*ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley*

As Mila aged out of the foster care program, she jumped at the opportunity to go to a place known as The Farm. Known for taking in foster kids, Mila’s duties would include teaching the younger kids, helping with harvest and market. What Mila didn’t know was the farm was haunted. What were these spirits that danced in the fields at night? As her memories started pouring forth. Had she brought her own ghosts with her?
This book is about finding yourself when it is buried deep in trauma. Nina LaCour hasn’t disappointed in this new release.

Unfortunately this book did not do it for me. The premise of this book sounded really good. Ghosts.... Haunted cabins... Some trauma that need to be resolved? All buzzwords for me to pick up a book but this one for me did not execute as well. The writing style fell flat and the dialogue was just awkward and cringe to me. I didn't get any emotional feelings from this book and I'm disappointed that this didn't read like I wanted.

First of all, I want to say that I loved the writing style and the atmosphere in this book. Nina definitely knows how to write and how to hold people's interest. Also, at least one of the difficulties I had may be because I was reading a proof version; a simple spacing change was all I needed and that could very easily have happened in the finished version.

This is shorter than I was expecting. Nina packs a lot into this short space, though, bringing us up to date on Mila's background through flashbacks and memories, and following her through an undisclosed amount of time on the farm. I found some of the flashbacks very abrupt...that's the spacing issue...and I wasn't sure how much time passed on the farm, although maybe I just missed something there.

The real problem is that, even after finishing reading it, I'm not really sure what was happening. Were the ghosts really ghosts? How could people interact with them? Why did they only appear there on that farm and not anywhere else where people are traumatised? Even the very ending, when Mila has accepted her past; it seemed like she was conflating their treatment of her with the way her stepfather acted and deciding to leave, but then I think she decided to stay because as long as she was choosing it herself it was fine? I'm really not sure what was going on there.

This is a beautiful, atmospheric read with great characters and a wonderful idea, and I highly recommend it. I'm just not sure what it's about!

This book was like a melody that was haunting addicting and beautiful. I often found myself going through the chapters without realizing they passed. Throughout the book, I could truly see the growth of the main character Nina and how every interaction after she left her former life lead to who she was at the end. My favorite parts of this story were the small scenes with such intricate detail, I could picture everything happening, sights smells sounds, etc. I loved the relationships between the characters and how they all had a part in each other's lives. It is a book that seems simple on the outside, but their such complexity, loneliness, pain, longing, and happiness underneath'. Haunting in almost a comforting way.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I have a read a book in one sitting, but as soon as I started this book, I could not put it down. As I am writing this, I still have tears glimmering in my eyes from that beautiful ending. This book follows Mila as she goes to her newest, and potentially last foster home. When she arrives she not only encounters a loving family, but also some hauntings from her past that she can not forget no matter how hard she tries. This book is now one of my new favorites as it beautifully incorporates a haunting story and gorgeous writing. I can only describe this book as a masterpiece. Normally this type of my book is not my cup of tea, but the themes of isolation, love, and finding a place to call home felt so familiar and so real that I easily connected with this story. I think that everyone can find a way to relate to this story because everyone has experience heartbreak and loss, and while it hurts to face it, as Mila shows us, that is the only way to truly move on and find happiness.

I truly wanted to enjoy this book. I think I would've enjoyed it more if it wasn't so heavy. It was not what I was expecting, but I'm sure others will enjoy.

This was... not for me. People rave about Nina Lacour's books, but if this is the norm, I don't get the hype.
It was very dark and heavy, which isn't inherently bad, but there also wasn't really *any* positive element. The characters felt flat, the way the story came together felt like it was supposed to be a revelation but was generally meh. The ghost aspect was done in a very ~magical realism~ way. I guess I can see how someone would like this book, but that person was not me.

A very gentle story which brings in touches of magical realism. It read as fairly different than LaCour's other books, but the writing style was very strong and quite lovely, and the sense of place (and food!) very well rendered. I found some of the characters to read a little thinly and I wonder if the text was meant to cross the line from atmospheric into sinister as often as I felt that it did, but overall it's a quietly great read. Recommend to fans of We Were Liars and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

This was the first Nina LaCour book I have ever read and I really enjoyed it! The characters were amazing to get to know!

This was the first book I've read by Nina LaCour, and I can definitely understand why so many people love her writing. It was elegant, flowed nicely, and was one of my favourite aspects of the book. There was small flashbacks into Mila's past which were an enjoyable and effective way to tie in previous events. The main concept of the plot interested me a lot and the setting was very atmospheric. I definitely liked the characters, and my favourite character would have to be either Mila or Lee, who is the child she is in charge of on the farm. They both are very resilient and strong which I found to be really inspiring. Both characters develop and change together, each being an integral part in the other's journey. The message of found family was heartwarming and the emotions displayed in this book felt very real and genuine.

