erinarkin20's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Only Everything by Kieran Scott had a slow start for me but I have to say, once it started moving a bit faster, I found myself enjoying the story. I think what really did it for me were the characters more than anything. Yes, the story is interesting but the way the stories of these characters are intertwined was done well and I found myself really liking each of them.
As the story begins, Eros – the Goddess of Love – has fallen in love with a mortal (Orion) and through the help of her mother, Aphrodite and her sister, Harmonia, she manages to keep him a secret but eventually her father Ares finds out about him and brings them both to Zeus for punishment. As part of her bargain with Zeus, Eros offers to do anything if Zeus spares Orion and he comes up with the idea that he will banish her to earth where she will be mortal and tasked with making three couples fall in love…without using any powers.
Eros definitely struggles as a mortal. She doesn’t quite get that she can’t just do whatever she wants without there being consequences. As she begins her first day of high school, she meets Charlie, another new student and they slowly become friends. This is also right about the same time that True (Eros’ name on earth) decides she is going to help Charlie find a girlfriend. Overall I liked True – she was absolutely not in her element but she has a good heart and was doing what she was for all the right reasons.
Charlie is used to moving around and this is just another school in the list of schools he has already attended. Because his father is a pretty big deal as a high school football coach, the family tends to move every few years. The thing is, Charlie has always been a different than his dad and brothers. They are all athletic and he loves being a musician and happens to be a pretty great drummer. As Charlie begins his first day, he is immediately pulled into the popular crowd because of who is responsible for touring him around and gets talked into trying out for Cross Country. When he makes the team, Charlie realizes things can be different and he can be a “cool” kid but he struggles with the fact that this means he probably can't be himself (according to others).
Katrina has had a really rough year since her father died and while her mother copes by working a lot and making Katrina feel like she isn’t even important to her anymore, she has come to rely more and more on her boyfriend, Ty. Unfortunately, he isn’t the best guy ever and takes advantage of her all the time in addition to treating her like crap quite a bit. Every time I got to a chapter from Katrina’s point of view I just wanted to crawl inside the book and give her a hug.
As the story progresses and these three characters’ stories are woven together, we find out more about each and how they all will have an impact on each other. I really did find myself rooting for all of them and wanted them to get what they wanted/needed. While Charlie and Katrina always tiptoed around the fact that they had feelings for each other, True realized it (after some trial and error) and forced them to see it as well. The addition of Hephaestus to help True get things done was great and I think he created a good balance to the story as well as got True beyond the whole, “I don’t know how to act human” thing.
Obviously this is only one match that True has made so she has two more before she can go back to Mount Olympus. I will definitely check out book two in this series to see what happens next. It appears Zeus has put a little spin on things based on how this book ended so I am curious to see what his real motive is and what he is up to.
Definitely check this out if you are looking for a cute YA romance.
Only Everything by Kieran Scott had a slow start for me but I have to say, once it started moving a bit faster, I found myself enjoying the story. I think what really did it for me were the characters more than anything. Yes, the story is interesting but the way the stories of these characters are intertwined was done well and I found myself really liking each of them.
As the story begins, Eros – the Goddess of Love – has fallen in love with a mortal (Orion) and through the help of her mother, Aphrodite and her sister, Harmonia, she manages to keep him a secret but eventually her father Ares finds out about him and brings them both to Zeus for punishment. As part of her bargain with Zeus, Eros offers to do anything if Zeus spares Orion and he comes up with the idea that he will banish her to earth where she will be mortal and tasked with making three couples fall in love…without using any powers.
Eros definitely struggles as a mortal. She doesn’t quite get that she can’t just do whatever she wants without there being consequences. As she begins her first day of high school, she meets Charlie, another new student and they slowly become friends. This is also right about the same time that True (Eros’ name on earth) decides she is going to help Charlie find a girlfriend. Overall I liked True – she was absolutely not in her element but she has a good heart and was doing what she was for all the right reasons.
Charlie is used to moving around and this is just another school in the list of schools he has already attended. Because his father is a pretty big deal as a high school football coach, the family tends to move every few years. The thing is, Charlie has always been a different than his dad and brothers. They are all athletic and he loves being a musician and happens to be a pretty great drummer. As Charlie begins his first day, he is immediately pulled into the popular crowd because of who is responsible for touring him around and gets talked into trying out for Cross Country. When he makes the team, Charlie realizes things can be different and he can be a “cool” kid but he struggles with the fact that this means he probably can't be himself (according to others).
Katrina has had a really rough year since her father died and while her mother copes by working a lot and making Katrina feel like she isn’t even important to her anymore, she has come to rely more and more on her boyfriend, Ty. Unfortunately, he isn’t the best guy ever and takes advantage of her all the time in addition to treating her like crap quite a bit. Every time I got to a chapter from Katrina’s point of view I just wanted to crawl inside the book and give her a hug.
