As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter

Lifelong rivals Natalie and Reid have never been on the same team. So when their school’s art budget faces cutbacks, of course Natalie finds herself up against her nemesis once more. She’s fighting to direct the school’s first ever student-written play, but for her small production to get funding, the school’s award-winning band will have to lose it. Reid’s band. And he’s got no intention of letting the show go on.
But when their rivalry turns into an all-out prank war that goes too far, Natalie and Reid have to face the music, resulting in the worst compromise: writing and directing a musical. Together. At least if they deliver a sold-out show, the school board will reconsider next year’s band and theater budget. Everyone could win.
Except Natalie and Reid.
Because after spending their entire lives in competition, they have absolutely no idea how to be co-anything. And they certainly don’t know how to deal with the feelings that are inexplicably, weirdly, definitely developing between them…

This was a sweet and snappy read that kept me glued throughout!

Natalie and Reid have the kind of relationship where it takes effort to antagonize each other. When they’re tired though, they slip into the easy rhythms of knowing each other’s coffee orders and driving across town to get each other’s favorite ice cream toppings. Natalie’s younger sister looks up to Reid as a big brother and Reid calls Natalie’s mom Aunt Shell. They get along so well unless they really try to mess it up. And boy do they try. Well, at least Natalie tries.

Reid definitely came across as the sweet one. Throughout the book, his pranks were always funny and harmless, and he always took the first step to bridge the gap between himself and Natalie. Aside from being focused on his goals, he makes time to help and encourage Natalie even though he has every reason to walk away. Natalie is, very clearly, the snappy one. She always assumes the worst in Reid, and is always hesitant to apologize or admit her own wrongdoings. She grows significantly by the end of the book, but wow does she make some bad decisions. Everyone around her suffers from her rash actions. Still, she is compelling, both for her initial convictions and her eventual willingness to bend and grow. 

The plot was well-paced, and I really liked the idea of the arts programs all coming together in one hail-mary attempt to prove their worth to the school board. It was painfully relatable. Throughout the book, new obstacles are thrown at Natalie and she keeps pushing herself to power through. I’ve also found myself newly interested in musicals after watching In the Heights, so Natalie and Reid’s struggles with their musical were very interesting. 

This book also featured a healthy dose of Jewish representation, which I found very meaningful. Both Natalie and Reid are Jewish, as is Natalie’s close friend Fitz. Throughout the book we get to hear about their culture and festivals, along with some well articulated points about anti semitism and a subplot about being proud of your culture.  

My only issue was that the synopsis was a little bit misleading. There are some basic points that I think could have been better explained. For example, it kind of seems like Natalie is trying to create a new drama program from the ground up but this is actually incorrect; Natalie has been in drama for the past couple of years, and she comes up with an original play idea as a way to circumvent the pricey licensing fees that her club has to pay every year. Additionally, Natalie and Reid are family friends, which I think should have been included. Also, Natalie’s dad is the band teacher, which means that Reid is his protege, and Natalie’s efforts to undermine the band program actually directly affect his job. And Natalie and Reid have always pranked each other; they even wrote a rule book about it when they were children.

Overall though, this book delivered exactly what it promised. As If On Cue blends a handful of delightful plotlines together and packs a solid punch.