Scan barcode
A review by kaikai1618
Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
4.5 stars
There is something that sets this book apart from others I have read. When I heard about Nina LaCour's fabulous writing I did not know what I was going to find. This book had the distinct flavor of life mixed with a sort of whimsical feel. I was still engaged though it was not riveting. Life itself is not always riveting. I think that's what so many YA authors always try to do. Put in more drama and more hype to make the story of normal lives more interesting. But this book didn't feel like it was trying hard. We had our originally interesting plot, but the characters were the ones carrying the story. The writing and our MC's thought process within how she viewed the movie world and her job were amazing and beautifully fleshed out. It was such an amazing charm within this book.
Personally I think that a certain style was upheld through the whole book and had lingering ambiance through everything. The book had serious topics within it but it dealt with them well. We had representation of what it's like to be homeless and alone. How life is not always sunsets and pools. The ways that Jamal explains his life in this book got me thinking about my own life. Good books make you think and reflect upon yourself.
I think one of the things I most appreciated about this book was how it was not an insta-love story. There are many novels I have read where the writing and the pacing is so fast and you want the characters to get together because that's all the story has.
I did not feel this with this book at all. Everything felt simple yet complex with many layers underneath each person. The writing had a gradual pacing that felt very realistic and like you were truly saturating yourself into the moments of each day. The romantic relationship was not rushed as one of the characters was in a dark place and was not ready. It was really more about exploring the rawness of Ava and seeing how she heals while finding herself and making a strong friendship with Emi. This does not happen over the course of three days or one week like so many books in YA have. They know each other for about a month of developing their relationship. I think that the timing and the way everything ended up felt very sweet and like a good way to end the book. The relationship never felt excruciatingly slow because somehow the writer made me feel like this felt right. Everything felt like the relationship between Emi and Ava wasn't stumbling over itself.
Like any very good book, I got something from it. Not only did I reflect upon my own privileges and the life I was given when Jamal explained the hardships of his own, but I also feel like I appreciate the craft within films so much more. I'm not in any way someone who looks into films, but "the love" that Emi has for this industry and the pride and care she has for her work was amazing to read about. I loved her narrative. She was such an authentic person who had such good character and a great mindset in how she knew what she wanted for herself. Throughout the book we see that she is strong and independent but in a way that is not constantly bold. Instead we see a more reserved version of strong and independent that I find to be more prevalent in everyday people. Not all people have the attitude to just go out be very bold with their opinions or statements. I find Emi's way of showing how she's strong to resignate more with me as a normal girl growing out of her shell. Emi knew she had to get strong and break ties with Morgan. Then after that we see how she has her vision for things on set and will hunt and persevere. She will fight for what she thinks looks good and right because she knows what she's doing. But that part where she describes how everything comes together, how certain things pop on camera and how much these paintings that I don't usually pay attention to in movies mean. It's all attention to detail. As someone who loves and appreciates art, it was so interesting to have a look into the art within movies. When she described her sets and how everything meant something, I felt "the love"
The entire book had a simple brilliance to it and never felt like it was trying too hard. I could already tell how much attention to detail and real life experiences went into this book without reading the acknowledgements beforehand.
It was Beautifully elegant.
It was Brilliant.
There is something that sets this book apart from others I have read. When I heard about Nina LaCour's fabulous writing I did not know what I was going to find. This book had the distinct flavor of life mixed with a sort of whimsical feel. I was still engaged though it was not riveting. Life itself is not always riveting. I think that's what so many YA authors always try to do. Put in more drama and more hype to make the story of normal lives more interesting. But this book didn't feel like it was trying hard. We had our originally interesting plot, but the characters were the ones carrying the story. The writing and our MC's thought process within how she viewed the movie world and her job were amazing and beautifully fleshed out. It was such an amazing charm within this book.
Personally I think that a certain style was upheld through the whole book and had lingering ambiance through everything. The book had serious topics within it but it dealt with them well. We had representation of what it's like to be homeless and alone. How life is not always sunsets and pools. The ways that Jamal explains his life in this book got me thinking about my own life. Good books make you think and reflect upon yourself.
I think one of the things I most appreciated about this book was how it was not an insta-love story. There are many novels I have read where the writing and the pacing is so fast and you want the characters to get together because that's all the story has.
I did not feel this with this book at all. Everything felt simple yet complex with many layers underneath each person. The writing had a gradual pacing that felt very realistic and like you were truly saturating yourself into the moments of each day. The romantic relationship was not rushed as one of the characters was in a dark place and was not ready. It was really more about exploring the rawness of Ava and seeing how she heals while finding herself and making a strong friendship with Emi. This does not happen over the course of three days or one week like so many books in YA have. They know each other for about a month of developing their relationship. I think that the timing and the way everything ended up felt very sweet and like a good way to end the book. The relationship never felt excruciatingly slow because somehow the writer made me feel like this felt right. Everything felt like the relationship between Emi and Ava wasn't stumbling over itself.
Like any very good book, I got something from it. Not only did I reflect upon my own privileges and the life I was given when Jamal explained the hardships of his own, but I also feel like I appreciate the craft within films so much more. I'm not in any way someone who looks into films, but "the love" that Emi has for this industry and the pride and care she has for her work was amazing to read about. I loved her narrative. She was such an authentic person who had such good character and a great mindset in how she knew what she wanted for herself. Throughout the book we see that she is strong and independent but in a way that is not constantly bold. Instead we see a more reserved version of strong and independent that I find to be more prevalent in everyday people. Not all people have the attitude to just go out be very bold with their opinions or statements. I find Emi's way of showing how she's strong to resignate more with me as a normal girl growing out of her shell. Emi knew she had to get strong and break ties with Morgan. Then after that we see how she has her vision for things on set and will hunt and persevere. She will fight for what she thinks looks good and right because she knows what she's doing. But that part where she describes how everything comes together, how certain things pop on camera and how much these paintings that I don't usually pay attention to in movies mean. It's all attention to detail. As someone who loves and appreciates art, it was so interesting to have a look into the art within movies. When she described her sets and how everything meant something, I felt "the love"
The entire book had a simple brilliance to it and never felt like it was trying too hard. I could already tell how much attention to detail and real life experiences went into this book without reading the acknowledgements beforehand.
It was Beautifully elegant.
It was Brilliant.