Final Draft

SO. That happened. I actually read one of my most anticipated releases of the year from one of my favourite contemporary authors and it DEFIED my already VERY HIGH EXPECTATIONS. And I’m at a loss for words, staring at this blinking cursor thinking about HOW TO SUM UP MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS MARVELLOUS CREATION, unable to pick up another book because BOOK HANGOVER wondering how to move on when, well, Final Draft was perfection in book shape. More than anything, this book was real. It was candid about insecurity and striving for perfection and approval, about growing up and physical attraction and understanding your own body and Riley Redgate wrote Laila Piedra SO EMPATHETICALLY that the events of the entire book felt like they were unfolding right in front my eyes in real time, and not within the pages of a book. WHAT DID I LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK? 1. Laila, our main character is a pansexual, biracial, Ecuadorian PLUS-SIZED lead that struggles with mental health issues like anxiety. HOLY WOW. Also, Riley Redgate deals with each and every one of these elements with finesse. 2. Final Draft, like all of Riley’s books comprise of all these LEVELS. On the first, this book is about a young write trying to attain perfection. On another, it’s about a biracial teenage girl and her relationship with her friends and family. On yet another, it’s a portrayal of grief and lashing out. And, perhaps the most important level is how Riley Redate explores the relationship we have with ourselves, physically, emotionally and sexually and reading all of these elements balancing each other out was such a brilliant experience. 3. The friend dynamic. I absolutely loved Felix, Hannah, Leo and Laila’s relationship with each other and I AM SO HAPPY THERE WAS NOBODY SAYING “OH are you in love with one of the boys?” BECAUSE BOYS AND GIRLS ARE CAPABLE OF BEING JUST FRIENDS, YOU KNOW. 4. Laila is an INTROVERTED PLUS-SIZED WRITER WITH ANXIETY and, well, I don’t think I can ever describe how much seeing a character like me represented on the page means, especially one written so well. 5. I quite loved Riley Redgate’s portrayal of Nadia Nazarenko as well. She was ruthless, cut-throat and a highly dedicated writer and I loved reading about her. 6. THE ROMANCE IN THIS BOOK, JUST LIKE IN RILET’S DEBUT, Seven Ways We Lie, was so GORGEOUSLY SUBTLE and I didn’t know whether to ship the two characters in question or not because if I wasn’t right, my heart would’ve broken but OH MY GOD – THIS BOOK, AND THIS SHIP WAS EVERYTHING I HOPED IT WOULD BE AND MORE. In conclusion, Final Draft is one of those books it should be a crime to not read. A BRILLIANT, diverse cast of characters, packed into the pages of a multi-layered book that explores anxiety, friendship, perfection, family and more and… JUST PICK IT UP ALREADY.