On Prom night, Lucy feels that life is perfect. She has everything she hoped for. Her mother has survived cancer, both her parents are well, Lukas is reliable boyfriend, and she has been selected as captain of the swim team for her senior year. She is looking forward to continuing the family tradition of spending the summer with her parents working on their church camp.

When she learns that her mother is ill again, her world cracks into little pieces. To make things worse, her mother wants to send Lucy away to be a junior counsellor at the “Hippie Camp” around the lake. Feeling abandoned by her parents, her boyfriend and God, Lucy doesn’t know what to believe in.

Lucy complies with her mother’s wishes, expecting the worst. Instead she meets a group of people that have experienced significant difficulties in life and are learning how to move forward. She discovers that the members of the ‘hippy camp” hold similar presumptions about her family’s camp, known as the “crazy church camp,” and this challenges her prejudices. As she looks beyond the external stereotypes that could cause division, she finds a type of friendship that she never knew existed – real, honest, raw and dependable. She finds the support to face her questions about her faith, as well as the questions about her family history that her experiences at camp unfold.

I immediately had preconceived ideas about the storyline when I read the first chapter. In hindsight, I suspect it is specifically written to cause the reader to picture a stereotype which is challenged as the reader learns more information. The Names They Gave Us was refreshingly different to my initial expectations. It accentuates the human tendency to label others and focus on differences, instead of connecting through similarities. It illustrates the way that every individual’s belief system is challenged by life and how together we are stronger and able to face the challenges that we experience.

The story is about respect despite diversity of religious belief, race, gender and sexual orientation. The differences are not emphasised and used to define the characters, instead they exist as part of who each character is. Despite differing backgrounds, choices and beliefs, the characters learnt to respect and support each other and developed strong ties. The characters are strong, believable and each has their own distinct story. As the story progresses, it is easy to get caught up in it, wondering what will happen next. 

This is a beautiful story about finding faith in unexpected places and about looking beyond external stereotypes to see the person within. It describes the resilience of the human spirit and the way suffering knocks us over, changes us and makes us stronger. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

This was a beautiful, beautiful book. At first the Christianity put me off a bit, even though I understood it and how important it was. Lucy grew up her entire life with Christianity and her relationship with god being a huge part of her identity. But the beauty of it was that as she felt disconnected from her faith, she started to explore the sides of her personality that she's never looked into. At the start, she defined herself too much as the pastor's daughter and it was good to see that fall away and be rebuilt in a way that allowed her to live her life more as she wanted without worrying so much about her parents' or god's approval. 

I loved the friendship group at Daybreak. I loved Daybreak! It had such a sense of individuality and the realness that this sort of place have. The kind of atmosphere that you have to be part of to understand it all. The kids at the camp were so sweet as well, especially the little ones. It was interesting how not all the problems of the children were told, but it was obvious they were there for a reason. 

This whole book was a fantastic story and I can't wait for Emery Lord's next book.

When Lucy's mother is diagnosed with cancer, for the second time, things start to change in her life. Instead of spending summer with her parents at a Christian camp Lucy is encouraged by her mother to take up a role as counsellor at a nearby camp for children from difficult situations (or, as Lucy describes it in her head, the hippie camp). 

This is a lovely and sensitive book, with themes of friendship, the relationship between children and parents and becoming an adult. It's very evocative and excels in its portrayal of friendships, making them and living with the mistakes that friends inevitably make. 

Also a really good portrayal of a mother- daughter relationship, and a book with plenty of depth. 

I freely admit to a certain discomfort with religious elements in a novel, moreso if I feel like the writer has a proselytising agenda, but the character of Lucy and her religion was deftly handled.

I follow Emery Lord on Twitter, and she's amazing. I adore her. But so far, neither of her books have really grabbed me. I found this disappointing.

I have to admit, if I had know how much God would be involved in this book, I would never have requested it from Netgalley. As an agnostic verging on aetheist, I find Christian fiction puzzling and the faith element often distracting. However, having said that, I'm actually glad I did request it and read it. Perhaps because it's YA, perhaps because Lucy has something of a crisis of faith, and perhaps just because of Lord's talented writing, I found the whole story, God included, easy to digest and actually quite fascinating. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against people of faith, as long as they don't try to persuade me to subscribe, and Lucy's version gave me some hope and faith (ironically) that there are religious people out there who are also tolerant and understanding. I enjoyed following Lucy on her journey, from questioning her God and the other main tennets of her life, to discovering that there can be more to life and faith, it's not always black and white, and you can always learn from other people.

I have a lot of mixed emotions about this book - on one hand I loved it. Loved the emotion of it all and the unwavering friendship and love that shone throughout. There's something about a story at a summer camp during a time of grief that will always get me. However, I was left feeling underwhelmed. The book just felt like it was lacking something, and I can't quite put my finger on what it was. Throughout the book I kept waiting for something MORE and it didn't come. I think a more demonstrative way of how I felt about The Names They Gave Us was this: I finished the book and sobbed, but I absolutely hated the ending. I didn't feel like it wrapped the book up the way I hoped it would - it ended very abruptly and with no closure. So I can't fully give myself to this book - partly because there was no resolution and also partly because it still feels like something was missing.

There is a lot packed into this quick-read, YA novel - family, loyalty, trust, religion, serious illness, childhood trauma... Lucy is a content, well-behaved young lady who is coasting along in life until her mother's cancer returns and her summer plans change drastically. Lucy heads to Camp Daybreak to be a camp counsellor for a group of young girls, who have their own personal difficulties. Lucy has to navigate new friendships, a crush, and a summer she didn't think she had been ready for. 

A strong coming-of-age novel, appealing to all readers. All the issues in The Names They Gave Us are handled with care and sensitivity, including religion. I am not religious and was skeptical that I would be able to relate to a main character who was so openly influenced by her beliefs. I'm impressed by how well Emery Lord wove it into the storyline and I am pleasantly surprised that I was wrong to be worried about it negatively impacting the story for me. Great story all around.

This book was so good. Took a little bit of time to get going but so worth it - I was racing home to read it.

"Bones can snap. Skin is like paper. And I just want to go back. I want to go back to when it felt like nothing could hurt me." 

So, firstly, the good: this book was a fun, pleasant read. A typical summer read. As always, Emery Lord's writing is nicely paced and engaging, with a number of lovely lines. 

And now, the bad - this book was such a disappointment. 

From a secular standpoint, this book was, at best, uncomfortably vague. Death, faith, sexuality - all immensely complex issues, and all brushed aside in a manner that bordered on insensitive. 

And from a Christian standpoint, this book was a complete sellout. 

I tend to avoid Christian fiction, and it's because of books like this. It presents Christianity as something mysterious and holy and full of vague, airy-fairy answers to difficult questions. It isn't. 

Theologically speaking, there are a lot of sketchy areas in this novel concerning aforementioned complex issues. And it comes across as a contrived effort to remain inoffensive - for the benefit of secular and religious readers alike, of course. 

But let's be real, that's not what Christianity is about. 

The Bible talks about a lot of things that are uncomfortable to address in today's society. Pre-marital sex. Suicide. Sexuality and gender. 

So why were these not addressed? 

I'll give her this - she talks, if briefly and purely on a superficial level, about the nice parts of Christianity. Love and grace and forgiveness. The parts that are easy to talk about. 

But where are the ugly parts? Because those are the parts that need to be talked about. Those are the parts that are so misunderstood by secular society; that too many Christians today prefer to just avoid because they're difficult to confront.

But that doesn't change the fact that they exist, and ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away. 

And the ending was the final nail in the coffin for me. Because what the hell is up with that?

"It's not the Bible or the light bending through the church's stained glass or the rafters filled with glorias. Although it is still those things. 

It's the white light that fills you, wide and glowing, expanding your seams. And maybe you find it in the smooth lake water or piano chords, so lost in them that you sway back and forth. In brassy hits of trumpet, playing until you pant, breathless. Maybe you find it somewhere beneath the tall pines, during a summer that changes everything. Or in an Airstream trailer on an open road that you earned. In every dance move that sets you free. In the hands that mend your split-open knuckles. In the people who teach you, who forgive you."


That's a load of bullshit. Pretty bullshit, eloquent bullshit, but bullshit all the same - it tells us nothing. Not about her faith, not about her lack thereof. Nothing. 

It doesn't take a Christian to see that Lucy's idea of faith - her pretty church, her music, her prayers that have fallen into routine - is unbelievably shallow. 

In an effort to avoid turning this review into a full-length essay (again), I'll end with a TLDR:

This book is like any other YA novel. It's easy and fun to read and makes you smile, but there's absolutely nothing below the surface. 

And usually, I'd be okay with that. But you know what? I really, really wanted this to be so much more.


