We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I was provided an e-arc of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

Nell knows a secret about her perfect, beautiful sister Layla. If she tells, it could blow their world apart. When Nell and Layla were little, Nell used to call them Nellaya. Because to Nell, there was no difference between where she started and her adored big sister ended. They're a unit; divorce made them rely on each other early on, so when one pulls away, what is the other to do? But now, Nell's a freshman in high school and Layla is changing, secretive. And then Nell discovers why. Layla is involved with one of their teachers. And even though Nell tries to support Layla, to understand that she's happy and in love, Nell struggles with her true feelings: it's wrong, and she must do something about it.

My thoughts-

I am always excited when there is a YA title to review from Random House Children's division. It is a rarity for me to read something from this particular publisher that I don't enjoy. We Are the Goldens seemed like an interesting story and I liked that the plot was going to focus on the two sisters. It was a refreshing change of pace. Don't get me wrong, I love a great love story and there was definitely one in We Are the Goldens, but it was nice to see this different type of relationship explored. The novel is written sort of like a long letter from younger sister Nell to her older sister Layla. In Nell's commentary we learn that her story begins as she begins her Freshman year of high school. We learn that older sister Layla is a junior and has a big secret...the secret was easy to figure out pretty early on and I was kind of bummed about that because I love a good amount of suspense, but there was so much emotion to be felt while reading this novel that it didn't really make that big of a difference to me. I still devoured the book in 2 days time. Nell and Layla have always been close, but the big secret is putting a wedge through them, especially as Nell wonders whether she should be keeping such a thing to herself. I found myself annoyed at Nell several times through the book, but I had to remind myself that her character is only 15 years old and when I remember that, the things she thinks and does make sense. I absolutely love Felix, Nell's best friend and confidant and my favorite scenes from the book were the ones that the two shared. I would recommend this book to fans of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It is an absolute page turner.

About the author-

DANA REINHARDT is the author of A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, Harmless, How to Build a House, The Things a Brother Knows, The Summer I Learned to Fly, and Odessa Again. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and their two daughters.

Connect with Dana Reinhardt on Goodreads
http://danareinhardt.net/We Are the Goldens will be available on May 27, 2014. You can pre-order it on Amazon.com.