Final Draft

Riley Redgate

Jun 2018 · Abrams

About this ebook

Laila Piedra doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, and definitely doesn’t sneak into the 21-and-over clubs on the Lower East Side. The only sort of risk Laila enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before graduation, Laila’s number one fan is replaced by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who sees nothing at all special about Laila’s writing.

A growing obsession with gaining Nazarenko’s approval—and fixing her first-ever failing grade—leads to a series of unexpected adventures. Soon Laila is discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, and the beauty of temporary flings and ambiguity. But with her sanity and happiness on the line, Laila must figure out if enduring the unendurable really is the only way to greatness.

Ratings and reviews

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.

About the author

Riley Redgate is a graduate of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Her first two novels, Noteworthy and Seven Ways We Lie, earned critical acclaim. She lives and writes in Chicago.