Review: We Are The Goldens *Spoilers*
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nsharpes
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Review: We Are The Goldens *Spoilers*
We Are The Goldens by Dana Reinhardt explores the relationship between Nell, who just started her Freshman year in high school and her older sister Layla, who is now a Junior at the same school. The two sisters have always been close, so close in fact, that when Nell was younger she thought her name was "Nellayla". Now, a secret Layla is hiding from Nell, threatens to ruin their close sisterhood.
The writing style of Reinhardt took sometime for me to get used to, but when I did, I really liked it. However, the low rating for this book has nothing to do with writing style.
In the book, there is mention of the Creed brothers who passed away less then a year apart from each other while teenagers. Nell and Layla never really hung out with the Creed brothers, other than going to their parents annual Christmas party and seeing them a few other times a year which makes it really strange that Nell sees the dead brothers and talks to them like they are actually there.
The ending was also an issue. After all that build up about what Nell is going to do and how the parents will react, it ends with Nell calling a family meeting and that's it...no reaction from the parents, no finding out what consequences Mr. B gets and most importantly, we don't know if Nell and Layla's relationship goes back the way it was before everything happened, or if it has been broken beyond repair.
I saw pretty quickly what the story was going to be about and didn't feel connected to the characters at all, which left me feeling empty at the end.
Overall, it was an OK book, with a lot of flaws that if fixed, would make the book really enjoyable.
The writing style of Reinhardt took sometime for me to get used to, but when I did, I really liked it. However, the low rating for this book has nothing to do with writing style.
In the book, there is mention of the Creed brothers who passed away less then a year apart from each other while teenagers. Nell and Layla never really hung out with the Creed brothers, other than going to their parents annual Christmas party and seeing them a few other times a year which makes it really strange that Nell sees the dead brothers and talks to them like they are actually there.
The ending was also an issue. After all that build up about what Nell is going to do and how the parents will react, it ends with Nell calling a family meeting and that's it...no reaction from the parents, no finding out what consequences Mr. B gets and most importantly, we don't know if Nell and Layla's relationship goes back the way it was before everything happened, or if it has been broken beyond repair.
I saw pretty quickly what the story was going to be about and didn't feel connected to the characters at all, which left me feeling empty at the end.
Overall, it was an OK book, with a lot of flaws that if fixed, would make the book really enjoyable.
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hpsecrets99
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Yeah, I totally agree with you on all of your points. While I liked learning about Nell and Layla's sisterly relationship, I felt unfulfilled by the ending and I didn't really like the voice in which the story was told. Also, I was really confused by the presence of the Creed brothers.
Latest Review: "Suppliant" by Laura Tree
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rls1226
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3.5 stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect from We are the Goldens. To be completely honest, if I hadn’t been offered a free copy from Netgalley, I probably wouldn’t have read it. And that would’ve been unfortunate. Did it knock my socks off? No, not really. But it was a good, super quick read that I enjoyed the entire time I turned the pages.
Told from the point of view of Nell in a sort of diary or long letter to her older sister, Layla, I admit that I thought I’d grow irritated by this type of narrative. But I didn’t. Instead, I was pulled further into the story and developed empathy for Nell. So why was it written like this? Nell finds out some fairly disturbing information about Layla and needed to let her know how she found out and why she decided to handle the information as she did. Nell and Layla were always close. The kind of close where one always knew what the other was thinking and they never fought. They were the best of best friends. Until they weren’t. When Layla began to distance herself from Nell, as well as all of her friends and family, Nell was extremely hurt, confused, and just plain lost without her sister. She confided everything to Layla and looked to her for advice and guidance. And then she’s thrust into the world of high school and boys completely on her own where she flailed, sometimes failing in her attempts, sometimes not. But more than being hurt and lost, Nell needed answers. She needed to know what happened to Layla and she uncovered her findings as the novel progressed.
I try to ease friction. That’s my job.
This is a love story. But it’s not your typical love story. It’s about the relationship of these sisters and what could happen to essentially “break” them up. One of my favorites things about this novel was that its focus wasn’t on a relationship with a boy, although that was present, too, but on this familial relationship/friendship. It’s rare to find a novel that shifts the focus like that. Did I miss the focus on romance? I’m not going to lie, I did, a little. I’m a romantic at heart and I really wanted more of Nell and Felix, her best friend, who was just an amazing character (I adored Felix and kind of fell in love with him myself). BUT I was okay without it, too. I managed. Because I really craved that relationship between Nell and Layla. So it wasn’t really an issue.
He drove a Mini. Like he wasn’t already adorable enough. Put that boy behind the wheel of a burnt-orange Mini Cooper with a black-and-white checkered roof? And then have him go and open the door for me? Forget about it: I was done.
However, I did have some issues with this novel. Since I just mentioned Felix, I’ll start there. Nell was allowed to spend the night with her friend, who was a boy, a straight boy, a hot boy. Now, I’m not saying AT ALL that a boy and girl can’t be JUST friends because I totally think they can. But I don’t know a single parent around, aside from the ones on Dawson’s Creek (there’s a throwback for you), who would let their fifteen year old daughter spend the night with her straight fifteen year old male best friend. Raging teenage hormones, people!!! Maybe I just don’t know anyone that trusting but I just had a difficult time buying it. But while we’re still on Felix, I just have to share this great line of his.
