We Are the Goldens

by Dana Reinhardt

"Since their parents divorce when they were young, Nell and her sister Layla have been each other's stability and support. When Layla starts to pull away, Nell discovers a secret: Layla is involved with one of their teachers. Nell struggles with what to do"--

• ISBN10: 0385742576
• ISBN13: 9780385742573
• Publish Date: 27 May 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Wendy Lamb Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 197
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Good plot
Older than they were: The teenagers acted like they were in college rather than high school, mainly exhibited through a “Risky Business” style party.
Layla was annoying, and lived up to the Eric Clapton song of her namesake
Didn’t particularly care for any of the characters except for Felix as he seemed like the only one that had a head attached to their shoulders.
Ending wasn’t steller
Not until I got to the ending did I read with great speed
Still had potential but don’t think it was met

[inlibrisveritas]

We Are the Goldens is another contemporary that took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it to pull me in or have me hanging on every word, but it did. It centers around Nell as she tries to figure out why her older sister (by 8 months) is suddenly shutting her out and becoming more distant, and how when she finds out the reason everything changes.

It seems that lately the hot topic is the love between sisters, thanks to Frozen in part, so I’m not sure surprised that this is a new release. It shows just how badly secrets can hurt a family, even when no one knows about them, and it shows just how much a siblings can love each other. I really liked the “note” style of writing that this was told in as we get to see Nell ‘tell’ her sister how much things changed, how much they affected her, and how much she loves her. We all know that you would go to the ends of the earth to protect and help your family, but what happens when you need to go against them? What happens when you know the situation is horrible but telling someone means the possibility of loosing the connection you had? That’s what We Are The Goldens is about.

I loved Nell. She was a bit naive at times, but being a freshmen in high school that’s to be expected. She doesn’t make the best choices all the time, but she does learn from them. I also liked seeing her come into her own.She’s so close to her sister that even she admits the lines are blurred between them, but as the novel progresses and things become worse it becomes clear that as Layla pulls away Nell becomes more of her own person. Then there is Felix, who is hilarious and exactly the kind of best friend a girl needs. The connection between these two is amazing and I wish I had had a best friend like him in high school. Layla slowly lost my respect over the course of the story, but mostly I just felt sorry for her. People will always wonder if characters are true to life, but I’ve known some Laylas…they’re real. You want to shake them and make them see the obvious reality of it but they never do because they need to see it for themselves or have the decision to change made for them.

We Are the Goldens is about the high school experience and more. We get to see how amazing friendships can be, what happens when first love turns into regret, how lying hurts everyone, and how families can grow a part. The ending is prtty open, but I feel like it’s perfect that way. I don’t need to know what happens after the secret comes out, because an open end means I think about it more and this is a novel worth thinking about.

[Kim Deister]

This was a very interesting book that left me feeling conflicted. There were things that I loved about it, things that I was a little put off by, things that tore my heart apart. This is a book about sisters and family, more than love and romance... a true departure from YA literature. That was a refreshing change.

The book is written from the point of view of Nell, the slightly younger sister to Layla. It is written as almost a letter to Layla, which is an interesting literary form in YA lit. It is extremely clear just how close these sisters were growing up, something that has begun to change as Layla starts to drift away from Nell. There is no small amount of hero worship by Nell, who often seemed to see herself as the "spare to the heir" of Layla. Her sister worship was honestly one of the things that put me off a bit. It was often obsessive to the point of almost creepy. At times, it felt almost like romantic obsession. Despite that, these are fascinating characters with a lot of depth. Nell is desperate for her sister's attention and Layla is drifting farther and farther away, lies and secrets and shadiness galore.

The way in which this book was written, in a letter, was really interesting. It told the story through Nell's eyes, after the fact. But until the end, we don't know what that fact is, although guesses can be made. The ending is rather ambiguous, completely open to interpretation. As someone who generally likes a standalone novel to tie everything up relatively neatly, I am conflicted about this ending. On one hand, it made us, as readers, use our imaginations. On the other hand, I really want to know what happened next with Layla, with Nell, with their parents.

The thrust of the story is Layla's secret. I put two and two together fairly quickly as to what that secret was, but the story around it was still intriguing. Without giving too much away, there were some things about that secret that creeped me out completely. Lines were crossed that shouldn't have been, and I am glad that wasn't glorified in this story.The real story was Nell's conflict between the love she has for her sister, the need she has to do what Layla wants, and the need to do the right thing for Layla, even if that isn't what Layla wants.

Although the book was centered on Layla and Nell, there were some great subplots that had to do with Nell and Felix, her best friend. They were best friends as best friends should be, fully supportive of one another. Felix had his own problems with his family, something I wish we had learned more about. Nell, too, had her share of heartache and problems that were completely separate from the ongoing drama with Layla.

I didn't really understand what the point of the Creed brothers were in this story. There wasn't a lot of explanation of why they were so important and their presence made Nell seem a bit off from time to time.

Things to love...

--Felix. He was a good friend, supportive and fully accepting.
--The literary device. I loved the form of a letter and the way it supported the story.

Things I wanted more/less of...

