BLOG TOUR: The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk - Review + My Musical Journey

Hello Book Humans, and welcome to my stop on the International Blog Tour for Ashley Woodfolk's brilliant debut novel, The Beauty That Remains. A huge thank you to PRH International for putting this tour together, and for inviting me to be a part of it. 

The Beauty That Remains is a beautiful portrayal of how music can heal. It's told through three different teenagers, with numerous secondary characters and I absolutely loved it. 

Since the book focuses on music, apart from my review, I'll also be talking about my musical journey so do read until the end!

~**~

Title: The Beauty That Remains
Author: Ashley Woodfolk
Publication Date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: PRH International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Music brought Autumn, Shay, and Logan together. Death wants to tear them apart.
Autumn always knew exactly who she was—a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan always turned to writing love songs when his love life was a little less than perfect.
But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.
Despite the odds, one band's music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.

“If someone asked now, “What does love look like?” I’d tell them it was the lies in your eyes.

Books centred on tragedies usually fall in one of three categories for me – either the fall completely flat, or they leave me curled up in under my blanket sobbing my eyes out or they devastate me, and still leave me with hope.

The Beauty That Remains definitely left me in the last category. Ashley Woodfolk’s deep and haunting debut novel reminded me of Adam Silvera’s writing, along with one of my favourite elements in books (that we rarely see) – music – and I fell in love with it.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       I love way this book was told. We had three narrators, and some incredibly developed secondary characters, each of whom were experiencing the devastating loss of a friend, ex or sister and it was their journey to reaching some kind of acceptance, through music.

 

2.       I struggled to keep up with all the characters in the beginning of this book. All of them were equally important from each narrator, to the person they each lost, to their support systems, but THERE WERE TOO MANY PEOPLE thrown at me in the beginning.

3.       Ashley Woodfolk’s writing was spectacular.  It was slow paced, but really dove into the unbearable grief each teenager felt. It was heart-breaking, poignant and I am A HUGE FAN.

4.       The cast was diverse and inclusive and I LOVED IT. Just off the top of my head, we had Asian rep, Hispanic rep and Gay rep and it dealt with depression, coping mechanisms, therapy and panic attacks with such finesse.

5.        I honestly connected with Logan and Bram’s story right from the get go, and I was desperately craving more.

6.       The only reason this book isn’t receiving a five star rating from me was that there was no definitive ending. I understand that you never truly finish grieving, but this book felt unfinished in a way I can’t fully explain.

A spectacularly written book on loss that will make you feel. 4 stars.

I first laid my hands on a grand piano when I was nine years old. I had seen my older sister practicing for years before that, and I was so excited to meet her teacher and play a real piano. It took me four years of grueling practice under that yeacher before she thought I was ready for an actual graded examination - the Trinity College of London Examination. 

Before I move on, I should inform you that I was not a natural at playing the piano. I struggled to find any sort of rhythm, make my fingers move across the keys and jump from one octave to another without staring down at each key and, just in general, understanding the beat of a song. 

It took years of practice before I had an understanding of how putting together music worked, which was when I took up my Grade One Trinity Examination. I went on until Grade Five (there are 8 grades) 

I worked on each piece for months on a row, purely because Trinity prescribed pieces from Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin. It was grueling work, learning part of a piece, playing it again and again until it became muscle memory to you, until a point where you weren't reading the notes of looking at the keys, but listening to the music you were creating and knowing what came next to make the melody.

It's hard to describe what music means to me. It's not something I can't live without, but working on a piece from a famous composer part by part and bringing it to life in a flurry of music in a cold examination room that smells suspiciously of maple syrup and makes you think God, I am HUNGRY, is honestly something I can't believe I did. 

Music, or learning an instrument like the Piano and it helps you understand that there are things more than yourself and your life. It's about re-creating art and melody and putting some life into black marks in a paper. 

Because of my ten years of piano lessons, I LOVE books that have music in them. The Beauty That Remains was a beautiful book on grief and music and I can't recommend it enough!

Ashley Woodfolk graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in English and her life-long love of books led her straight to the publishing industry. She's a member of the CBC Diversity Committee and markets books for children and teens. In her abundance of "spare" time, she writes contemporary YA. Indie movies, beer, books, and burgers are a few of her favorite things. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and pit bull puppy, Winnie. THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS is her debut novel.

Have you ever played a musical instrument? Which one?

What are some of the best books you've read that handle grief?

What are you currently reading? 

I'd absolutely love to hear from you!

 

A Tale Weaved With Finesse // REVIEW: Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M.Elliot

Title: Da Vinci's Tiger
Author: L. M. Elliot
Publication Date: August 2017 (India)
Publisher: Harper Teen
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Harper Collins India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart  || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: For fans of rich and complex historical novels like Girl with a Pearl Earring or Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces.
The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men. The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand. In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love. 

 

I’ve always been fascinated with everything related to the Renaissance, ever since I first learnt about it back in middle school. Yet, the minute after I flipped open L.M. Elliot’s Da Vinci’s Tiger, I knew that my knowledge about this period or about one of the most renowned painters in history was in fact, barely amounted to anything at all.

Da Vinci’s Tiger weaves a tale around the subject of Leonardo Da Vinci’s first portrait with finesse, bringing to life the Renaissance in Florence and the voice of a woman whose life was dictated by men before this portrait.

My Thoughts:

1.       The first thing that hit me about this book was how much this book felt like living in Florence in the 1400’s. Whether it was the clothing, the dialogue or the Medici, every time I flipped open Da Vinci’s Tiger, I honestly felt like I’d been transported over 600 years into the past.

“But he, awestruck, marvels more at your modest heart,Your old-fashioned virtue, and your Palladian hands,He is inflamed with Holy Love"

2.       I LOVED meeting a young Leonardo Da Vinci. I’ve read about hit, seen a few episodes of DaVinci’s Demons but seeing him through the eyes of Ginerva was a different experience. I saw a budding artist about to make a name for himself and become one of history’s biggest painters and this new take on him was BRILLIANT!

"Outside, my dear, you may be placed within a gilded cage of men's perceptions of you...It is a lonely thing to be turned into an ideal, especially when one is young and has a heart that beats and yearns."

3.       I can’t believe I forgot to mention this but ISN’T THE COVER JUST BEAUTIFUL? It’s simple and yet it catches your eye and I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

"I will not yield to you in this way, signor," I cried. "No matter how much you track me around this room. No matter how many arguments you make to convince me it is my obligation to reward you with my body" 

4.       I loved Ginerva’s poetry, and I loved the fact that she wrote poetry and that it was so important to her. I feel like we barely got to see any of her poetry, despite the fact that it was being mentioned all the time with the exception of one or two pieces. I especially loved this line:

“I beg your pardon. I am a mountain tiger”

5.       More than Ginerva’s poetry, I loved Ginerva herself. Despite the fact that she was confused and growing up, she had this innate strength and thirst for knowledge that made me love the fact that I was in her head!

A book unlike anything I’ve read before. A richly delicate book that will bring Renaissance Florence to life before your very eyes. 

New York Times best-selling writer, L.M. Elliott is the author of the WWII series: UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY—an NCSS/CBC Notable Book in Social Studies, Jefferson Cup Honor Book, winner of Border's Original Voices Award, and a Bank Street College Best Book, plus its companions, A TROUBLED PEACE (also an NCSS/CBC Notable) and ACROSS A WAR-TOSSED SEA (a Jefferson Cup Overfloweth title). Her other books include ANNIE, BETWEEN THE STATES, a New York Times E-book bestseller, an IRA Teacher’s Choice, and an NYPL Book for the Teen Age; GIVE ME LIBERTY; and DA VINCI'S TIGER, a bio-pic style novel about Ginevra de’ Benci, the young poet in Leonardo's first portrait and the artist's only work permanently housed in the Americas.

What are some of your favourite historical books? 

Are you a fan of the art created in the Renaissance period? 

Which of Da Vinci's paintings is your favourite? 

Have you read this book? What do you think of it? 

I can't wait to hear from you!

Maas' Best Work To Date // REVIEW: Tower Of Dawn by Sarah J Maas

Title: Tower Of Dawn (Throne Of Glass #6)
Author: Sarah J Maas
Publication Date: September 5th 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 6/7 of the Throne Of Glass Series
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.
Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.
His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.
But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

In Short: I LOVED EACH AND EVERY SECOND OF THIS BOOK. It reminded me on the initial books in Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass series that I fell madly in love with and I don’t know if I have the WORDS to describe what this book meant to me. It was perfect, filled with plot twists that BLEW MY MIND and then some and I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED (and nervous) for the finale that comes out this May.

