Wow, what a powerful and beautifully written book. I loved it from start to finish and it reminded me of just how brilliant Cat is. I am in awe.

As always with a Cat Clarke novel, there are important teen issues being dealt with at the heart of We Are Young

From the outset, we meet troubled characters but the real big issue doesn't become prevalent until much later in the story. We see blended families, teen drug use, a horrible accident, unprotected sex, sexuality being addressed and staying friends with exes. But much later we are brought into the big picture and mental health becomes a huge issue.

Evan is a wonderful character, she is so rich and deep. It's great to have a protagonists that isn't always loveable. It made this book so great to read and quite different from most other YA novels. Cat Clarke is a prime example of what the YA literary market should be about; helping young people understand what is going on around them and to see that they are not alone. The list of useful contacts in the back of the book could save lives.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Quercus Children's Books, for giving me a copy of We Are Young by Cat Clarke.

THE DEEPER YOU DIG, THE DARKER IT GETS

I have been a major fan of Cat Clarke's books since I picked up Entangled back in 2011, so I half know what to expect when reading a book written by her. However I still find myself shocked and getting whiplash at the plot twists.

Firstly, the cover. I love the new covers Cat Clarke is using, this is only the second one I own as all the others have the older covers. But I love how the book cover ties in beautifully with the side plots of the book, plus in a way it also ties in with the main plot.

I am still in love with her writing style and this book was giving me a twist on Entangled - which along with being my first Cat Clarke book is also my favourite! With We Are Young now coming in as my second favourite OR maybe even tied for first place with Entangled.

Something I also love about this book is that even the minor characters have backstories and have fully fleshed personalities. Plus some - a lot - of books have characters who have been friends since person, I know this can happen but I love it more when characters have 'ex' friends where they just drifted apart over time, and that is shown in this book. It adds to the realness of this book. Along with the natural flow of the book where, nothing is magically swept under the carpet and how they then magically get better. This book has none of that because it's not realistic.

This book is dark from the outset, you know this before even reading it due to the back cover: 'Three people died and no one's asking why.' And even on the front it does read: 'The deeper you dig, the darker it gets.' That is very much true for this book as the main plot, slowly poisons the characters and the side plots.

This book does deal with mental illness and it is something that to the best of my knowledge, has been written accurately and shows all aspects of the illness. It shows you that just because someone looks happy on the outside, it doesn't mean something isn't going on within.

SO ROUND UP... Cat Clarke has done it again, with her amazing characters that are flawed in a way that kicks you in the teeth - a good thing I swear - I did not see one of the side plots coming, I was so focused on the main plot line that it didn't even cross my mind but this side plot sits hand in hand with the main plot that explains a lot.

"But it's also for the rest of us. For anyone who's ever felt voiceless and hopeless. Because we do have a voice, and there is hope. Even - maybe even especially - when it doesn't feel that way."

This is my first Cat Clarke book for some reason but it certainly won't be my last. This book was a brilliant blend of dark, intense drama, mystery, humour and just the right amount of romance.

What really stood out for me was the voice. The dialogue and first person narrative both made Evan feel like a real person and I thought she was a great character. I was really drawn to her drive to find out what happened and I loved how complex she is. She has a lot going on and that struck me as very believable!

The mystery of this book was also very compelling and ultimately an important message came through it.There was a good balance of an exciting main story arc and other threads that kept my interest. I also liked the strong cast of secondary characters, including adults! A family dimension in a YA book is always good with me.

I read this book in only 24 hours and I'd definitely recommend it if you want a fast-paced YA with brilliant characters and an intriguing mystery.

I loved this book, life was busy so I had to put it down so many times when I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened, what was Lewis involved in?? It just goes to show we should never judge a book by its cover, life has many challenges and sometimes we have to face difficult decisions. Evan is brave and proves herself a worthy friend, trying to reach out to many who just don't know who to speak to or what to say. Cat Clarke understands perfectly how difficult being a teenager is today. A must read for those who work with teenagers.

