Between competing for the first chair clarinet position and seeing who can pull off the best prank, it’s always been Natalie versus Reid. But after their school cuts the funding for the art programs (including Natalie’s drama club) and a few of Natalie and Reid’s pranks spiral out of control, Natalie and Reid are forced to work together co-directing Natalie’s play turned musical as their punishment. The musical is a parody of Frozen titled “Melted” and it needs to include all the school art programs that were cut in addition to Reid’s band. With the future of the school’s art program and Reid’s music program audition on the line, Natalie and Reid are forced into a temporary truce. It turns out that not hating each other isn’t as bad as it seems…in fact, Natalie and Reid might just like each other. But old habits die hard. Will Natalie and Reid be able to move forward and trust each other?
As If On Cue is a teen enemies-to-lovers rom-com, perfect for fans of Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson, What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter, The Upside of Falling by Alex Light, and Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon, plus inclusion of all the artistic elements makes As If On Cue perfect for anyone interested in music, fashion, dance, drama, or visual arts. It deals with themes such as art and music, power, dreams, fun versus seriousness, love and family, the Jewish faith, fear of failure, trust, greed and selfishness, growing up, injustice, and teamwork. I think that the moral of this story is that art is magical and that your passions (e.g. drama club or playing the clarinet) “can be fun and serious. It doesn’t have to be an either/or thing.” Another one of the main takeaways for me is that you should trust your loved ones and you should also have faith in yourself.
In addition to being a cute rom-com, it is important to note that As If On Cue also brings attention to some more serious topics such as climate change (the real villain in “Melted: The Musical”) and discrimination against Jews or anti-Semitism. For example, after Reid and Natalie’s classmate makes a horrible and discriminatory comment, instead of moving past it as if it were a joke, Reid powerfully states that, “every time we let it go, it signals that it’s okay. It’s never okay.”
The enemies-to-lovers theme in this book was enjoyable and the addition of the school musical was a big hit for me, especially the tap number as well as all the Disney references! Furthermore, there were a ton of hilarious Frozen puns and references since Natalie’s musical is a reverse retelling of Frozen (e.g., fire instead of ice, “Hate is a Closed Window” instead of “Love is an Open Door” etc). There were also a lot of wonderful Lion King references because Natalie and Reid go to a performance of the musical adaptation on a maybe date. Fellow Disney lovers will absolutely love reading all of the Disney references in As If On Cue.
One thing that I wasn’t a fan of was the family drama happening in both Reid and Natalie’s families, such as Natalie competing for her Dad’s attention, Reid seeking his parents’ approval, and Reid’s sister ditching Natalie’s sister for her new friends, mostly because it wasn’t very interesting in comparison to the rest of the story. Another thing was that the pranks seemed quite juvenile, and I felt like the story didn’t really get engaging until after Natalie and Reid form their truce and then also start to develop feelings.
Overall, As If On Cue was a funny and cute read that I would definitely recommend to those who are interested in the arts and music!
As If On Cue is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 21st 2021.
Will you be picking up As If On Cue? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
A pair of fierce foes are forced to work together to save the arts at their school in this swoony YA enemies-to-lovers romance that fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson are sure to adore.
Lifelong rivals Natalie and Reid have never been on the same team. So when their school’s art budget faces cutbacks, of course Natalie finds herself up against her nemesis once more. She’s fighting to direct the school’s first ever student-written play, but for her small production to get funding, the school’s award-winning band will have to lose it. Reid’s band. And he’s got no intention of letting the show go on.
But when their rivalry turns into an all-out prank war that goes too far, Natalie and Reid have to face the music, resulting in the worst compromise: writing and directing a musical. Together. At least if they deliver a sold-out show, the school board will reconsider next year’s band and theater budget. Everyone could win.
Except Natalie and Reid.
Because after spending their entire lives in competition, they have absolutely no idea how to be co-anything. And they certainly don’t know how to deal with the feelings that are inexplicably, weirdly, definitely developing between them…
