Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - We Are Okay

I absolutely loved this book. It was so beautifully written. I had just finished reading Jane Eyre prior to reading this, and it was so well timed because of all of the references. I enjoyed the flashbacks and slowly uncovering the events of the main characters past as she processed them herself too.

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luxsona's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Beautifully written. It sort of reminds me of the game, Omori, in that both novels tackle very similar themes about nostalgia and the past.

What I enjoyed most about this book:

The voice: This book is written in first person, and almost every single word reveals something about Marin's character.
The pacing: Nina LaCour knows how to pace this book really well. There were moments where we see brief flits of emotion and description, but there were also incredibly tense moments that hooked me in throughout. I remembered standing up straighter throughout several moments.
The characterization: This is a very character-centric book. The focus of this novel sits entirely within the characters and gets in their heads quite a fair bit, so life-like characters are vital. Fortunately, Marin, Mabel, and all of their friends and family feel incredibly life-like. You can understand what they go through throughout the entire novel.

Notes:

(Spoilers for the ending of the novel!)
The one thing that confused me just slightly was the ending. It felt like the novel was trying to emphasize this idea of "moving forward", and accepting the past. However, the novel ends with Marin accepting the idea of returning to Mabel's family home. This plot-beat feels slightly off-kilter when compared to the rest of the novel and the theming that it was going for. This is just a minor nitpick, though.

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kaywhiteley's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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skyecharmel's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I found this book at random at a bookstore and immediately put it on hold at my library. As someone who has been living in a space of grief for a good part of my life, I feel like this book is a great, poignant example of that. Each of the main characters has something they're grieving, and the ways each character handled it was well done and relatable. Would recommend to anyone who finds themselves in a similar space, although I urge caution for anyone in depressive episodes.

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lifeindelusion's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

‘I can imagine how it would look to live there, and I know the things I would do, but I can't feel it.

I can't say yes.’

change & healing doesn’t come smoothly nor easily, this isn’t a fairytale where a single meeting with a fairy or a prince is going to fix all problems

“she didn’t have any character development”

.. yes she did.

her days spent with mabel made her realize some things, her denial, her regret, her love, her loneliness, & most of all her longing for someone to be by her side. mabel forced her back into reality, doused her in cold water when her body was as dry as a desert.

marin, is a very raw & real character, she is so human. she is learning how to move on and become her own person. she is tying up split ends, fixing relationships, working through her grief and finding how to be herself between other people.

this is a story of grief, loss, love & acceptance.

she didn’t need any major character development, the changes she made, even if they started small will get bigger and eventually she will find herself a different person surrounded by things that she can be proud of.

‘ And I have yet another chance, and I take it.

"Yes," I say. "Yes." ‘

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