Emi puts her heart and soul into her job, and her passion, talent and pride for her work shows. This dedication and focus was incredibly inspiring, especially when she had to struggle against real life career setbacks, such as limited budget, no pay and your boss not liking your ideas. You know the immensity of what you have and you protect it.”Įmi’s role as an intern designer on a movie set was a fascinating part of the novel – it’s not often we learn about how movie sets are put together. You don’t say stop and start over and over, like you’re playing some kind of sport. It’s such a tentative journey, with both girls needing to work through their own lives but discovering parts of each other they loved. I loved how the romance was for all the right reasons, how Ava and Emi appreciated each other for who they were not who they wanted them to be or because it was convenient. This is how I think LGBT and diversity should be done – it’s just a part of the story, but not the ONLY part of the story.Įmi’s romantic journey is tumultuous, as she learns to figure out what love she deserves. She doesn’t need to be shouting it from the rooftops or even broadcasting it to everyone she knows, she just lets it happen. Liking other girls is something that she’s comfortable with and is a part of her. Unlike other LGBT books, Everything Leads to You is not purely about Emi’s sexuality. “She’s the perfect person to be cast into this life: so beautiful and kind, so sad beneath all of that charm.” There’s a mystery and magic surrounding Ava, she’s a muse who is a blood relative to fame, and Emi just wants to know her. The novel starts off with a mystery, where Emi and her best friend Charlotte stumble upon a movie star’s inheritance letter, which leads them to Ava, a budding starlet who just wants to know who her parents are. As a completely enchanting, elegant exploration of movie making in LA, it’s a story of hope, a young starlet and a designer, artistic passion and love that only grows when you give it a chance. It’s not often I rate a contemporary 5 stars, but Everything Leads To You deserves every accolade.

And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention.

Published by Dutton Books on May 15, 2014Ī love letter to the craft and romance of film and fate in front of-and behind-the camera from the award-winning author of Hold Still.Ī wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.Įmi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess.

Everything leads to you by nina lacour