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And We Call It Love

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Clare and Zari are best friends. They write music together, go everywhere together, and they know everything about the other. At least they did before Zari started dating Dion. The more Zari falls for Dion, the less she has time for anything else. At first, Clare chalks it up to a new and exciting relationship, and she tries to be happy for her friend despite her loneliness. When Zari starts to show up to school with half-hidden bruises, Clare knows there's something darker about this relationship that has to be stopped.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2019

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1507 people want to read

About the author

Amanda Vink

35 books28 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
Profile Image for Yna from Books and Boybands.
861 reviews401 followers
June 1, 2019
Some people
push for perfection
and they only end up
pushing people away.
📖 BUY THIS BOOK : Amazon 📖
Much thanks to NetGalley and West 44 Books for this complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own.

📚 Series: No
📚 Genre: Young Adult Poetry

⚠ Content Warnings: Domestic Abuse, Friendship Problems, Family Problems

And We Call It Love is a story told through poetry/verse about two friends Zari and Clare. They are two best friends who write music and do everything else together but is faced with trials when Clare starts dating and they encounter parental problems.

This book is very promising but I think felt short in so many ways. The theme is very timely and important but I was looking for more impact, considering that the sensitivity of the theme. I was looking for more feeling. I was waiting for the goosebumps, unfortunately there were none.

This poetry book still sent a great message and it is a very quick and easy-to-understand read.

☁ THE CRITERIA ☁
🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐

☁FINAL VERDICT: 2.8/5 ☁

Review also appears on my blog.
Profile Image for Alaina.
7,359 reviews203 followers
November 12, 2018
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved, And We Call It Love. The friendship between Clare and Zari was pure and real. They definitely went through things that normal every day kids, or parents, go through. Their lives are sort of drifting in other ways but they still try to find time to see each other.

They also both go through some hardships. Zari with her abusive boyfriend and Clare dealing with hateful words from Zari's mother. From that, she also starts to see less and less of Zari and her brother, who she has a crush on. It was heartbreaking to see these two girls go through what they went through.

I honestly hated Dion and his dad. I rarely say this but.. like father like son. I was so happy that she had Clare with her during that one scene because I don't know what I would've done if they didn't have each other anymore. Then there's the whole aftermath of Zari's mother thanking Clare for saving her precious baby. She had no right to tell her kids to stop hanging out with Clare. She also had no right to call her trash, It was frustrating to read.. but I also couldn't put this book down.

Now I have no idea if the format for this book was supposed to seem like poetry, but I liked it. Honestly, it could've been my kindle/phone.. but in the end, I read it from start to finish in one sitting. I'm glad that I got to meet these two girls and their families. I'm also really happy that I got to try out a new author - I look forward to another piece of work from Amanda.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Julie Parks.
Author 1 book84 followers
February 15, 2019
Very unusual storytelling, for me at least. Mainly due to the verse style, but also because of the narrator's voice. It's raw and somewhat naive, and yet very truthful and relatable.

This felt like something someone had almost written entirely on their phones. Like a secret world of text messages by your older teenage sibling. Like stepping into someone's secret world of honest inner thoughts.

I would recommend it to BFFs, siblings, dumped boyfriends, neglected girlfriends, girls and boys of teen ages, everyone who likes to play hide-and-seek (no particular reason), helicopter moms, TV-addicted dads, kids learning a foreign language and everyone else who loves poetry and stories of friendships.

Warning: possible abuse in those lines.

Thank you West 44 Books for the chance to linger in between these lines in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps .
2,738 reviews251 followers
November 9, 2018
***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of AND WE CALL IT LOVE by Amanda Vink in exchange for my honest review.***

3.5 STARS

When Zari meets Dion, her best friendship with Clare suffers. Neither he nor her parents approve of Zari’s friendship with Clare, her pink hair or her creative spirit. When Clare notices bruises on Zari, she might be the only one who can help her friend.

AND WE CALL IT LOVE, a hi-lo verse novel tackles issues of family, friendship, social class and dating violence. Amanda Vink’s crisp writing tells an important story about dating abuse and how friendship can be the support to help end the cycle. Unfortunately, I thought Vink’s portrayal of the abuse oversimplified a complex problem. Most abusers are careful not to leave visible marks on the face and body. They take time to groom their victims and escalate from controlling, emotional manipulation/abuse to physical. Dion’s abuse happened before he had an emotional control over her— “if you can’t have me, no one will want you” “look what you made me do” . The resolution also felt too perfect.

Middle grade readers will probably enjoy AND WE CALL IT LOVE more than teens who have a deeper understanding of relationship difficulties. Hi-lo can be written with greater character and plot complexity to appeal to a wider audience.

I would suggest AND WE CALL IT LOVE as an important book for tweens and young teens as an introduction to dating violence and the power of friendship to intervene.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kerryn (RatherBeReading).
1,896 reviews97 followers
November 20, 2019
[Disclaimer: e-ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

2.5 stars

Unfortunately this book just really didn't work for me.

I found the relationship, and particularly the abusive aspects of the relationship, incredibly underdeveloped and it felt very rushed.

I think the ending was way too simplistic and not necessarily realistic at all.

Overall this one just didn't work for me.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Abusive relationships

Check out my BookTube Channel for more bookish content.
Profile Image for Manon the Malicious.
1,297 reviews69 followers
May 28, 2019
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This 200-page book told in verse tells the story of Clare and Zari. They've been best friends for years when Zari starts an internship with a famous author and gets enamored with his son. Everything gets complicated from there.

As much as I like books told through verses, I have to stop requesting books from this collection. I always feel like those are way too short and can't transfer feelings properly. It all feels rushed...
Anyway this was ok but I couldn't care all that much. it speaks of interesting topics but since it was so short, I felt like it was brushed over. Like it couldn't really convey how important these topics actually are.
I do not know if I make sense but that's how I felt.
Profile Image for Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff.
1,687 reviews149 followers
March 5, 2020
Love is like an invisible sting.
And no matter
where you go
or what you do
or how long
it is between talks
it never breaks


Wow. i rarely enjoy poetry or poetry like writing-style, but this was raw, beautiful and real. The pages just flew by, and my heart felt so much for Zari, Wilson and Clare...This books touches themes like classisim, depression and abuse and dosen't give much detail, but it's not needed either. It's easy to understand and feel, espesially how the characters felt.
Profile Image for Bexx.
167 reviews55 followers
January 13, 2019
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an earc copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this collection of poetry. Some of the poetry made me feel some feelings. The pressure from parents, and the domestic violence made me feel so much too. I didn’t connect with the poetry but I liked it because it caused me to feel a lot of things. I gave this a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Hristina.
536 reviews79 followers
February 21, 2019
And We Call It Love tells a heart-warming story about friends who drift apart under pressure from the people around them.
I found the story interesting, the characters and plot compelling and well paced. The poetry was decent, written in a tone that reflects the characters' states of mind and experiences. The tone of the poems was used throughout to reflect on the development of the two main characters which I thought was smart.
I really enjoyed this book, I think most fans of YA will do too.


*Copy received through NetGalley
*Actual rating: 4.5/5 stars
Profile Image for Kathy.
441 reviews181 followers
May 11, 2019
Triggers:
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free eARC of this book.

And We Call It Love is a short, but powerful story written in verse. There's really nothing more to say about this. It deals with abuse, with a toxic relationship and with the message that friendships are so, so important. Especially when things are going downhill for someone. Support is key when you know something isn't right with one of your friends. Even if they push you away.
This short book definitely shows just that.

The only thing I had an issue with, is there seeming to be two different POV's. It was often very hard to tell who's POV a poem was set in, which made reading it a bit harder than it should've been. Since I read an ARC, I think the difference will probably be clear in the finished copy when all the formatting is done right? At least I hope so, haha.

