Mini Reviews [6] We Are Okay, You & Sloppy Takes the Plunge

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
Narrated by Jorjeana Marie

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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.

“I wonder if there's a secret current that connects people who have lost something. Not in the way that everyone loses something, but in the way that undoes your life, undoes your self, so that when you look at your face it isn't yours anymore.”

I've been meaning to read this one for a long time, and when I realized the audiobook was short (I think it was around 5 hours) I decided to just go for it! I was pleasantly surprised by the story, although it does start off a little slow. It's a story about loss and betrayal, but also love and hope. It's hard to forgive someone when they've wronged you in the worst way imaginable, but we see Marin's progress as she struggles through her thoughts and feelings surrounding the event.

There are a few flashbacks to the past that give us an idea of Marin's present, but in the end I couldn't make sense of her actions. They seemed too extreme. She essentially dropped everything and did the unthinkable, but her reasoning was... off. Her reaction didn't make sense to me, because I feel like she had so many other options. I'm not sure how this one event was able to change the core of her so drastically. 

We Are Okay deals with loss and the importance of friendship and love. Love doesn't have to come from people you're related to, and sometimes you just need to look a little closer to realize it's something you've had all along.

♡

You (You, #1) by Caroline Kepnes
Narrated by Santino Fontana

Synopsis (via Goodreads): When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

“I don't say anything. I know the power of silence. I remember my dad saying nothing and I remember his silences more vividly than I remember the things he said.”

A friend recommended this to me before I knew it was going to be a movie, but seeing the trailer just made me want to read it even more! I like Penn Badgley and could easily picture him and his voice as I listened to the audiobook. Side note: the narrator is also Prince Hans from Frozen! I'll never be able to watch that movie the same way again. 

I was really addicted to this book when I first started it! It was crazy (literally) being inside Joe's head and seeing how he viewed the world. He has a skewed sense of right and wrong, and what should be done to "punish" those that fall into the latter category. I'll admit... it was oddly fascinating to watch how his mind worked. 

Beck and her friends annoyed the heck out of me. I never connected with any of the characters and wondered how anyone could be so selfish and vain. They were spoiled, insecure, obnoxious people that behaved one way in public and another in private. I could actually understand Joe's frustrations with society and how fake people appeared to be.

However, about halfway through the book I started to get bored with the story. It felt like the same things were being repeated in a different way with different people. I'm also not a big fan of the way it ended. I was briefly surprised, but that was quickly eclipsed by everything else going on. 

If you're looking for a good mindfuck, this is the book for you. My brain feels tainted just from being inside Joe's head for so long. I think listening to the audiobook made it feel more real, and it was a great audiobook. I just wish the middle had been condensed a lot more!

♡

Sloppy Takes the Plunge by Sean Julian
Expected Publication: September 4, 2018

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Everyone loves a good hug and a good bath!

Sloppy the tree dragon doesn’t want to take a bath.

“Being mucky is what a tree dragon is all about.” Could it be that getting clean is nearly as fun as getting dirty?

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a cute book! If your child wants to play in the mud and not take a bath afterward--this might be a book for you!

Dewdrop uses a hug as incentive for Sloppy to take a bath, and it was fun watching this dragon inspect the water with a few ducklings to make sure it was safe.

I also loved the illustrations and how there was a giant plug in the lake making it resemble a bathtub. My son really enjoyed this one, too!