I will admit that I wish this cover matched the white backgrounds of the rest of the series, but it doesn’t matter that much to me, because there was so much else to love about this book. Let’s break it down:

REASONS I LOVED THIS BOOK:

1.       THE PACE AND PROPER DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTERS: I went into this book a little sceptical. With the exception of two characters (okay, four, but you barely get to know the other two in The Assassins Blade) this book was about to introduce you to a whole new CONTINENT filled with characters and I was nervous that I wouldn’t care about them/ the book wouldn’t make me care about them. I was WRONG. Tower Of Dawn has this medium pace through the book as we are introduced to a whole new court, whole new families and so many new traditions.

I ADORED the world building that Sarah Maas did in Tower Of Dawn – it was brilliantly constructed and explained, rivalled only by her construction of the Night Court.

2.       YRENE TOWERS AND NESRYN FALIQ: If you think that Sarah J Maas can only have powerful assassins/ shape shifters/ fae as her main characters, think again. Both Yrene Towers with her healer magic and her strong sense of self and Nesryn Faliq with her unflinching loyalty and warrior spirit FLOORED me with their strength and courage and I can’t wait to see the both of them again.

3.       A WHOLE HORDE OF NEW PRINCES AND PRINCESSES: Of course Sarah Maas introduced a whole new slew of Princes and Princesses. I loved the cut throat world they lived in, and I ESPECIALLY fell in love with Prince Sartaq. I loved the part where Nesryn and he go to the Aerie, and meet his hearth family. He, and all the other Princes and Princesses, were so different from the ones I’ve been used to reading in Maas’ books and I LOVED IT.

4.       A KINGDOM I GENUINELY WANT TO LIVE IN: Seriously, you guys, Antica is the accepting, teaching and loving world all of us dream of living in where there is no discrimination, hate or abuse. It was this PERFECT kingdom and I sat around FANGIRLING OVER IT.

5.       SO SO MANY PLOT TWISTS: I WILL NOT TELL YOU WHAT THESE ARE, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY TWISTS THAT IMPACT THE WHOLE SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NOT SEEN COMING AND YOU WILL FREAK OUT WHEN YOU DO.

6.       THE LACK OF EXAGGERATION: One of my biggest problems with Empire Of Storms was the amount of repetitive praise that the characters gave the others as the POVs switched around. In their heads, of course, but after reading the same thing for over 600 pages, it got monotonous and boring.

Tower Of Dawn, however, was the EXACT OPPOSITE of Empire of Storms in this manner. Mass’ introduced up to all her new characters subtly but surely and let their actions speak for themselves. It showed me AMAZING growth in her writing and now I can’t wait for the finale.

7.       EVERYTHING ELSE - I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF THE TIME I SPENT READING THIS BOOK. It was one of Mass’ best works to date, and I was so sad when it got over.

I honestly cannot believe that we’ll all have the finale in our hands in just a few months because I AM NOT READY FOR THIS SERIES TO END.

A brilliant, perfect fantasy with unrivalled world building and character growth. 5 stars. 

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series as well as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Sarah lives in Bucks County, PA, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much tea, and watches an ungodly amount of TV. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the historic and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with her husband and canine companion.

 Have you read the Throne Of Glass series? What do you think of it? 

Do you like the Throne of Glass series better or the ACOTAR series better?

Have you dove into Tower Of Dawn yet? What do you think of the cover?

I'd love to chat with you guys!

One of the BEST Books of 2017 // ARC Review: This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Title: This Mortal Coil

Author: Emily Suvada

Publication Date: November 2nd 2017

Publisher: Penguin Books UK

Part of a Series?: Unconfirmed

I Got A Copy Through: Penguin India (THANK YOU!)

Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books 

Blurb Description: When a lone soldier, Cole, arrives with news of Lachlan Agatta's death, all hope seems lost for Catarina. Her father was the world's leading geneticist, and humanity's best hope of beating a devastating virus. Then, hidden beneath Cole's genehacked enhancements she finds a message of hope: Lachlan created a vaccine.
Only she can find and decrypt it, if she can unravel the clues he left for her. The closer she gets, the more she finds herself at risk from Cartaxus, a shadowy organization with a stranglehold on the world's genetic tech. But it's too late to turn back.
There are three billion lives at stake, two people who can save them, and one final secret that Cat must unlock. A secret that will change everything.

In Less Than A Thousand Words:

This Mortal Coil WAS AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, JAW DROPPING, FUTURISTIC MARVEL that I found SO hard to put down. EASILY one of the best books of 2017 and you need it in your lives.

