Everything Leads to You is a sweet f/f romance with a bit of mystery, a vulnerable and lovable main character, and a great behind the scenes look at set design for movies. My one quibble is how much older than her age Emi seems, living nearly independently and fully employed in the movies despite just graduating high school. I‘ve discovered that I love Jorjeana Marie narrating first person YA narrators in audiobooks. Here she lends Emi the little extra innocence she needs to add realism. ( )

Emi is a set designer for Hollywood movies!! I mean, how cool is that?? The problem is she's just been dumped by her girlfriend for the 7th time. Then while scouting out props for work, Emi and her BFF Charlotte find themselves in the middle of an old Hollywood mystery which leads them to.... Ava. Ava's life is in chaos, but Emi and Charlotte bring answers to big questions for her. They lead her into a new life, a life that she was meant for. And she leads Emi to finding out about relationships and what love really is.

My Thoughts:
Okay so let me get this out of my system: !!?!??*&^%^$ DID YOU SEE THAT COVER??? I'm obsessed. Now moving on.... This is one of the most beautifully written books that I have ever read. I was expecting excellence from Nina LaCour because I've read her other books, but I was not expecting THIS. It seriously blew me away. I am in awe. There really are not adequate words to describe the level that this writing is on.

Now I didn't love everything about the book. Even the best writing in the world isn't enough for a book to become one of my favorites. This one is pretty close, but I don't think it's going to make the fav list for the long haul. Reason? I didn't LOVE Emi. Emi has this really cool job and she kind of wears her heart on her sleeve, which is endearing. But then she meets Ava and that whole thing just felt off to me. Like Emi was always wanting to see Ava how SHE wanted to see her. She wanted the fantasy and the minute the curtain started to come back, Emi would withdraw. I didn't like that. Ava does not need to be anything other than herself. She doesn't need to be a mystery, she doesn't need to be perfect, and if you like her, then you should accept the fact that she's damaged and doesn't always act how you would act. Basically Emi had her on a pedestal and wanted her to stay there for far too long.

Now that that's off my chest, I want to tell you everything I loved about this book. I loved seeing movies from behind the scenes. I loved how Emi notices THINGS, like just everyday objects, and what they say about a person. It's something I never really think about, but it's SO interesting. Like if you go into a person's house without knowing them, and get to know them just by looking at the stuff they chose to buy and where they chose to place it. I wouldn't think that my choice of throw pillow would really say that much about me, but apparently it does. How cool is that?

I also really enjoyed the mystery that surrounds Ava's lineage. It was a really fun part of the book and took the focus off of the Morgan/Emi thing just when it started getting to be overkill. Another thing that I want to mention is that if you are looking for a book about friendship, look no further. Emi and her best friend Charlotte have such a solid, sweet friendship. I wish there were more friendships like theirs in YA books. It made me feel all warm inside.

OVERALL: YES!!! Some of the best writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading in YA. It's about a girl who designs sets for movies and how she gets drawn into a Hollywood ancestry mystery. Anyone who likes YA Contemporary should try this book!

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What I liked:
-LA setting, especially because I was on my way to LA when I read it.
-General air of glamor and decadence. The MC leads a delightful life where everything goes her way, except for a few interpersonal problems here and there.
-Sweet, light lesbian love story.
-Different from a lot of other YA books because school and parents are a total non-issue for the MC. The character seemed old for 17 (or 18, I forget), which I bought while reading the story, but it almost seemed as if the novel should have been about a 22 year old. I bet there's an interesting story behind how this came to be a YA book.

What I didn't like:
-The cover! Since the book is about a brilliant young designer who helps create the sets for movies, the cover should have reflected that with a gorgeous, atmospheric design. Instead it was boring and generic and tells you nothing. Even the font disappointed me. I also think it's a mild case of white washing. I don't remember the main character's appearance being described, but it is mentioned that she is biracial (three of her grandparents were white, one was African-American) and light-skinned. That doesn't make me think: ivory skin and straight blonde hair. The copy I read was an ARC that I got for free at the Rainbow Book Fair (Penguin Random is so fancy they didn't sell books, they just gave them away)--so I was positive the real cover would be better. But it's the same.

I am transferring my reviews from Booklikes over to Goodreads because, I dunno, I have too much time on my hands. ( )

Girls fall in love and no one dies!!!! God I needed this right now. ( )