If you’re looking for a perfect mix of Character, plot and atmosphere, We are okay is more than just okay, pick it up if you are picky about the YA you read.
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‘The trouble with denial is that when the truth comes, you aren’t ready.’
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#theguywiththebookreview presents We are okay by Nina LaCour
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Most of the YA fiction I’ve picked have somehow always been about a troubled teen who is extremely whiny and irritating. This led me to think maybe that’s what YA is mostly about and I’ve pretty much stayed away from the genre as it was never relatable to my experiences in life.
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The book revolves around a girl who is trying to get away from everyone and deal with grief. We aren’t told what she is dealing with and this usually irritates me when there is no context to a depressed character but Nina brilliantly balances the characters emotional state with atmospheric writing. She transports you to an almost unforgivingly cold New York and the focus, while being on the protagonist is also on the setting. Which is refreshing!
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What I liked:
▪️Character driven but not overwhelmingly one dimensional, the plot and setting play an equal if not more important part.
▪️A very heartwarming and empowering ending.
▪️Easy to read, a good book to read after one of your more mentally taxing reads.
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What I didn’t like:
▪️Could’ve been a teeny tiny bit longer, but hey, 1 book added towards the good reads challenge, so I’m not really complaining 😂
In the recent times even I came across some really refreshing YA contemporaries… Admitted, I have only read some wildly popular ones.. but books like THUG and Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda really changed my view towards contemporaries.. Now I have very high expectations for them!!
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I enjoyed THUG but a couple of weeks after reading it I didn’t really care about it. In other words, it wasn’t memorable at all for me, so while I enjoyed it, I’m not really sure if I’d want to read books like those…
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Maybe because the agenda directly didn’t affect us.. but I think these books are putting important messages out in the open. Important points are laid bare to young minds who do not care about much in the world.. It makes the unaffected aware of the world and helps the affected feel accepted to some extent.. For one they can be great conversation starters.. and then they can discuss..know how everyone feels.. that’s what I really liked about these books.. example.. Thirteen Reasons Why.. things happen and we move on.. but they need to be talked about.. helped.. 🙂
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Oh yeah I do get the point of these books. I enjoyed the first season of 13 🙌🏼
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The second one is out too!! But I am scared.. as this one is not based on the book but a continuation of where the book left off!
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Yeah i think it came out yesterday 😬
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Ooh this looks good! I’ve been avoiding YA a lot too because of the whining stereotypical characters but have found a few lately that have really gotten me back into the genre. I’ll have to give this one a go!
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Yeah! I couldn’t take the whining, it’s so pointless most of the time! I hope you enjoy this one!
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