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zackarinareads's review against another edition
2.0
I had low expectations going into this book and it just didn't surpass them.
It had neither the lovely, kind of short-story-like writing style, nor the adorable characters that I'm used to from other novels of this author.
The protagonist Colby was plainly obsessed with his best friend Bev but to me it seemed much less romantic than for example Quentin in "Paper Towns".
The story got better towards the end but I saw most of the solutions to the Colby's problems coming beforehand.
Overall, the book does not live up to the other great novels by Nina LaCour.
It had neither the lovely, kind of short-story-like writing style, nor the adorable characters that I'm used to from other novels of this author.
The protagonist Colby was plainly obsessed with his best friend Bev but to me it seemed much less romantic than for example Quentin in "Paper Towns".
The story got better towards the end but I saw most of the solutions to the Colby's problems coming beforehand.
Overall, the book does not live up to the other great novels by Nina LaCour.
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
2.0
From my blog Auntie Spinelli Reads
2.5/5
I'd say I was disappointed, but to be honest I didn't go into this one with very high hopes. Then why the crap did you even read it, you ask? Well, I thought to broaden my reading horizons. Brilliant idea, Geo. *sarcasm*
I think the issue here is that this book just wasn't for me. I love music, yes, but all of the bands mentioned in this book were either ones I hadn't heard, or just plain hadn't heard of. The Supremes, The Runaways, The Chiffons, Riot Grrrls, Bikini Kill. I don't listen to much punk rock because it grates on my nerves. Plus I'm not really into 60's and 70's music (yeah, I know, some of it was 90's, but still). So I kinda tuned out whenever they started talking about these bands.
I was bored. Like, near narcolepsy bored. There wasn't much happening for the majority of the story, and to be honest I had a hard time connecting with the story and the characters both. The characters seemed terribly two-dimensional with little to no personality. Through most of the book I could hardly tell the difference between Meg and Alexa, and Bev acted like such an aloof bitch that I couldn't see Colby's infatuation with her. Oh, did I mention this book is narrated by the only boy in the story? That was a shocker, considering the cover. Honestly, if he hadn't stated in the beginning that he was indeed a male, I probably wouldn't have figured it out until at least halfway through.
While Colby and Bev's relationship was a disaster, I kinda understood it because I've been through something similar. Not knowing how the other person really feels because they send mixed signals, being stuck in some terrible limbo with them because you don't know what lines you can cross and what lines you can't cross. That was probably the only way I connected with this book at all.
I never did figure out what year it was. It didn't seem like present day, though. It had more of a 80's feel to it, but it couldn't be because some of the bands mentioned wouldn't have been formed yet. If you didn't know by now, world building is really important to me. I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS.
I found it strange that the kids would trust complete strangers so easily. Going into a random guy's basement, meeting up with a couple they don't know (after dark) that lets them stay in their house overnight....seriously, these days that would be the start of a horror movie. And who flies across the world with someone they just met? That's absurd.
There were some things I did like, particularly the whole story surrounding the bird painting and tattoo. Plus the book was kind of about finding yourself and learning to let go and move on. Overall, it did have its moments. But it wasn't anything spectacular, and for me it was forgettable.
Favorite quotes:
"They make quite the band," he says.
"That's a nice way to put it."
"At first I thought they might just need a minute to warm up."
"No," I say. "This is what they sound like."
"Last summer the house next to me was under construction," he says. "It kinda sounded like this."
You get close to people. You get farther from them. You learn how much you love them, and then you say goodbye, believing that you will be together again, someday, when your lives curve back into one another's.
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 2.5/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Pace: 2/5
Cover: 3.5/5
2.5/5
I'd say I was disappointed, but to be honest I didn't go into this one with very high hopes. Then why the crap did you even read it, you ask? Well, I thought to broaden my reading horizons. Brilliant idea, Geo. *sarcasm*
I think the issue here is that this book just wasn't for me. I love music, yes, but all of the bands mentioned in this book were either ones I hadn't heard, or just plain hadn't heard of. The Supremes, The Runaways, The Chiffons, Riot Grrrls, Bikini Kill. I don't listen to much punk rock because it grates on my nerves. Plus I'm not really into 60's and 70's music (yeah, I know, some of it was 90's, but still). So I kinda tuned out whenever they started talking about these bands.
I was bored. Like, near narcolepsy bored. There wasn't much happening for the majority of the story, and to be honest I had a hard time connecting with the story and the characters both. The characters seemed terribly two-dimensional with little to no personality. Through most of the book I could hardly tell the difference between Meg and Alexa, and Bev acted like such an aloof bitch that I couldn't see Colby's infatuation with her. Oh, did I mention this book is narrated by the only boy in the story? That was a shocker, considering the cover. Honestly, if he hadn't stated in the beginning that he was indeed a male, I probably wouldn't have figured it out until at least halfway through.
While Colby and Bev's relationship was a disaster, I kinda understood it because I've been through something similar. Not knowing how the other person really feels because they send mixed signals, being stuck in some terrible limbo with them because you don't know what lines you can cross and what lines you can't cross. That was probably the only way I connected with this book at all.
I never did figure out what year it was. It didn't seem like present day, though. It had more of a 80's feel to it, but it couldn't be because some of the bands mentioned wouldn't have been formed yet. If you didn't know by now, world building is really important to me. I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS.
I found it strange that the kids would trust complete strangers so easily. Going into a random guy's basement, meeting up with a couple they don't know (after dark) that lets them stay in their house overnight....seriously, these days that would be the start of a horror movie. And who flies across the world with someone they just met? That's absurd.