Why does the devil always need an advocate? Don't you think he can argue things for himself?
On to the next issue. This is not a supernatural novel, yet Nell sees the ghosts of two brothers she knew who died not all that long ago. But they’re not really ghosts, as much as they’re figments of her imagination. You know, imaginary friends. They didn’t fit with the story. I never truly understood their purpose, other than Nell attempting to conjure a confidant that she never truly confided in, but what was the need when she still had Felix. Every time these brothers popped into the story, I was taken out of it. I think the novel would’ve been much better without their presence.
The final big issue I had was the ending. Now, I’m all for open endings as long as they aren’t too open. And I could probably get past this one, except that the entire story centers on Nell making a decision on how to proceed with the knowledge she discovered about Layla. But then we don’t get so ANY of the fallout. We have no idea how their parents reacted. Nor do we see how Nell revealing this HUGE secret of her sister’s, the entire point of the novel, affected their relationship in the end. On one hand, I liked the ending. But, on the other really big hand, I just had a hard time not knowing and I think that feeling trumped any liking I had for it.
Overall, I enjoyed We are the Goldens, despite the issues that I had with it, and I’d recommend it, especially if you are down for a quick read. I adored the characters and the story. I look forward to reading more of Dana Reinhartd’s work.
Received an invitation from the publisher for an honest review, via Netgalley.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from We are the Goldens. To be completely honest, if I hadn’t been offered a free copy from Netgalley, I probably wouldn’t have read it. And that would’ve been unfortunate. Did it knock my socks off? No, not really. But it was a good, super quick read that I enjoyed the entire time I turned the pages.
Told from the point of view of Nell in a sort of diary or long letter to her older sister, Layla, I admit that I thought I’d grow irritated by this type of narrative. But I didn’t. Instead, I was pulled further into the story and developed empathy for Nell. So why was it written like this? Nell finds out some fairly disturbing information about Layla and needed to let her know how she found out and why she decided to handle the information as she did. Nell and Layla were always close. The kind of close where one always knew what the other was thinking and they never fought. They were the best of best friends. Until they weren’t. When Layla began to distance herself from Nell, as well as all of her friends and family, Nell was extremely hurt, confused, and just plain lost without her sister. She confided everything to Layla and looked to her for advice and guidance. And then she’s thrust into the world of high school and boys completely on her own where she flailed, sometimes failing in her attempts, sometimes not. But more than being hurt and lost, Nell needed answers. She needed to know what happened to Layla and she uncovered her findings as the novel progressed.
I try to ease friction. That’s my job.
This is a love story. But it’s not your typical love story. It’s about the relationship of these sisters and what could happen to essentially “break” them up. One of my favorites things about this novel was that its focus wasn’t on a relationship with a boy, although that was present, too, but on this familial relationship/friendship. It’s rare to find a novel that shifts the focus like that. Did I miss the focus on romance? I’m not going to lie, I did, a little. I’m a romantic at heart and I really wanted more of Nell and Felix, her best friend, who was just an amazing character (I adored Felix and kind of fell in love with him myself). BUT I was okay without it, too. I managed. Because I really craved that relationship between Nell and Layla. So it wasn’t really an issue.
He drove a Mini. Like he wasn’t already adorable enough. Put that boy behind the wheel of a burnt-orange Mini Cooper with a black-and-white checkered roof? And then have him go and open the door for me? Forget about it: I was done.
However, I did have some issues with this novel. Since I just mentioned Felix, I’ll start there. Nell was allowed to spend the night with her friend, who was a boy, a straight boy, a hot boy. Now, I’m not saying AT ALL that a boy and girl can’t be JUST friends because I totally think they can. But I don’t know a single parent around, aside from the ones on Dawson’s Creek (there’s a throwback for you), who would let their fifteen year old daughter spend the night with her straight fifteen year old male best friend. Raging teenage hormones, people!!! Maybe I just don’t know anyone that trusting but I just had a difficult time buying it. But while we’re still on Felix, I just have to share this great line of his.
Why does the devil always need an advocate? Don't you think he can argue things for himself?
On to the next issue. This is not a supernatural novel, yet Nell sees the ghosts of two brothers she knew who died not all that long ago. But they’re not really ghosts, as much as they’re figments of her imagination. You know, imaginary friends. They didn’t fit with the story. I never truly understood their purpose, other than Nell attempting to conjure a confidant that she never truly confided in, but what was the need when she still had Felix. Every time these brothers popped into the story, I was taken out of it. I think the novel would’ve been much better without their presence.
The final big issue I had was the ending. Now, I’m all for open endings as long as they aren’t too open. And I could probably get past this one, except that the entire story centers on Nell making a decision on how to proceed with the knowledge she discovered about Layla. But then we don’t get so ANY of the fallout. We have no idea how their parents reacted. Nor do we see how Nell revealing this HUGE secret of her sister’s, the entire point of the novel, affected their relationship in the end. On one hand, I liked the ending. But, on the other really big hand, I just had a hard time not knowing and I think that feeling trumped any liking I had for it.
Overall, I enjoyed We are the Goldens, despite the issues that I had with it, and I’d recommend it, especially if you are down for a quick read. I adored the characters and the story. I look forward to reading more of Dana Reinhartd’s work.
Received an invitation from the publisher for an honest review, via Netgalley.