4 / 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ecke Brandt.
31 reviews7 followers
January 22, 2019
I recieved this ARC from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

And We Call It Love is an important story told in a beautiful way. I really appreciated the author writing about abusive relationships in the high school years, because they happen often but they are ignored many times.

I loved the story format, since it let us see the POVs of both the victim and the victim’s friend, which shows a side also often ignored in these relationships, which is the struggle from the victim’s family and friends to figure out what’s happening.

The downside for me was that the story felt rushed. I would have liked a little more of development or action from all the parents mentioned in the book.

Overall, it’s a delightful read and I’ll be reading more from this author.
Profile Image for Ariana.
239 reviews100 followers
October 9, 2021
Originally posted on: The Quirky Book Nerd

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This ended up being an okay read. In this short novella, we follow two teenage best friends who begin to drift apart when one of them enters into a new relationship. Soon it becomes clear to Clare that something is wrong, as Zari is acting less and less like her usual self. She realizes that there may be some abuse taking place in her friend’s relationship. Clare knows she has to help her friend remove herself from this horrible situation. I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. This narrative deals with very serious issues that can take a while to fully understand, so while this was decent, a longer format suits this topic much better.

And this brings us to an opinion that is going to sound a bit silly given the type of story this is supposed to be. This is what is considered “hi-lo” fiction—short books that are designed to encourage young, reluctant readers to read more. This one seems like it is aimed for a late middle school to early high school audience, so basically early young adult. This story definitely fits into the short format better than some other books of this type that I have checked out. However, I still ended up feeling that it needed just a little bit more to it. It is harder to connect with the characters given the small amount of information we get on them.

That being said, I do think this is one of the more decent examples of hi-lo fiction that I have come across. It is quite hard for me to put myself in the shoes of a potential reader of this novel as I want to read every book in sight. With this one, though, I did get into it a bit more. While these are topics that are hard to fully portray in this limited format, I think the author did an okay job. Domestic abuse and speaking up about it is such an important and timely topic, and I love the fact that Vink is contributing this work to an audience that needs to learn this information.
Profile Image for Tzipora.
207 reviews174 followers
June 8, 2019
I’ve read quite a few YA novels in verse. I know they’re not my favorite thing but I think some work better than others. This one, I’m not sure works. It does in the sense both Zari and Clare are writers and they write songs together (and I really wish we could’ve seen some of those songs, especially the one the title of the book is based on.) but the story this book tells, I think it could’ve been better told in regular prose. Or perhaps a combination of prose and poetry?

It’s also a stretch to call this poetry. It’s truly prose with complete sentences (minus one glaring instance that bugged me early on) and dialogue. I noticed the author has written children’s books and I think in some ways it reads like that. I can’t help feeling this could’ve and even should’ve been fleshed our so much more. To tell a story like this- two best friends from different backgrounds, family drama, then the dating aspect and abuse and aftermath. That’s a lot. And I’m honestly kind of bothered by how neatly this book wraps that up in a nice little bow.

I’m a survivor and I don’t know any real abuse survivors, no matter how awesome their support systems (and that’s maybe pushing it here for this story too), whose stories wrap up so well, like the page just turns and it’s all gone away. And unfortunately that’s too often how abuse is talked about in the media, on TV, in movies, in books. And we do a huge disservice to survivors. Also, I can’t help but ask then, who this book is written for? Because it won’t be healing for survivors. Not really. It reads a little more like tragedy porn with a nice happy ending. Or the kind of book for teen girls bubbling over with emotions who want to read a sad story and then smile and cry over a happy ending. But I think that’s framing teen girls poorly and I think those same girls would get so much more out of a much better fleshed out novel and a more true to life resolution.

I read this book incredibly quick. Maybe a half hour. It’s 192 pages, in very short verse. So I don’t know that the form is even the problem as much as the ending, the last 20-30 pages if I’m counting both the climax and resolution (yikes. That’s poor story development!) easily could have, and should’ve been another 192 pages. Which brings me back to my discovery that this is the author’s first novel after writing children’s books. Do you see now what I mean by that? It’s a very YA book with YA subjects but told as more of an slightly extended children’s book.

