A review by hnagle15
Everything Leads to You, by Nina LaCour
3.0
I should start off this review by saying I’m not really one for YA contemporary. I don’t really enjoy stories focused on finding “the one,” but this was widely recommended to me, so I went for it.
What I enjoyed:
- I liked the representation of LGBTQ+ community. It was nice to have a story with a lesbian lead that didn’t end tragically. I also enjoyed that Emi’s sexuality wasn’t the entire focus of the novel. There was no coming out or inner battle – it was fact. Emi is a lesbian.
- I liked the good, solid, female friendship between Charlotte and Emi. I think it’s really important to have strong female friendships because so often in novels we read about how one stabbed the other in the back and the book is either about revenge or getting over it. Charlotte and Emi were two friends who were there for each other. I especially loved that despite Charlotte openly disliking Morgan (Emi’s ex), she was supportive in any way she could be.
What I disliked:
- I felt like that while the characters were 18, they acted like they were in their late twenties. I really dislike when that happens (lookin’ at you, John Green), and find it makes the characters unrelatable.
- On that note, the characters were unrelatable in another way too. While Emi and Charlotte had super cool jobs, they weren’t jobs that the majority of the book’s audience could relate too (I’m assuming, anyway). It was neat to learn about work in the movies, but I felt like it was discussed ad nauseam. Everything was spun around to be a movie. Ava looks pretty in her apartment? Emi thinks about how that scene would play out if it were being shot. Ava looks sad? Again with the movie montage. I found myself rolling my eyes after a while because it felt so pretentious.
- Speaking of pretentious –what was with that frickin Ethiopian tea?! I get it, Toby is super special and got it from the market down the street and only he can get it by the jug full, but I don’t need to hear about it 500 times!
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Overall, this is a light, fluffy summer read and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a quick beach read!
What I enjoyed:
- I liked the representation of LGBTQ+ community. It was nice to have a story with a lesbian lead that didn’t end tragically. I also enjoyed that Emi’s sexuality wasn’t the entire focus of the novel. There was no coming out or inner battle – it was fact. Emi is a lesbian.
- I liked the good, solid, female friendship between Charlotte and Emi. I think it’s really important to have strong female friendships because so often in novels we read about how one stabbed the other in the back and the book is either about revenge or getting over it. Charlotte and Emi were two friends who were there for each other. I especially loved that despite Charlotte openly disliking Morgan (Emi’s ex), she was supportive in any way she could be.
What I disliked:
- I felt like that while the characters were 18, they acted like they were in their late twenties. I really dislike when that happens (lookin’ at you, John Green), and find it makes the characters unrelatable.
- On that note, the characters were unrelatable in another way too. While Emi and Charlotte had super cool jobs, they weren’t jobs that the majority of the book’s audience could relate too (I’m assuming, anyway). It was neat to learn about work in the movies, but I felt like it was discussed ad nauseam. Everything was spun around to be a movie. Ava looks pretty in her apartment? Emi thinks about how that scene would play out if it were being shot. Ava looks sad? Again with the movie montage. I found myself rolling my eyes after a while because it felt so pretentious.
- Speaking of pretentious –what was with that frickin Ethiopian tea?! I get it, Toby is super special and got it from the market down the street and only he can get it by the jug full, but I don’t need to hear about it 500 times!
-
Spoiler
I think the thing I dislike the most about YA contemporary is that it all wraps up so nicely. Ava got the part, she got the money, found the story of her mother. Toby and Charlotte declared their mutual love, and Ava and Emi did the same. It’s just not for me, I like a good story but not everything needs to happen so neatly. I just don’t find it realistic.Overall, this is a light, fluffy summer read and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a quick beach read!