Eerie but not scary! It isn’t easily pulled off by Cole Nagamatsu’s masterful storytelling leads itself to a “feels like you’re there” story.

There is so much shrouded in mystery, from Link Miller’s death to the disappearing lake, that readers will just want to fly through the pages to keep diving deeper and deeper into the lives of the characters.

Each character is so distinct, their characteristics, personality and traits are clearly defined.

The only reason why this book got 4 star instead of 5 is because I would have liked to gotten more depth and background on the mysterious elements of the lake in the forest. It feels like we were just scratching the surface and then the book was over.

I can’t wait to read more from Cole Nagamatsu!

Thank you #netgalley and #SourcebooksFire for an advanced copy of #WeWereRestlessThings in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 38%

I really wanted to like this novel, but unfortunately it wasn't the book for me.
While I thought the atmosphere was really well done, and I appreciated the asexual representation, there were too many other things I didn't really enjoy. I didn't feel like the characters were getting enough development, and the whole plot/mystery felt really flat. I also wasn't a fan of the budding step sibling romance.
This was very much a case of an interesting concept that wasn't executed that well.

First of all, this book has the most gorgeous cover I have seen in a long time. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this story, I really tried but there just wasn’t a character or plot point that gripped me. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an egalley.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I really loved the atmosphere and overall concept of the mystery but I struggled to connect with the characters. At times I was confused and not in a way that added intrigue to the mystery but in a way that made me contemplate DNFing at one point.

But I did enjoy the writing and ultimately was interested enough to finish the novel. It wasn’t bad by any means but it didn’t spark a feeling of intensity in me to warrant a higher rating. It was ok and I’d even contemplate rereading it again if only to experience the eerie, atmospheric tone of it.

Sadly I wasnt a fan of this book and cant give it a very high rating. I was bored a lot reading this one and felt like I couldnt connect with the story. Definitely a very slow burn story.

Brilliant story, with Amazing worldbuilding and captivating plot, full of twists! I loved everything about this story, I was so involved

When Jonas is expelled from school, he moves to Shivery, Minnesota to live with his father and his father's girlfriend and daughter, Noemi, in the Lamplight Inn and attend school with Noemi. Awkward and a bit of an outsider, Jonas quickly attempts to make friends with Noemi and her small friend group in the oddest way possible - bringing up the boy that recently drowned under suspicious circumstances in the woods behind the Lamplight Inn.

The blurb about this book advertises it as the mystery of how Link Miller died in a magical forest to which only Noemi holds the secrets. However, what you get is a book that has little to do with Link, a main character who is as confused as the thin plot line, and an array of other characters that seem to offer little to nothing to the "plot." The mystery unraveled at a snail's pace and didn't offer enough satisfaction to justify reading a book about confusing, often offensive relationships - romantic and otherwise.

The one thing that saved the book from having a lower rating was Gaetan Kelly's character. While hated by most everyone in the book, I loved his character. His trauma was written well, and the only thing I did not like was the way he was treated by everyone else. If it hadn't been for Gaetan, I would have given this book one star. The plot was too messy, and the characters were either pointlessly dropped in or insufferable. Jonas, being the main offender, with the way he reacted to the asexual narrative. The way that was treated was offensive and confusing.

I was really excited when I received an eARC of this book. The cover is beautiful and the premise sounds very intriguing. Sadly this book just didn’t do it for me.
I feel like there was so much potential here, and I really did like the writing, but the story itself fell flat. I thought that I would be getting a very interesting mystery but there was more random teenage drama than magical realism.

I didn’t like the characters. They all felt very boring to me. Some of them were pointless to the story in my opinion. Also I couldn’t get past the stepsister and stepbrother romance. What was the point of it honestly? It’s just gross and uncalled for.

This book was very unique in its own way. I loved the cover it intrigued me to want to read this. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked and couldn't stop reading.

As an individual who does not often read thriller/mystery type novels, Nagamatsu pleasantly surprised me. Not only did this novel offer the mystery I signed up for but it also provided in-depth studies of relationships and included asexual representation.

Name: We were Restless Things
Author: Cole Nagamatsu
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.9/5
Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book, the plot is well developed. The characters are unigue and well developed. Thrilling, Surprising.

