Everything it Takes

by Sandi Van

Hi/Lo young adult title written in verse.

Lily Landon knows college is the ticket out of her boring small town and her first step to becoming a lawyer like the ones she watches on television. To help her applications stand out, Lily joins Green for Good, her school's environmental club, and meets Fiona, a passionate activist who will do everything it takes to protect the planet. As Lily grows closer to Fiona, she realizes “everything it takes“ may mean getting arrested, and a criminal record does not look good on college applications. How can Lily save the Earth without destroying her future?

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Claudia Recinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and poetic and inspiring.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent story in prose form from Sandi Van.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, speaks so well to its target audience. Author captures the voice of her main character, the conflict and angst of a teenage girl trying to find her path in the world. Definitely reccomend

[Sara Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything It Takes by Sandi Van left me with very mixed feelings.

I found the story interesting, and I related a lot to the main character Lily. Lily is a hard worker in school and is generally considered a rule follower or goody two shoes. However, I felt this book was extremely short. I finished it in under an hour. I do enjoy a nice, quick read, but I felt there was so much more that could be said and built up (and that is why I was unhappy with the length.) I felt the authour could have built relationships better and stronger if she had written a longer story. I wanted to know more about these characters and relationships. I wanted to know more about this club, environment, families, etc. The entire story was very surface level.

Of course, I love books written in verse and Van did a great job with that. The writing was wonderful and fluid.

Overall, a wonderful idea for a story, but I found it to be more of a teaser. I will read more by Van in the future.

I received an eARC from West 44 Books through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

[Jenna W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything it Takes tells the story of Lily, a student searching for an extra curricular club to round out her college applications. She stumbles on Green for Good, an environmental group who push boundaries as they fight for the planet. The group is made up of diverse characters and a romance brews between Lily and the group's leader Fiona. The poems are well written and tell a quick but satisfying story. Would recommend to students interested in an inspiring activist story.

[Adrienne Carrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely subject
Family relationships, friendships and first crushes everyone can relate to
Beautifully written
💜

[genavieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great short read