We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

We Are Okay by Nina Lacour was the winner of the 2018 Michael L. Printz Award, the biggest award given in YA literature.  And this is one that has been on by TBR pile for some time.  I'm sad that it took me this long to get to it because it was a beautiful read and well deserving of the award.  It is a story about grief and loneliness and learning how to deal with it.  But it is also about enduring friendship and family and what those things can mean to someone who has been without them for so long.  And most importantly it is about hope for what the future can hold despite the sadness we may be feeling in the present.  This book truly is a beautifully told story that will stick with you long after you have read the last page. 

We Are Okay is the story of Marin, a young girl who has begun her Freshman year of college 3000 miles away from home.  When tragedy struck Marin near the end of the summer, she took off for New York and has not spoken to anyone from home since.  She has even ignored every text message, phone call, and voicemail from Mabel, her best friend.  When it is time for Christmas Break, Marin remains the only one still at school, not ready to return home and face the life she once had.  But Mabel comes to see her and Marin is forced to figure out all that has happened and how to go on living life.  With Mabel's help, Marin is finally able to find a way to make it all okay.  


From Amazon:

Winner of the 2018 Michael L. Printz Award — An achingly beautiful novel about grief and the enduring power of friendship.

“Short, poetic and gorgeously written.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A beautiful, devastating piece of art." —Bookpage

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.

An intimate whisper that packs an indelible punch, We Are Okay is Nina LaCour at her finest. This gorgeously crafted and achingly honest portrayal of grief will leave you urgent to reach across any distance to reconnect with the people you love.