A review by karina_dreamsinwords
When I Think of You by Myah Ariel

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This story follows film students Kaliya and Danny, college friends turned to lovers in which their relationship ended much too soon. Years later, their paths cross as Danny is gearing up to bring his parent’s love story to life with the help of the film studio Kaliya works for. When presented with the opportunity to work closely on his film, Kaliya is faced with a choice that could boost her movie making dreams in the right direction, even when the person asking is her ex boyfriend. Will the pressures of Hollywood allow them to grow together, or tear their hopes of a future apart? 

"π’šπ’π’– 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, π’Šπ’•'𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 π’ƒπ’†π’Šπ’π’ˆ. π‘³π’Šπ’Œπ’† π’ƒπ’“π’†π’‚π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’Œ 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 π’Šπ’•, π’šπ’π’– 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒐 π’Šπ’•. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 π’šπ’π’–'𝒓𝒆 π’Šπ’ 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 π’˜π’Šπ’•π’‰ π’”π’π’Žπ’†π’π’π’†, π’Šπ’• π’„π’‰π’‚π’π’ˆπ’†π’” π’šπ’π’–."

The fact that this was a debut is impressive because the storytelling that Ariel weaves together was beautifully done. The dual timelines provided a glimpse at the young love shared between Kaliya and Danny, while also showing their individual growth over the years apart. Watching them gravitate back to each other and rekindle the flame once again was ultra sweet to witness. 

The authors note makes readers aware that grief plays a big part of the book, both in the fictional sense and the authors personal experience while writing. I thought that was clearly felt on the pages and played a big role in Kaliya and Danny’s story. I cried a lot while reading this for a multitude of reasons but also felt healed along the way. To evoke such emotions while reading will never fail to amaze me. 

I appreciated how Ariel was to provide an inside look of inner workings of movie making, the good & bad, because that’s not something I’ll ever get to experience. She also doesn’t shy away from heavier themes such as the politics, sexism, racism and privilege within the film industry. The well rounded crafting of this book as a whole is something to admire! 

Not only did this have a second chance romance to root for but also featured strong female friendships. I loved seeing Kaliya and her friends empower & uplift one another. They were so funny together and had some stand out moments of self love that I enjoyed. 

If you love the emotional depth of the romance powerhouse Kennedy Ryan, then you’re going to want to pick this up!! 
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