Member Reviews
I love Nina LaCour and I am extremely excited for We Are Okay! The sneak pee wasn't nearly enough, but I am a patient girl & my finished copy is coming to me in the mail. I love everything Nina does & I am sure this will be no different once I finish the entire book! |
Only got to read the sample so far, but I can't wait to read the rest. I pre-ordered it so it should be coming today! Love all of Nina LaCour's books. |
annie f, Reviewer
Thank you. Enjoyed it. Will purchase copies for family and friends. |
I read only an excerpt, but I'm so thankful this is coming out on Tuesday so I can read the whole novel! Even in the short section I read, the characters seemed like real people, and I cared about their problems. I recommended this for purchase at my library, but it's likely that we would have bought it anyway; LaCour is an excellent writer. |
Even if not much can be said for this book due to NetGalley providing only an excerpt so far, I'm looking forward to this story even more after reading it. The prose is noticeably enchanting and the characters and plot seem very promising, so I'll sure be reading this when I get the chance. |
Like LaCour's previous works, this is written so beautifully and flows together nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed the snippet and have pre-ordered the book. It has been a longly anticipated read for myself and I have been following all it's updates since the announcement. The character of Marin is solid and adaptable, something I love to see in a protagonist. I cannot wait to read the rest! |
I liked the tone set throughout the book. While I was reading the first few pages, I know this book was going to make me cry. I felt nostalgic and lonely at the same time. It is as though I was the main character in the story. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a good cry. I think the writing is beautiful and the book shows promise. I have a feeling that this is going to be a best-seller! |
I got a sneak peak this book from NetGalley and it was great. We are introduced to the protagonist Marin, who is a bit strange. She doesn't talk or interact much even staying in her college dormitories over winter break. We see her daily routine and hour she struggles with even small changes her environment and she can become very panicked although we don't know what makes her this way or why yet. Marin's friends Mabel is coming to stay her for a few days despite the fact they haven't spoken in months, and again we don't know why but it seems to both unsettle and comfort Marin at the same time. The two friends briefly discuss what is going in their lives but neither what's to probe the other, although it's clear from the conversation that Marin had changed far more than Mabel was expecting. We then skip from the winter month back to May, and here we discover more about Marin's life before. It turns out that Marin is an orphan; her father doesn't know she exists and her mother died when she was three, she lived with her grandfather and was very happy with her life, even her religious school until she is struck by tragedy once more and it literally feels like Marin cant catch a break. Mabel it turns out wants to convince Marin to come home with her and live with her and her parents, but Marin doesn't feel like she can but her friend is determined to convince her in the short amount of time they have together. I began to think towards the end of the sneak peak that Marin and Mabel were more than friends and Mabel telling her of a new boyfriend hurts Marin but I understand Mabel's intentions. I found this book to be really intriguing and I cant wait the book to come out so I can buy it straight away. |
This was amazing. I had never read Nina LaCour but now I need to check out her previous novels. In only this sneak peek we can already feel the grief and loneliness that Marin exudes, and the setting only reinforces that idea: she is holed up in her dorm in New York during winter, while in the snippets of her past in San Francisco we see a much happier version of her. The narrator voice was perfect and made you feel sympathetic towards Marin. Although we don't see much about the plot and Marin's relationship with her friend Mabel, I'm sure these aspects will be spot on in the full book. I can't wait for it to be released! |
