Everything Leads To You
by Nina LaCour
Pages: 307 (Hardback)
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: May 15th 2014
ISBN: 0525425888
What were your first thoughts after finishing Everything
Leads To You?
Mily: Awww! It was kind of perfect. I loved that the author made us (the
reader) wait for the inevitable and that it avoided the whole lovely dovey,
insta love jargon that a lot of YA books tend to over indulge in now-a-days.
Super sweet and left me with a smile on my face.
Stefani: Everything that you said. This book
was super adorable. It was really hard for me to put it down, so I very rarely
did. I finished it in about a day. I could not stop smiling after I put it down
either.
What were your feelings towards Emi?
Mily: I loved the way Emi’s
character grew throughout the story. She started off as this heartbroken,
almost love sick teenager with a lot of responsibility and no outlet for her
pain. However, as the story progresses she found a way to be strong in her own
right. I really liked that they didn’t have Emi and Morgan get back together
to, as I had a feeling at one point that was where this was going to go. I
think that the fact Emi learnt to put Ava ahead of herself and see her as more
than just some mystery that needed to be solved was really moving and I fell in
love with this character.
"I'm seeing her for the first time. Not Ava
Garden Wilder, the rags-to-riches granddaughter of Clyde Jones. Not a tragic,
romantic heroine.
Just Ava.
And I am utterly in love."
Stefani: You’ve said pretty much everything I
felt about Emi. One of the notes I took while reading the book was “Lots of
growth and change in Emi. Very real.” I loved Emi. She grew from this somewhat
naïve, young-feeling character to a woman who was strong and independent. I
loved her.
What was your least favorite part of the book?
Mily: Easy! When Ava and Tracey
finally come face to face. Ah I wanted nothing more than to shake that damn
women into being a better person. So what if she’s gay. So what if she’s not
who you wanted her to be. She was still her daughter and I think Tracey needed
a crash course in parenting.
Stefani: Oh my gosh, Mily! Quit saying all of
my thoughts. Haha. That was my least favorite part too. I just wanted to hug
Ava and tell her she should be exactly who she was and she didn’t need Tracey’s
approval. I can’t understand not tolerating someone for the way that they are,
especially something like sexual preference which you are born with. I really
didn’t like Tracey.
Mily: Sorry… maybe we should have
taken turns going first! Although I am glad you feel the same way, great minds
and all that jazz!!
How did you feel about Ava’s integration into Emi’s
life?
Mily: I did struggle with the
suddenness of it all. I think that Ava was selfish at times. Even if it was
understandable that she would rely on Emi and Charlotte I would have liked her
to leave them out of certain parts of her journey. Especially when they broke
into Tracey’s! I couldn’t help but be a little angry with Ava for that.
Stefani: I actually really liked Ava entering
Emi’s life. I thought that it was good for Emi to have Ava in her life, because
she broke Emi out of her comfort zone. I will say that I was angry at Ava for
having Emi help her break into Tracey’s house. I didn’t like that.
Mily: I guess so. I mean yes
having Ava in her life stopped her returning – yet again – to Morgan but I was
really unsure about Ava the whole way through the book. Right up until the end.
But maybe I’m just a skeptical person?
Would you have opened Clyde’s letter?
Mily: Yes! I don’t think I would
have even tried to find Caroline… is that bad? I think I would have been too
intrigued. I was impressed with the self-control that Emi and Charlotte showed
in NOT opening the letter.
Stefani: Oh definitely. I would have tried to
find Caroline first, but I wouldn’t have gone to the lengths that Emi and
Charlotte did. I would have tried once, and then opened it. My curiosity would
have killed me.
Mily: It would appear that you’re
a nicer person that me!
Do you think that the way Caroline’s arc was cover was
appropriate for the overall storyline of the book?
Mily: Yes and no. I think that
having it told by the different people that knew Caroline was really
interesting and I don’t think as a reader we needed to know every detail. The
book wasn’t about Caroline and we were given just enough to satisfy our
curiosity but not too much that it over shadowed everything else. I do however think
I would have liked more of it to have been told from Frank and Edie. Although
that my just be because they are the cutest damn thing ever!