This is unfortunate because I truly did like the characters. I loved Clare and her pink hair and second clothes and the amazing relationship she had with her mom. I liked Zari, though I have no idea what she even looked like and am suddenly realizing while she had more words and this book flips back and forth between the two girls POVs, she’s not well developed. Not at all. In fact her brother is developed a bit better, if anything, and that’s not saying much. We got repeated mentions of Clare’s appearance also. Yikes, this brings my criticisms and the tragedy porn statement even more into light for me. I’m frankly kind of stunned this got published the more I think about it. It’s not great. The subject matter has been covered endlessly and much better in so many other YA books.

I will still give props to the author that I liked her ideas, her characters, and I think the novel in verse idea could’ve worked well with these specific characters. However, this reads like an early draft of a work that deserves to be fleshed out much further. I realize I can’t fault any author for a happy ending and I enjoy those myself. It is so trite though, to have the climax and resolution in such a short part at the very end. It was especially jarring because I found myself thinking the earliest parts of the book were a little too mundane with details that didn’t need to be written. This is even more true considering how little we are even told about Zari.

I’m going to stop here before I write a review that’s longer than the book. I will just say that if you’re going to write serious subjects like abuse, you have a responsibility to go beyond skimming the surface and your readers deserve more than a five page resolution. That’s probably true of any novel about any subject, but given the subject matter, it’s especially glaring and cheap. And dear author, I apologize if this is harsh. I wanted very much to love your book, and I really adored Clare and through her really liked Zari and Zari’s brother. I critique so harshly because I truly believe there’s so much here that could be amazing, and I look forward to seeing how you grow. To have such likable characters and a solid nugget of a plot is perhaps the hardest part of writing and a true achievement. I just would’ve like more from this story.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me this book through GoodReads giveaway program.

Profile Image for BeesBookHollow ♡.
171 reviews168 followers
December 4, 2018
Synopsis:


Clare and Zari have been the greatest of friends since Zari moved to her hometown, inside jokes, and days filled with music mark their bond with plenty of love sprinkled in between.


When Zari starts to fall for the wealthy grandson of successful author Irving Mallory her parents encourage her to build a relationship to further her writing abilities and make connections but Dion Mallory is a boy with dark secrets.

When Zari becomes distant and her new relationship threatens to derail the friendship her and Clare have, it seems as if nothing will be the same again.


This YA novel written in prose is heart wrenching and sweet, portraying a tale of friendship overcoming even the darkest of situations. Amanda Vink does an amazing job of navigating high school love and important relationship issues.

Trigger Warning: Relationship Abuse


I received this DRC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───


My Thoughts:


When I first requested the book I did so because I loved the cover and any book about friends with a strong relationship is one I enjoy reading. I didn't know that it was written in prose until I opened the book but that didn't sway my opinions of how the novel flowed or the story itself. I absolutely loved the innocence of Clare and Zari's relationship, they would write songs together and perform them on street corners just for the sheer fun of it all. Clare would make the melody and Zari would write the story, two peas in a pod, inseparable 'til the end.


"We've been friends since Zari moved here. Since then everything between us is shared"


Zari receives a sort of writing internship with a fellow professor of her father's and she's thrown into the arms of Dion Mallory who quickly becomes possessive of Zari and isolates her from her friend Clare.

While Zari is busy Clare has recently grown eyes for Zari's older brother Wilson who plays guitar as well and it's woken up a side of her music that she never experienced before; awoken something in her heart she never experienced. Clare's parts in particular were some of my favorites because of her insane passion to be herself and to never let her music falter even when it felt like her world was falling apart.


TW: Abuse


Zari never really expected to meet Dion but their relationship took off as young lovers usually do and eventually she found herself spending more and more time with Dion and less with her best friend. With her parents telling her that Clare was no good and Dion emotionally manipulating her and physically hurting her Zari retreats into herself and loses all sight of why she began writing in the first place.