As the story progresses and these three characters’ stories are woven together, we find out more about each and how they all will have an impact on each other. I really did find myself rooting for all of them and wanted them to get what they wanted/needed. While Charlie and Katrina always tiptoed around the fact that they had feelings for each other, True realized it (after some trial and error) and forced them to see it as well. The addition of Hephaestus to help True get things done was great and I think he created a good balance to the story as well as got True beyond the whole, “I don’t know how to act human” thing.
Obviously this is only one match that True has made so she has two more before she can go back to Mount Olympus. I will definitely check out book two in this series to see what happens next. It appears Zeus has put a little spin on things based on how this book ended so I am curious to see what his real motive is and what he is up to.
Definitely check this out if you are looking for a cute YA romance.
lavendermarch's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book I have read four or five times, and enjoy every time. It's an interesting take on Greek mythology in the modern world, with interesting, endearing characters that are well fleshed out. The plot is well paced and exciting, and I love True. A five star read.
Reread March 11th, 2022
This was a fun reread. True can be a bit irritating at times, but she's always entertaining, and Charlie and Katrina more than balance her out. I love those two, they're super cute. 4 stars.
Reread March 11th, 2022
This was a fun reread. True can be a bit irritating at times, but she's always entertaining, and Charlie and Katrina more than balance her out. I love those two, they're super cute. 4 stars.
hazelstaybookish's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 4-4.5
FREAKING AWESOME. LAUGHED AND FLAILED AND OVERALL ENJOYED. NEED NEXT BOOK!!!!!
FREAKING AWESOME. LAUGHED AND FLAILED AND OVERALL ENJOYED. NEED NEXT BOOK!!!!!
bookmarklit's review against another edition
4.0
This was really cute! It took me a while to get through for some reason, but I definitely enjoyed it. The concept was really fun and I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the trilogy. I like that the books are set up so that True has to get three couples together: one per book. Charlie and Katrina, in this book, were so cute but I wish there was more time with them - more interactions and more swoons and more chemistry. The three different POVs didn't throw me off as I got reading, but was definitely caught off guard at the beginning. It was nice to get into everyone's head, considering all three characters are equally important to the story, but I found myself wishing for a bit more of True's chapters. She's really the main character. Regardless, cute book! Onto number two!
rebar351's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book thoroughly. It was captivating and I love to read books about Gods lately so this was definitely up my Alley. I loved the relationship between Eros and Orion. I also really liked the idea of finding true love and how it doesn't just happen it takes hard work and a real connection has to be present. I couldn't put this book down. I definitely would recommend this book.
ncrabb's review against another edition
4.0
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit I'm a sucker for books wherein angels or mythical deities are sent to Earth to carry out a quest or endure punishment and thereby presumably learn something valuable in the process. When Jill at Rhapsody in Books referenced this title recently, I knew I couldn't escape the torment of wondering whether I would like the book if I left it unread. I snagged the Kindle edition from the library, and even though it was narrated via the synthetic voice in my iPad, so fun and delightful was the book that it overcame the inherent drawbacks of listening to a synthetic narration.
Eros, as it turns out, isn't that short little fat male with the arrows fired at hearts everywhere--the one we call Cupid. Instead, she is youthful, slender, and taller than our image of Cupid, and she is in serious trouble as the book begins. She has fallen in love with Orion, a mortal who has been rescued from the stars. When goddesses fall in love with mortals, it is an unmerciful Zeus who hands down the punishment.
For Eros and her mother, Aphrodite, who apparently is complicit with her, the punishment means being exiled to New Jersey, a special kind of hell, acording to Eros. She's on a deadline if she ever hopes to see her beloved Orion again. She must bring three couples together and ensure that they find love before her time runs out. If she fails, she will never see Orion again. Worse yet, she must do all this without her powers, and that makes for a most interesting experience.
Upon her arrival to Earth, she takes the name of True Olympia. This high school is a veritable mine field, especially when you can no longer read thoughts and understand the intent of someone's heart. But, desperate to be with her beloved Orion again, True bravely sets off to make her matches. But it's far harder than even she thinks.
Charlie is a decent, thoughtful kid who wants to fit in somehow to the new school, but he doesn't want to lose the most important part of his self'-his love of music and his love of creating music.
True immediately assumes that Charlie would be perfectly matched with a flute player in the school band. But to True's consternation, the match is anything but perfect, and she must rethink how these matches get made when she has no special powers.
For Katrina, life has been worse than horrible since her dad died. Once an honors student, she flaked out of those classes after his funeral and began a relationship with a high-school dropout who has gone to work `n the local auto repair shop. But Katrina is a sensitive creative person whose sensitivity and creativity are in danger of being snuffed out by her abusive tyrant boyfriend.
