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 (entitled “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. The inclusion of all the artistic elements makes As If On Cue perfect for anyone interested in music, fashion, dance, drama, and visual arts. As If On Cue 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 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.”
One thing that I wasn’t a fan of was the family drama happening in both Reid and Natalie’s families (e.g., Natalie competing for her Dad’s attention, Reid seeking his parents’ approval, Reid’s sister ditching Natalie’s sister for her new friends, etc.) because it wasn’t very interesting in comparison to the rest of the story. Another thing that was a negative for me was the pranks; they were quite juvenile, and I felt like the story didn’t really get engaging until after Natalie and Reid form their truce (and start to develop feelings). Overall, As If On Cue (which comes out on September 21st 2021) was a funny and cute read that I would definitely recommend to teens who are interested in the arts and music. I gave this book a rating of 8 out of 10. This review was written for "The Nerd Daily". Click here to view this article on "The Nerd Daily's" website or copy & paste the following URL into your web browser: https://thenerddaily.com/review-as-if-on-cue-by-marisa-kanter/
Check out my Q&A with As If On Cue author Marisa Kanter by clicking HERE!
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