Name: We are the Goldens
ISBN: 9780385742573

Dana Reinhardt

"Since their parents divorce when they were young, Nell and her sister Layla have been each other's stability and support. When Layla starts to pull away, Nell discovers a secret: Layla is involved with one of their teachers. Nell struggles with what to do"--

We are the Goldens

Meredith kirby

I cannot express how much I loved this book, but THE ENDING!!!! I would have easily given this book 5 stars, but I felt so let down and lost by the ending that I just couldn't. 

The ending left me feeling completely incomplete and I'm not sure if that feeling will ever go away when I think about We Are the Goldens.

As seen on Caity Reads.

I really enjoyed this! At first I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it, the cover and the synopsis give me two completely different vibes and it threw me off. To be honest, when I first saw the cover I thought it was going to be a horror novel, or have some creepy element. But it isn’t and it doesn’t. This is a contemporary novel about a girl who is keeping the fact that her sister is dating a teacher secret. For the majority of the book, Nell is very set in protecting this secret for her sister. The main reason she hides this secret is that they’re very close and she doesn’t want to betray that trust. After that, we see Nell struggle as she tries to decide what is right; whether she should tell someone about this relationship or continue to keep it a secret. I thought the plot was kind of bland, the characters and how they are portrayed are definitely what made this book for me.

The format of this book was very interesting for me. It is told in first person, from the perspective of our main character, Nell. But the entire book is written as if Nell is addressing her sister Layla. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but I ended up really enjoying it. I think it added a lot to Nell’s emotions especially when it came to her sister. I also believe it allowed us to see more of the bond between the sisters. I really loved Nell’s character, and as a woman who is the younger of two girls in my family, I related to her really well. I also really, really loved Nell and Felix’s relationship. It definitely added something to the book, along with the parent/child relationships; they were both very realistic relationships.

Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and would recommend it. The plot for me was lacking slightly, but I think the characters and the relationships definitely made up for it.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Reinhardt writes wonderfully about delicate, precarious human relationships, articulating dynamics I never noticed but which ring brilliantly true. The Goldens radiate charm, but beneath their charm is heartbreak, ambition, and delusion. There is so much to dissect and discuss here: this book will leave crowds of people eager to talk about the ending."--E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Nell worships her older sister, Layla. They're one unit, intertwined: Nellayla. As Nell and her best friend, Felix, start their freshman year in high school, on Layla's turf, there's so much Nell looks forward to: Joining Layla on the varsity soccer team. Parties. Boys. Adventures. But the year takes a very different turn. Layla is changing, withdrawing. She's hiding something, and when Nell discovers what it is, and the consequences it might have, she struggles. She wants to support Layla, to be her confidante, to be the good sister she's always been. But with so much at stake, what secrets should she keep? What lies should she tell? Award-winning young adult author Dana Reinhardt explores questions of loyalty, love, and betrayal in this provocative and intimate novel.

We Are the Goldens

Chantale

It sounded interesting so I decided to review this book. 

I liked this book. I liked that it was written entirely in Nell’s POV during her Freshman year of high school. 

I don't usually read this kind of YA novels and it does leave you hanging at the end .

All in all it is a good contemporary young adult book and if you are into this genre you might enjoy it.

We are the Goldens

Reviews

Highlights