Well, this kind of screwed me over emotionally. Which isn't to say I didn't like it, because it was powerful and well-written, but it did kind of make me feel like crap. It deals with some fairly heavy themes (death, suicide, mental health, emotional abuse), so just bear all that in mind and don't go into it expecting something lighthearted. I didn't, because I've read a couple of Cat Clarke's other books, but it's worth reiterating just in case.

I was actually slightly put off this book by the cover, which made me think it was going to be full of references I didn't get. There's just something about vinyl that suggest the kind of music and pop culture references which go straight over my head. But thankfully that wasn't the case. I think the records are there because Evan, the protagonist, is a guitarist in a band and is passionate about her music, but it almost stopped me from requesting the ARC. I guess it's true what they say... don't judge a book by its cover.

As with all Cat Clarke's books, this punches you right in the feelings. It's got it all: friendship feelings (complicated by Evan's best friends being her exes), family feelings (both positive and negative), and death feelings. The book more or less opens with a car crash, which kills three teenagers, one of whom Evan had been friends with when she was little. They hadn't been close for a while, so she doesn't feel anything at first, but the moment when her grief hit was... intense. The fourth person in the car was her stepbrother, Lewis, whom she really doesn't know very well. Lewis didn't die, but his arm was amputated and he's in a coma for a lot of the book.

Over the course of the narrative, as she tries to figure out what happened with the crash, Evan gradually gets to know Lewis better -- and realises her stepdad isn't quite what he seems, either.

She also has a younger brother, and her relationship with him, her mum, and her biological dad (who is an alcoholic) are just as complicated and full of feelings.

It's hard to talk about why this book emotionally screwed me over without too many spoilers. I'm reluctant to use the word 'triggering' in the context of a book that deals with mental health issues, because I think it was actually done pretty sensitively. Obviously, any book that deals with issues like suicide isn't going to be a walk in the park, and probably shouldn't be recommended to someone who might not be in the best place mentally, but I felt like Clarke struck a decent balance between addressing issues and not dwelling on them.

However... I'm not great at dealing with death. I am actually terrible at dealing with death. Especially premature death. I lie awake at night filled with existential terror that I'll die young without achieving anything, or that the people I care about will die and I won't be able to cope with, and this book somehow managed to set off both sets of feelings. It had siblings and friends dealing with the loss of their siblings and friends, so that side of it was hard, and then there's also the whole concept of teenagers dying in the first place.

I don't even know WHY I read books about death. I've got to stop doing it, because I always end up feeling anxious and miserable afterwards. (Also, I had an accidental nap shortly after finishing this and had some really disturbing dreams which, surprise surprise, involved death. Woke up feeling awful, and it wasn't just because I'd slept through dinner.)

Point is: if you're more emotionally stable than me (or just better at dealing with grief in particular), and you want a book that will hit you right in the feels, this one's for you. As a bonus, it's got some cute queer representation (Evan is bi, one of her best friends is a lesbian), and there's also a strong focus on music that I enjoyed.

But I probably won't be rereading it unless I want to make myself cry (in the bad sense of crying over a book, not the good sense).

Real rating: 3.5*s. I live in anticipation of NetGalley one day allowing half stars.

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The above review is on Goodreads. My book blog is currently on hiatus due to my dissertation being due in two weeks, but hopefully I'll be able to cross-post it there before too long.

We Are Young first seems like it could be any novel, we have a girl who is struggling with her family dynamics as her Mother weds the local radio DJ and her alcoholic father is an absentee one at best. However, within a few short pages everything in Evan's life changes. Her now step-brother is in hospital, several of his friends are dead and nobody can figure out what the hell has happened!


There is of course the mystery of what happened to Lewis that runs right through the book but really, at the heart of it all is the relationships between all of the different characters. Evan's family life is a bit of a mess and she's doing everything she can to protect those closest to her, however in order to do that she's going to have to mend some bridges and work closely with her biological father to work of the mysteries.


There are a lot of moments in the book that are genuinely disturbing. Something is completely off with her brand new enthusiastic ever-happy step-dad.....but what is it? What will Evan discover as she tries to find out what happened in her home town? Ahh I just want to talk about everything! But I made a promise to myself to keep this a spoiler free zone...! This book is real, flawed, full of emotion and one hell of a ride. This is another one that I managed to read whilst I was at work - not because it's simple or anything like that, purely because the adrenaline and fast-paced writing kept me turning the pages. I highly recommend!

