bea__reads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
This is not something I would normally read. It's the first book I received for the U.S. Traveling Book Project.
I'm not one for romance novels and I don't care all that much about the film industry. However, there was something about this story that held my attention. I can't quite describe it. It just felt sort of magical and wistful. It made me feel like, no matter how bad things get or how wrong anything goes, there's always hope for a better future. There's always a way to try again, to make something beautiful out of tragedy. You just have to be brave enough to do it.
More than anything, though, I want to see Yes & Yes.
This is not something I would normally read. It's the first book I received for the U.S. Traveling Book Project.
I'm not one for romance novels and I don't care all that much about the film industry. However, there was something about this story that held my attention. I can't quite describe it. It just felt sort of magical and wistful. It made me feel like, no matter how bad things get or how wrong anything goes, there's always hope for a better future. There's always a way to try again, to make something beautiful out of tragedy. You just have to be brave enough to do it.
More than anything, though, I want to see Yes & Yes.
readswithrosie's review against another edition
5.0
Well. Now I want to be a production designer and prance around LA while visiting flea markets and estate sales of the rich and famous while tracking down a long lost granddaughter of a movie star. On second though- scratch the LA part. The traffic gives me anxiety.
So obviously I’m obsessed with this book- the queer romance, the LA adventures, the room designs, the exploration of movie creation- it’s all just impeccable. And true to Nina LaCour style, this novel explores some deeper messages surrounding friendship, love, authenticity, and resiliency.
Perfect when paired with gooey chocolate brownies and the the sun slowly setting behind the trees. 5 ⭐️
So obviously I’m obsessed with this book- the queer romance, the LA adventures, the room designs, the exploration of movie creation- it’s all just impeccable. And true to Nina LaCour style, this novel explores some deeper messages surrounding friendship, love, authenticity, and resiliency.
Perfect when paired with gooey chocolate brownies and the the sun slowly setting behind the trees. 5 ⭐️
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
5.0
HHHHH I’m not qualified or capable to talk about this book. It’s just the most beautifully gorgeous and atmospheric thing I’ve ever read and I’m obsessed. I’ve now read two books by Nina LaCour and I’m going to tentatively say that she’s one of my new favorite authors. I honestly need to read everything she’s ever written. Her characters are so raw and so well developed and the WRITING I just CANNOT handle. I cried when this book was over... just because I was sad it was over. I don’t even know how to describe this but it is like reading liquid gold and my eyeballs were just blessed for five hours straight. Also... I haven’t finished a physical book that wasn’t a reread in over a month and this I finished in under 48 hours. I just need everyone of ever to read it. Bye now, I’m off to go blabber some more and then probably read some Nina LaCour.
jordynisreading's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good quick read. Light-hearted and funny at times. A bit juvenile for my taste.
ficklefever's review against another edition
4.0
honestly i'm not even surprised that i loved this book because 1. FILMS FILMS FILMS and 2. nina lacour impressed me so much with The Disenchantments so of course i would gobble this one up as well
lyowo's review against another edition
4.0
theres always something fucking magical about nina lacour books istg
sydneythekydneybean's review against another edition
5.0
"I want you to do somthing with this place. Something epic."
Nina LaCour has done good by me. There was nothing wrong with this book and when I mean nothing, I mean nothing. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. There was just so much that I loved. I felt what the characters felt, I was hurt when the characters were hurt and happy when the characters were happy. I absolutely loved the main character so much, she had so much greatness to her in the first chapter. We found out so much about her and I loved it all.
The main character was so lovable. Emi was so relatable that sometimes I forgot I was reading in her perspective instead of being me. She has all the feelings of wanting love but being afraid to love and being hurt and feeling not wanted that I felt that she was an actual person. I loved that she had confidence in her sexuality and she was funny and she was good at what she did and her family was great and she had passion for several things. Emi was great at just being a person. She had a great best friend, Charlotte, who always had her back and hated anyone who hurt her, Morgan, and she was organized and calm when Emi wasn't. When we first went to Clyde Jones house and felt how much Emi loved this actor and his movies and she was talking about it losing her image of Clyde as a cowboy, it felt real. And she talked about how not only her but her whole family, mom and dad and big brother, all loved this... so she grew up with it. She was talking to Charlotte about how great of an actor he was and thought of her brother and got him someting and he was ecstatic when he got it and even knew what movie and which scene it was in. He was a riot.