"I've been writing poetry for a long time, though for me it's not about the fame or fortune. It's about the way words come alive on paper and the way they seem to know me."


It was definitely heartbreaking to watch the two main characters go through such a struggle and truly not have each other to lean on but as we all know love will prevail, as will courage and strength. It wasn't until they realized that nothing could truly separate them that they were able to break free from their chains and it was empowering to read about two young people do that.


"Love is like an invisible string. And no matter where you go or what you do or how long it is between talks, it never breaks."

─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───

Wrap up:


I thought this novel was well written and concise, I thought that within the shortness of the book's pages she portrayed good supporting characters, built strong relationships. and evoked plenty of emotion/conflict to capture the readers.

I also liked that she tied in situations that the parents went through that shaped their parenting styles and choices. The story was written perfectly for it's targeted audience and had me reminiscing on crushes I had in high school, I rated this novel 4/5 🌟


─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───

Thank you for reading! 


─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
Profile Image for Brenda.
146 reviews21 followers
May 17, 2019
Resenha em Português: http://momentosdeataraxia.blogspot.co...

And We Call It Love is a book of poetry that brings us a history of friendship, toxic relationships and inner strength.

Claire and Zari are best friends. They write songs together, they know each other better than anyone and they are inseparable.

Claire is a girl with some difficulties so the money she earnes playing guitar on the street is to fill the needs that exist at home. Zari comes from a family with money and is constantly on the pressure to realize the dreams that her parents idealized for her.

The problem is that Zari's parents don't like Claire ... nor her recent boyfriend, Dion.

When a boyfriend does not like our best friend, this is already a sign that something is wrong. Of the two of them: or our friendship isn't really the best, but we already know that - and there we are, we insist on this toxic relationship too - or this is a warning to pay attention to our partner. But Zari ignored all the signs.

I got very involved with this book because I once was Zari in some situations and, mostly, I was Claire trying to rescue a friend from a situation like this. I know how hard it is to see people push us away and we don't know why, but it requires a lot of patience and time to be there for that friend no matter what, even if we do not agree with the direction the person is taking.

"It's difficult for a tree to survive without its support system."


We're going to think that she knows very well the situation she is into and maybe we will think that she does not get out of the situation because she doesn't want it, but it's more complicated than it seems. For those in the situation it is very difficult to feel that you can leave, there is always fear of the consequences of ending the relationship. What Dion did was to get Zari's support system, and the parents, whether they wanted to or not, also contributed to it. He began with small things that put her self-esteem down, and then inflated her again with the typical words "I love you", "I need you" and she even thinks that the problem of seeing something wrong with his behavior is purely her fault.

I learned from Dion that normally abusers are boys unsatisfied with themselves, that have to be the center of the universe at all times and when they find their target they will not rest until they break the person at their will.

With this book we think a lot about how often we do not tolerate some attitudes like the ones that Dion has, how often do we blame ourselves for something the other has done because "it was a consequence of our actions", how many times we erase ourselves so the other can shine because if we shine we will have repercussions, whether physical or psychological? And I'm not just talking about love, I'm talking about friendships and family. We have to stop canceling ourselves for other people. We have to stop romanticizing what is toxic.

The book is so well constructed that the poems look like prose and the story of the two friends is told in such a fluid way that we get lost in time. I loved the fact that the narrator changes, allowing us to see the situation from two perspectives: from the victims and from the perspective of the friend who feels powerless.

That is why I strongly recommend reading this book because it tells us a story that we may have passed through at some point in our lives, or that we have seen someone pass by and shows us that we must act, even doing the small great act of being there for the other person.

For those who are starting to read in English this book is a good bet, since its language is very simple, the author says what she has to say and the message is very clear.

I would like to thank author Amanda Vink, West 44 Books publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. One of the best I've read so far in 2019!
Profile Image for tiana ♡.
306 reviews27 followers
November 9, 2018
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated below are my own!

*The book comes out on June 1, 2019.

