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alisonfaith426's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
winterdevil's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Doesn't really a plot, but it was short (230 pages) so I read in two evenings. A lot of things were left dangling or undefined, the prose wasn't anything special, the characters were rather limited, but it ends on a hopeful note, and I can't really blame a depressed narrator for being monotonous.
I saw a review that said this book is very much a "character-driven" book as opposed to plot-driven, and to that, I have to disagree. Plot-driven books are books with an external plot that pushes characters into doing something (such as a zombie apocalypse forcing people to survive), and character-driven books are characters making choices that inspire the plot.
This book is neither. The character drives nothing.
This book is neither. The character drives nothing.
Not necessarily a bad thing, but if you go into this expecting an active protagonist with agency... she's literally depressed, barely showers, and avoids her friend and conversation for most of it. Only at about 75% do we see any meaningful action on her part, though the story kinda undercuts why it took her so long to get there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Cancer, Terminal illness, Suicide, and Mental illness
mmccombs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
I’m surprised I didn’t like this more? The writing is absolutely stunning, LaCour really has a gift for distilling emotions in wonderfully descriptive ways. But I couldn’t really connect with these characters and didn’t think the structure of it did the story much service (I’m also just not a huge fan of flashbacks so it could just be a me problem). I wanted to like it more but I just thought it was okay! Deeply emotional, but okay! (Also, just providing a warning that a slur for the Inuit pops up in this book, just in case you need it!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is probably one of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given. This was written so poetically and beautifully that I found myself tabbing so many of the pages and highlighting *so* many lines. I think it captures mental illness, grief, first love (and loss of it) so perfectly in just over 200 pages. The relationship between the Marin and Mabel is complex and heartbreaking. Every character, from Marin to the woman who works in the pottery shop is distinct and jumps off the page. I also really loved the literary references that were peppered throughout the narrative. Everything about this, from the writing to the relationships to the sapphic and mental health representation makes this a modern classic in my eyes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Cancer and Blood
Minor: Incest, Confinement, Medical content, Outing, and Suicide
ghostlyprince's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Suicide
aleesquer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Terminal illness
pawprintedpages's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness
lapetite's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
I loved how quiet and devastating this novel was. I loved how it surprised me with its simplicity, the sucker punch of emotion and how gently yet viscerally grief is explored. I cried a few times while reading this, mostly because I wished I could go into the page and hug Marin. Her pain is both foreign and familiar to me, but I am glad I read this novel now after silently admiring LaCour's work for years but never daring to read one of her works for fear that it would hit too close to home. To be fair, it did hit close to home, but I made it through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide
urnkurtz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Abandonment, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
“I know that I am always lonely, even when surrounded by people, so I let the emptiness in.”
“We are Okay” follows Marin before and after an experience which will change her life forever. Utilizing flashbacks to contrast with present day, Marin tries to reforge a bond with her old best friend Mabel, digging up betrayal and pain throughout the process.
I related to many aspects of the novel, which made it such a compelling read. Grieving was portrayed with such insight, and the relationship dynamics expressed that family can mean more than those who we share blood with. The prose was beautiful as well, which surprised me, because third person narrative is almost always my favorite.”
What bumped down the rating was a few plot holes that were underdeveloped or ignored; but, this novel is character driven so more emphasis was put on emotional growth.
“We are Okay” follows Marin before and after an experience which will change her life forever. Utilizing flashbacks to contrast with present day, Marin tries to reforge a bond with her old best friend Mabel, digging up betrayal and pain throughout the process.
I related to many aspects of the novel, which made it such a compelling read. Grieving was portrayed with such insight, and the relationship dynamics expressed that family can mean more than those who we share blood with. The prose was beautiful as well, which surprised me, because third person narrative is almost always my favorite.”
What bumped down the rating was a few plot holes that were underdeveloped or ignored; but, this novel is character driven so more emphasis was put on emotional growth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Abandonment, Terminal illness, Suicide, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use