I received this copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story is about a girl whose Christian faith is tested when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. At her mother’s request, she goes to a summer camp for troubled teens to work as a counsellor. Here is where the romance factor comes into play. After her boyfriend recently decided they should ‘pause’ their relationship, Lucy finds a new love interest at camp. 
	The pacing of this story was bordering on tedious. After Lucy arrives at camp and meets the new guy, everything in the story seems to take a back seat. All we get is the ins-and-outs of daily camp activities. It’s a snoozefest, nothing much else happens. There’s very little romance and not much more said about her mum’s cancer for a huge portion of the book, which seems odd to me given that it was what triggered her crisis of faith in the first place.
	I tend to avoid books with strong religious undertones because it’s just not my thing and this book was full of them. It was uncomfortable for me at times but it lightened up as the book went on. 
	Character wise, Lucy was okay. I couldn't buy into how sheltered she was though and I feel like she played the religious upbringing card to get herself out of situations, too many times, it got a bit annoying. The supporting characters felt very forced, they seemed to be carefully selected to represent a variety of social issues, whether it be race, poverty etc. and the way Lucy had no idea how to talk to any of them at first was quite cringey. 
	The ending was completely and utterly underwhelming. It didn’t answer everything it needed to.
	Overall, I didn’t enjoy much of this book. I felt like there was too much going on in the background and not enough going on with the main character.

So a big part of this book is religious. There is a family that has strong Christian views and the father of our protagonist is a pastor. However, I am not religious in any way, and I really didn't mind the Christian aspect of the book, it didn't seem in-your-face and forced upon you, it was just there as part of the character's life and actually, it was quite interesting to read about how she tackled her life and her faith at the same time.

Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake. But when her mom’s cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in faith, in love, and in her ability to cope. When her boyfriend “pauses” their relationship and her summer job switches to a different camp—one for troubled kids—Lucy isn’t sure how much more she can handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow counsellor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her problems and discover what grace really means?

First off, can I just rant for a little bit about how much of an idiot Lukas is? Who 'pauses' a relationship? If you didn't want to be with Lucy, then just break up with her! Because 'pausing' a relationship is just crazy... (in my opinion) However, I do understand that he's also been there for Lucy throughout a lot of hard times and I can see why Lucy would feel reserved over the 'pause'. Lukas was her rock at times, her crutches and they were suddenly whipped away from underneath her. So she had to learn to stand on her own and rely on her own strength to get through the difficult times that she faced.

I absolutely loved all of the characters though! They were so amazing and supportive and just... real... They had problems, they were abrupt, they weren't from perfect backgrounds, they were sarcastic, pushy, jealous, scared, loving... Everything that makes up being human, they were that. I just loved how this book had a friendship group in it that were there for each other, even when everything could be going wrong. They always made the effort to help one another out and I loved reading about that, as I think strong friendships need to be portrayed more in YA, and not the backstabbing drama that I usually read.

There was also quite a bit of diversity within The Names They Gave Us. Lord included a several POC in the book, a transgender main character, religious characters (and this is something that isn't really explored in YA) and I think that it was brilliant to see this type of diversity within a book. However, I cannot state whether the representation was problematic or not as I am white, straight and cis.





"If you want partnership, you'll find it. And in the meantime, you're perfect all on your own."

- Emery Lord, The Names They Gave Us






The only reason that this is four stars and not five is because of all of the family secrets. Don't get me wrong, I loved finding out the secrets, but I felt like that whole part of the book was very rushed. Lord took her time with the first three-quarters of the book (and it was even slow-paced at times!) and then at the end, everything seemed to happen all at once with exposing the secrets. However, once that bit was out the way, it was pretty much the end of the book and oh my life... IT WAS AN AMAZING ENDING AND I NEED A SECOND BOOK! It was such cliffhanger and it left me screaming internally. How can you do this to us, Emery?! HOW?!

Another thing that I thought was amazing about this book was the character development that Lucy went through. At the beginning of the novel, she's this naïve girl who's scared to step even a toe out of line. She doesn't live her life because she's in constant fear about her Mom - which is 100% understandable because I would be the exact same! However, as the book progresses, so does Lucy. Being at Daybreak camp was the best possible thing for her. It gave her so many opportunities for growth and she made some amazing friends. Her character arc was just mind-blowing. Towards the end of the book, I was cheering her on because I just loved the person that she had become.

Overall, apart from the slow pace at the beginning and the mega-fast pace towards the end, this book was exceptionally good. This is the first book that I have read by Emery Lord. I actually have When We Collided on my bookshelf so that books has been bumped up my TBR significantly! Thank you, Emery Lord for a fantastic reading experience!

