We Are the Goldens

I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

We are the Goldens is the story of a girl who must figure out what the right thing to do is when she starts high school and realizes her older sister has changed, and might need help. It's told from the perspective of Nell, the younger sister, addressing Layla, her older sister, in the second person. I don't particularly love unconventional narration, and there were a few parts when it felt somewhat awkward (it bears lots of repetitions of "Remember?" and "right?"), but for the most part, I thought it worked well. It contributes to the urgent tone and the inner conflict Nell is facing.

Generally solid character development and sensitive handling of tough show more topics. Nell's voice is fresh, honest, vulnerable, and sweet. I'm all for girls and guys being friends, but the thought of Nell and Felix really being just friends seemed a little far-fetched to me: sleepovers at high-school age, really? But I get that this book takes place in ninth grade, on the cusp of these changes, and I'm glad Reinhardt addresses that. I thought there was more profanity and sex (or close to it) than necessarily warranted, given the age of the main character.

The ending was a bit more open than I would have liked, but still satisfying. Overall, a solid read, and a fairly quick one. show less

The Goldens of the title are sisters, Nell and Layla. Nell is the narrator, and as the younger of the two, Nell has always looked up to and admired her beautiful older sister. Seventeen months apart in age, their closeness increases when their parents divorce. Nell is 5 years old at the time of the divorce, and though the parents share custody, the sisters move between the parents' homes together. The relationship with each parent inevitably changes, but the bond between sisters grows stronger. Now, as she approaches high school, Nell is looking forward to being "Layla's little sister," again. Both girls are good students and outstanding athletes.

Freshman Nell makes the soccer team and is invited to some of the junior/senior get show more togethers because she is Layla's sister. Layla does take her along, but Nell notices a change in their relationship. Before long she notices that Layla has also become estranged from her two closest friends at school. A prestigious private school, the student body is small enough that lots of students know one another and the rumor mill is alive and well. Could the rumors about Layla and one of the faculty members possibly be true? Nell quizzes Layla, who has a solid explanation for every rumor Nell has heard. Nell defends her sister and chooses to keep discrepancies she notices away from her parents, but before long Nell has some "secrets" of her own that she doesn't want to share with either mom or dad.

This is a young adult novel that takes a good hard look at choices young people make that can affect their futures, their relationships at home and within the school. Nell must struggle with the pain of keeping a secret versus the pain of revealing very uncomfortable truths and facing uncertain consequences. Well written and thought-provoking, I think teens and those who enjoy teen lit will have some substantive ideas to think about/discuss after having read this book.

I received this book in digital form from NetGalley and it should be arriving in book stores very soon. show less

Dana Reinhardt is known for her hard-hitting contemporary YA. She pulls no emotional punches, and her prose is precise and intense. She brings all these elements to her latest, WE ARE THE GOLDENS -- a book you must read this summer.

WE ARE THE GOLDENS follows the stories of two sisters as they navigate their changing relationship. The book is narrated from the perspective of the younger sister Nell, in second person as she speaks, almost as if in a letter, to her older sister, Layla. Nell and Layla have always been close, and Nell has always considered her big sister her best friend. But something changed when the rumor about a favorite teacher and her sister turns out to be true. And Nell has to keep this secret.

Part of what makes this show more book so special is the style in which it's told. It's definitely as much about the art of storytelling as it is the story. And while this story is very much about sisters, it's also about self-discovery and identity and navigating divorce. WE ARE THE GOLDENS also explores a beautiful friendship between Nell and her bestie Felix, who is, as they say, the Ducky to her Andie. This book is short, but it's absolutely rich. Fans of David Levithan and Lauren Myracle will definitely dig this wonderfully real new novel. show less

Nell starts her freshmen year in high school with the safety net of having an adored older sister, Layla and a loyal best friend in Felix. As she navigates the social pressures of high school, her sister holds onto a huge secret that threatens their sacred relationship. There are a lot of important issues here that are addressed realistically and Nell is a likable yet flawed narrator. The narration is addressed as Nell explaining her side to Layla and this carries the book well. I was only disappointed by the abrupt ending and would have like to see more resolution to the storyline. This was a good book, though, and one I recommend. I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read a book by Dana Reinhardt before but after reading We Are the Goldens I plan on checking out her other books. Told in the first person from Nell's point of view you get to see a young woman trying her best to step out of her older sister's shadow. Nell loves and in equal measure is jealous and at times hates her sister. I thought Ms. Reinhardt did a great job with Nell's voice and the confusion that she feels at falling for a boy and being jealous that this boy may like her sister more than her. I did feel at times that Nell's voice was a bit too old in certain parts. It only happened a few times, but other than that I thought Ms. Reinhardt did a great job capturing a teenager's voice.