Stefani: I too loved Frank and Edie. I don’t
know how I felt about Caroline’s story. I did like that we learned about her
from several other people’s experiences with her, and it wasn’t too much info
about her. However, I also feel like we could have used a few more details
about her, especially if we could have someone learned something from Caroline’s
own perspective because we don’t know if anything we learned about her was
actually true.
Mily: I hadn’t actually thought
about it that way. I mean I liked that fact that there was still a question
mark on the whole Caroline story because I guess that’s how it would be in real
life. It’s not all going to be given to you in a neat little bow. However, now
that you’ve mentioned it maybe something solid, as in real evidence to what
happened would have been interesting.
How did you feel towards Tracey? Did you understand
her behavior towards Ava?
Mily: She made me angry. I’ve
already said that I think she needs someone to point out how to be a half
decent mother but I also think that Ava is better off without her. Even if she
was a problematic child there’s no excuse for the way Tracey treated her.
Stefani: Oh man, she pissed me off. Yes, Ava
was sometimes a pain in the butt as a daughter, but she also probably wouldn’t
have acted that way if Tracey had actually been a good mother to her. Even if
Ava wasn’t actually her daughter, she didn’t treat her like a decent human
being. Personally, I cannot understand treating someone differently because of
their sexual preference, so Tracey’s opinions made no sense to me. I really
didn’t like her.
What was the main thing you took away from the book?
Mily: There are a couple of
things but instead of going into them I think that the quotes alone speak for
themselves.
“The best things aren't perfectly constructed. They
aren't illusions. They aren't larger than life. They are life."
&
“It’s all about the danger of leaving things unsaid.
It’s about failure… We all get afraid. We need to be brave.”
Stefani: I’m going to do what Mily did and
give you two quotes as well:
“There are no scenes in life, there are only
minutes. And none are skipped over and they all lead to the next...All she is –
and all she’s ever been – is a person trying to live a life.”
&
“‘What’s the
use in waiting until the right moment if that moment never comes?’ I say. ‘What
if the moment escapes you in a split second when your focus was elsewhere?’”
Mily: I think that the second one
is really good advise… you can miss a lot if you’re busy waiting for something
to come along.
A running theme throughout this book was Fate; do you
think it was fate that bought Ava into Emi’s life or just coincidence?
Mily: I’m very much on
team-universe-has-a-plan-for-you and I loved that everything connected. Yes it
did make the whole story a tad on the predictable side but it also made it uber
cute. As Emi said, it felt like Ava was always meant to be a part of her life.
Stefani: I too thought it was somewhat
predictable, but I absolutely loved when everything worked out in the end. I
think part of it was fate, but I also think that you make decisions that affect
what happens to you. Just check out the second quote I used in the previous
question.
What was your favourite moment from Everything Leads
To You?
Mily: This is the easiest question
for me. My favourite moment was when Emi shows Ava the finished apartment,
right at the end of the book, and Ava just lives there for a moment. The way
it’s described as she makes herself tea, leaving stains on the counter top and
how she walks out of the house barefoot. It was so simple and really moving.
However, I think that my favourite quote
from the whole book was actually the very end. It was kind of perfect.
“He’ll grin,
say, You made a movie, of course, how
perfect. And I’ll say, No, that’s not
it. He’ll cock his head, waiting for more. I’ll take my time, keep him
guessing.
Then I’ll say, I fell in love.”
Stefani: I loved several moments in this book,
including the one that you mentioned. However, I think if I had to pick, my
favorite moment was when I realized Emi was starting to change. Emi is thinking
of what she could use in a scene to convey memory and sadness. She thinks about
Morgan, but realizes the scene isn’t only about sadness; it is also about
yearning. Then she says when people watch the movie, they’ll be feeling for not
only the character but themselves,
“How it is to be alone, and maybe, if we’re lucky,
how it is to be ready to open ourselves up to the fragile hope of something
new.” <3
