aceofclubs's review against another edition
2.0
I did find the plot fairly interesting, if a bit trite. I enjoyed the story. But it really stuck out to me that Ava and her ex had a squicky age gap (she must have been 16 or 17 when they met, and for them to have broken up five times). Then to have Charlotte and Ava’s brother get together with him saying he’d been waiting for years for her to graduate. RED FLAGS!! I really wish YA authors would stop writing these dynamics.
starlitpage's review against another edition
5.0
This book reminds me of all the things I love about Sarah Dessen, but this time the girl gets to fall in love with a girl. I love the way Emi's work in movies spills into metaphors and observations about life. I also love how Los Angeles it is--there is such a strong sense of place, and not just one part of LA. This book gets an unequivocal five stars from me.
glowingreview's review against another edition
3.0
good and SUCH A CUTE COVER but the characters annoyed me?? i love nina lacour's prose though!!
justmeandmybooks_'s review against another edition
5.0
***Actual Review, November 4, 2018 (Aka, like a month and a half later oops)***
Wow. This book was SO GOOD. I have to admit, I didn't have much in the way of expectations. I read We Are Okay, and it just really didn't work for me. But I figured I'd give this one a go. I've heard so much about Nina LaCour, and I'm a sucker for theatre books. (Shhh, movie making counts.)
So I picked this up, and WOW am I glad I did. This book blew me away! It was gorgeous. It was sad, and mysterious, and unique. I loved the characters. I loved the writing. I loved everything about it!
I'm not even kidding, I don't think I have a single complaint about this book. Is it perfect? I'm sure it's not. Did it feel just about perfect? IT SURE DID.
SHORT LIST OF THINGS I LOVED (Because as we've already established there was nothing I didn't like.)
- The CHARACTERS! Emi (our MC) has such a fresh voice, and you just can't help but root for her. Yes, she's really flawed, but that just makes her character all the more wonderful. I loved Emi. I loved her voice. I just loved reading about her!
- The love interest, Ava, was also wonderful! She's such a sweet, kind soul, and I just... I love her! She has so so so much depth, and AHHHH I love her so much!!
- (The side characters were great too, I just can't remember names oops)
- Also can we talk about the ROMANCE! It was so sweet and cute and I loved it!!! SO SWEET! I shipped them HARD. And they just FIT so well together. And I just really loved this romance.
- This book was so full of raw emotion. There was heartbreak and love and sadness and joy, and all of it just leapt of the page and affected me to my very core. Such a beautiful book.
- Oh yeah, and did I mention the writing was GORGEOUS?? I knew it would be, as it was basically the only thing I liked about We Are Okay, and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED. Nina LaCour can WRITE. It's just utterly beautiful.
- I LOVED the theatre aspects of it! Even though Emi designs sets for movies, which is... basically the opposite of where my interest lies, it still has that same FEELING to it. And the theatre atmosphere was perfectly done! Loved it.
- Literally everything else about this book.
Overall? This book was amazing and spectacular and I loved it so much!!! So gorgeous! I cannot recommend this book enough! I LOVED IT.
***Initial Reaction, September 20, 2018***
This book was gorgeous and amazing and about twelve million times better than what I expected! I absolutely could NOT put this down, and it kept me up until almost two in the morning, and I don't even regret it. It was so worth it. RTC.
Wow. This book was SO GOOD. I have to admit, I didn't have much in the way of expectations. I read We Are Okay, and it just really didn't work for me. But I figured I'd give this one a go. I've heard so much about Nina LaCour, and I'm a sucker for theatre books. (Shhh, movie making counts.)
So I picked this up, and WOW am I glad I did. This book blew me away! It was gorgeous. It was sad, and mysterious, and unique. I loved the characters. I loved the writing. I loved everything about it!
I'm not even kidding, I don't think I have a single complaint about this book. Is it perfect? I'm sure it's not. Did it feel just about perfect? IT SURE DID.
SHORT LIST OF THINGS I LOVED (Because as we've already established there was nothing I didn't like.)
- The CHARACTERS! Emi (our MC) has such a fresh voice, and you just can't help but root for her. Yes, she's really flawed, but that just makes her character all the more wonderful. I loved Emi. I loved her voice. I just loved reading about her!
- The love interest, Ava, was also wonderful! She's such a sweet, kind soul, and I just... I love her! She has so so so much depth, and AHHHH I love her so much!!
- (The side characters were great too, I just can't remember names oops)
- Also can we talk about the ROMANCE! It was so sweet and cute and I loved it!!! SO SWEET! I shipped them HARD. And they just FIT so well together. And I just really loved this romance.
- This book was so full of raw emotion. There was heartbreak and love and sadness and joy, and all of it just leapt of the page and affected me to my very core. Such a beautiful book.
