Review: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

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.

Happy Saturday, lovelies!

I’m finally back with a little mini review of Nina LaCours “We Are Okay”. Phew, I’m not, by the way, , maybe semi-okay. In a good way though!
My friends have been talking about it for months and I’ve finally got around to read it. Before we start, let’s appreciate the cover a bit more. I’m so in love with the design, I don’t actually want to give back the copy I borrowed. So I’m going to keep it for a bit longer and admire the view, and probably reread it again.*

We Are Okay is a fast read, but don’t let those 200 pages fool you. It’s so full of feelings and emotions; It’s been quite some time since a book had such an impact on me. LaCour’s writing and her characters just hit home. It’s a wonderful story about loss, grief and solitude, but also about family and love. A perfect representation of life in my opinion. The plot isn’t what is in focus here. It’s everything around it: The interpersonal relationships, the emotions.

The story is told from Marin’s point of view and from time to time I could see myself in her, how I was the same in the past and how I still deal with situations similarly. To be honest, in the beginning, her behaviour made me anxious. I was scared I’d feel that way throughout the book but thankfully it got better and didn’t bother me later on.

And then there’s Mabel. Marin’s best friend who keeps reaching out and just surprised me over and over again with her persistence and over all sweetness. Don’t even let me start on her family,

LaCour has the ability to transform this into so much more. To create a work of fiction with diverse characters and themes without making it a plot device. This is something I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s not often that I read books where characters aren’t defined by their sexuality or their origins – which is something that I personally have to change when choosing what books to read next. We Are Okay is an amazing book and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. If you need another book for Pride Month, then this is it – And if you don’t, you should still give this book a chance. Chance is high that you will love this book as much as I did!

If you need more insight on how other people felt about this book (or more incentive), check out the reviews of Wintersbeast and Librophilees.

 

*Don’t worry, C. You’ll get it back, I don’t want to comply to certain stereotypes 😉