The mystery elements of this novel aren't outlandish, in fact they're completely believable. Evan's stepbrother is the sole survivor of a car crash. He shouldn't have been there. None of them should have any reason to have been together in that car. But the papers don't care, the authorities don't understand, and Evan only has her deadbeat Dad to help investigate. What she discovers is surprising, but not outwith the realms of possibility. This book delves into the idea of the millennial generation, and how they actually are, versus how the media portrays them. Clarke shows that, as always, it's far more complicated than what goes on twitter or, more accurately, the local radio station. This could have happened in any seaside town, and the underlying narrative of control and abuse will leave you questioning who was really at fault in the end.

The truth is infinitely complicated than the story you hear, but does that mean it should still be told? And at what cost?

We Are Young, a young adult novel by Cat Clarke, is due to be published in May 2018. The heart of it is a mystery novel, with the protagonist, Evan, trying to figure out why her stepbrother has been in a car accident with three other, seemingly random, people.

This was another book I ate up in an evening, reading all through my dinner until I could get to that perfect ending. It’s a very gripping book, the mystery being solved piece by piece, and the stakes raising higher and higher until I literally had to walk around my living room to console myself.

My first point, is that there was a lesbian/bisexual relationship in the book that didn’t control the narrative. I’m a lesbian, and I’m tired of books that are just teenage girls figuring out they’re gay, and the entire book just cliché after cliché. Evan is bisexual, and Daze, is a lesbian, and there is a will they-won’t they relationship running throughout. No spoilers, but it was a very satisfying ending.

Tim, of breakfast Tim fame, kept me guessing throughout. Again, I can’t spoil the novel, but he constantly kept me on my toes, I could never tell what role he was playing. Doting father? Loving husband? Grieving widower? Or, scheming and treacherous lowlife? Clarke weaves a wonderful story that had my heart in my mouth.

One point I have to bring up, is that Clarke never went down the creepy step route with the relationship between Lewis and Evan. It would be so easy to slip into the ‘forbidden love’ route, but instead, Clarke keeps the relationship purely family. It makes for an interesting and exciting story, especially as step siblings are barely written about in YA novels.

Overall, We Are Young was a fantastic novel, that I would highly recommend. Clarke is on top form, as she always in, and manages to write a captivating and stomach clenching story, where the mysteries roll off the page.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for a review.

Having read ‘Undone’ a few years ago (a book that’s had a pretty secure spot as one of my favourite books of all time), I knew that Cat Clarke was an author to keep an eye out for, and that’s a huge part of the reason why I requested this book. I enjoy how she doesn’t make a massive deal of LGBT+ representation and includes it casually, unlike many other YA authors. She also throws a lot of other major contemporary issues into her stories in a way that is neither romanticised or sugar-coated.

‘We Are Young’ is not a light book. The plot is heavily centred around death, a car accident, suicide, and mental health, along with scenes of abusive family relationships and a discussion of pressures on modern teenagers. And the characters are teenagers that actually behave like teenagers do, not shying away from the larger issues in the story (death, suicide, mental health) or the smaller ones, like drinking, drugs, and sexuality.

The only thing I disliked about this book – and it’s an extremely small thing – is that the opening chapter features a character called Vince witnessing and discovering the car accident. But then we never see him again. And I’m just wondering how he’s coping after seeing three dead teenagers and a living one with half his arm ripped off.

But, other than that, this book is close to flawless.

As well as the bad parts, ‘We Are Young’ is a book about finding support through the tough times and focusing on relationships that matter. The book ends with the contact information for many organisations if you need help or advice.

I always find Cat Clarke's books impossible to put down, and this one is no different. This is a gripping story about four teenagers - seemingly strangers to each others - involved in a car crash, and the sole survivor's attempts to uncover the mystery of why they were together that night. It's intriguing and pacy and the slow revealing of a seemingly nice character's true nature was really quite chilling. Great LGBTQ+ rep, too - the MC Evan is bi and in a band with her two exes. Brilliant!