Nina did a really nicely done job when it came to the movie industry. She had everyone there; the actors, the camera guy, the costume designer and make-up artists, the producer and director, and of course the production designer. She really shined a light onto how much work really needs to be put into a movie for it to become, well, a movie. How much work everyone needs to do. Emi had so much work all the time and I loved getting to see that through her. She had to go through Good Will and garage sales and art festivals to find the perfect everything for the rooms. And she does it so well. She finds that characters personality and transforms them into their rooms. It was perfect.
Lastly, Ava. Ava was a breath of fresh air. She was something I have never seen in a book like this before. Granted, I have never read a book like this. Anyways, I loved her red hair and her green eyes and her Clyde nose and her freckles. She just seemed like the perfect western girl. The perfect granddaughter of a cowboy. And not only that, but she was nice and only wanted love and a family again. And I would too if my "mother" kicked me out of the house because I was gay. She was the one Jesus freak. Did not like her. But she was kind to the girls and fell in love with Emi and gave everything her personal best. She was generous even after she inherited all of that money from Clyde Jones. She never once used it too much. She got what she wanted; a place of her own. And a good one at that. With the view of the ocean, how about that? She was that one person who needed a hug all the time and a happy ever after. I'm glad she found it with Emi.
"He'll grin, say, You made a movie, of course, how perfect.
And I'll say, No, that's not it. He'll cock his head, waiting for more. I'll take my time, keep him guessing.
Then I'll say, I fell in love."
Nina LaCour has done good by me. There was nothing wrong with this book and when I mean nothing, I mean nothing. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. There was just so much that I loved. I felt what the characters felt, I was hurt when the characters were hurt and happy when the characters were happy. I absolutely loved the main character so much, she had so much greatness to her in the first chapter. We found out so much about her and I loved it all.
The main character was so lovable. Emi was so relatable that sometimes I forgot I was reading in her perspective instead of being me. She has all the feelings of wanting love but being afraid to love and being hurt and feeling not wanted that I felt that she was an actual person. I loved that she had confidence in her sexuality and she was funny and she was good at what she did and her family was great and she had passion for several things. Emi was great at just being a person. She had a great best friend, Charlotte, who always had her back and hated anyone who hurt her, Morgan, and she was organized and calm when Emi wasn't. When we first went to Clyde Jones house and felt how much Emi loved this actor and his movies and she was talking about it losing her image of Clyde as a cowboy, it felt real. And she talked about how not only her but her whole family, mom and dad and big brother, all loved this... so she grew up with it. She was talking to Charlotte about how great of an actor he was and thought of her brother and got him someting and he was ecstatic when he got it and even knew what movie and which scene it was in. He was a riot.
Nina did a really nicely done job when it came to the movie industry. She had everyone there; the actors, the camera guy, the costume designer and make-up artists, the producer and director, and of course the production designer. She really shined a light onto how much work really needs to be put into a movie for it to become, well, a movie. How much work everyone needs to do. Emi had so much work all the time and I loved getting to see that through her. She had to go through Good Will and garage sales and art festivals to find the perfect everything for the rooms. And she does it so well. She finds that characters personality and transforms them into their rooms. It was perfect.
Lastly, Ava. Ava was a breath of fresh air. She was something I have never seen in a book like this before. Granted, I have never read a book like this. Anyways, I loved her red hair and her green eyes and her Clyde nose and her freckles. She just seemed like the perfect western girl. The perfect granddaughter of a cowboy. And not only that, but she was nice and only wanted love and a family again. And I would too if my "mother" kicked me out of the house because I was gay. She was the one Jesus freak. Did not like her. But she was kind to the girls and fell in love with Emi and gave everything her personal best. She was generous even after she inherited all of that money from Clyde Jones. She never once used it too much. She got what she wanted; a place of her own. And a good one at that. With the view of the ocean, how about that? She was that one person who needed a hug all the time and a happy ever after. I'm glad she found it with Emi.
"He'll grin, say, You made a movie, of course, how perfect.
And I'll say, No, that's not it. He'll cock his head, waiting for more. I'll take my time, keep him guessing.
Then I'll say, I fell in love."