--Less obsession. It really put me off, way high on the creepy level.
--More Felix. I wanted more of a resolution with his personal story line.
--More ending. Part of me really wanted to know what happened next.

Some Quotastic Goodness

--Please. Please don't be mad. I hate it when you're mad at me (Loc. 64).
--I know I 'm supposed to want to be judged for who I am and what I can do, but I've never minded being judged for you (Loc. 154).
--First of all, I'm terrible at chemistry. Second of all, it would be weird if she just asked me to go and not the rest of my class. And third of all, why does the devil always need an advocate. Don't you think he can argue things for himself (Loc. 796)?

My Recommendation: I think that this is a book that is deep and intense, and worthy of a read. My biggest issue with it was the overly obsessive relationship between Nell and Layla, but I am fully aware that this is something that could be interpreted very differently by other people. This is the same for the feelings about Layla's secret. Both of these things are open to personal opinion. I gave it 3.5 mugs.

Note: There are some aspects that make this probably a 15+ read.

[Katie King]

**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

**2 Stars**

This short little narrative is told from the point of view of Nell Golden, younger sister to the infamous Layla Golden. Layla has started becoming more withdrawn, and Nell addresses that in her storytelling. Ultimately, Nell reveals that Layla is dating one of their teachers and wrestles with the weight of this information. The book reads sort of as a diary addressed to Layla, cataloging the events leading up to Nell telling their parents.

I had a few issues with this one. The dead brothers were an unwelcome addition to the story. We never find out the truth behind their deaths or why they are haunting our protagonist. I'm not even really sure why they are mentioned at all. They play no role except to "guide" Nell...but it rings false. Also, some descriptions seemed to stretch on forever to the point where I caught myself trying to skim my way back to the action. Not a good thing in a work so short.

Several things came out of nowhere. Nell & Sam, Felix's dad, and Felix & Nell seemed like they were forced into the story to imitate plot movement. They had no bearing on the underlying theme of Nell and Layla's sisterhood, or even on Layla's relationship. Nobody grew as a character as a result of any of the subplots. Again, it is unclear why they were added.

The very basic story of Nell and Layla was great, however. Having a sibling myself, I could relate to the whirlwind of emotions that comes along with them, and the protective instinct. I thought Reinhardt did a beautiful job on their relationship. They had depth and magnitude. In addition, Felix was also a great supportive character. He was multifaceted and unique. His friendship with Nell also felt very real. The parents could've been fleshed out a little more, but that's what you get with 208 pages.

Summary
I don't know what I really expected going into this, but I don't feel a whole lot coming out of it. There is a strong relationship between the sisters, yes, but it is muddled by endless descriptions and unnecessary subplots. A good, quick read if you're feeling the sibling love, but don't expect it to change your world.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I'm quite conflicted about my feelings for We Are the Goldens. On one hand, I did love it. I found the story interesting, and I loved the narrative. On the other hand, I was also a bit annoyed with Nell, who is our narrator. Nell and her older sister, Layla, are super close. So close that Nell use to think they were the same person. Now she's starting high school, and couldn't be more excited to be at the same place as her sister. However, it's not as great as Nell anticipated. Layla becomes distant, but it's not a matter of finding out why. She does tell Nell, but now Nell has to decide whether she's going to keep her promise to keep it to herself, or do the right thing.

We Are the Goldens is told as a letter from Nell to Layla which I immediately loved. We see exactly how close these sisters are, and how conflicted Nell is about the situation. But, we also see just how open Nell is with her sister and this leads to some weird stuff. Nell admits to talking to two dead boys that they use to know, and seeks advice from them. They "appear" a few times, and each time was weirder than the last. They're not ghosts; there is no paranormal twist. They're kind of like imaginary friends, only creepier. When Nell summons them, she treats them as if they're real and even refuses to change her clothes when they're around. This was all super weird and added nothing to the story.

What prompted me to pick up We Are the Goldens was the student-teacher relationship. Layla is having an affair with their art teacher, Mr. Barr. Every year there's a rumor about him and a female student, since he's young, hot, and hip. Supposedly, these rumors are just rumors, until it moved onto Layla. She believes she's in love and found her "forever" and she shares this with Nell. Well, Nell knows this is wrong, but she doesn't want to break her sister's trust. But after learning something quite shocking at the end, the truth needs to come out.

We Are the Goldens has one of those endings where it's all building up to this one moment, only to fade to black. While I wanted to know about the aftermath, I do think this ending worked. We know what Nell is going to say, and we can probably guess at everyone's reactions. I just would have liked a little bit more, maybe a brief epilogue. Or, flip the tables, and end it with a letter from Layla to Nell (or to Mr. Barr). I really would have liked to see the consequences of this relationship.

In the end, I did really like We Are the Goldens. Just a few things kept me from rating it higher, but I do think it's worth a read. I thought getting an outside perspective on the student-teacher relationship was an interesting twist. Instead of getting all of the rationalizations from the student, we get to see how the relationship is changing them without them even being aware. I also loved how the author included a boy-girl best friend relationship that didn't immediately flip to romance once they're forced into an emotional situation.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.