Review: Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay

Title: Everything That Makes You

Author: Moriah McStay

Publication Date: March 17, 2015

Excerpt from Goodreads:

One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. Fiona has notebooks full of songs she’s written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon. If she can’t even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn’t brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public. But something’s changing in Fiona. She can’t be defined by her scars anymore.

And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride. She’s got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who’s been different ever since the kiss. When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can’t define her anymore. When you’ve always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up. Can Fi fight back?

Hasn’t everyone wondered what if? In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different. Maybe luck determines our paths. But maybe it’s who we are that determines our luck.

Thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins, for providing me with a copy of this book via Edelweiss. I have been provided a copy in exchanged for a honest and unbiased review.

This book answers the “what ifs” question that most people spend time wondering about. One story is about Fiona Doyle, a girl whose had half of her face burned by an accident that happened when she was young. There is also another story about a girl named Fi Doyle, whose face is smooth and not marred with scars. Same girl, but different circumstances.

Fiona Doyle. She has had the scars on her face since a very young age. She wears her hair in her face to hide the scars as much as she can. She has always wanted to plays sports, but her parents won’t allow her due to the sensitivity of the skin on her face. With all the free time of not playing sports, Fiona fills her time with writing songs and playing her guitar. She has an awesome brother named Ryan, a best friend named Lucy, and a huge crush on Trent McKinnon.

Fi Doyle. Fi has never had scars on her face. She is the best lacrosse player in the state. She plans on getting a scholarship to Northwestern once she graduates high school. She also has an awesome brother named Ryan, she is best friends with Trent McKinnon, faintly knows of an annoying classmate named Lucy, and has an incredible boyfriend, Marcus.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. I loved Ryan in both stories. His love for Fiona was very obvious in both stories. It was quite interesting to observe how Trent McKinnon was barely apart of Fiona’s life was more than a few minutes and he was best friends with Fi. Fiona was best friends with Lucy, but Fi was annoyed with her. Marcus is Fi’s boyfriend, but Fiona never personally knew him. I have never read a novel that was set up this way and I honestly loved it! It was interesting to see how the stories intertwined in their own unique way.

As far as the story went, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The story was solid and I thoroughly entertained and there were a few “OHMYGOSH” moments they that made me not want to put the book down. While Fiona and Fi have different burdens and struggles, both stories had pleasant, happy endings.

This book provides you with the answer to the idea of “is the grass really greener on the other side?”

I want to mention that beautiful cover! It is gorgeous, unique, and I think it captures the story brilliantly.

4 out of 5 stars

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Meet the Author

Moriah McStay grew up in Memphis, TN, where she acquired a come-and-go drawl and a lifelong love of cowboy boots and fried pickles. She attended Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. Two graduate degrees and seven jobs later, she finally figured out what she wants to be when she grows up.

Everything That Make You is her first novel, and she’s probably at home right now working on another one. You can find her on her website or on Goodreads.