Book Reviews

Review: This is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi

I am such a fan of Safi since Tell Me How You Really Feel and so I knew I had to check this one out! Three girls uniting to try to save their local independent bookstore? COUNT ME IN! Keep reading this review to find out all the things I loved about This is All Your Fault!

Summary

Set over the course of one day, this smart and voice-driven YA novel follows three young women determined to save their indie bookstore.

Rinn Olivera is finally going to tell her longtime crush AJ that she’s in love with him.

Daniella Korres writes poetry for her own account, but nobody knows it’s her.

Imogen Azar is just trying to make it through the day.

When Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen clock into work at Wild Nights Bookstore on the first day of summer, they’re expecting the hours to drift by the way they always do. Instead, they have to deal with the news that the bookstore is closing. Before the day is out, there’ll be shaved heads, a diva author, and a very large shipment of Air Jordans to contend with.

And it will take all three of them working together if they have any chance to save Wild Nights Bookstore.

Review

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

TW: sexual assault, suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression

Considering This is All Your Fault takes place over 24 hours only in a bookstore, the amount of characterization Safi gives her characters is amazing. This multiple POV book combines all the things I love – fierce heroines, a bookstore, and characters who are vulnerable and passionate. They’re all united by this one bookstore, the place they call refuge, the place they call their workplace, each of their own escapes. The home of their dreams, of the futures, of their first loves, of their fights.

Featuring some fantastic diverse heroines (Latinx, queer, anxiety, depression, middle eastern) This is All Your Fault is incredibly character nuanced in a quest to save this bookstore. They’re so full of anger, passion, and sadness. I loved how Safi was able to highlight the expectations we have of the people around us – and how wrong we are. The internal secrets we keep behind closed doors, our hidden desires closeted in our hearts, and the buried wells of bravery undiscovered.

Overall,

This is All Your Fault went in an entirely different direction than I thought, but I was thoroughly caught up in the action. I fell in love with the characters almost immediately and then as the story’s momentum grew, I was hooked. There is something whimsical and hopeful about seeing this group of teens try to come together to save themselves, but also something bigger than themselves. This is All Your Fault is also the perfect example of a title being absolutely BRILLIANT!

This is All Your Fault has a great balance of character and action. Once it gets moving, I wasn’t able to stop reading. Safi has such a way with characters that remind you of yourself, your deepest fears, and the ways you want to be brave. Find This is All Your Fault on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.

Discussion

Who is your favorite character who loves poetry?


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