There are some wonderful laugh-out-loud scenes in the book. Taking some bad advice from her clearly distraught mother, True imbibes far too much wine one night, and the hangover scene the following day at school is wonderfully funny. This is a goddess, after all, and goddesses do not throw up, let alone get sick. True has no concept of a hangover, but she learns all about it all too vividly and humorously.
Ultimately, True gets some help mysteriously dispatched from her beloved sister, who was not banished to Earth. That help comes in the form of a god living in human form. He's a wheelchair user, and he's actually hot and popular with the girls at the school. Together, True and Haphaestus work to solve her problem in time.
The best part of the book for me is the message the author sends. True learns that she can be special without special powers. She comes to grips with the idea that you don't need to read minds to help others; instead, you simply need to take the time to observe people and thereby discover what's in their hearts.
I've already put the other two books in the series on my Kindle wish list. Book one ends nicely with a great setup for book two.
Those who follow me here and who have concerns about language or sexual content in what they read can read this without much difficulty. I think I saw maybe four instances of profanity here, and there are no graphic explicit sex scenes. There are depictions of cigarette use, and parents may want to think carefully about whether a early pre-teen should have access to this. But I think the messages delivered here are powerful indeed, and while I'm decidedly not the primary market for this book, even I enjoyed the reminder that you don't need super-abilities to be super.
Last thing: You don't need to be an expert in mythology to enjoy this. Scott makes sure you have sufficient background in the form of scenes that elucidate True's pre-exile memories. This is a light, fun read that will remind you of what it takes to be special. Incidentally, I loved the idea that the guy in the wheelchair isn't the class freak.
Eros, as it turns out, isn't that short little fat male with the arrows fired at hearts everywhere--the one we call Cupid. Instead, she is youthful, slender, and taller than our image of Cupid, and she is in serious trouble as the book begins. She has fallen in love with Orion, a mortal who has been rescued from the stars. When goddesses fall in love with mortals, it is an unmerciful Zeus who hands down the punishment.
For Eros and her mother, Aphrodite, who apparently is complicit with her, the punishment means being exiled to New Jersey, a special kind of hell, acording to Eros. She's on a deadline if she ever hopes to see her beloved Orion again. She must bring three couples together and ensure that they find love before her time runs out. If she fails, she will never see Orion again. Worse yet, she must do all this without her powers, and that makes for a most interesting experience.
Upon her arrival to Earth, she takes the name of True Olympia. This high school is a veritable mine field, especially when you can no longer read thoughts and understand the intent of someone's heart. But, desperate to be with her beloved Orion again, True bravely sets off to make her matches. But it's far harder than even she thinks.
Charlie is a decent, thoughtful kid who wants to fit in somehow to the new school, but he doesn't want to lose the most important part of his self'-his love of music and his love of creating music.
True immediately assumes that Charlie would be perfectly matched with a flute player in the school band. But to True's consternation, the match is anything but perfect, and she must rethink how these matches get made when she has no special powers.
For Katrina, life has been worse than horrible since her dad died. Once an honors student, she flaked out of those classes after his funeral and began a relationship with a high-school dropout who has gone to work `n the local auto repair shop. But Katrina is a sensitive creative person whose sensitivity and creativity are in danger of being snuffed out by her abusive tyrant boyfriend.
There are some wonderful laugh-out-loud scenes in the book. Taking some bad advice from her clearly distraught mother, True imbibes far too much wine one night, and the hangover scene the following day at school is wonderfully funny. This is a goddess, after all, and goddesses do not throw up, let alone get sick. True has no concept of a hangover, but she learns all about it all too vividly and humorously.
Ultimately, True gets some help mysteriously dispatched from her beloved sister, who was not banished to Earth. That help comes in the form of a god living in human form. He's a wheelchair user, and he's actually hot and popular with the girls at the school. Together, True and Haphaestus work to solve her problem in time.
The best part of the book for me is the message the author sends. True learns that she can be special without special powers. She comes to grips with the idea that you don't need to read minds to help others; instead, you simply need to take the time to observe people and thereby discover what's in their hearts.
I've already put the other two books in the series on my Kindle wish list. Book one ends nicely with a great setup for book two.
Those who follow me here and who have concerns about language or sexual content in what they read can read this without much difficulty. I think I saw maybe four instances of profanity here, and there are no graphic explicit sex scenes. There are depictions of cigarette use, and parents may want to think carefully about whether a early pre-teen should have access to this. But I think the messages delivered here are powerful indeed, and while I'm decidedly not the primary market for this book, even I enjoyed the reminder that you don't need super-abilities to be super.
