“[…] she always felt most like herself when she was talking about a book. This was her natural state, really. Books, she could do. Books, she loved.”
Aminah Mae Safi is finally back with an exciting new hit after her phenomenal novel, Tell Me How You Really Feel. This Is All Your Fault is set to be released on October 13th and, in broad terms, it could be considered the bookworm version of the 1995 movie, Empire Records. How could we ask for more?
Following the staff of Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium over the course of a day, This Is All Your Fault is a refreshing exploration of the world of literature outside of the pages of a book. Through the portrayal of the many different types of reading experiences —from the world of booktube and learning to love reading from your parents, to being the one to produce pieces of writing— Aminah Mae Safi is able to show how literature is not limited to the mere act of reading; it is a way of living.
Small, independent bookstores are a place of community, where booklovers are bound together, even if their differences are abysmal. Such is the case of our three main characters. This Is All Your Fault is also an ode to the reading community, to novels and poetry, to people with nothing in common joining forces for the greater good. And it is magical. Despite the premise of the of the book being a bittersweet one —as the plot is driven by the bookstore closing— the story doesn’t read as such. Above all, This Is All Your Fault is a celebration of literature and books and the importance of keeping bookstores alive.
While the bookstore staff is made up of five employees and Jo, their manager, we mostly get to see what is happening through the alternating perspectives of three of them: Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen. Eli and AJ, the two other employees, barely have any presence in the story, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting. In fact, it would have been lovely to know a little bit more about them, as they are barely there for the most part of the narration. Our three protagonists, however, take the spotlight by storm, with their charming, rich and complex personalities.
In line with the literary theme, the moral of This is All Your Fault is also to not judge a book by its cover. Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen could not be more different…or so they think. Imogen always keeps her walls up and has a nickname at the ready for each person she meets. Rinn, Little Miss Perfect, is all sunshine and smiles, while Daniella, The Self-Appointed Coolest Girl in the World, is snarky and standoffish. But, in the matter of the single day they have to join forces and save Wild Nights, they begin to realise no one truly resembles the mask they wear in front of others. One should never make assumptions of people they know little about. The happiest person can be the one who struggles the most, the most solitary person can be the best at caring for others, and the most popular person can be the loneliest.
We all know and love the enemies-to-lovers trope, but here Aminah Mae Safi gifts us with its rarest and probably most heartwarming version: enemies-to-friends. It is beautiful to follow how close the three girls become and how much they grow in a matter of a few hours. Despite coming from diverse cultural backgrounds and having gone through different life experiences, the three girls don’t hesitate for a second to leave their differences aside to work together to fulfil their common goal. You will have to pick up this breathtaking novel to know whether they get to save the bookstore or not, but rest assured that their lasting friendship is a guarantee.
Aminah Mae Safi also takes a brilliant opportunity to thoughtfully tackle some relevant topics that more often than not also influence the reading community, such as white privilege, the importance of celebrating diversity in literature, raising awareness on mental health issues, or denouncing sexism and abuse of power. All of these result in the addition of a supplementary layer of meaningfulness to a novel that is already full of meaning because This Is All Your Fault teaches a valuable lesson: things don’t always have to go as planned to be okay.
Last, but not least, like Wild Nights, This Is All Your Fault is a bookstore in itself. Get ready and keep your Goodreads app open at all times, because after finishing this novel, you will have an entire TBR list to enjoy. Not only is each chapter named after famous poetic lines, but the characters themselves offer book recommendations not only to their clients, but also to the reader throughout the novel. From classic authors like Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, or Sylvia Plath, to contemporary authors like Madeline Miller, Rabih Alameddine, or Ira Mukhoty, Aminah Mae Safi lends her voice to a great variety of present and past authors.
This Is All Your Fault is a compulsory read for every single person that considers themselves a bookworm! You will become entangled with the literary world Aminah Mae Safi has to offer and rejoice in the world of literature in its broadest scope while enjoying this delightful narration. Celebrate with Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen the beauty of unexpected friendships and the community of readers that bookstores and social media have built, and become a part of Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium.
This Is All Your Fault is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 13th 2020.
Will you be picking up This Is All Your Fault? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
