Scan barcode
shannen_rijckx's review against another edition
5.0
I am nor sure how to begin with my review and it probably won’t be the best one, but I just had to say something about this beautiful book. Also I am not sure if some things are spoilers but be warned!
Wow. That’s all I can say. The writing was AMAZING. The story was very gripping and the emotions felt by Marin were so real I felt them.
Grief is for everyone different and we all know that. How Marin treats her grief is very understandable once you’ve finished the story. Everything that happend to her and what she has been through in such a short time could break anyone. I kinda relate to her in someways and (SPOILER) if I could run away to a motel I would’ve done it to.
Sometimes Mabel annoyed the hell out of me and the only reason she did is because I felt like she was trying to force Marin to not grief anymore. I felt like she was trying to force Marin to say everything that she has been trying to cope with and for some people this is the way but I felt with Marin she needs to have some healing time first. That was the only thing that bothered me about Mabel.
Something that bothered me with Mabel was the fact she didn’t share and ignored everyone trying to help (hypocritical of me tbh). Maybe that is why it bothered me, because I know it is bad to push everyone away and try to deal with everything on your own. Sometimes you can but most of the times you can’t.
What I loved about this book was the writing. I really felt every emotion Marin or Mabel or someone else felt, places that were described I could clearly see, when times changed I had no problem adjusting. This book read really easy to somebody who’s first language is not English.
I am so glad I picked up this book because of it’s cover!
Wow. That’s all I can say. The writing was AMAZING. The story was very gripping and the emotions felt by Marin were so real I felt them.
Grief is for everyone different and we all know that. How Marin treats her grief is very understandable once you’ve finished the story. Everything that happend to her and what she has been through in such a short time could break anyone. I kinda relate to her in someways and (SPOILER) if I could run away to a motel I would’ve done it to.
Sometimes Mabel annoyed the hell out of me and the only reason she did is because I felt like she was trying to force Marin to not grief anymore. I felt like she was trying to force Marin to say everything that she has been trying to cope with and for some people this is the way but I felt with Marin she needs to have some healing time first. That was the only thing that bothered me about Mabel.
Something that bothered me with Mabel was the fact she didn’t share and ignored everyone trying to help (hypocritical of me tbh). Maybe that is why it bothered me, because I know it is bad to push everyone away and try to deal with everything on your own. Sometimes you can but most of the times you can’t.
What I loved about this book was the writing. I really felt every emotion Marin or Mabel or someone else felt, places that were described I could clearly see, when times changed I had no problem adjusting. This book read really easy to somebody who’s first language is not English.
I am so glad I picked up this book because of it’s cover!
averyrhyan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
wolters_rachal's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
I just know that this is a book that I needed when I was deeply depressed.
thechanelmuse's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn't for everyone. It feels slow because not much happens. And it makes sense as to why. It centers around a young girl's grief and loneliness. When you're battling those two things, life can feel like it's at a standstill. Past reflections as to what led her to this sense of emptiness was well fleshed out for me.
maggiesasha's review against another edition
5.0
I loved everything about this book. The prose. The plot. The characters.
eesh25's review against another edition
5.0
We Are Okay is a sad yet beautiful book. It tells the story of a young girl, Marin, who loses the only family she has and finds out truths that makes her feel as though her whole life has been a lie. She runs away from everyone she knows and now, months later, her best friend, Mabel, is coming to visit her and she'll have to confront all that happened in the last few weeks after Mabel left for college and Marin's life came apart.
Now, even though I usually avoid books that may have flashbacks, I try not to let my personal dislike for it stop me from reading potentially great books. This is a great book, and the backstory didn't bother me. The author kept things to-the-point and those chapters were very important for us to understand Mabel and Marin's relationship as well as the magnitude of the revelations. It was the only way we could even come close to understanding why Marin reacted the way she did, and cut off all her friends.
Obviously, I can't tell you what those reasons are but they're good reasons. I still don't completely understand Marin's choices but I guess it's just something you have to experience. Besides, everyone deals with grief and shock in their own way.
The novel, due to the theme of grief, has a very sombre tone. It's a simple story about someone finally having to face some hard truths and coming to terms with what they may or may not mean. But at the same time, it's not overbearingly sad. You won't get [b:The Bell Jar|6514|The Bell Jar|Sylvia Plath|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1473890514s/6514.jpg|1385044] treatment, don't worry (I only read half of that one and it managed to kill every once of hope that I had). This is mellow and beautifully written. The word I would use is 'melancholy' because it's a beautiful, yet sad, word. Also, the ending is very hopeful.
Overall, I loved this book and if you're looking for a quick and meaningful character story, this is one I'd definitely recommend. I'll leave you with one of my favourite lines from the book:
"I stayed in there, petting her [the dog's] head for a little for a little bit longer, because it felt special to be somewhere other people weren't allowed to go."
It's just a little observations about people, something very common, that no one usually deems significant enough to notice, much less put into words. This one thing moved the book from four to five stars.
sesiljesili's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
faeriesparks's review against another edition
2.0
Beautiful and heartbreaking story but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.