Let’s go more into detail:

As I was unboxing my 15-Book box of mostly surprise book mail from Penguin India, all it took was one look at this ARC and I fell IN LOVE WITH IT. The sides are stained red, the cover art is GORGEOUS and I knew that whatever happened, I would be reading this book.

I took it with me, one fine morning, to college when all my friends decided it would be a great day for them to skip classes. I flipped it open, because what better way to spend a day with no interruptions that inside the pages of a beautiful book and my 2017 reading year will never be the same again.

This Mortal Coil way surpassed my expectations with its AMAZING plot, perfect futuristic tech that was unlike anything I’ve ever read about before, adrenaline, brilliant characters and a well, IT WAS JUST PERFECT, OKAY? This Mortal Coil made me fall madly in love with the futuristic sci-fi genre again and please excuse me while I shove this book in your face.

Here are some reasons why you should get your BookDragon claws into this book:

1.       Emily Suvada is a plotting GENIUS. This futuristic, apocalyptic world she created drew me in and I did NOT WANT THIS BOOK TO END, and I’m dying for a sequel to be announced because I need to be back in this world of biohacking and genomes and viruses and Black out soldiers and tech I haven’t even dreamed about.

2.       I absolutely loved Catarina Agatta who was badass, supremely smart and yet had her human moments where she ran, cried and felt fear. I loved everything about this girl and she had some MAD skills that you need to read the book to truly understand.

3.       There was this plot twist on page 401 of the ARC that LITERALLY MADE MY JAW DROP. I didn’t see it coming from any angle, and it just went to prove what an AMAZING book this debut author is sending out to the world.

4.       I ADORED COLE AND CATARINA. I loved the TECHNOLOGY IN THIS BOOK and the fast pace and the adrenaline just supplemented their relationship and I loved how they fit together. I can’t wait to learn more about what his blackout training entailed and what he can do and more about Catarina herself.

If me shouting in all uppercase through this review wasn’t enough for you, YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE, ON YOUR SHELVES AND MOVED TO THE TOP OF YOUR TBR.

This Mortal Coil is the masterpiece from a new voice that’s going to take the Young Adult world by storm. 5 stars!

Emily Suvada was born and raised in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. She previously worked as a data scientist, and still spends hours writing algorithms to perform tasks which would only take minutes to complete on her own. When not writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen. She currently lives in Portland, OR, with her husband.

Have you heard of or already had the chance to read This Mortal Coil? What do you think of it? 

What are some of your best 2017 books? 

What are some of your favourite futuristic books? 

I can't wait to hear from you!

Perfectly Indian // REVIEW: Baaz by Anuja Chauhan

Title: Baaz

Author: Anuja Chauhan
Publication Date: May 1st 2017
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Vivek Tejuja and Harper Collins India
Buy Links: Amazon India ||  Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Kobo || Google Play Books

Blurb Description: 1971. The USSR-backed India-Mukti Bahini alliance is on the brink of war against the America-aided Pakistani forces. As the Cold War threatens to turn red hot, handsome, laughing Ishaan Faujdaar, a farm boy from Chakkahera, Haryana, is elated to be in the IAF, flying the Gnat, a tiny fighter plane nicknamed ‘Sabre Slayer’ for the devastation it has wrecked in the ranks of Pakistan’s F-86 Sabre Squadrons. 
Flanked by his buddies Raks, a MiG-21 Fighter, Maddy, a transport pilot who flies a Caribou and fellow Gnatties Jana, Gana and Mana, Shaanu has nothing on his mind but glory and adventure – until he encounters Tehmina Dadyseth, famed bathing beauty and sister of a dead fauji, who makes him question the very concept of nationalism and whose eyes fill with disillusioned scorn whenever people wax eloquent about patriotism and war… 
Pulsating with love, laughter and courage, Baaz is Anuja Chauhan's tribute to our men in uniform. 

Anuja Chauhan is one of the ONLY Indian writers whose career in writing I follow religiously and read her books as soon as she writes them. Chauhan manages to capture the essence of India in all its glory, gets her humour and chemistry on point and throws all her characters into such unique settings. In fact, there’s nothing I don’t love about her books.

And so when my sister told me that she was releasing a new book, I compulsively stalked Anuja Chauhan’s twitter to wait and see what this book would be all about and when I could get my hands on it.

Baaz did not disappoint. In fact, the fact that this was centred on a boy made it all the more fun, especially since Anuja’s last two books had a huge smattering of girls, filling it to the brim. As I laughed, prayed for my three mains in the Indian Air Force and took this journey with them, I was only reassured of my love for Anuja’s books and writing.