Watch Over Me is very much an internal journey, which made for the plot to be somewhat slow at times. However I know there is a lot of you that enjoy emotional journeys that are hard hitting, if you enjoy that, this is definitely the book for you! I also had thought there would be more of a scary aspect because of the ghosts, but not to fear, it was more eerie than frightening. I also would have loved for this book to be longer so that we could experience more of the other characters and their personalities.

I definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for an emotional journey in poetic prose. I gave this book a 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨

I found this book fascinating in the way that it tells its story. It's Nina LaCour, so the writing is absolutely gorgeous. I loved the author's other book We Are Not Okay, and what I loved in that book translated into this book, but with some rural eerieness.

a quiet, rural contemporary fantasy about ghosts & loneliness. it was definitely solid...i mean, nina lacour is the queen of writing sad girls and emo times, how could it be anything but? the way this book handles trauma and finding family was well done. i just wish there had been a bit of a bigger punch & had i been more emotionally invested by the end i think this would have hit four stars.

Well done! Although I would have liked more insight about the camp itself and some of the characters' relationships with one another are hard to understand, the lack of explanation adds to the sense of dread and fear building throughout the book. Whether or not the ending merits all that buildup is probably debatable, but credit is due for such an original take on a ghost story and the idea of being haunted. This would be a great story for a book club or other discussion group.

Nina Lacour’s “Watch Over Me” is a beautifully haunting book.

Not sure what to expect other than hearing this book described as “magical realism”, this gorgeously written YA novel is a truly captivating tale of trauma and survival. Main character Mila is a protagonist readers are certain to feel for and likely to remember well beyond the last page. Mila’s story reminds of the importance of chosen family and the possibility of rebirth.

A lovely read. A definite gem.

I love LaCour’s writing so much. This book was quiet, sad, and unsettling. I couldn’t stop reading, trying to figure exactly what might be going on at this farm. Recommend for teens.

I enjoyed the premise of this one as well as the character development. In the end, the length was a bit short for me. I felt like the whole book could have been fleshed out a tad more, particularly the paranormal elements.

Absolutely stunning. This haunting tale is about loss and grief, but it is also about hope and family.

I loved the story. It was quick, detailed, and deep in so many ways. I also fell in love with almost every character. Their connection to one another was so powerful it brought me to tears.

I highly recommend this beautiful book to any YA reader.

Watch Over Me is a beautiful, atmospheric, and heartbreaking story of trauma, grief, and discovery of self told through through the eyes of a girl who can see ghosts. I enjoyed this book tremendously and look forward to sharing it on my Instagram. Thank you for providing me with the eARC.

“We have to face the things that scare us. It might be the only way to stop being afraid.”

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour is beautifully atmospheric and a hauntingly sad story about Mila, an 18-year-old who has aged out of the foster care system and is given the opportunity to go live and work on an isolated farm. Mila is hired to teach the younger students and forms a connection with Lee, a boy who has a sad and tragic past, much like her own. A bond is formed and Mila feels an intense protectiveness over Lee. Mila soon fits in with her peers and is finally able to make meaningful friendships but when her past begins to sneak up on her, Mila must learn to cope with it.

Mila is a fascinating character and her development over the course of the book is so well-done. She is mysterious and cautious, as all girls who harbor deep secrets are, but as I got glimpses in to her abusive past and how it formed her, my heart broke a little with each revelation. I could understand her guilt, her protective mechanisms and her caution to become too close to anyone. Surrounded by ghosts, real and figurative, in a lovely setting in the California mountains, Mila, flawed, lonely but not alone anymore, will learn to trust again.

Wonderful YA novel that is both inspiring and poetic, a page turner that will surely break your heart but it just may put it back together again, too.

So after reading the book, I'm not so sure about the cover... but putting that aside. I really enjoyed this one and read it in a single sitting. What I love about LaCour's writing is that she manages to be simultaneously poetic and to-the-point. Her novels are shorter than many others crowding the YA shelf, but they pack dramatic and emotional punches. This particular text is a ghost story, though not of the sort you might imagine at first. It's worth a read both for ghost lovers and non-ghost lovers alike. At it's core is a yearning to be accepted and loved for who we are. This book is about both the literal ghosts, but also those figurative ghosts of memories that seem to haunt us forever.

Mila has been in foster care since a fire that killed her mother's boyfriend left her homeless at age 11. Now, at 18, she thinks she has finally found a home.

She is invited to live and work on a farm in a remote area of Northern California. The couple who owns the farm care for as many foster children as they can in an effort to provide them with a good education and a loving home. Mila will teach some of the younger children, sell flowers at the farmer's market, and be of general help. In exchange she will be provided with food, housing, friendship, and love.

What no one warned her about was the ghosts.

**SPOILERS**

One thing I particularly loved about this is that there's a period in the middle where I thought something sinister was going to happen. The ghosts were going to catch up with everyone and someone was going to die, etc. The usual horror story stuff. And then...instead it was magical. Instead of ending in running for her life, Mila was able to face her fears and gain what she needed - a loving home despite (or perhaps because of) the difficulties she had faced and the choices she had to make as a child.