We Are the Goldens

Starred review from February 24, 2014
After the first chapter of this absorbing contemporary novel, readers will know two things about narrator Nell Golden, a high school freshman: she is extremely close to her sister, Layla, a junior at the same San Francisco school, and Nell is about to make an announcement that could drive the two of them apart. Written as a confessional, from Nell to Layla, the story goes on to tell how Nell’s idolization of her sister is challenged when rumors spread about Layla having an affair with the school’s hip art teacher. Stunned by the news, Nell is having her own romantic disaster, as well, falling for a boy whose lust she mistakes for love. Layla is quick to comfort her, but Nell has trouble offering reciprocal support. Reinhardt (The Summer I Learned to Fly) succeeds in capturing the full gamut of fluctuating adolescent emotions, including the intensity of first love, the disappointment of misjudgment, and the pain of losing one’s innocence. As Nell faces difficult choices, one of her emotions remains steadfast: her deep devotion to Layla. Ages 14–up. Agent: Douglas Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic.

April 1, 2014
Nell's discovery of her sister's secret tests the powerful emotional bond between them. When Nell starts high school in San Francisco, she plans to follow in the footsteps of her near-perfect sister Layla, whom she loves with a devotion that approaches adulation. Up till now their lives have been intertwined, particularly since their parents' divorce, but Layla is becoming distant. At first, Nell brushes off rumors that Layla's in an inappropriate relationship with City Day's young art teacher, but Layla's secretive behavior can't help but attract suspicion. In a blend of first- and second-person, past- and present-tense narration, Nell addresses her sister directly, spilling out her thoughts as she prepares to confront Layla and bring the secret out into the open. Nell's inner dialogue with two boys, brothers who died within a year of each other, is convincing as a framework for Nell to process the truth, while her best friend, Felix, provides real-life emotional support. Along the way, readers are kept in suspense about Layla's whereabouts, although the ending is somewhat anticlimactic. In the end, the story feels rather ordinary--as so much of life is. Reinhardt's skillful exploration of the dynamics of sibling relationships and truly inventive narrative structure shine a light on the ordinary struggle of growing up. (Fiction. 12-15)

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March 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-At the heart of this work of realistic fiction is a close but complicated relationship between two sisters as they come of age. For as long as 15-year-old Nell can remember, her best friend has been her older sister, Layla. The two girls are confidantes, and Nell aspires to be as accomplished, and well respected as Layla. But when Nell begins her freshman year at the high school where Layla is a junior, she begins to suspect that something isn't right in Layla's world. She worries about her sister throughout the school year and finally discovers that Layla is concealing a romantic involvement with a teacher. Reinhardt approaches this complex and heavy issue from Nell's perspective as she struggles with whether to alert an adult to her sibling's inappropriate relationship. Although there are a handful of poignant moments and Reinhardt sets up a realistic plotline, the story isn't as substantial as one might hope, and the writing is occasionally uneven. This is a novel that could rank among Wintergirls (Viking, 2009) and Thirteen Reasons Why (Penguin, 2007) in that it addresses a tough but relevant issue for teens; however, it falls slightly short in its lack of complexity and consistency.-Allie Bronston, Colorado Academy, Denver, CO

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
Grades 8-11 Nell has always been close to her older sister, Layla. As a child, she could barely distinguish their differences and referred to herself as Nellayla. But when Nell enters high school, her sister's cool withdrawal leaves her puzzled until she surmises it has something to do with a charismatic art teacher. Is Layla a little too close to him? Written in an intense, though sometimes hard-to-follow second-person narrative addressed directly from Nell to Layla, the novel deals with Nell's struggle to lend support to her sister even as she has misgivings. Nell's own problems with relationshipsshe is the target of a handsome upperclassman's charms before she acknowledges feelings for her male best friendcomplicate and illuminate her actions. Perhaps her adored sister is just as blind to being manipulated as she is? The action stops just short of Nell's decision to tell her divorced parents Layla's secret, a decision that keeps the spotlight on Nell and not the fallout. A well-done look at a serious family dilemma.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
Reinhardt plunges into the dilemmas of sibling affection and loyalty. High schooler Nell's equilibrium shatters when she realizes her sister Layla is having an affair with a teacher. Nell's narrative (directly addressed to Layla as "you") explains how she arrived at the difficult decision to tell their parents. Nell's voice is engaging, clever, and colloquial, making this a speedy, engrossing read.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2014
Nell has always been close to her older sister Layla. "Our lives are intertwined," Nell says, and that's why she eagerly anticipates her first year of high school -- she'll be in the same school as Layla again. But Nell's equilibrium shatters when she realizes Layla is having an affair with the hot young art teacher. Suddenly, Layla has secrets. Nell's narrative is directly addressed to Layla as "you" as she explains how she has arrived at the difficult decision to tell their parents about Layla's improper romance. "They'll know how to handle itThat's what parents do," she concludes. Reinhardt plunges into the dilemmas of sibling affection and loyalty; just as vividly, she creates a protagonist who struggles against her sister's natural maturation and movement away from the family. With characterization heavily filtered through Nell's feelings and naivete, we gain little insight into the teacher or Layla; it's the fact of its impropriety rather than the quality of the relationship the reader must judge. Nell's voice is engaging, clever, and colloquial -- making this a speedy, engrossing read with a trajectory that offers a certain reassurance to parents and teens. deirdre f. baker

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)