ALA Booklist

A dream job, a film legend's living legacy, a shining mystery, and an epic sun-soaked summer 's the stuff of Hollywood, and that's the stuff for Emi. She is 18, a set designer, and a deep believer in the romance of the movies. When a series of coincidences lead her to beautiful and talented Ava, the long-lost granddaughter of a film cowboy, Emi no longer just works in the movies, she is living in one. But as the final kiss and a fade to black seem just within reach, Emi begins to see that life outside of the frame is messier and harder, but has the potential to be much more rewarding. Emi is smart, sweet, and sexy, and through her infatuation with Ava, she grows in her understanding of herself, her privilege, and her role in the movie of life. Their chaste, careful romance focuses on emotion and expectation: the problems of any teens in love. Mature in tone more so than content, this is summer love for the ages.

Horn Book

Emi has a promising career as a set designer for films; her love life, however, is less auspicious. When Emi finds a letter at a deceased movie star's estate sale, the search for its intended recipient leads to Ava, a potential new love interest. Emi's story offers an intriguing glimpse into an unusual creative career and an unconventional, satisfying Hollywood romance.

Kirkus Reviews

Los Angeles native and budding production designer Emi is at a turning point. High school is coming to an end, her romance with another female designer on the crew is foundering, and she has been recruited to work on a new low-budget, high-talent film that could be her big break. When visiting the estate sale of a famous movie star in search of props, Emi and her best friend, Charlotte, discover a sealed, unsent letter from the actor and decide to track down the addressee. After considerable sleuthing, the girls discover that the woman to whom the letter is addressed is deceased, but her daughter, Ava, who never knew of her connection to the star, is living in a poor part of the desert outside LA. Through many serendipitous twists of fate, their search for the heir of the old star's fortune leads to great locations, props and finally the female lead for the new movie. Though the mystery may feel obvious, the sensitive, multifaceted novel creates an authentic portrayal of the ups and downs of life in the movie-production world—and of the coming-of-age of Emi as a talented artist whose skills and confidence in her own ability and instincts grow through the story. An absorbing Hollywood read. (Fiction. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

At age 18, Emi Price is making big strides toward a career in production design, with a rent-free Los Angeles apartment and an enviable and promising internship on a movie set. When Emi and her best friend Charlotte discover a letter written by a recently deceased film icon (think Clint Eastwood), it leads them to his unknown granddaughter, Ava. Emi is smitten, and as her life and career take ever more fortunate turns, her recently broken heart begins to heal with the hope of new love with Ava. LaCour (The Disenchantments) can write her way around a movie set (and L.A., too), and her descriptions of Emi-s work raise Emi-s character to another level and add fascinating depth to this story. Between Ava-s troubled ingénue status, her claim to Hollywood royalty, and the way several characters are both charmed by unexpected fortune and grayed by tragedy, the story can feel like a Hollywood fairy tale. But underneath the privilege surges real pain, longing, and feeling in a way that makes it easy to imagine this novel as a film. Ages 14-up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (May)

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Eighteen-year-old production design intern Emi is getting over her first love and trying to establish her place in the Los Angeles film industry. Set primarily during the summer before her freshman year of college, Emi spends days designing sets for a blockbuster, and, later, a low-budget indie film (complicated by the presence of her ex, also working on both films). When she and her best friend Charlotte find a letter hidden in the possessions of a recently deceased Hollywood film legend at an estate sale, they begin searching for its intended recipient. Eventually that leads to Ava, a beautiful teen to whom Emi is immediately attracted. As Emi and Charlotte discover more about Ava's mysterious background and prop-hunt in thrift stores, Emi and Ava grow closer. Their relationship proves to be a slow build, but teens will root for its success and relate to the novel's universal themes of love and loss. Readers interested in film production will likely enjoy this one, and though set in L.A., it provides a more realistic depiction of the gap between the city's rich and poorEmi's parents are college professors; Ava and her best friend live in a shelter for homeless teensrather than focusing on the extravagant glamour of Hollywood. This one is highly enjoyable and highly recommended.— Amanda Mastrull, Library Journal

Voice of Youth Advocates

As a production designer, Emi spends hours looking for the exact piece to make the room come together. When a screen legend dies, she has the opportunity to look through his belongings. She purchases a few items, among which Emi finds a letter from the actor to his daughter. It is a heart-wrenching letter and Emi decides to track her down. She learns the daughter died years ago, but was survived by her own daughter. Between finishing high school, working on a movie, and figuring out her love life, Emi leads a busy life, but she is not about to let this opportunity to pass her by.Everything Leads to Youáborders on "new adult" (high school is soon ending and Emi begins to focus more on her job in Hollywood). This beautifully written novel discusses a number of concerns including homelessness, absent parents, drug overdose, and closed-minded people. Emi comes into contact with old Hollywood: drugs, affairs, and disappointment, but the book also leaves the reader with hope. There is a sweet lesbian romance that is central to the story, but not the story. It is not about acceptance; it is just a great teen romance.Jennifer Rummel.