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beverleyhomily's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
krysa_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
nancyboy's review against another edition
2.0
i dnfed this book when i was 15 bc i didnt realise it was going to be a sad sapphic novel and now upon finishing it now at 23 y/o its just a sad sapphic novel. the implication of the ending i thought was quite strange too. idk not really my thing anymore
nancyboy56's review against another edition
2.0
i dnfed this book when i was 15 bc i didnt realise it was going to be a sad sapphic novel and now upon finishing it now at 23 y/o its just a sad sapphic novel. the implication of the ending i thought was quite strange too. idk not really my thing anymore
cristina19's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished my reread of this book and it not only lived up to my memory of it, but I would even argue that it surpassed it.
This book is quiet. It’s deceptively peaceful with its empty dorm hallways and the stillness of freshly fallen snow. Marin with her yellow pottery bowls and barren bulletin board. The storm inside her has been muted and smothered, dorment under the surface just waiting to be ripped open. The use of alternating past and present perspectives is brilliantly crafted and woven together to keep an air of mystery about while still keeping the reader expectant on the eventual disaster.
The way Nina unpacks Marin’s grief is so fascinating and heart punching. Seeing the different levels of it and how it progresses or retreats over time is so complex and real. Marin’s fear of her own sanity, of ghosts and haunting, her obsession with Jane Eyre, and her own abrupt disappearance.
And the way that Mabel and her family fits into all of it as well. Your heart bleeds for the tragedy that is Marin and Mabel’s love. Their amazing friendship turning into something more, the beauty of young love and the connection between souls, eventually leading to distance, separation, and coldness. Trying to rekindle that connection but back into friends, sisters even. The way our love can change, and grow.
Gramp’s grief was so fascinating as well, the way it manifested and grew rotten. It’s impact on Marin and her sense of belonging and self worth. The way it seeped into their lives and impacted the way they existed around one another.
This book is just so goddamn beautiful, it touches your heart and reflects back onto your own struggles and fears. It makes you think and ponder on quiet contemplations similar to Marin.
This book is quiet. It’s deceptively peaceful with its empty dorm hallways and the stillness of freshly fallen snow. Marin with her yellow pottery bowls and barren bulletin board. The storm inside her has been muted and smothered, dorment under the surface just waiting to be ripped open. The use of alternating past and present perspectives is brilliantly crafted and woven together to keep an air of mystery about while still keeping the reader expectant on the eventual disaster.
The way Nina unpacks Marin’s grief is so fascinating and heart punching. Seeing the different levels of it and how it progresses or retreats over time is so complex and real. Marin’s fear of her own sanity, of ghosts and haunting, her obsession with Jane Eyre, and her own abrupt disappearance.
And the way that Mabel and her family fits into all of it as well. Your heart bleeds for the tragedy that is Marin and Mabel’s love. Their amazing friendship turning into something more, the beauty of young love and the connection between souls, eventually leading to distance, separation, and coldness. Trying to rekindle that connection but back into friends, sisters even. The way our love can change, and grow.
Gramp’s grief was so fascinating as well, the way it manifested and grew rotten. It’s impact on Marin and her sense of belonging and self worth. The way it seeped into their lives and impacted the way they existed around one another.
This book is just so goddamn beautiful, it touches your heart and reflects back onto your own struggles and fears. It makes you think and ponder on quiet contemplations similar to Marin.
emmacross9's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thought this book was actually really good. It was extremely touching and emotional. The main character Mabel, struggled at first to stay in touch with her feelings while grieving her mother and her grandfather, but throughout the book she really progresses as an individual and begins to open up about how she is truly feeling. I think it was also very well written and the author did an amazing job when describing Mabel's feelings and why exactly she feels what she feels. I also really liked the pace of the book, it was short and sweet and I was able to get through it no problem. At first I was unsure if I was going to be really interested in this book, but after reading I would definitely recommend it!
jackleopards's review against another edition
4.0
“Life is paper-thin and fragile. Any sudden change could rip it wide-open.” I never knew a book about mental health with lgbtq+ rep is what I needed right now. I picked this book up in a daze without knowing much about it, and “We Are Okay” is more than okay. It is a cold novel (literally and methaporically) about dealing with grief of losing a loved one and learning to move on by opening up the dreadful past. As I followed Marin’s (MC) journey in a series of flashbacks and present events —and references of Jane Eyre and 100 Years of Solitude — she mirrored every teenager who are pensive, vulnerable, doubtful, lost, in denial, and longing to be loved. In the backdrop between summer in San Franscisco and winter in New York, Nina Lacour’s subtly lyrical writing made it easy for me to paint a picture of what she wanted her readers to think about.
Although I wished that this book had more depth to its story, I think the author’s intention is to make a reader feel sadness and loneliness even just for a short while, and that was enough to make this book memorable.
“It’s a dark place, not knowing. It’s difficult to surrender to. But I guess it’s where we live most of the time. I guess it’s where we all live, so maybe it doesn’t have to be so lonely. Maybe I can settle into it, cozy up to it, make a home inside uncertainty.”
Although I wished that this book had more depth to its story, I think the author’s intention is to make a reader feel sadness and loneliness even just for a short while, and that was enough to make this book memorable.
a_gardner55's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
derby's review against another edition
4.0
i did cry a little… i feel like Marin would have True Blue by boygenius on a spotify playlist