A Show for Two

by Tashie Bhuiyan

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Swoony and bingeworthy, A Show for Two is a YA romance that will have you crinkling your nose and smiling like a dork the entire time. With a celebrity attending high school under a secret identity and an aspiring screenwriter luring him into her film competition, this must-read is sure to be your new favorite romance!

"Wholly heartwarming and enchanting." —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends

New from the author of Counting Down with You comes a sparkling YA romance about an aspiring screenwriter who falls for the indie film star who goes undercover at her school.

All Mina Rahman wants is to finally win the Golden Ivy student film competition, get into her dream school, and leave New York City behind for good. When indie film star Emmitt Ramos enrolls in her high school under a secret identity to research his next role, he agrees to star in her short film for the competition…if she acts as his NYC tour guide.

As Mina ventures across the five boroughs with Emmitt, the city she grew up in starts to look more like home than it ever has before. Suddenly, Mina’s dreams—which once seemed impenetrable—begin to crumble, and she’s forced to ask herself: Is winning worth losing everything?

Praise for Counting Down with You
“I. Love. This. Book.” —Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift
“Steals your heart from start to finish.” —Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of You Have a Match
“Hand to fans of Netflix hit Never Have I Ever.” —Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781335424563
Publisher:	Inkyard Press
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	616,697
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Tashie Bhuiyan is the author of Counting Down with You, A Show for Two, and Stay with My Heart. She’s a New Yorker through and through, and hopes to change the world, one book at a time. She loves writing stories about girls with wild hearts, boys who wear rings, and gaining agency through growth. When she's not doing that, she can be found in a Chipotle or bookstore, insisting 2010 is the best year in cinematic history (read: Tangled and Inception). Visit her online at @tashiebhuiyan or tashiebhuiyan.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/20/2022

Seventeen-year-old New Yorker Samina “Mina” Rahman dreams of escaping her hometown for greener pastures in Bhuiyan’s (Counting Down with You) heartwarming novel. Mina’s Bangladeshi Muslim parents feel that studying film at the University of Southern California isn’t a practical life plan. Determined to prove that her dreams have value, Mina enters the Golden Ivy Film Festival, a student film contest whose grand prize is much-needed scholarship money. Struggling to cast a lead for her project, Mina approaches Chinese and Spanish indie London film star Emmitt Ramos, who’s currently undercover at Mina’s school preparing for a role. Though they immediately dislike each other, Mina and Emmitt strike a deal: he’ll star in her film if she’ll be his N.Y.C. tour guide. As the duo traipse across the city, they slowly warm to each other, and Mina realizes that maybe there are things in her own backyard worth staying for. Bhuiyan artfully blends Mina’s eclectic Desi diaspora community and N.Y.C.’s racially diverse population with conversations about Hollywood’s overwhelming whiteness to explore themes of home and belonging. Witty banter, energetic characters, and a bustling setting make for a hopeful read. Ages 13–up. Agent: JL Stermer, New Leaf Literary and Media. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Wholly heartwarming and enchanting. A Show for Two pulls you on an absolutely breathless journey through New York City. You’ll fall head-over-heels in love with these characters while they fall in love with each other. Tashie Bhuiyan is a force to be reckoned with." —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends

"Tender and bittersweet, A Show for Two is an honest, clear-eyed look at the inevitability of pain even in the ferocious pursuit of happiness. You’ll stand up and cheer for Mina Rahman." —Tahereh Mafi, New York Times bestselling author of Shatter Me

"An endearing story of rediscovery that brings out tears of both laughter and heartbreak." —Kirkus Reviews

"Bhuiyan’s tale covers Mina’s emotional journey, ranging from heart wrenching to joyous... Many teens will relate to Mina’s struggle and resolution." —Booklist

"A love letter to finding your passion without losing yourself." —SLJ

Praise for Counting Down with You

"I’m completely heart-eyed over this book. With a voice that blends pitch-perfect humor and tremendous compassion, Counting Down With You is an ode to anyone who’s dreamed of a path different from the one carved out for them. A lovely, romantic debut that shimmers with hope." —Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow

"A witty, romantic, deeply insightful debut that steals your heart from start to finish. Only read this in public if you're prepared to laugh out loud, blush, and occasionally cry in front of strangers." —Emma Lord, author of Tweet Cute

"I. Love. This. Book. I adore the emotional depth that Bhuiyan gives to Karina, and I am reminded of the power of contemporary fiction to both shine a light and uplift those of us who have been largely ignored." —Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift and Each of Us a Desert

"Tashie Bhuiyan has done an excellent job of portraying the conflicts faced by many South Asian diaspora kids in this debut. Counting Down with You is a must-have addition to any YA bookshelf." —Sabina Khan, author of Zara Hossain Is Here and The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

"A brisk and buoyant YA romance anchored by well-drawn family dynamics and anxiety issues. I loved it!" —Jenn Bennett, author of Alex, Approximately

From the Publisher

05/01/2022

Gr 9 Up—Mina's senior year feels like the end of a prison sentence before she escapes New York City and her strict, unforgiving Bangladeshi Muslim parents for film school. Winning the Golden Ivy Film Competition is her ticket out, but she needs a celebrity cameo to seal the deal. Enter Emmitt Ramos, an up-and-coming indie movie star who happens to be undercover at Mina's school. Emmitt, of Chinese and Spanish descent, and Mina get off to a catastrophically bad start, but when he needs a local to help him scout spots for a photography contest, he and Mina come to an agreement. Soon, their forced friendship blooms into more, and Mina and Emmitt both learn that running away is harder when you've found your true home. This book is a love letter to finding your passion without losing yourself and was inspired by the author's own experience of Tom Holland attending her high school. VERDICT Ideal for upper-YA readers who are thinking about the future, enjoy authentic representations of depression, and don't mind a fair bit of cursing.—Aryssa Damron

School Library Journal

2022-03-02
Samina Rahman can’t wait to leave New York for California: Will she rediscover her love for New York City before she heads off to college?

Seventeen-year-old Mina dreams of the day she can leave home and enter the University of Southern California, where she hopes to study business and film in the fall. The Bangladeshi Muslim teen’s golden ticket comes in the form of a prestigious film festival that offers a scholarship for the winner of the student film competition. As co-president of the film club at her high school along with her gay White best friend, Rosie Hardy, Mina is laser focused on winning. Enter Emmitt Ramos, a Chinese and Spanish indie film star from London who has gone undercover at Mina’s high school in preparation for his upcoming movie. Mina and Emmitt get off to a rocky start after she figures out who he really is, but with one another they slowly start to uncover parts of themselves that they keep hidden from the rest of the world. Mina has a well-developed and well-rounded character arc. Bhuiyan captures the internal struggles of belonging to the South Asian diaspora by exploring both Mina’s strained relationship with her parents and her loving and protective relationship with her sister, Anam.

An endearing story of rediscovery that brings out tears of both laughter and heartbreak. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews