As someone who has never seen Empire Records, I really enjoyed this book; I am ALWAYS on board for a book with a diverse cast of strong, kick-ass, take-no-shit ladies. Definitely looking forward to recommending to teen patrons!

Three teens of color working for a local indie bookseller discover the shop is about to go out of business. Told from three points of view over the course of one day, the three are determined to find a way to save the shop (of course). Naturally, there's romantic feelings and quirky bookstore customers involved, plus a dose of poetry. While it follows the usual romcom tropes, the bookstore premise and diverse characters give it a fresh narrative (even if the BIPOC references feel a bit forced at times). A thoroughly fun read with a satisfying ending you can enthusiastically hand to book-loving teens of all ages.

This book starts out incredibly choppy and seems to scramble to develop the characters. as a result, some characters are better developed than others. The writing quality is solid, however. The story is interesting and will appeal to a YA audience.

In attempt to save their jobs at Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium, a group of misfits stop making assumptions about each other, and start to realize the importance of getting to know one another, which allows for greater accomplishments and fulfillments within self-realization.

Aminah Mae Safi's "This Is All Your Fault "celebrates the beauty of diversity by spotlighting characters within both BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. Unlike many other authors, Safi does not harp on the fact her characters are part of these communities by allowing the reader to naturally figure out who the characters are through their thoughts and actions, and not by their ethnicity and sexuality. Each character had their own unique voice to go along with the own unique journey to self-acceptance. While each chapter were designed as mini scenes that added to the bigger plot, but mainly focused on the specific character that chapter is assigned to. It was like a one take film shot, quickly giving us needed information about the character and the overall plot, leading us to understanding the story’s themes. The age old saying: “Don't judge a book by its cover” was very much applied to this story. The word “assume” and words pertain to that word were used in multiple instances within the text. This was a constant reminder to not make assumptions about someone, but rather get to know them instead. You might find a lasting friendship. I believe what made this story so good is the symbolism of what the closing of Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium represents, which is gentrification. Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium represents a community filled with stories celebrating a plethora of cultures. These diverse characters attempt to save and maintain that within their small community. If not saved, then all that rich history of various cultures would be lost, making way for something new that does not want to celebrate, but rather sell and make profit off the people.

Thanks @hearourvoicestour and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for allowing me to review this arc and start a conversation with those around me about the themes within this novel.

When i read the synopsis of this book i was very intrigued. A bookstore? 3 girls? 1 day? HELLA INTERESTING, right? So when I received an ARC i was very excited. The cover is gorgeous.

The book started off a bit rocky for me, i wasn't really connecting with any of the characters but at some point Rinn really stood out to me. Her character became my favourite and remained throughout the book. I also ended up really liking Daniella, and her whole romance situation was really intriguing. I wasn't able to click with imogen the same way though, which is weird because she is a muslim and so am I. I was really excited to read about her character more but it didn't do that for me. The characters, overall were well rounded and really believeable.

I really liked the representation in the book. Asian, queer, latinx, middle eastern, anxiety and depression. All the representations were presented very thoughtfully. I loved the way the way the book dealt with mental health. It felt raw and real.

At the end of everything the book did, my favourite aspect would have to be the friendship. Three strong and independent girls, who by the way are nothing alike, come together to save a whole bookstore. And in doing so they develop a really pure friendship. I'm a sucker for healthy female friendships and this one DELIVERED.

I've heard alot about how this book is similar to a movie, but i haven't really seen that so my opinion is just on the book and how it made me feel. I liked it. It was a good story.

A story that relatively gnaws you from the inside as a reader. It is inevitable to deny that bookstores have always been offering you your own form of escapism - to strut down those endless aisles and to spend hours on those therapeutic babies is a privilege✋ But, what would you do if they were to close down?

Written from the third person omniscient point of view, it is not a mere story about a bunch of employees trying to save their bookstore. It is a devastatingly moving story about how these teenagers trying to overcome their insecurities and embrace their flaws along the way. Everyone has their own problem - being happy on the surface doesn't mean your life is like a bed of roses. Battling with anxiety and depression isn't as easy as you think of. Lying for the sake of your image will slowly devour you in the course of time. Repressing your feelings to yourself is a dangerous one because they will burn anyone once you've lost control. Yet, at the same time, you can't simply unleash those angsty feelings on someone else. That being said, these three girls have their ups and downs. They don't tell you their story, they show you and you will be easily sucked into their world. The common thing they have altogether is how they find the Wild Nights Bookstore a therapeutic place for them to escape from reality.

Plot-wise, the author just knew how to relate information about each character that the characters might not know each other - through umpteenth times of misunderstandings and miscommunication incurred amongst them until, at one point, they had made me frustrated for I, the only one who knew what's everyone been facing with. But it actually contributes to how the story progresses on. Hands down, this piece is raw and original in its own way, the kind of story that stays with you, and its ending is also satisfying. Bonus, the story itself beautifully written and lyrical. For me, it is worth to experience that when reading a slow-paced story. I would definitely recommend this book for the thrilling part that you'll enjoy seeing yourself as a booklover in one of these characters. *hint, this character does have an account that talks about books too!

A huge thank you to the Turn The Page Tour for granting me an e-arc of This is All Your Fault.

“Wild Nights is closing down. Top secret. Cover for me until I get to work tomorrow.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This is my blog tour post for This Is All Your Fault with Hear Our Voices Book Tours! I’m very excited and thankful to be part of this tour!

So this book is about Danny, Rinn, Imogen, and the employees of Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium as they try to save their beloved store from closing down. With little time and a fight everywhere, it looks like it will take a miracle.

So the biggest thing I loved about this book was the premise. Especially now, bookstores are having a really hard time. I really related to the desire to keep safe spaces alive.

I also really loved the characters immediately. The different p.o.v’s made it fun to know what everyone thought of each other. I felt like each character was really well-developed and unique.

Like, yes Danny was probably my fav. But not just because we share a name. I also felt like I used to be similar to her in many ways, especially when I was in high school. Not necessarily what she does, but how she feels about things. Her attitude, I guess.

But also, wow. This book made me very emotional at times. I didn’t expect that going into it at all. This book has a plot where I didn’t know what was going to happen next. It was both more and less dramatic than I expected. I guess, I was worried that this book would be all goofy jokes and hijinks. I’m really glad that this book had a lot to say about people. And how people feel about themselves and each other.

Honestly, this is a book that made me feel so much empathy for other people. It’s a read that makes you laugh and then really makes you think.

I do think that the story takes a while to get going. I almost stopped reading it many times. There is definitely a pacing issue with this book that takes place in basically one day. It’s not something I thought worked for the story at all. Unfortunately, it’s my biggest issue with the book I think. Too much time spent on things that didn’t matter in the long run.

TL;DR: This amazing book is such an emotional journey that will absolutely make you fall in love and laugh a bit too.

ARC provided by Hear Our Voices BT and Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. All quotations and opinions are based off an uncorrected proof.

Have you ever dreamed of working in a bookstore?

There is something so fascinating to me about imagining myself as an employee at a bookstore- talking to book lovers, working with authors and publishers, keeping inventory, working at the register and just.. being surrounded by books daily.

So naturally, I was living vicariously through the characters of This Is All Your Fault, who work at Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium! Danny, Rinn, Imogen, Eli and AJ are all wildly different characters who have their own shit to deal with, when the news spreads. Wild Nights is closing down and they and their manager Jo, are going to be let go without so much as a warning. But Wild Nights is safe haven. Wild Nights saved each one of them and continues to do so. They couldn’t just watch as it dies, could they? No, they won’t.

I say this with as much sincerity as I can muster- I LOVED THIS BOOK. Set over the course of one day, this book didn’t even take that long to win over me. These characters were flawed and perfect. The story was a fun adventure and grounded in hard realities. Yes, I’m speaking in contradictions but it just makes SENSE in the context of this fun, hard-hitting, and wholesome book.

The plot of the story was not seamless and smooth, but I really enjoyed the rocky nature of a bunch of important things happening all at once and honestly, it kept me turning the pages.

I related to Daniella so hard, even though Rinn is the book blogger of the bunch lol! Rinn has an incredible and empowering arc in that short span of time. I really enjoyed her opposing dynamic with Danny and Imogen kind of the buffer in between them. Imogen has some of the most beautiful, lyrically written chapters in this book. Although Danny was the poet, Imogen expressed herself in a way that touched me deeply. This friendship group gave me life, even if they only got together at the very end. 🥺

I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions reading this, which is fitting because a regular day working at Wild Nights turned into a rollercoaster of events happening one after another.

Lastly, there is so much representation in here!!
- Mexican-American, Arab-American, Muslim, Biracial, Depression and Anxiety.

TW: sexual assault, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, panic attack.

The depression and anxiety rep managed to capture the essence of what I feel like it is to be part of this generation quite well in my opinion and I felt really seen in that regard. 🥺

Thank you Hear Our Voices Book Tours for having me on the tour and Feiwel and Friends for the review copy! 💘💘

So, I will say that I think I super hyped myself up for this book for the fact that it takes place in a bookstore and I must say I wasn't let down. All the aspects of being part of a company such as an independent bookstore such as Wild Nights was very eye opening to the world. Bookstores are suffering and especially right now during these crazy times. This is me as a book lover telling you, go out there and support your local bookstores! They need your help now more than ever. Being a person who normally buys all of her stuff from big box and Amazon. I'm now changing the way I spend my money to try and help out more small businesses and independent bookstores.

Let me get myself back on track though, I wanted to point out a character in the book that I loved with all my heart and that I can personally relate to not on just personality levels but, with this being an OwnVoices book, I relate to Rinn Olivera a lot. I may not look it as much as she does but, I was born as a Mexican-American and honest to goodness after going through my DNA stuff we found out I was a little bit German too.
Rinn Olivera is a very happy go lucky girl. Hence, why she earns her nicknames from Imogen and Danny as "Little Miss Sunshine" or "Little Miss Perfect." You learn further in the book that her happiness and perfectionist personality comes from her bout with anxiety. Personally, I suffer from it as well and I can honestly say, it is the most insufferable thing to deal with and if I could just wish it away, I would already have.
To me, I feel like this book is a mix of Empire Record meets a small bit of Breakfast Club aspect into it. Three girls who can't stand the presence of one another, working in a bookstore that they learn is closing down. No help from Eli at all, he tried his best though at least and they all kind of learn to work together to save something they equally agree is the best thing in their lives. Wild Night isn't just a bookstore but, its a home away from home for a few of them.
While it's definitely not a romance book at all and the minimal amount of romance I feel you can possibly have in a book, it's still cute. Aj is an employee that Rinn can't help but fawn over this boy that I can't really picture in my head. He is an artist of sorts and his art is wonderful (I WANT TO SEE THIS MYSTERY ART)

All in all, this was definitely a 4 star read for me and I'd love to go through it again and read it with some page tabs in my hand for sure. There are parts of the book that are something I would love to go back on and go more in depth with the reading.

When you find yourself intrigued by a blurb - especially when the blurb has diverse characters banding together to save the bookstore where they all work; which has been their saving grace for so long is now on the verge of closing down!

It took me a while to get into the story; with multiple POVs, it took a while for me start banding together how the individual characters seem to work - they have their own didn’t in the personalities; though it has a diverse set of characters, the focus seemed to be more on the female characters than anyone else.

In This Is All Your Fault, we have a reformed ex con teenager, an Instagram poet with penchant for disparaging comments, a book tuber with the “perfect” personality, in love with a tortured musician working in the bookstore with her, a young woman struggling with her mental issues - all of whom come together, despite their misconceptions and judgments about each other to save the one place they have found solace in!
While there are multitude of characters; most of the attention is focused on the three diverse and strong female protagonists, each with their own struggles and vices - Rinn, Imogen and Daniela!

Inspite of working together in the bookstore, for such a long time, none of the protagonists ever made effort to understand and even take the time to have a pleasant conversation with each other; but it was a wonderful journey that to see them band together to save the one place that binds them together!

THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT by Aminah Mae Safi - is a wonderful celebration of book community and how a bookstore, a place of solace for them, bring them together - passionate personalities, misconstrued judgements, and brilliant and on point mental health representation + Biracial representation - this was a wonderful, feel good feel that took me back to the nostalgic times of the feeling of browsing a bookstore, the peace that gave me that.

This beautiful contemporary YA novel is a celebration of all things we bookworms love ♥️

I got this ebook for booktour from hear our own voices and I am extremely thankful to them.
First of all, I totally loved this book. It was so good. When the book started where an employee, Eli of a bookstore finds about the fact that it was closing down, I had no idea this book would turn out to n=be one of my favorites. I found Eli to be so stupid like he came up with the solution that was certified failed solution but I can understand that he was trying to help.
I liked it how the employees finally made a bond with each other at the end of the book. Jo was such a nice manager and the fact that she trusted her team was wonderful. I would love to work with such a cool manager.
I think that the most of the role was played by female characters like, Rinn, Daniella and Imogen etc. The male characters AJ and Eli didn't get much chance except the fact that Eli was the one who initiated all the mess.
I could relate to the characters one way or another way and the best thing about the book was that all characters seemed so real like they were actual people and their mistakes and flaws made them even more relatable.
There are so many lessons/messages in the book about life and that although if people were totally opposite from each other, they could still relate to a place and feel like home together.

THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT revolves around the three main characters, Imogen, Daniella, and Rinn. Imogen's the ~wild~ girl, Daniella is the cool girl that secretly writes poetry, and Rinn is a popular booktuber. They're all very different from each other and that point is a bit overemphasized in the book.

The book opens with one of the bookstore workers, Eli realizing that the bookstore might shut down. The rest of the book takes course over the remaining day.

Honestly, my main concern is that this book is incredibly similar to Empire Records (the movie!). I say this because the book itself is actually really good if you ignore the fact it's exactly like the movie. The three girls are not fans of each other but on this day, they bond as they realize the store is closing because of corporate greed and they have to figure out how to save it before the day ends.

Imogen's girlfriend has just broken up with her, Daniella is not having a good day when she finds out the shop is closing, followed by a creepy author trying to make moves on her. Rinn is doing her best to stay positive despite all of this crashing down around her.

Overall, a really good book that I read in a record amount of time because it kept me on my feet the whole time.

I love stories set in the course of a day, and more so when it has something to do with books. This is All Your Fault falls into both these categories, where there young girls must come together to save their favourite indie bookstore from falling apart.

[tw: panic attack, anxiety, depression, sexual harrassment]

Daniella, Rinn and Imogen are far too similar than they would like to give credit to. Daniella is a secret poet, Rinn is a bookish content creator and Imogen simply wants to break free, be herself. The best part of the book were these characters; so lively and fun, yet also very realistic. It was such a great reading experience to see these girls put across their differences and come together to save their fav indie bookstore.

There were times when I felt that the story was moving too fast, not living much time for a breather. And simultaneously, I felt like we didn't get much background details on a lot of aspects - like what made Daniella as such, why Imogen did that, Rinn's life - and it was mostly left to our imagination, our understanding. At times, I also couldn't stand certain characters because of their silly deeds and comments - agh. But I think at the end, there was a commendable growth.

The friendship was another beautiful aspect of this book. I loved how these girls came together, how they realised their mistakes. To see all of them bond over books and reading was so exquisite to read about. Also, Rinn out there really spat out some truth about content creating 👌

This is All Your Fault is a diverse book of friendship and books, of women coming together and helping each other. The way the author planned out the story within 24hrs is commendable! If you're looking for something fun and exciting and diverse, do give this book a read!!

This Is All Your Fault is diversely stacked with developing friendships, personal struggles, distanced coworkers finding support in each other, passionate personalities, a slightly humorous narration, book recommendations, and a sign board on the door of an independent bookstore turning to 'closed' forever.


Representation: Biracial (Mexican-American—German) MC, Middle-Eastern—American & Queer MC, anxiety & depression.
Ownvoices reader for: anxiety rep.
Trigger warnings: sexual harassment, financial fraud, anxiety, panic, depression.

Consider reading this review over on my blog!


Spans over a day at work in an independent bookstore whose charm and magic is being lost to financial greed.


A story set in the midst of books, the incredible aura of a bookstore is well portrayed through the beautiful decorations, the shelves, and the heart-warming vibe of regulars and newcomers finding their own solace and meaning in this place. The underutilised time space of twenty-fours to play out a story is cute little bow to everything, especially since it's brought down to just the working hours of a store and makes you even more pleasantly surprised to see how such tremendous emotional progress and events were made in such small time frame.

Three young girls soulfully connect through a crisis, despite being wildly distanced on any other workday.


Being narrated through a multiple point-of-view lens, this contemporary beautifully intertwines the lives of three young coworkers on the basis of the vast differences they hold—in terms of ethnicity, mental health, and personality.
↦ Daniela is the cool blonde who is trusted with most responsibilities at the bookstore; struggle with anxiety and panic.
↦ Rinn is the half-Latine, half-white who is a bookish content creator on the Internet and is a sunshine with beautiful curls; has a huge crush on AJ, the art boy coworker.
↦ Imogen has a Middle-Eastern heritage and is the impulsive, queer soul who can trim away all her thick black wavy hair within five minutes of entering the bookstore; she has depression & she's my personal favourite.


The dip at which the story starts, where all three are stuck with some judgement about the other two, and the peak at which the story ends, where all have supported one another through the little strings that attached them—strings of struggle, strings of mental health, strings of being girls, and strings of passion—is a contrast you'll be delighted to witness.

The themes of feminism, friendship, and fading bookstores along with an undertone of mental health, creativity, and belonging are excellent.


From the manager who is a supportive woman to these three main characters who believe in their individuality, their dreams, and themselves, the girls definitely rule in this book. The girls are the ones deciding to do all they can to save this bookstore and it's a pleasure to read about Imogen's mother and the love for poetry that has passed down from an immigrant parent to the little girl named after the heroine in Cymbeline—one of Shakespeare's plays.

The entire concept of an independent bookstore closing down due to an apparent financial crisis so a parking lot can be constructed on the same grounds is a prime example of the current scenario around bookstores losing a battle against online retailers, technology, and the mere hunger for money by some selfish personas.

The anxiety rep was absolutely on point for me ; the frequent feeling to puke, the constant horror of actually puking, and the constricted chest that can only breathe again after puking—I know I'm being highly specific of what impressed me but it's the highest point for me to relate with; rest all details were anyway perfect. The portrayal of depression isn't something I can comment on but it definitely helped me connect with Imogen on a deeper level so the emotional understanding through a bumpy mental health was clearly felt.

Daniela loves to write poetry but stays secretive about this passion of hers. Rinn is a bookish content creator who loves to read, and that's something I was so so happy to see because who doesn't want to see their enthusiasm being reflected in a story they read? My dramatic self would say I almost cried when Rinn talked about how fulfilling content creation can be but also comes with the struggle of always being online, always engaging, always keeping up one's numbers, and always feeling a sense of pressure from the community and audience itself.

Overall, an absolute favourite that I'll always be recommending to anyone who wants to read a contemporary that's greatly focused on friendship and feminism while lightly strumming to romance and mystery too.

There were some things I liked about this book, but most of my thoughts are negative, unfortunately.

A couple of things I liked were the flawed characters and the representation on multiple fronts. First, I loved that these characters were not perfect or always trying to do the right thing. They each had issues and selfish desires and made mistakes throughout the book. Second, I love all the representation! Not only were there multi-racial and multi-cultural representations, but there was also representation of different mental health issues. As well, there were a lot of concerns talked about or addressed in this book. I think the author cleverly weaved in these different aspects without it feeling forced or overdone.

Now, there were a few things that I wasn't a big fan of, with the main one being the pacing of the book. It was soooo slow. It was so difficult to stay interested in the plotline because everything was just moving along too slowly. This book takes place pretty much over one day so I thought things might move along at a good pace. It seemed like there was a lot that needed to happen within those 10 hours or whatever, but apparently not. The book even went between the point-of-views of the three main characters, but that didn't help either.

Overall, I'm disappointed that a book with so much potential flopped so hard in my eyes. There were many great aspects of this book, but unfortunately, they didn't come together to create an engaging story.

My Rating : [🌟🌟🌟🌟]
Kindle/ Netgalley/ October2020
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This book follows everyone in the Wild Nights bookstore as they try to come to terms with the fact that their safe haven is closing down, and how they try, fail, yet try again to save it. It's set over a single day and discusses a lot about mental health, depression, social media influence.
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•{Favourite Line}•
"Not giving myself the space to have and deal with and learn from my anxiety was way worse than being a person with anxiety.”
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First, when I read that blurb, I was really intruigued. I was thinking more about three girls trying to do everything, but once I started reading the book, I realised it was so much more than that. I loved how it started with Eli being himself and getting himself into trouble even with his helping mind. We don't get to see his pov much later on, and I missed his thoughts, but I really like Eli as a
character.
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Second, all the characters we had on the story were perfectly imperfect. I mean, it's difficult to write a character that is so relatable and yet have their own charm. Danielle was an open Spitfire with a closeted heart of gold , Rinn was a fiercely sweet with a bucket of anxiety to manage, Imogen was an honest to a fault and dealing with depression. Jo was perfectly not so adult that made her the perfect adult, Eli was a disaster ready to happen with a soft heart, and AJ was silently strong with loads of confidence under construction. This was a group I would have loved to see on screen.
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The story starts off really slow and it takes quite sometime to immerse into the world. At first my thoughts were, 'Okay how is this fake Jordan going to save a place? Eli, what the heck are you doing?' but then with everything that happened after, it kinds started becoming funnier and I was laughing at times I shouldn't have been. (Like when there wer hair all over the bathroom floor, Rinn trying to get better lighting for her selfies, Eli just smirking). When one thing started happening, it was just a domino effect, and I was hooked and I couldn't put this book down!
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Aside from the amazing characters and the unique story style and writing, it takes so much about mental health and the importance of them. Anxiety and Depression were discussed the most. Mind you, I don't know what that feels like, and I hope this book has a good rep on them, but I felt like it was done really well. The way the author handled a scene where the characters were going through something, it pulled my heart. They discussed the cause, what helped them, and what could help them in the future. I loved the fact we get to see that being normalised and being offered help. The only thing I didn't get to see was about AJ and I would have loved to see more of Jo and Eli. This focussed mainly on Danielle, Rinna and Imogen and their friendship. It was absolutely wonderful to see three girls who hated each other try to work through their differences (even when there were slaps and punches involved) and help their bookstore not go under. It was interesting to see the dynamics between them and I loved the sisterhood it projected.
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Overall, I think this was an amazing representation of characters, with building relationships, sisterhood, mental health representation, character development, storyline and an amazing ending. If you love a story set in a bookstore, with all the above ingredients, then definitely pick this one up!

Pros:
Each character is somewhat unique in their journey throughout the story of how they want this all to play out.
The decision to make it take place over one day. The stakes of the story felt intense and urgent.

Cons:
On the flip side, the characters and their arcs are not given enough time to properly breathe.
But, also the decision to make it take place over one day makes the story feel more unrealistic and the work around did not work for me.

Overall: the characters aren’t given the space that the setting of this book needed.

My Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

Trigger Warnings for the book: sexual assault, suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression

I have a very love-hate relationship with stories that occur over the course of a day. I either love them profusely or hate them adamantly. But this one lies somewhere on the spectrum, but definitely leaning towards lots of doodled hearts.

The strength of this book lies in its characters, the way their have distinct voices on the page, the way they are developed and how they all carve out a place in your heart with their resilience and vulnerability. Which is why I liked how this book plays to its strengths constantly with its very character-driven narrative, having us watch the dynamics of these characters interacting and working towards a similar goal. At the same time, these characters individuality is something that is constantly visible.

Being a reader, a story about a bunch of people saving a bookstore from going under was one that interested me; especially since we see so many indie stores shutting down. But I found my investment in the story to be very touch-and-go. There were dull patches and times that sparked interest and then let me down. Stupid decisions were made, which I know we have all made but, they really annoyed me and I just couldn't feel myself being highly invested in what would happen next.

Overall, my enjoyment in the book was based more in the characters than in the story. Even though the writing was simple and subtle, it grated on me due to the lack of focus on the progress of the story. The ups and downs of the plot were enjoyable to an extent, but were not consistently interesting. I would recommend this book is you're looking for a short book with wonderful characters.


Note: I have seen a lot of readers call this Empire Records but with bookstore. Since, I am not familiar with that I cannot comment on the originality of the idea or similarities of situations.

This is a great story about unexpected friendship, love for a bookstore, and acceptance. It takes place in one day and it is so crazy to see how much can change in the span of one day. Each character is fighting his/her own battle and it was really interesting to see the characters develop and interact with each other as the story progressed. The characters seemed authentic and there was a lot of great representation. This is probably my favorite book from Aminah Mae Safi so far!

3 stars

This is a really tough review to write because of my overall impressions of the novel and the controversy surrounding it.

I'll start by saying that I was thrilled to be approved for another Safi arc. So far, I have enjoyed her novels. Because it has been so long since I watched _Empire Records_ (literally in the theater), I expected I wouldn't be too impacted by the conversation surrounding similarities between the film and this novel. Even though it has been literally decades, I still got the constant connections when I started reading. It's been too long (since viewing) for me to make an assessment about the depth of that tie, but I feel - diplomatically - uneasy about it. My star rating leaves out the possibility that there is something actually nefarious happening on this front.

Let's say that none of that controversy exists, and I'm now looking at the novel as a self-contained entity. This is where most of my disappointment sets in. For me, this was such a slow read. While I was interested in some of the characters some of the time, I couldn't get fully invested in them or in their unifying goals. I wonder if some of these dead spaces lend themselves to filling in with details from that other source...

I feel uncomfortable writing this review, let alone reflecting on my reading experience. Safi has a lot to offer, and I look forward to reading the next one. I'll hope that the pacing and originality revert back to what, for me, are the previous standards.