Side Note: Lucy's last name is 'Hansson' and that's amazing because it's the same as mine. Guaranteed, mine is spelt 'Hanson' but still... WE HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME! WHOOO!

Warning: there are trigger warnings in this book for death, depression, self-harm, suicide, abuse

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 1st June

AMAZING. AMAZING. AMAZING.

Not my favourite of Emery Lord's novels but I did really enjoy it! I was a bit confused on some of the Christian aspects, not sure if she was going for a Christian view point or secular one, as a Christian reader I didn't agree with all of the theology but for the most part it was a clean book for young adult readers. I liked Lucy a lot, she was easy to like, I liked how she was questioning what her own beliefs were and the way she went about it, respecting her parents still and their opinions while figuring herself out. Henry was a great character as well, all the friends at camp were actually all great, I loved the humour and fun that does come with summer camp. I will continue to put Emery Lord at the top of my Must Read list!

Thank you very much for allowing me to read this title; I am trying to read as widely as possible ahead of the Carnegie/Greenaway nominations and awards for 2018 and your help is much appreciated.
As a Carnegie/Greenaway judge, I'm not allowed to comment about my opinions on specific titles so I can't offer an individual review on any title as I stated on my profile.

This book completely took my by surprise, and it is easily one of the best contemporaries I've read all year. Actually, let's be honest: one of the best contemporaries I've read ever. I haven't been touched this much by friendship, family and faith since the Clearwater Crossing series, which is an old one from the 90s but one of my all time favourites due to it's absolutely beautiful complex characters and range of emotion. Emery Lord managed to pack the punch of a 20 book series into 380 glorious pages. The Names They Gave Us has a beating heart at its core and I was fully blown away.

PLOT
Lucy's mother has been in remission for a while, but then her cancer comes back. Lucy is furious, and this catalyses a shaking of her faith. Suddenly her boyfriend Lucas doesn't understand her anymore, and he's not being very sensitive to the situation in the way Lucy wants. Like when you're really angry and all you want is someone to be angry with you but all they do is say stuff like 'It's going to work out' etc etc and you feel like you're about to explode? Yeah, Lucas is annoying. Lucy and her family always go to Christian camp, with Lucy's dad being a pastor, and she's looking forward to spending all this extra time with her mum, but Mum Hansson has something else in mind. She asks Lucy to instead go help at the Rising Sun camp across the lake which cares for troubled kids. And this is when the magic starts.

CHARACTERS
Lucy - I loved how this book is as much about her faith as it is her family and the relationships she builds during the summer. For a lot of people I know that religious characters are a big nono in books, and to me that's so upsetting, because what is it about religious teenagers that makes people want to turn away? Though I don't relate to Lucy's sense of faith, I'm still in awe of characters like her to believe in something so strongly. I think it's really important to show teenagers questioning faith, or being dedicated to their religious beliefs.

Lucy in general was just a really gentle character. She was vulnerable and emotional, but she also had great strength. Sometimes she'd word things wrong and people would call her out for it - you know, she makes mistakes - but she was always trying to learn. And I think that The Names They Gave Us did an absolutely incredible job of not being preachy, and showing how religious teens are judged - people thinking they live their lives like it's the 1900s. Hopefully, it'll help make people think twice before the judge someone for being religious.

I could see myself returning to this book in times of need to be inspired by how Lucy works through her pain.

The friends: Anna, Jones, Simmons, and Tambe - so everyone goes by their surnames (apart from Anna) and I think that's what the book is called 'The Names They Gave Us' because all the kids have to use surnames to show respect/authority. I won't reveal they're first names because that was a really fun part of the book, and I enjoyed the anticipation of it! haha!

I pretty sure this group is #squadgoals. At first Lucy feels like she's intruding on something since the four friends have been together forever and she's not sure how she's going to fit in. Each character was distinct and had their own personality and voice, and I really enjoyed the final third of the book where we got to know more about them and their personal stories were revealed. Particularly Anna's. They're a diverse bunch, and their chemistry was off the charts good. I wanted to be part of their picnics and nights out too! They had the kind of friendship you want to read about over the summer. Perfection.

ROMANCE
I was pleasantly surprised by how much of a slow-build the romance was. Lucy and (I'm not going to spoil it, so we'll call him X) X really get to know each other as friends first before they progress any further. Obviously, Lucy has a lot on her plate too, and with the whole Lucas thing, it's a bit complicated. I'm a hard sell on romance, but I thought it was sweet and heart-warming, and their couple moments didn't scream 'you should want/you need a relationship like this to be happy', which as ace, I really appreciate.