There were some things I did like, particularly the whole story surrounding the bird painting and tattoo. Plus the book was kind of about finding yourself and learning to let go and move on. Overall, it did have its moments. But it wasn't anything spectacular, and for me it was forgettable.
Favorite quotes:
"They make quite the band," he says.
"That's a nice way to put it."
"At first I thought they might just need a minute to warm up."
"No," I say. "This is what they sound like."
"Last summer the house next to me was under construction," he says. "It kinda sounded like this."
You get close to people. You get farther from them. You learn how much you love them, and then you say goodbye, believing that you will be together again, someday, when your lives curve back into one another's.
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 2.5/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Pace: 2/5
Cover: 3.5/5
bestofjess's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
This was a wonderful coming of age story told from the point of view of a teenage boy, Colby who has just graduated high school and is on tour with his best friend's all girl rock band. The greatest part of the band is that they openly admit they are awful but they love it anyway. After the tour Colby and his BFF Bev are supposed to set off on a European adventure for a year but out of the blue Bev changes her mind.
Colby's self-discovery is a wonderful journey of love, friendship, indecision and heartache, but what captured me the most was the way all of the random people they met touched them somehow.
All in all a great read!
This was a wonderful coming of age story told from the point of view of a teenage boy, Colby who has just graduated high school and is on tour with his best friend's all girl rock band. The greatest part of the band is that they openly admit they are awful but they love it anyway. After the tour Colby and his BFF Bev are supposed to set off on a European adventure for a year but out of the blue Bev changes her mind.
Colby's self-discovery is a wonderful journey of love, friendship, indecision and heartache, but what captured me the most was the way all of the random people they met touched them somehow.
All in all a great read!
jenn_the_unicorn's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cherrymerlot's review against another edition
1.0
EDIT: Went back and finished it. Still thought it sucked.
--
DNF at 81%. Maybe I'll finish the last bit off much, much later, when I'm not so annoyed. For now--it's a 1 star DNF.
I can't even remember the last time I read a book in which I cared about almost no one? I enjoyed some secondary characters, but Bev and Colby were so unlikeable. Bev was unbearably evasive, cowardly, and deceitful. Colby thought the sun shined out of her ass, so of course I wasn't into him either. He was a pushover, and his voice did not sound authentically male. Alexa and Meg were almost interchangeable at first. Eventually I did get a sense of their separate personalities, but I still found them both to be quite unremarkable.
Aside from my dislike for our narrator and my hate for his love interest/best friend/IRL wet dream, the writing was disappointingly dull. With some more dynamic, punchy writing, I think it could've elevated my enjoyment despite my other problems. In general, for a road trip book, it was unexciting; Colby's pining shitted on everything.
The message of the book as a whole was actually pretty important, but LaCour used such crappy characters as the vessels for her story's moral, to the point I didn't even care to get the full effect of it by finishing the book.
I own Hold Still, so hopefully when I get around to it I'll like it. For now, I will continue loving Everything Leads to You in peace.
--
DNF at 81%. Maybe I'll finish the last bit off much, much later, when I'm not so annoyed. For now--it's a 1 star DNF.
I can't even remember the last time I read a book in which I cared about almost no one? I enjoyed some secondary characters, but Bev and Colby were so unlikeable. Bev was unbearably evasive, cowardly, and deceitful. Colby thought the sun shined out of her ass, so of course I wasn't into him either. He was a pushover, and his voice did not sound authentically male. Alexa and Meg were almost interchangeable at first. Eventually I did get a sense of their separate personalities, but I still found them both to be quite unremarkable.
Aside from my dislike for our narrator and my hate for his love interest/best friend/IRL wet dream, the writing was disappointingly dull. With some more dynamic, punchy writing, I think it could've elevated my enjoyment despite my other problems. In general, for a road trip book, it was unexciting; Colby's pining shitted on everything.
The message of the book as a whole was actually pretty important, but LaCour used such crappy characters as the vessels for her story's moral, to the point I didn't even care to get the full effect of it by finishing the book.
I own Hold Still, so hopefully when I get around to it I'll like it. For now, I will continue loving Everything Leads to You in peace.
hue's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Couldn't really stand half of the characters, mainly Bev and Colby, (the sisters were fine, though awfully similiar at times in the sense they were hard to see individually, not as one and the same divided into two characters), and since it was written in Colby's perspective I kind of disliked it even more. Bev and he had a strange relationship where both were kinda assholey for no apparent reason and it was just sweeped under the rug. Personally, if my friend would act like that, I'm not so sure I'd feel comfortable around them anymore. Also Colby's entire personality seemed to revolve so heavily around Bev I forgot his actual passion was drawing. He fell sort of flat.
Honestly picked it up because it's by Nina LaCour and I adore We are Okay and Hold still, but this wasn't it. And the cover is abhorrent (if it wasn't for the author I would've avoided it like the plague).
Honestly picked it up because it's by Nina LaCour and I adore We are Okay and Hold still, but this wasn't it. And the cover is abhorrent (if it wasn't for the author I would've avoided it like the plague).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
vampirehelpdesk's review against another edition
5.0
A fun book for the summer, especially when you're about to go out on your own. The ending is a little unclear, but I like when books are like that, more realistic. I would highly suggest this for music lovers, road-trip goers, and teens.
alexatheoracle's review against another edition
4.0
It gets a bit tedious at times, but the ending makes up for it. It's a pretty good road trip book, with a good message about DOING instead of just PLANNING.