Thank you Dutton Groups for Young Readers, Netgalley, and Nina LaCour for the sneak peek eGalley of We Are Okay. We Are Okay has caught & held my interest in the brief pages that I was granted access to. This is a story about friendship, grief, and finding your way on your own. I felt the loneliness & depression that seemed to be hugging Marin, her grandfather's death has left her isolated in a world filled people who care for her. Marin having been raised by her grandfather after losing her mother at a very young age seems a bit lost. We get to meet her grandfather briefly & through conversations, see that theirs was a special relationship. I instantly fell in love with her grandfather, a man who liked to joke around, bake, gamble a little with his friends in the comfort of his home, but above all he loved Marin to pieces. I'm also very intrigued by Mabel who seems to care deeply for Marin, they have plenty of history that we're led to believe went past friendship. The last few lines of the sneak peak left me feeling bad for Marin who hasn't moved on & is deeply grieving as well. I will be picking up my copy of We Are Okay this week as a Valentine's Day gift to myself. Thank you again for the first couple of chapters, they've only heightened my interest for this book. All the best success to one of my fave contemporary authors Nina on launch date :) ***I will post a full review/rating on my blog LairofBooks, Goodreads, and Instagram once I'v purchased/read We Are Okay*** |
I didn't connect to this at all and skimmed read. I will not be getting the full book. |
Great opening. Very reminiscent of The Bell Jar. Piecing together Marin's character in a really interesting way, her anxiousness is tangable. The approach to her love and longing for Mabel is subtle and gripping. I see a lot of potential in the story and I'm looking for to see how it goes. |
A first chapter raw with emotion, written with clear and concise language, and introducing the main character and supporting protagonists. The introspection strikes me as authentic, the grief palpable between the lines. Definitely a catchy excerpt to a contemporary about loss and friendship! |
I really enjoyed the sneak peak of this book! I'm really liking Nina's writing. I went and purchased the book so I have it the day it co es out! |
I highly enjoyed this sneak peek to a great book. I look forward to finding it in my local bookstores. |
This sneak peak of Nina LaCour’s upcoming book 'We Are Okay' is the best that I’ve ever read. Never have I been immediately sucked into a book’s world—not even by my utmost favourite books, but this one got me hooked at its very first sentence, leaving no room for objections whatsoever because it’s just that good at keeping my attention. The imagery LaCour’s narrative creates is a beautiful one—fittingly depressing but ultimately beautiful. Of course, they can be clichéd and I do feel like I’ve read certain lines many books before, but nothing is truly new these days so I can’t really complain about that here, particularly since those clichés aren’t as blatantly obvious as they can be. Furthermore, the way LaCour writes this is almost poetic. However, some lines in this book are rather repetitive and although repetition provides emphasis, I find myself on the fence on whether I like it or not here. At times, I feel that it assists with making this book beautiful, other times I’m doubtful because it holds flickers of ingenuity. Additionally, I really like how normal and relatable the characters are. I don’t know how much they develop in the rest of the book, but I like what I’ve read thus far. Though, neither Marin (despite my being able to relate a lot to her) nor Mabel are my favourites at this point since Hannah holds that position. From the bits about her, I think she’s a very sweet and understanding person. Also, reading about Marin’s relationship with her grandpa is enjoyable. However, I cannot help but be a little irked by the presence of the Absent Parents/Guardian trope. I get that people die every day, and I get that this book wouldn’t be as depressing as it is had Marin’s last known and living relative not die, but darn it, I wish the grandpa is alive. Or her mother didn’t die. Or that she has an aunt or an uncle—just someone with familial ties because the lack of YA heroines with an extended family (minus the grandparents) that I’ve been coming across recently just baffles me. Chapter Three (aka ‘blast from the past’) is, to me, a little sudden—disjointed. I don’t know how else to explain it but for two chapters, it felt like I was floating on water in a world where only the waves and my own breathing made sounds and then, bam! The water’s gone and I’m in a clearing filled with animal sounds and rustling plants and such. Even so, it gives a nice contrast between the person Marin is now and the person she was then. Only the first four chapters are included in this sneak peak but it’s definitely enough to cement my desire to read the entire book. I’m certain that it’ll be worth it, especially when faced with the cliff-hanger in Chapter Four! |
I love Nina's writing style and I really can not wait for the full book! |
I can't really review this properly since I only read a sneak peek but from what I've read it looks and sounds amazing. |
With just the sneak peek I am hooked and can't wait to read the whole book. Beautifully written, it speaks to all of us about love, friendship and loss. |
The cover is gorgeous and draws you in. It's a beautiful palette. The story however is depressing. Marin is so sad. |