I also thought it was very good show more that Ms. Reinhardt wrote the book in such a way that it seemed that Nell had written a letter to her sister to explain why she did what she did. You know in the beginning that something horrible is or did happen so that leaves the book with a very good deal of tension while you read.

I will say that though I liked the book I did not care for Nell. You don't have to love the narrator in a story you are reading and the fact that Ms. Reinhardt writes this book in such a way that you can sympathize with Nell, feel pity for her, and also realize that a part of her is happy that her sister is not so 'golden' anymore. I wish that part of the book had shown Nell being self aware enough to love her sister's downfall instead of her having her feelings of righteousness throughout her letter to her sister.

I would like to read a follow-up to see what happens at the conclusion of this book. Or to see a book written by Layla's point of view.

Please note that I received this book via the Amazon Vine Program. show less

Nell Golden and her sister Layla have always been close. So close, in fact, that when they were little, Nell thought they shared the name Nellayla. But now that they're in high school, Layla in her junior year and Nell just starting her freshman year, they've begun to drift apart. Or, more accurately, Layla has begun to push Nell away.

Rumors fly around the school every year that Mr. B, the beloved art teacher, is having a fling with a student. This year, that rumor happens to involve Layla. She denies it up and down. There are always rumors. They're never true. So they ran into each other at an art museum - he's an art teacher, it makes sense that he'd be at an art museum. They didn't plan to hang out. Nothing weird is going on. But show more then Nell finds the two video chatting one night, and she has absolutely no idea what to do.

We Are the Goldens is written like a letter from Nell to Layla, explaining her rationale for her decisions. She describes so perfectly her feelings about the situation and how it correlates to what's going on in her own life. And from Nell's perspective, Layla is out of control.

From my perspective, Layla is a horrible role model. She uses and abuses Nell's love and trust to have Nell lie for her, defend her, keep her secrets. So that Nell will stand by as Layla self-destructs. Suffice it to say, I did not care for Layla at all. She never acts like a particularly good sister, and it's hard to see why Nell adores her so much. We're told that they were inseparable growing up, but it's hard to connect that to the manipulative older sister we're presented with in the book.

In addition to all the problems with Layla and the stress of having to keep this terrible secret, Nell is dealing with the confusing high school dating scene and trying to separate her own interests from those of her sister. And this was the part of the story that I liked. I'll be honest. I couldn't stand Layla. It was so obvious, despite Nell's protests, that Nell cared for her sister much more than her sister cared for her. But Nell's other relationships, like the one with her parents, or the one with her best friend Felix... those were the ones that kept me reading.

To avoid spoilers, I'm not going to say much else. Just that the ending was very ambiguous, and I would have preferred a concrete ending. I wanted to know what happened with Layla, what happened with Mr. B, what happened with Felix. After learning so much about these characters, I felt cheated that I didn't find out how everything worked out in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC. show less

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."

I loved it! A great look at two girls - who are sisters and very close ones at that. Because there isn't even a full year between them! But they are in different years in high school.

But both of them are experiencing love. Possibly, for the first time.

Told only from Nell's perspective, we see them both falling in love and all the emotions that go along with it. But Nell's love is typical teenage love. It is hard and confusing and a little silly at times. It's swooning and longing stares and silly conversations that are awkward and confessions of "I like you." it's adorable and sweet and painful at times.

But Layla's love isn't the same. show more Hers is a secret, one that only Nell knows. And Layla's love is different, the stages are much more extreme. And Nell is left wondering if she should share Layla's secret in order to help her.

It was amazing to see the parallels between the two girls.

The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of were the parts where Nell spoke directly to Layla in the book. I wish those parts had been in italics or parenthesis or even their own chapter, I think they would have been less of a distraction. I also thought the made-up people that Nell talked....it was just a weird part of the book and kept making me wonder if Nell was just imagining a lot of things....

all in all, I really loved it tho. show less