"Reinhardt writes wonderfully about delicate, precarious human relationships, articulating dynamics I never noticed but which ring brilliantly true. The Goldens radiate charm, but beneath their charm is heartbreak, ambition, and delusion. There is so much to dissect and discuss here: this book will leave crowds of people eager to talk about the ending."--E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Nell worships her older sister, Layla. They're one unit, intertwined: Nellayla. As Nell and her best friend, Felix, start their freshman year in high school, on Layla's turf, there's so much Nell looks forward to: Joining Layla on the varsity soccer team. Parties. Boys. Adventures.
But the year takes a very different turn.
Layla is changing, withdrawing. She's hiding something, and when Nell discovers what it is, and the consequences it might have, she struggles. She wants to support Layla, to be her confidante, to be the good sister she's always been. But with so much at stake, what secrets should she keep? What lies should she tell?
Award-winning young adult author Dana Reinhardt explores questions of loyalty, love, and betrayal in this provocative and intimate novel.
- We Are the Goldens
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Beautiful, Harrowing Tale of Two Sisters and The Secrets They Keep....
By Sasha Hibbs
* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *We Are The Goldens by Dana Reinhardt was a harrowing tale of two sisters, the secrets they keep, and the pain of carrying the weight around.Having three sisters myself, We Are The Goldens spoke to me. Nell and Layla are two very different characters, individual personalities, but their mutual love for one another is something I hope wins out as the end left the gates swinging wide open. So, please be warned, there is NO closure in the end, but I get the ending, I get the attempt to make the reader think long after the last page was turned.Ms. Reinhardt tackles some serious issues for YA in this book and I tip my hat to her for that. Topics such as a student/teacher relationship is quite risky, but the author managed to address it.I felt most for Nell, the younger sister, who at the expense of betraying her sisters trust, carries a burden on her behalf that is too heavy to bear and I think the way the author wrote Layla's understanding or lack thereof, is a typical response for the age group.Felix's character was wonderful. I agree with Nell...he is a beautiful boy inside and out.I loved the way the story is written, as a letter to Layla. We Are The Goldens is a gripping story filled with love, lies, heartache, the pains of making a decision based out of love but one that could ultimately lead to the loss of love. This was an emotional rollercoaster ride!The writing is seamless, beautiful and haunting. I will be on the lookout for future works from this author.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Hard Topics Addressed.... Well.
By Auggie
"We Are The Goldens" was not what I was expecting. It was probing, and heartbreaking, and full of personal and moral dilemmas. The reader is dragged into the inner turmoil of a young Freshman, Nell, whose love for her sister, Layla, is put to the test in an extreme way. What's the right thing to do when someone you love is spiraling out of control?And it's not just Layla. Nell is facing her own struggles. Rumors, cruel boys, and a friendship that's slowly but surely changing into something she never expected.The author captures the trials of being a teen navigating the treacherous waters of love and identity in a gritty and unexpected way. She throws open the door on the topic of predators, and not the obvious ones. She brings up the issue of the predators that lurk in attractive skin, kind smiles, and pretty words. At the same time Reinhardt makes a solid statement about the importance of knowing that sometimes a secret is a dangerous thing to keep and speaking up is the only way to set things right, regardless of the consequences.Readers, both young adults and adult, will be able to relate to the potent emotions relayed in "We Are The Goldens" and memories of all of those times you were caught between what you knew was right and your sense of loyalty will come easy.This book was beautifully written, engaging, and thought provoking. My only qualm was that it ended too abruptly and I was left wondering if Nell ever really did manage to find the courage to"lovingly" betray her most beloved person. The reader is, however, left with a sense of hope that things could be set right. A great teen read that really hits right in the heart of the difficulties of high school romance and being a not-yet-adult in an increasingly adult world.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
3.5/5-a review from Bookworm1858
By bookworm1858
One of my weak spots would have to be stories about sisters. If you tell me that is a major plot point in a book, I will read it, no questions asked. And as an older sister, it's kind of nice reading about a younger sister who idolizes her older sister :) So it was not a tough sell to get me to pick up this book and given its short length, it was not too difficult to keep me paging through. And yet it didn't really thrill me like I hoped when I embarked.It's a very quiet book. Nell and Layla are seventeen months apart in age, with divorced parents and they have always been such an intertwined unit. Nell can't wait to start high school, being viewed as the younger sister of the gorgeous golden Layla. At first everything seems fine until she starts to grapple with life and with her sister's dangerous secret. This book covers about half of that year with Nell narrating to Layla (meaning this book is told in second person) how she reached the concluding point when she can no longer hold in Layla's secret.A more interesting plot to me was Nell's interest in boys, sparked by popular boy Sam but also becoming tricky with her fabulous best friend Felix who gets quite a few funny moments in the book. I also liked the look at divorced parents as the girls navigate their way back and forth between the houses as well as the descriptions of their lives in San Francisco, a city I have never visited but have read a lot about. Additionally Nell frequently talks to two dead brothers who she feels somewhat parallel her sister and her. I found it a bit creepy at first but soon rolled with it.The ending of the book felt a bit anticlimactic with Nell finally preparing to tell Layla's secret but not letting us see the reaction at all. I would have liked to have seen them all dealing with the aftermath and it felt like a letdown to me though I could sense we weren't going to get much closure given the decreasing amount of pages left.Definitely not for everyone but if you can appreciate its quiet charms and you like character driven books, you'll be okay.