Right now YA is on fire with Mental Health books. They are captivating, educational, emotional they go deep dark and heavy and they are changing perspectives about mental health (which is amazing by the way). Unfortunately this read didn’t do that for me at all. It was a bit all over the place and although I got the point the author was making it seemed to come from nowhere.

I could not take to protagonist Evan at all, and for me if I can’t connect with the characters, then it’s just not good for me. She really was far too much.

I like books to be believable even though they’re Fiction when it comes to books like these and unless Evan had some sort of power that lets her know everything then it was totally unrealistic.

I’m really sorry.
Your plot was really good though!

When Evan and Billy attend their mum's wedding to Tim, they never expect the night to go how it does.



The evening turns sour when their new stepbrother, Lewis has been in a car crash with strangers and is in intensive care. What's even more strange is that Lewis doesn't ever hang out with anyone else so just who died?



This is a gripping book with mystery being the heart of the story as Evan tries to piece together just why the crash involved all people she knew and just what they were doing together. Evan is a likeable character and also a realistic teenager dealing with sex and relationships alike most teens do along with new step parents to deal with as well. There are references to drugs and suicide raising awareness of how they can go unnoticed but not without consequence.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Characters
Evan is a brilliant character to have as your narrator. She’s fiery and down to earth. You would want her at your side if there was ever a problem. How we first get to know her is quite intimate. Something a writer normally leaves until we’re attached to the character to get us in on. It works though, I get it! I totally understand why she does what she does.
Her relationships with the people we meet are rather interesting, from her biological father she insists on calling Harry or her new ‘father’, Breakfast Tim and the persona Evan finds irritating.
Evan’s relationships only get more complicated as we delve into her life in the band with her two exes. They make it work most of the time, and it’s understandable why they all stay together. The characters make it believable that this would be a healthy grouping. I love how real it does feel too.
Plot
The plot takes on a mystery crime thriller as Evan attempts to figure out why four teens who have no previous connections were in the same car during a fatal car crash.
It’s weird how it feels like familiar territory for Clarke, but also very new and wonderful at the same time. What I loved most, was as the plot progressed, Clarke was able to keep enough back from the reader, while Evan knew the truth. It brought a further element of suspense to the narrative.
Writing
I have always loved Cat Clarke’s writing. It’s refreshing, easy and comfortable; a stark contrast to the issues she deals with. She has this amazing ability to get under your skin and pull out all those emotions you never though you could feel for a person made of ink and paper.
We are Young is no exception to this. It highlights the issue of mental health, the media and the consequences of society not taking it seriously. This writing is not only for the YA community, but for anyone prepared to listen.

We Are Young is another powerful novel by Cat Clarke that combines suspense, serious issues, and real, flawed characters. Seventeen year old Evan’s mother gets married to breakfast DJ Tim on the same night that her new stepbrother Lewis is involved in a terrible car accident. As the only survivor, Lewis is scapegoated by the local media, but Evan and her journalist father Harry think there’s more than meets the eye. Their investigating turns up a complex story of disturbing truths, mental health problems, and complicated relationships that not everyone wants to face head on.

Clarke writes a rich narrative that gives a lot of detail to characters and their lives, particularly Evan and Lewis, which makes them feel realistic and immerses the reader in the novel’s world. As well as the tragedy and the problems with her new stepfamily, Evan deals with her relationship with her somewhat estranged dad, her complicated band-made-up-of-exes situation, looking after her little brother, and some teenage secrets she’d rather keep from her mum. Glimpses into the lives of supporting characters suggest similar ranges of things going on in their lives. This combined with the narrative that looks into solving the mystery of a tragedy makes the book feel multi-faceted: a young adult novel that combines the suspense of plot with richness of character and regular teenage concerns.

We Are Young is not a light book: it features death, a car accident, mental health problems, and suicide, along with abusive relationships and the pressures on modern teenagers. However, it is also a book full of finding support and working on the relationships that matter. Once again, Cat Clarke creates a vivid tapestry of older teenage characters who behave like teenagers do—not shying away from either the major issues in the narrative or others like drink, drugs, and sexuality—and uses a tense plot to keep the reader turning the page.