Clemmie Judges

EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU

BOOK INFO

Title: Everything Leads to You

Author: Nina LaCour

Pages: 307

Publication date: May 15th 2014

Description: A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.

Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She's enigmatic.... She's beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi's understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

REVIEW

Alright, so. This is going to be short. Why? Because it's a short read. Like, a really short read. Like, an I-just-finished-it-all-in-a-day short. 

"Oh, no," you might be wondering, "is it bad?"

No, actually. It's good. It's really good. After reading the boring book that is Dare Me, I was sort of dreading reading this book. Especially with how mysterious and bland the description is. I thought it would be a meh book, or at least, a book that's hard to read. Boy was I wrong.

The way I would describe this book is what Jon Bellion describes women: simple and sweet.

And it is so refreshing! The characters are wholesome and nice. The POV is unique and fun because it's told through the eyes of an amateur set designer. It's also super informative, which always counts as a plus in my eyes! I also love the attention to details the writer has. She'd put in one small thing, then have it come back later on. It's not even anything significant, and it's fine if you miss it. But it's nice, you know? Having little easter eggs in a writing. Like references and callbacks. It makes you feel like the writer cares. Because she does.

And the chapters! I like how each chapters end! They're all so satisfying! It's like they're all their own mini stories! No cliffhangers, or anything like that. And the pacing? Man! It's quick and bold and perfect! This is the sort of pacing I want to have in my own story! That's how good it is!

One major complaint that I have is the dialogues. No, they're not bad, per se, but they're just not realistic, which can break the immersion. I understand wanting the characters to say quotable words, but honestly? None of it sticks out to me. The only dialogue that does stick out to me isn't even that memorable. 

Another complaint is that the characters don't have any distinction from one another. Like, yes, their personalities are different, but I don't know. Except for the main character and Ava, everyone's a bit flat. 

My last complaint isn't a complaint; it's a nitpick, and it's about how simple and sweet it is. I think that's what keeps this from being an "oh wow" book. Yes, it touches on heavy subjects, but it doesn't dive deep into any of them. Not as much as I'd like. Yes, there are sad moments, but they could be sadder. And the struggles could be harder. And, well, a lot of the time I could predict what's about to happen, but I don't think that's the book's fault. I think it's because I'm someone who's studied the arts of writing.

But again, these are all nitpicks, and this is still a wonderful book.

Simple and sweet, like I said. 

Rating: 8/10

Good for: Lazy days, nothing too serious, Hollywood-esque, fluffiness, sapphic love stories, awesome aesthetics.

Not good for: Seriousness, something plot-driven, realism.