A review by emilyinherhead
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

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.

Marin’s mother died when Marin was very young, and she has been raised by her grandfather. When we meet her, though, he is also gone and she is staying on her college campus in New York over holiday break, awaiting the arrival of her best friend Mabel, who plans to visit for a few days. The rest of the story bounces back and forth from the present to the events leading up to the loss of Marin’s Gramps as we slowly discover what has happened and why Marin has been isolating herself and avoiding her past.

I have such tender feelings toward both Marin and Mabel. Their situation is so fragile and tricky and they’re both trying so hard. Young adult fiction is difficult to get right, and I think Nina LaCour really knows what she’s doing.


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