From the cover:
"Unlike the rest of the world, Iris doesn't care about the famous high-fantasy Elementia books written by M. E. Thorne. So it's just a little annoying that M. E. Thorne is her grandmother—and that Iris has to deal with the trilogy's crazy fans.
When Iris gets dropped in Ireland for the movie adaptation, she sees her opportunity: if she can shut down production, the Elementia craze won't grow any bigger, and she can finally have a normal life. Not even the rascally-cute actor Eamon O'Brien can get in her way.
But the crew's passion is contagious, and as Iris begins to find herself in the very world she has avoided her whole life, she realizes that this movie might just be amazing…"
I received an advanced reader copy of Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy and was intrigued by the description, although after reading it I feel like the summary kind of buries the lead and doesn't really prepare the reader for what to expect. Iris is forced to take her younger brother to Ireland for the filming of Elementia's first movie after his therapist thinks it's a good idea and her father doesn't want to take him. More than just finding it "a little annoying," Iris is angry and openly hostile toward anything to do with the fantasy world...so how will she react when she finds herself surrounded by a cast and crew that, for the most part, is composed of devout "Thornians," as Elementia fans refer to themselves? As it turns out, not well...but the closer she gets to the cast and the film's director, the more she finds her attitude shifting. Unfortunately, filming is fraught with issues and the movie does not seem to have the support of the film studio backing it. Will Iris have a change of heart in time to appreciate her time in Ireland? Or will the studio cancel filming before she has a chance to realize how precious it is?
Things I loved about the book:
-Iris and Eamon were great characters. Eamon was intriguing from the start, and even when Iris was at her most pessimistic and unlikable I still found myself understanding where she was coming from and sympathizing with her.
-Cate and her strong-woman agenda. I will admit that it got a little over-the-top at times, but overall, I'll give a resounding "hell yeah" to a strong, confident woman who commits herself to teaching another young woman the importance of being strong, speaking up, and lifting other women up.
-The relationship between Iris and her brother and the way that it evolved as the story went on. I loved seeing him get more independent and watching them gain a new appreciation for each other after everything they had been through together.
Things I was a little more meh about:
-The fantasy element. In a world where mind-blowing fantasy worlds exist, it always seems risky to me when a book creates a bestselling fantasy series compared to the works of real-life fantasy bestsellers. The Elementia descriptions included in the book didn't necessarily detract from the story for me, but they also didn't add much to it. The book/movie could have been about anything and provided the same element to the story.
-The ending, man. I'm not going to give anything away, but things wrapped up a little too neatly for me, especially after the overblown ups and downs throughout the book. Speaking of...
-The overblown ups and downs throughout the book. I like a book with some drama. Ask anyone in my book club, and they'll tell you I love a story that makes me emotional. But holy hell, the wild swings from "everything is perfect" to "the world is falling apart" from page to page practically gave me whiplash. Toning it down a notch would have gone a long way to making the characters' experiences more relatable.
Overall, I think this is an ok read. There were things I didn't particularly love about it, but for the most part I enjoyed it. It gets into emotional stuff without getting too heavy, makes you love the characters, and is perfect if you're looking for a light, quick read.
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