I will say this one was a miss for me. It had the chance to be really great given the drowning of Levi occurred in a forest with no lake. Buuuut that gets lost in the poor plot which felt really dragged out and weird incesty feel between Naomi and Jonás (I get they’re not related but it’s weird and I’m not a fan). Overall it felt really disappointing given how amazing that cover is.

OK, here’s the set-up: In We Were Restless Things, Jonas’s new stepsister Noemi is still getting messages from her ex—who drowned on dry land last summer. Noemi knows there’s more to Link’s death than that, though, and she’s not the only one. Every person Jonas meets in his new life has some connection to Link and is mourning his loss. And somewhere in the woods, there’s a magic lake that Noemi’s dreams keep bringing her back to.

So the positive: The cover is really pretty. Isn’t it pretty? But that’s all I’ve got because this book creeps excruciatingly along on loops of unrelated conversations, and the magic — which really should have been the most interesting part of the book — is boring. Most of the story feels like filler. And while I appreciate that the book has a diverse cast of characters, none of them particularly feels interesting in her own right. (And the stepbrother-stepsister romance feels weird because they keep talking about how they’re related by marriage. I get that they meet as teenagers and didn’t grow up together, but please stop calling him your brother if you’re going to kiss him.) I don’t know, maybe I’m grumpy. This one didn’t do it for me.

Unfortunately this might be one of the most disappointing books that I’ve read in a very long time. I feel like there was so much potential here, and I really did love the writing, but the story itself fell flat. I thought that I would be getting a weird magical murder, and even though that technically is what the book is about, it was just so…bland? Uneventful? There’s just something that was missing from the story and I don’t really know what it was.

I loved the writing, everything was super vivid in the world, and the characters were decently fleshed out. And the concept was really interesting! I think that the author fell flat when it came to actually following through on the plot? I still don’t understand most of what happened or why anything happened? It also ended up feeling like a super easy ending when I don’t think it was supposed to be? And the thing that really made it a 2 star read for me was the fact that I just didn’t care about anything that happened throughout the entire book. I didn’t connect to any of the characters and so I didn’t care about anything that was going on. This was just a very meh book for me.

I am definitely curious to read what the author comes out with next because I really did love the writing, but this one was a miss for me.

this had a super interesting premise but i just couldnt bring myself to finish it. the book read a lot younger than expected.

Slow going to start, this was a very character driven title that I just kept waiting for MORE to happen. It had the bones of an incredible debut novel with a unique multi POV and an asexual character, I was really excited to read this one but it just fell a little flat for me.

This book fascinated me. I was immediately intrigued by the plot...a boy seemingly drowns on dry land in the mysterious woods, leaving his friends wondering what happened. Meanwhile, the girl he was interested in starts getting text from "Unknown," a mysterious entity claiming to be the drowned boy. In this small town, and in the woods near the town, nothing is as it seems.

First of all, this book is just the kind of thing I like, but I'm not sure how teen readers will respond to it. It's very, very slow moving, which is something I love. I love getting to know the setting and the characters. But it did almost feel a little too slow, and the book seemed a little too long.

The writing was gorgeous. The setting was stunningly drawn, and the characters were gorgeously well-rounded. But the whole thing did feel a little avant-garde. The teens in this book are all quirky in a way that didn't feel quite realistic. I loved them, anyway. I love the way they interacted, and I loved the way they understood each other. (Though I was a little bit weirded out by Noemi and Jonah's relationship, but eh.)

This is one of those niche YA titles that will definitely need to find the right reader.

A slower read, the best parts are the eerie atmosphere and the development of the characters. I really enjoyed going on this journey but I feel like some of the elements could've been fleshed out a little more. Will still keep an eye out for future books from Nagamatsu..

Love the cover! Unfortunately, this book didn't really hold my attention and I struggled to get into it. Very interesting premise.

I held off reviewing this for a while because I wanted to give it another try, but quite honestly, this book fell a little flat for me.

The stunning cover and the interesting premise dragged me in, but the characters never felt 3D—I never got attached to them, never was truly invested in their story.

As always, I recommend trying the book out for yourself because what’s not my taste, may be yours. Happy reading!