6 Reasons I Love My Best Everything

I don't often get books from NetGalley because getting ARCs usually means deadlines. But My Best Everything's cover easily grabbed my attention and when I read the synopsis, I knew I had to request it. I'm glad I did.

There's so much to love about Sarah Tomp's amazing debut novel and of course, the best way to do this review is with a list!



1. The plot is different, fresh, and compelling.
My Best Everything's plot is not one you usually see in Young Adult novels. I struggle to think of any book that resembles it, but it did remind me of Breaking Bad for obvious reasons. But I literally could not guess what would happen next. The Appalachian setting definitely added charm to the whole thing. Who'd expect that a smart, goody-two-shoes girl from a small town will cook up moonshine so she can leave town and go to college? It all seemed so unlikely and that made this book a real page-turner.

2. It has valuable lessons.
My Best Everything has depth. Lulu has a serious, real-life problem and she decided to face it head on. Sure, moonshine isn't exactly the best solution to any problem but Lulu knew she had to take matters into her own hands because it's her life that's at stake.
Some of the issues that were tackled in the book were morality, chastity, religion, family values, and destiny. Is there really such a thing as meant-to-be? Read the book and decide for yourself.
Ultimately, this book illustrates the inevitability of change. Everything and everyone changes. It's an act of nature in itself and it can be a good or bad thing. Of course, I knew this already but it's nice to be reminded of this truth.

3. The writing style is PHENOMENAL.
The strength of this novel lies in the amazing writing style. Lulu is the narrator but she is not talking to the readers. She is talking to Mason and the book is basically a letter for him. You'd have to read it until the end to find out why she was writing to him. That's one of the many reasons why I continued flipping the pages -- I had to know what would happen to Mason. There were times when I felt scared of the ending because it seemed like something bad would happen to Mason. I can tell you now that I was satisfied with the ending.
The epistolary approach definitely kept things fresh. This book was so lyrical, which I don't usually like but in this case it worked perfectly. Great job for a debut novel!

4. The characters are believable.
My Best Everything is a character-driven book and I am glad to share that both the major and minor characters were believable. Relatable, even. I can't enjoy a book when I don't feel anything for the characters so this was a huge thing for me.
Lulu is a great protagonist. She is smart, fascinated with science, and very desperate to leave town. Her decisions affected not just herself but others as well and there were a few times that I wanted to hit her in the head but I certainly couldn't blame her for any of her actions. She was written so well that I understood her completely.
Mason was also very easy to love. He has a sexy voice (I could tell from his choice of words) and despite being a softie, he's brave and honest. None of those bad boy BS that you'd read from other YA romances. He does have a tinted reputation but throughout the book he didn't show any meanness to Lulu or any other characters.
I also loved Roni and Bucky, the supporting characters and the second half of the moonshine quartet. They started off as this lovely, very much in love couple who couldn't get their hands off each other and had plans of marrying and having children but Lulu's moonshine business shakes up their relationship and future. It was fun and bittersweet, watching their journey throughout the book.

5. It is a GOLD MINE OF QUOTES.
This book is very quotable. I told you the writing style was lyrical and everything sounded good, even when something bad was happening. From beginning to end, it was like the words were carefully chosen and yet also effortless.
Look at these great opening sentences:

The ingredients for moonshine are ordinary. Innocent.
Corn. Sugar. Yeast. Heat and time.

And this closing sentence that made me heave a sigh:

If I did believe in meant-to-be, that's what it would look like.
Come see.

6. Lulu and Mason's first kiss was the PERFECT kiss.
I wanted to end the list with number 5 but I couldn't leave this out. Lulu and Mason's first kiss did not happen fast and at one point I was getting frustrated with the lack of action (I'm a romance junkie after all) but the timing was PERFECT! It couldn't have happened at a better time. And when it happened, wow... it was amazing. I felt all the FEELS, you guys. Props to Sarah Tomp for creating such a lovely kissing scene that has a chance of beating Noah and Allie's kiss in The Notebook.

If these six reasons were not enough to convince you just how good this book is, I don't know what will. If you love coming-of-age novels and YA books that have something new to offer, I highly recommend Sarah Tomp's My Best Everything.

My Best Everything is out TODAY!

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