Last thing: You don't need to be an expert in mythology to enjoy this. Scott makes sure you have sufficient background in the form of scenes that elucidate True's pre-exile memories. This is a light, fun read that will remind you of what it takes to be special. Incidentally, I loved the idea that the guy in the wheelchair isn't the class freak.
thebrainlair's review against another edition
3.0
Took a little bit for me to get into but it was a decent read. I can see the students enjoying it and talking up that ending. Will buy for the library.
chinacatsun76's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed for Reading Lark: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-only-everything.html
When I read the synopsis for this book, my immediate thought was that it would either be really good or really bad. Come on - Cupid masquerades as an Earth-bound teenage girl, stripped of her powers and responsible for playing matchmaker for humans in order to lift her banishment from Olympus and be able to see her true love again? And I thought the possibility of it being very, very bad was the most likely of the two. But oh, I was wrong - so very, very wrong! I love this book, like fangirling over Kieran Scott accepting my Goodreads friend request love it. ;)
Because Only Everything has a goddess as it's protagonist, comparisons to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series are inevitable, so I'll get them over with right away. Yes, this is similar, sort of - if 1) Percy was a goddess and 2) was an older, (even more) smart-mouthed, incredibly spoiled, wickedly sarcastic teenage girl who is 3) thrown into this millennium after rescuing Orion from the heavens (yes, that Orion) and 4) had the gift of seeing the absolute absurdities in human behavior.
That last one, the ability to see how absurd our behavior is, is one of the reasons I love True Olympia (Cupid/Eros's Earth pseudonym) and one of the reasons I love this book. As I read about True's first day at school, I had the distinct impression that Kieran Scott had spent some time standing outside of MY 10th grade classroom taking extensive notes, because the descriptions of high school hallways and cafeterias rang SO TRUE. And because she's a stranger in a strange land, True's wit is both sarcastic and naive, an odd combination that endears her to the reader time and time again.
But the thing is, True isn't even really the main character. She is the catalyst (and sometimes obstacle) to get the ball rolling for whatever unsuspecting human she's dedicated herself to matching up with their true love. Her intentions don't begin honorably, but they evolve throughout the course of the book until she really does care about us misguided and flawed humans. In the case of Only Everything, the unsuspecting human is high school transfer student, Charlie. True's attempts at add-water-and-stir matchmaking are misguided and end in predictable debacles and misunderstandings, but it is her reaction to them and undeterred commitment to making a true love match that make the book enjoyable. And Charlie. *sigh* Charlie is Book Boyfriend post-worthy. He's dreamy, and flawed, and normal, and unique, and funny, and serious - and everything I like in a male lead. Just like True is everything I like in a female lead, or any lead for that matter.
Last Word: Only Everything is a fun read that sets itself apart from the usual YA fare with great writing, keen observations about human behavior, and a variety of characters you can't help but love.
When I read the synopsis for this book, my immediate thought was that it would either be really good or really bad. Come on - Cupid masquerades as an Earth-bound teenage girl, stripped of her powers and responsible for playing matchmaker for humans in order to lift her banishment from Olympus and be able to see her true love again? And I thought the possibility of it being very, very bad was the most likely of the two. But oh, I was wrong - so very, very wrong! I love this book, like fangirling over Kieran Scott accepting my Goodreads friend request love it. ;)
Because Only Everything has a goddess as it's protagonist, comparisons to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series are inevitable, so I'll get them over with right away. Yes, this is similar, sort of - if 1) Percy was a goddess and 2) was an older, (even more) smart-mouthed, incredibly spoiled, wickedly sarcastic teenage girl who is 3) thrown into this millennium after rescuing Orion from the heavens (yes, that Orion) and 4) had the gift of seeing the absolute absurdities in human behavior.
That last one, the ability to see how absurd our behavior is, is one of the reasons I love True Olympia (Cupid/Eros's Earth pseudonym) and one of the reasons I love this book. As I read about True's first day at school, I had the distinct impression that Kieran Scott had spent some time standing outside of MY 10th grade classroom taking extensive notes, because the descriptions of high school hallways and cafeterias rang SO TRUE. And because she's a stranger in a strange land, True's wit is both sarcastic and naive, an odd combination that endears her to the reader time and time again.
But the thing is, True isn't even really the main character. She is the catalyst (and sometimes obstacle) to get the ball rolling for whatever unsuspecting human she's dedicated herself to matching up with their true love. Her intentions don't begin honorably, but they evolve throughout the course of the book until she really does care about us misguided and flawed humans. In the case of Only Everything, the unsuspecting human is high school transfer student, Charlie. True's attempts at add-water-and-stir matchmaking are misguided and end in predictable debacles and misunderstandings, but it is her reaction to them and undeterred commitment to making a true love match that make the book enjoyable. And Charlie. *sigh* Charlie is Book Boyfriend post-worthy. He's dreamy, and flawed, and normal, and unique, and funny, and serious - and everything I like in a male lead. Just like True is everything I like in a female lead, or any lead for that matter.
Last Word: Only Everything is a fun read that sets itself apart from the usual YA fare with great writing, keen observations about human behavior, and a variety of characters you can't help but love.