THOUGHTS:

1.       I loved the banter. I loved all three of our main pilots – Maddy, Raka and Ishaan but more than anything, I loved the camaraderie they had between them, their jokes and their backstory.

2.       I love the way Anuja writes – in English, but an Indianized version of English showing off the Hindi and the way some native language speakers alter the language. More than the actual descriptions, this creates that authentic Indian atmosphere I’ve spent my whole life in.

3.       Her writing style is so unique. It’s all told in third person, but in the midst of a chapter the viewpoint will chance from one person to another just to give you a deeper insight into the minds of all her complicated characters. It’s so different from what I’m used to and I love it.

    4.       I feel like I should mention the names and nicknames in the book. Each of them is so perfectly crafted (Carva-lho) (Sorry non Hindi people) and makes me laugh the minute their name and personality is connected to some sort of joke, reference or nickname.

    5.       I haven’t read many military books before, but everything about the war, the strategy and the piloting manoeuvres were described enough to make me understand and yet didn’t bore me even a little.

     6.       The only reason I’m taking a star off this book is because that ending was so Bollywood and Filmy that it made me cringe. As did the whole cast being moved to Dacca. I honestly just wish it was edited out.

This book is just one more masterpiece doled out by the top fiction writer in India, who will permanently reside on the top of my auto buy author list.

A truly spectacular insight into India, War, Love, Feminism, Patriotism and Family in the 1970s. 

Anuja Chauhan is an Indian author and advertiser. She worked in the advertising agency, JWT India, for over 17 years. She has written 3 novels, The Zoya Factor (2008), Battle For Bittora (October 2010) and Those Pricey Thakur Girls (January 2013). All three books are romances.

Where are you from? What languages do you speak in?

Who are some of the authors on your auto-buy list? 

Have you read any great fictional book set in times of war? Give me your recommendations!

Hauntingly Beautiful // REVIEW: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Title: We Are Okay

Author: Nina LaCour
Publication Date: February 14th 2017
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: PRH International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…
Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.
Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart. 

Some facts before I begin:

   1)      This is my first Nina LaCour book (ducks in shame)

   2)      I bought into the hype surrounding this book when I requested a review copy (and it TOTALLY lived up to it)

Short and Sweet? This was a hauntingly beautiful book, filled with prose that hit you and characters so complicated and deep that you won’t be able to stop thinking about them.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1)      The writing in this book was BRILLIANT. It managed to subtly shout across to me, through each word, raw pain and grief and loneliness.

“Someday is an open word. It could mean tomorrow or decades away.”

2)      I went into this book not knowing what to except – it sounded good, but vague. I’d heard everyone saying it would break me, and so while I was anticipating reading it, I honestly had no idea what I would get from this book.

“We were miraculous.We were beach creatures. We had treasures in our pockets and each other on our skin.” 

3)      If you’re an “I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie” person, (like all self-respecting bookworms are) then you should know that this book is SMALL. It’s a little over that 200 pages, and I thought it would take me no time at all to finish it, but it was HARD to get through a book that made me feel so much. This book requires deep breaths, pauses to process everything you’re feeling and maybe even a few tissues.

“You go through life thinking there’s so much you need… Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.”

4)      I LOVED LOVED LOVED Marin and Mabel. I love them as friends, I loved them as individuals and I loved them together. I love the way Nina LaCour put their relationship to words – as something real and painful and happy and like two people discovering a whole new part of themselves and it was so beautiful to see how they got together and at the same time so heart-breaking to know how it all ended.

“When I think of all of us back then, I see how we were in danger. Not because of the drinking or the sex or the hour of the night. But because we were so innocent and we didn’t know it. There’s no way of getting it back. The confidence. The easy laughter. The sensation of having left home only for a little while. Of having a home to return to.”

5)      THE PAIN. Like I said, this book was hard to read because you could FEEL EVERY OUNCE OF GRIEF that poured out of all the characters. I was sitting there, totally immersed in the story of two girls I knew for about fifty pages and AAH I felt everything.

I couldn’t recommend this book more.  

Nina LaCour grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her first job was at fourteen in an independent bookstore, and she has since worked in two others. She has tutored and taught in various places, from a juvenile hall to a private college. She now teaches English at an independent high school.

Have you read any Nina LaCour books? Which one is your favourite? 

Have you gotten the chance to read We Are Okay yet? What did you think of it?