s_monia Reviews

See You on Venus (2023)

A YA romance that feels just like the good old teen romance movies

[8/10 · 11 August 2023]

Two strangers: Mia, an orphaned girl, and Kyle, a boy reeling from the guilt of a fatal accident, hit the road to find Mia's biological mother. The characters are likeable, their journey is all fun and the Spanish scenery is just beautiful. The story is emotional and a little bit of a tearjerker, too.

Unlike recent YA movies (After, Through My Window, Beautiful Disaster, My Fault), this one is not centered on fighting & sex scenes; instead, it gives off the vibes of good old romances about young love from several years ago. It's the right choice if you want to watch something sweet & cute at the weekend or on a Friday night.

Close to the Horizon (2019)

One of the most emotional and powerful love stories that will resonate with you

[10/10 · 6 August 2023]

This story focuses on numerous heavy topics we don't see in movies for young adults that frequently. And the fact that it is actually based on a true story only makes it even more heartbreaking. It hit me right where my heart is. This is more than just an ordinary love story you usually read books or watch movies about; it's an extraordinary story about deep and pure love, hope, bravery, injustice and pain.

It's one of the most emotional and powerful love stories that will resonate with you long, long after you finish watching the movie. Definitely not an easy watch and it will take me a long time to process everything. It's definitely not a typical teen romance drama we're so used to seeing on screen; this story is a lot, lot more than that.

If you're a fan of Nicholas Sparks' stories or Jojo Moyes' Me Before You, you'll definitely love this one as well. Or if you just love eye-opening stories that touch your soul and make you think.

Also, this movie is based on a book written by Jessica Koch which I read afterwards and I must say, this movie is just a glimpse of everything the book covers and only provides a shortened and simplified version of this beautiful and heartbreaking story. The book goes even more deeper and a lot more topics are actually discussed in it. If you liked the movie, give the book a chance as well, it's worth it, it will forever change the way you see the world.

P. S. If you want to fully enjoy the movie without any spoilers, I recommend you not to watch the trailer first; it might ruin the big "revelation" that so got me... I'm so glad I usually don't watch trailers at all. When it came to that scene, I was 99 % sure he'd say he had cancer, but actually... 😱