Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Memorable story of friendship, loss, and family secrets.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As WE ARE OKAY begins, Marin is a freshman in college, about to spend the winter holidays as the lone resident of her dorm. The only break in the solitude will be a three-day visit from her best friend, Mabel. She has conflicting emotions about the visit, as Marin has cut herself off from everyone she knew and loved since leaving for college in New York. As the novel moves back and forth between Mabel's visit and Marin's old life in San Francisco, she confronts heartrending truths about herself and the people she left behind. She'd had a loving home with a grandfather who raised her since her mother's death and a best friend whose parents became a second family to her. But her grandfather's sudden death only weeks before she began college threw her life into turmoil as she uncovered a startling family secret.
Is It Any Good?
An exquisitely crafted gem of a novel, this is a grab-your-heart story of loneliness, grief, the power of friendship, and a secret sure to take readers by surprise. While the characters of Marin and Mabel are college age, they have storylines with which many teens can relate: being raised by a single parent, getting over a broken heart, finding your way in a new place or school, helping a friend overwhelmed by sadness. Simply and quietly told, it's certain to bring more than a few tears to readers' eyes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the secrets characters keep in We Are Okay. How difficult would it be for someone in your family to keep a life-altering secret?
If friends communicate primarily by texting and social media, do you think it would be easier or harder to support a friend going through a tough time?
Why do you think some people want to be alone in their grief while others want to be surrounded by family and friends?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Literary Fiction
- Topics : Book Characters , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dutton Books
- Publication date : February 14, 2017
- Number of pages : 234
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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