We Are Okay Hardcover – February 14, 2017

I gave this book 4.5 Stars but rounded up to 5 as it was closer to 5 than 4.This book seriously hit me with the feelings. It feels like it has been a LONG time since anything that I have read brought me tears. I liked the idea of this book and it was so beautifully crafted that it ended up being much more than I expected. I really FELT the Emerson quote that the author chose to use and feel like it is an important message for everyone (I am including the full quote here even though it was shortened a bit for the book):“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”-Ralph Waldo EmersonI was surprised by the turn of events, though I did see a few small details coming. The ending was so lovely, it has left me feeling uplifted and satisfied with the future for these characters when I am typically left wanting so much more.

I'm not a good book reviewer, and this book has plenty of substantive reviews, so read those. I will say that I am also not an especially fast reader, and I read this book in one sitting, in 3 hours. The second half of the book is MUCH better than the first half. The first half was a slog, but I stuck with it. I was crying by the end, but your mileage may vary. After I finished I read the reviews and saw one reviewer state "stick with it" - and I concur with that. There's payoff. There's also some PG-13 erotic stuff in here, so keep that in mind if you're considering this for a YA reader. Also, this explores mental illness, grief, suicide, and other mature topics. I personally don't consider the LGBTQ+ aspect of it a "mature" topic because love and families comes in all varieties, and no child is too young to understand that. But there are still other mature topics in this book. Anyway, read other reviews for substantive analysis. My review is mostly to tell you that if you're a generally intelligent average reader, you can get through this book in 3 hours and that by the end it's worth it even if it starts out slow. To me the fact that it's a short read is a bonus, because I don't read nearly as many acclaimed/awarded books as I'd like to, and this is a good and award-winning book.

Much as I liked two of this author's previous titles, "We are Okay" absolutely blew me away. At first I thought it was an odd way to present the story-isolating the main character as she did-but within a chapter, I was hooked and wanted to know the backstory. The main character does a lot of introspection and is painfully secretive, (her love-interest, Mabel, has the patience of a saint) but the narrative and flashbacks broke things up beautifully. I've always liked LaCour's writing and had to stop to reread several paragraphs, just to relish the structure and craft. Same thing happened to me when I read "Everything Leads to You". Ms LaCour's prose has a way of sneaking up on you; one minute it's just a story about a lonely girl, then it's breaking your heart and teaching you about life. Hope there are more titles like this coming soon!

One day, I would like to bump into Nina Lacour somewhere, so I can place my hand upon my heart, and let her know just how stunningly and hauntingly beautiful and moving I found this novel. This novel explores love and loss on an extraordinarily deep level. The prose is spare and descriptive. The story is tight. And our heart aches...and aches...and aches for Marin, the main character, and her friend, Mabel. The ending transcends anything I can describe—it is perfect, poignant beyond belief, yet so...I won’t say, I don’t want to ruin it for you. This novel is a masterpiece.

I started this book with very high expectations. I heard great things about it: "it's so relatable" "the story is beautiful" "the characters are very realistic" "it'll change your life" etc.... I also heard the book isn't plot driven, but rather character driven, which I'm completely fine with. I read this book in a few days, and when I finished it I didn't really know how to feel. Usually I think about books a lot after I read them, but I had nothing to think about after reading this book. Sometimes I see it on my shelf and forget that I even read it, because it's just so forgettable.Things I like about the book: A lot of the writing is beautiful and poetic! Nina LaCour's illustration with words are so so beautiful. Her exploration of grief is a great example of this. Subtle and realistic LGBTQ+ character. Marin, the main character of the book, is queer but Nina LaCour doesn't make it her whole persona like some authors do!Favorite part of the book: The Frida Kahlo painting discussion, and the end.Things I don't like about the book: The plot, or lack of plot. Yes the book is character driven, but we still need a somewhat decent plot. It books seem very slow at times (and yes I understand it is shifting back and forth between different time periods) and there where so many opportunities for LaCour to give us something more in terms of plot. Also, I didn't understand the purpose of some characters and their placements in the book, some of them were unrealistic.All in all, this book is okay! Read it if you're interested, but you're not missing out on much if you decide not to.

A must-read for anyone who has experienced grief. It was a sweet, quick read that literally had me sobbing at one point. The surprise twist even got me and I usually call those things very early on.