- Oh yeah, and did I mention the writing was GORGEOUS?? I knew it would be, as it was basically the only thing I liked about We Are Okay, and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED. Nina LaCour can WRITE. It's just utterly beautiful.
- I LOVED the theatre aspects of it! Even though Emi designs sets for movies, which is... basically the opposite of where my interest lies, it still has that same FEELING to it. And the theatre atmosphere was perfectly done! Loved it.
- Literally everything else about this book.
Overall? This book was amazing and spectacular and I loved it so much!!! So gorgeous! I cannot recommend this book enough! I LOVED IT.
***Initial Reaction, September 20, 2018***
This book was gorgeous and amazing and about twelve million times better than what I expected! I absolutely could NOT put this down, and it kept me up until almost two in the morning, and I don't even regret it. It was so worth it. RTC.
sarlope12's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a cute light easy breezy read which was just what I needed since I've been reading all of these serious books for class. I really liked Ava and Char which is ironic since they aren't even the main character in the novel. The "epic" thing that happened in the apartment kind of took me back. It wasn't what I expected at all, but I LOVED what it was. I also liked that Emi was a lesbian because I haven't read books like that before and I thought that this was a good intro to LGBTQ+ fiction. Overall I would recommend this book because the writing is simple and the book is easy to get into.
youreadtoomuch's review against another edition
3.0
What to expect: queer woc, teenagers with dream jobs, complex family structures, the urge to want a family, an unknown past, homeless youth, happy ending.
Emi Price is just your average, graduating high school senior. At 18, she's charged with designing a room for a major film studio and later on a production designer position for a short film. While dealing between her on-and-off again ex girlfriend and trying to fulfill her brother's requirement to make something great happen before she leaves to college, Emi and Charlotte, her best friend, uncover a mystery lineage of a now deceased famous actor. Ava is not at all what Emi expects but she is so much more.
While I could not put this book down, there were so many points where I found myself cringing. Emi is not your average teenager. Who really lands such an internship and turns out to be immensely talented at it without having any real experience? Yeah, her brother got her the job but still. Also, who gives two teens their own apartment to make memories and who rarely have any adult supervision. From what I can tell, both of their parents are educated and extremely caring of them, why weren't they more involved in the book. Though the book does mention them having to come home once in a while since they really spend anytime home for the two months they have been gifted the apartment.
Anyway, Emi comes off as a niche indie teen who happens to know so much about Los Angeles and the celebrities that have spent time in the city – it's annoying, her spewing off random facts and interests whenever she can. I only really enjoyed her complaining about places calling themselves part of LA when in fact they could not be any more farther than that. Funny.
It's not said if Emi is a lesbian or bisexual but it's easy to deduce she loves girls. And yeah it made me feels so many things and I connected deeply with her and her discovering women and that's one of the aspects I loved the most of this book. Another pleasant surprise was learning Emi is partially black because the book doesn't really describe the characters apart from what they wear or their hair.
Emi Price is just your average, graduating high school senior. At 18, she's charged with designing a room for a major film studio and later on a production designer position for a short film. While dealing between her on-and-off again ex girlfriend and trying to fulfill her brother's requirement to make something great happen before she leaves to college, Emi and Charlotte, her best friend, uncover a mystery lineage of a now deceased famous actor. Ava is not at all what Emi expects but she is so much more.
While I could not put this book down, there were so many points where I found myself cringing. Emi is not your average teenager. Who really lands such an internship and turns out to be immensely talented at it without having any real experience? Yeah, her brother got her the job but still. Also, who gives two teens their own apartment to make memories and who rarely have any adult supervision. From what I can tell, both of their parents are educated and extremely caring of them, why weren't they more involved in the book. Though the book does mention them having to come home once in a while since they really spend anytime home for the two months they have been gifted the apartment.
Anyway, Emi comes off as a niche indie teen who happens to know so much about Los Angeles and the celebrities that have spent time in the city – it's annoying, her spewing off random facts and interests whenever she can. I only really enjoyed her complaining about places calling themselves part of LA when in fact they could not be any more farther than that. Funny.
It's not said if Emi is a lesbian or bisexual but it's easy to deduce she loves girls. And yeah it made me feels so many things and I connected deeply with her and her discovering women and that's one of the aspects I loved the most of this book. Another pleasant surprise was learning Emi is partially black because the book doesn't really describe the characters apart from what they wear or their hair.
stateofcatherine's review against another edition
3.0
i was going to give this book a higher rating bc gay and sweet (though boring at points lol) but then charlotte and toby got together and he told her he was “waiting for her to finish hs” or whatever and that is so creepy
aleshamiller's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0