Why I requested this: Can I say ghosts and Nina LaCour are honestly all I need as selling points at this point?

Pros:
The atmosphere! Can you say haunting? It really helps bring Mila’s feelings of being alone to light.
Loneliness. This is a weird thing to put as a pro, but it feels like a part of the story and it says it right in the plot, but Nina LaCour nails the feeling of loneliness in this one.
The characters! Okay, if I’m being fair, with Nina LaCour this has always been a strong suit in my opinion.

Cons:
The ending feels a bit abrupt. I felt that it was a bit ambiguous, which in some stories I do like; however, I was hoping for more here.

Overall: Despite the abrupt ending, Nina LaCour brings it in yet another unique story.

I first heard about Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour during Penguin Teen Canada’s fall preview event this past summer. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Nina LaCour’s books from friends, but I’ve never actually read one . . . until now. The way this book was described—a beautiful story full of ghosts and grief—piqued my interested a lot, and I knew I needed to read it.


Watch Over Me follows the story of Mila, who grew up in foster care and recently turned 18. She’s going to live on an isolated farm and work as an intern for a family that has taken in over 40 foster children over the years, and is very excited to finally be joining a family. She’ll have her own cabin, teach young children, and be able to earn a living for herself.

If you think this all sounds too good to be true, you’re right, but probably not in the way you’re initially thinking. Mila quickly learns that the farm is haunted. Not everyone can see the ghosts, but they’re there, and they end up playing a rather important role in this story.

The writing in this book was beautiful and haunting. I could picture the scenery so perfectly, from the farmhouse to the beach, and even the flower stand at the local farmer’s market. But what stood out for me the most was the raw emotion written all over the pages. I could feel how lonely and scared Mila was, and I’ve never wanted to hug a fictional character so badly.

What made the story even more powerful, though, was the way it wove in feelings of grief, isolation, and trauma as well. The ghosts in Watch Over Me aren’t just spectral bodies walking about the farm. I mean, they are, but they also represent the hardships that Mila and other characters have endured, and help them come to terms with their past in order to move forward.

There are a lot of layers to this story, which to me is the mark of a good book. I know many different people will have their own unique takeaways from this story, and it will resonate with each reader differently.

If you’re looking for a YA contemporary that will pull on your heart strings, check this one out. If you’re a mood reader, it’d also be a good one to curl up with on a rainy day.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour Moore comes out on September 15, 2020, and can be purchased wherever books are sold.

What a hauntingly beautiful and melancholic novel. There’s nothing like being wallowed by the pure emotions of a book. LaCour’s breathtaking writing allows the reader to experience the raw sadness, loneliness, and love that makes up Watch Over Me. Mila must face the past that haunts her and it does not come easy. I was swiftly transported into her story, the eerie amosphere of the novel coming to life with every turn of the page. I felt a every word in my chest, and it was magical. Overall, a truly emotive and wonderful piece.

The book follows Mila, who just graduated from high school and is going to work at a farm for young foster kids to be taken care of. Mila has just aged out of the foster care system, so I thought it was interesting that she wants to go work for a couple who houses foster care kids and takes care of them. Mila is tasked with teaching some of the younger children, and I thought it interesting and kinda weird how an eighteen year old all of a sudden becomes a teacher? Is this possible? Does this happen? Maybe my bias as a teacher is clouding this a bit, but just seemed odd that her role is a teacher.
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However, I really liked the themes of love and acceptance in the book. Mila is dealing with a lot from her past trauma's and this farm teaches her how to deal with her trauma and gives her the opportunity to find a place that she feels like she belongs. This love and acceptance, and the idea of building up your own family, was what really kept me reading!

After the success of her novel We Are Okay, Nina LaCour returns to the YA world with her newest title, Watch Over Me. Set to be released September 15th, this haunting modern ghost story becomes an emotional and poignant read.
This novel is beautifully written and so deeply evoking of what it means to deal with the things that haunt you. The ghosts in the book seem to represent the physical embodiments of Mila’s past and bit by bit the truth of what happened to Mila and why she is at the farm come to light. This book takes the notion of a ghost story and then puts on its head. Instead of ghosts needing something from humans, the humans need something from the ghosts in this book. It’s not a horror story; just a supernatural one with mentions of PTSD and dealing with the foster care system.
The way LaCour parallels past and present is fantastical and beautiful and showcases how it might be to feel truly alone in this world. The way Mila builds new relationships with the people on the farm shows how even the loneliest of people with the darkest of pasts can still find comfort in others. She is resilient in her wanting to help others and be a part of something, but Mila soon learns that she must first learn to help herself.
One could easily finish this book in one sitting (as I did!) and feel a deep sense of peace after concluding the book. Metaphoric and ethereal, Watch Over Me is a truly remarkable book that is both unique and easy to fall in love with.

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

*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.

This book was amazing! The way it discussed trauma was awesome. I will say, I found the dynamic between Billy, Liz, and Mila a bit confusing.

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.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s time for Mila to leave yet another foster home. She’s been offered a job as an intern to teach the children in Terry and Julia’s farm, a farm in the middle of nowhere, seemingly removed from time, that doesn’t even have cell service. Terry and Julia are renowned for adopting over forty foster children. Though Mila is hired to be an intern to teach and not a foster child herself, she has been assured that the farm can be home if she lets it. But she had to want it. And Mila really really did. This could be the second chance and the new home that she has been looking for. But when she gets to the farm she learns that it is haunted. As dreams and memories of her time at the skeleton house and her present reality start to collide into each other, will Mila be able to face what is haunting her or is the farm another place she’ll have to leave behind.

The first book of Nina Lacour’s that I’ve read was We Are Okay, a personal favourite of mine, and Watch Over Me is just as much of a masterpiece. Lacour writes the most beautiful stories of grief. Her ability to create an atmosphere in her stories is impeccable. There’s a mysterious, whimsical, almost fairytale-like air to this book. The way she unfolds the story is delicately and exquisitely done. Her characters are all so beautifully written. Even before their backstories are revealed, if at all, I instantly felt drawn to them and was able to feel the weight of their past. Watch Over Me is a ghost story like no other. This book is hauntingly beautiful and heart wrenching. It’s a great exploration of the themes of grief, guilt, second chances, and found family.

I will definitely be recommending this to everyone. I also cannot wait to purchase a copy of this for myself.

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.

Mila is accustomed to feeling alone and unwanted. Growing up through foster care and with parents with questionable pasts, she struggles to trust new people, but that alll changed when she moves to a farm on the Northern California Coast. This farm is a refuge for unwanted children, but the house has a secret. The ghosts of past residents who have escaped still haunt the people living there. When Mila meets Lee and becomes his closest confidant, she starts to remember her past in ways she hoped she would never have to think about again. This book was a beautiful representation of a found family and that there is light at the end of every darkness.
There were many things that I enjoyed about this book. I loved how the author wrote her characters as people that we, as readers, could deeply relate to on a personal level. Even though none of her characters are perfect, you can empathize with their feelings because of their past. There were also a few things that I didn't quite understand about the setting. I did feel as though I was thrust into the middle of the story, just because I didn't quite understand the background of the farm and the ghosts that live there. I feel like if the ghosts were a more central part of the story, I would have enjoyed it a little bit more. All in all, I did really enjoy this book and I would recommend to anyone who likes a modern ghost story.

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.