Everything About You out now from Storytide; 384 pages
Content Warning: Anxiety, foul language, depression, death
About the Author: “Robby Weber’s stories feel like falling in love in a patisserie in July—sunny, romantic, and sugary sweet—and summer flings become forever in his love letters to dramatic, ambitious protagonists with big hearts. A Florida-based author, Robby can usually be found by the sea with a beach read and something covered in sprinkles” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Robby Weber on the following platforms:
After winning an apprenticeship at the prestigious fashion house Maison Dauphine, Milo Hawthorne is determined to make the most of his summer in Paris. He is going to work hard, learn everything he can, and do whatever it takes to secure a permanent position with the brand. This summer is for hard work, not romance like his best friend Celeste suggests. All of his plans are derailed when he shows up on his first day and is met with Rhodes Hamilton, the British son of a famous footballer and the other apprentice for the summer thanks to his parents’ connections to the brand. Only one of the boys will get to work the fashion show at the end of the summer and get a job with the company, so even though Rhodes is cute and charming, he’s Milo’s ultimate competition in securing a permanent job.
Everything About You was a tale of two halves. While I enjoyed the first half of the book, I became increasingly frustrated with the events of the story in the second half. Milo is very competitive and driven, but he also struggles with anxiety. Throughout the majority of the book, he would go from liking and trusting Rhodes to being completely paranoid about his motives and then back to liking him again. This made sense to me in the first half of the book as they were just beginning to get to know each other, but by the end of the book it just felt unfair to Rhodes. Yes, Rhodes had an unfair advantage because of his family and connections. However, he also made a continuous effort to become friends with Milo and advocate for them both to their bosses. He was a great guy, and he didn’t deserve the way Milo treated him on many occasions. Their dynamic just didn’t quite sit right with me. On top of this, I didn’t like how easily distracted from his work Milo was. It’s said countless times in the story that he’s driven and dedicated to the apprenticeship, yet on multiple occasions he makes careless mistakes because he’s caught up in Rhodes. As a career-driven person, I struggled to find sympathy for Milo in the aftermath of many of his choices. Unfortunately, Everything About You was not everything I hoped for.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank SparkPoint Studio and Storytide for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer