That Wasn’t in the Script Is a Picture-Perfect New York Rom-Com

Bow’s Bookshelf

I went into Sarah Ainslee’s debut novel, That Wasn’t in the Script, with modest expectations and ended up loving it. It’s a genderbent retelling of Roman Holiday that doubles as a love letter to the young at heart, a story about making the most of a situation and taking charge of life, with occasional pop culture references sprinkled in. It’s a delightful experience that reminded me why I enjoy the YA genre in the first place: there’s always a little bit of hope, even in the most impossible situations.

That Wasn’t in the Script is told in dual points of view between Josie Bradford, an aspiring screenwriter barely scraping by to save up for college, and Rowan Adler, an A-list actor who stars in the wildly successful (fictional) show Dawn Heights. After a fight with a costar leaves his job in potential jeopardy, Rowan sneaks out of his hotel room and finds himself lost in New York City, passing out from sleeping pills at the restaurant where Josie works, and being literally dragged back to her apartment when she finds she can’t just leave him to his own devices. What starts as a brief encounter quickly evolves when, after awaking the next day, Rowan refuses to go back to his hotel. Josie finds herself roped into experiencing New York with him for the next 24 hours, traversing the subways and consuming an excessive amount of sugar via donuts and cannoli.

Ainslee’s writing is at the heart of what makes this book shine. It’s conversational and flows very naturally, and as a result the exposition in both Josie’s and Rowan’s opening chapters doesn’t feel forced at all, and their internal monologues are genuinely funny due to there being no pretense. The characters make awkward attempts at jokes that don’t always land, they’re judgmental of each other and those around them, they don’t always make smart decisions—in short, they behave like normal teenagers, and Ainslee embraces her characters’ youth rather than downplaying it, something I haven’t seen in a YA novel in a very long time. There are a few references to obscure pop culture, but rather than taking me out of the story, they made me want to do my own research for context (or, in the case of name-dropping the cult horror film The VelociPastor, left me laughing for a solid five minutes with joy at recognizing it).

Josie and Rowan are both solid main characters with their own individual arcs that weave nicely together with their chemistry and mutual pining. Josie is an introvert who loves classic films and is a bit of a loner, but she doesn’t fall into the Not Like Other Girls trap. Her isolation is self-imposed due to her focus on getting into college, not any kind of superiority complex; she laments more friends but knows that financial stability and higher education are more important to her. Rowan, despite being teen heartthrob on the surface, is terrified that his role on Dawn Heights will be his only legacy and that he’ll never have any sense of normalcy due to his fame. He wants to branch out and work on projects that are meaningful but is hesitant with self-doubt and a reluctance to leave the familiarity of his current situation. The two of them spend most of the book completely oblivious to each other’s flirting, which is hilarious all on its own, and the way each thinks the other is out of their league is frustrating but charming with the way they’re stuck in their own heads.

While this is a romantic comedy, Ainslee strikes a good balance between a whirlwind day in New York and contemplations of life and the future, and the book earns its quieter moments with both Josie and Rowan reflecting on past grief and the uncertainty of what’s ahead. They’ve both lost family members they were close to; that pain is still acute even as time has gone on, but they never make each other feel bad for the grief they both still have. They do, however, push each other to step outside their comfort zones, arguing briefly about feeling stuck in their respective situations and becoming frustrated by each other’s hesitancy to embrace uncertainty. What I love the most about Josie and Rowan is that their romance grows right alongside their friendship—supporting each other is at the foundation of their relationship, first and foremost, and despite the short timeframe it has to grow, it’s satisfying to see them open up to each other.

On a more personal note, That Wasn’t in the Script brought back memories of my own first time in New York a couple of years ago, right down to the awe and excitement of being in Times Square surrounded by countless people and wanting to experience as much as possible in a short amount of time. Ainslee is a bit like Taylor Swift in that regard: she’s incredibly talented at capturing a specific moment or feeling and describing it in a way that’s accessible and evocative. This is only her first novel, and I for one am looking forward to any future projects she has planned.

That Wasn’t in the Script is available now. I cannot recommend it enough.