PACING
The first three months absolutely zip by. The summer is obviously the most important part of the story but the elision felt a little weird to begin with. Still, it gave a succinct overview of Lucy's life pre-camp, and I didn't realise just how many seeds were planted in these first few chapters for things that would happen later on!

When we're in camp, things are a lot slower. It almost becomes like a diary with Lucy noting the exact times and the activities she's doing with her group, but I LOVED this. There's always something happening, or something the characters are working towards, so I never found myself getting bored. In fact, I wanted MORE! There are so many little victories for Lucy too, like when she helps a girl learn to swim, or rediscover how much she liked playing the piano. But there are also tense moments too that help  create a change of pace. I was always on edge about what was going to happen to Lucy's mum, and that was a really big driving force of the story.

VERDICT
I don't know how to feel about the ending because it was very open. It also came about very abruptly, but I liked that it really re-centered on Lucy's faith. It's not a huge part of the middle section, but I liked the synergy the finale had with the open. There were also a few big reveals and some gasping moments that I completely wasn't expecting, which is partly why this book was so surprising. I loved it so much, and I think I've found a new favourite contemporary. I can't wait for everyone else to read this because it really was something special. I have no hesitation when I say this is a 5 star read.

Faith is weird. When you think about it, faith is such a vague, flexible thing that can mean a different thing to every person. I know people who don't drink because of their faith, who have tattoos because of their faith. Some people even set off bombs because of their faith. That's what makes it such an interesting topic for YA, where often these kinds of books have a 'message' or something to learn from. Don't worry, The Names They Gave Us isn't a recruitment book for any type of religion. 

Lucy is looking forward to the summer (aren't we all?) and has a perfect all-American girl life. Boyfriend, check. Job, check. Quality time with her parents and mum who doubles as her BFF, check. But then, Lucy's mum's cancer returns and everything goes to crap. She volunteers as a counsellor at a summer camp for troubled kids, rather than the church camp she knows and loves. It challenges everything she thought her faith meant to her and her family, from pre-marital sex to how to deal with the great unknown of her future.

I grew up attending a Church of England school and found myself grappling with ideas of faith when I was younger than Lucy, asking all of the same questions. Mostly, how can you have faith when your mum has cancer? Why would a God do something like that to you and your family? But instead of being a nasty, ignorant bash at Christianity, or any religion, The Names They Gave Us, explores how faith doesn't have to mean following a rule book, or even following the same thing as everyone else. It can be personal. 

While I lost my religious faith, I found faith in the people around me. In knowing that friends and family can be kind, supportive and comforting and that kindness is key (sorry for the cheesy overload here). In the same way, Emery Lord transcends religious faith and applies the concept to everyone, no matter what  their beliefs.

Lucy's relationships with the other counsellors provided the diversity that brought this story to life. Anna in particular was an insightful and eye-opening character. I found myself exactly on the same page as Lucy. When she was surprised, so was I. When she didn't know what to say, neither did I. But, I felt I learnt a lot from their relationship and it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling aka faith in humanity. 

Of course, how could I review this book without mentioning Jones? Jones - such a common surname - could be any guy. He's exactly what Lucy needs to show her that it's okay to be herself, even when it's not what she expected. She gets to experience his life and meet his family and I couldn't read those chapters fast enough because they were so damn good.

Whether you've read Emery Lord before or not - I strongly suggest you do - The Names They Gave Us is a versatile read and the faith slant was dealt with so well.

If anyone has any recommendations of other YA writers/novels that deal with faith, let me know!

Any Emery Lord book is going to be great, but The Names They Gave Us is her best so far!
The characters are written with such beauty and I truly enjoyed reading Lucy's story. The way the friendships are written is just inspiring.
I was quite reserved about the themes behind the book, but I was happily surprised, they turned out tonne beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable.
This book is written with an incredible amount of emotion and it nearly had me in tears multiple times (it all got too much at one point and I couldn't hold it in any longer.)
This book was absolutely amazing and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone I meet, maybe even strangers I pass on the street.
*thank you so much Bloomsbury for letting me read this pre-release!

THE NAMES THEY GAVE US is emotional, moving, and raw. Lord's thoughtfulness towards her setting, topics, and characters is striking; each relationship feels so honest. This is top-tier Emery Lord.