he is working on a movie script to get into his dream university. I enjoyed how the characters were developed and centred around Harry’s writing. In Harry’s life, he is the main character with his ex, Grant, who has just returned into his life, and the new guy, Logan. Harry learns that his life isn’t like a movie and that he can’t expect everything to happen one way. He also realises that even if things don’t work out the way he wants, he should consider other options.
The book stood out with its distinct writing style. Instead of switching points of view between characters, the book switches between the main character, Harry’s life, and his movie script. The movie script acted as its own separate story while still resembling Harry’s life. I’ve never seen a book written in this style, so it was nice seeing something different; however, I found it confusing initially, and because of that, I skimmed the movie script scenes to get back to the main story. The further into the book I got, the more I realised what the movie script was about and that it resembled Harry’s life; then it became exciting to read.
I enjoyed the message behind the story because it served as a good reminder, especially as I get closer to graduating: don’t let your goals limit you from moving in one direction because you’ll miss many other opportunities. Harry sacrificed his chance of going to his dream university, but that may not be a lousy sacrifice because it has given him more options that will benefit his future dreams of being a screenwriter.
In addition to teaching us this important lesson, I found the romance to be thoroughly enjoyable because it was so wholesome. Harry, who was previously stuck in a toxic relationship with Grant, returned for the summer. When Harry met Logan, they took time to get to know each other and developed a sweet relationship where they could understand and support each other. Throughout the story, there were multiple moments where they misunderstood each other, but instead of blaming one another, they took the time to stop and talk things through.
Overall, this book was a great read. I will definitely be reading more LGBTQ+ romances, and I would recommend this book to everyone else.
Reviewed by Natalie H.