When I first saw this book would be entirely in verse, I was excited as I rarely read poetry books and I've been meaning to get to more. This book follows two friends, Zari and Claire, and revolves around the importance of friendship, family, as well as darker themes like abuse and manipulation.

Trigger warning: there is depiction of abuse in one specific part of the book so keep that in mind in case you decide to look into it!

My Thoughts:

I was quite unsure at first but I ended up really liking this book. My main issue was that at first I wasn't sure who was talking as the two perspectives seemed similar but as I was going through the book, it became easier to tell them apart.
I really liked how the friendship between the two girls is depicted. You can tell they care about each other so much and they would do anything. When facing such a situation, I loved how there was no doubt what would one friend would do to help the other. Their friendship seemed so healthy and so genuine, it made me happy.

"Some people push for perfection, and they only end up pushing people away"

I also enjoyed how the book tackled family issues. We got three different portrayals of families and I enjoyed looking into both of them. We saw what putting a lot of pressure on kids does to them and how important listening to them is.

Most importantly, I love how this book emphasizes that you never know what truly goes on in someone's mind or life unless you make an effort to listen or get to know them. I appreciate that abuse was not romanticized but it was seen through the eyes of both the victim (we see also the struggle to get away) and of several people outside the relationship. It's so easy to mistake someone's manipulation for love and you can clearly see that here.

Finally, the structure was refreshing. I know it can be distracting for some but to me it seemed as if it was almost symbolising a conversation between two parties. Punctuation increased and the tone became harsher when the topics got more serious. The lines became syncopated when feelings of 'loss', 'falling', and 'hopelessness' were introduced.
And I absolutely love how this ends with a notion of "Fall". We are ready to let go of the past, of all the things that hold us down and we can finally embrace our future by the side of those who care and who influence us positively.

Final rating: 4 stars




Profile Image for Joanna.
128 reviews22 followers
August 27, 2021
*A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This poetry collection was addictive. If I hadn't started it at 4 AM, I would've finished it in one sitting.

And We Call It Love is a poetry collection surrounding the themes of friendship, love, growing up, prejudice and abuse. It reads like a diary entry told from the perspectives of Zari, a talented writer, and her best friend Clare, a great guitarist.

Unlike many poems I've read, this was easy to read. You didn't have to think too much, it almost feels like you're reading a novel as it follows a linear timeline. I've never read a poem like this before, and it's extremely memorable.

The two best friends were incredible, and I loved the relationship between Zari's brother and Clare. There were many themes in this poem, and it was just an all-around great read filled with so much friendship and love. Not to mention also anger and disbelief, but mostly great friendship that made me shed some tears. It was a rollercoaster of emotions.

The formatting of the poems is by far the most interesting part of the book. It uses alignment to show the conversation between the characters or their actions and thoughts. It was extremely refreshing.
Profile Image for Pallavi.
115 reviews14 followers
December 2, 2018
I received an A.R.C for this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is review is spoiler-free.

I am a huge fan of prose-poetry myself, so when I heard about this book I was very excited. Not only was it a fresh read amidst proper prose format books that I usually read – but it also focused on friendship.

That focus is one of the things I loved most about this book. Friendship, I think, is a severely underestimated trope in a lot of young adult stories . Friendships are often a subplot in stories, an afterthought, because a friendship isn’t deemed as vital to the story as a character’s internal struggle with themselves. And We Call It Love does great work of showing how those go hand in hand – it shows how friendship affects how we see ourselves and our worth, and how the decisions we make for and without our friends force us to question ourselves as people. It is a simply narrated but very powerful book.

Moreover, it discusses abusive relationships and I think this was an important thing to touch on. Abusive relationships in teenage years are very difficult to recognise as so. There is a denial that takes place, and then fear, and then desperation. All these were emotions that really came through the words, both from the perspective of the victim, and from the perspective of a hapless bystander.

From a technical stand-point, it’s evident that Vink has a lot of potential as a poet. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a full 5-stars is that certain verses didn’t work for me, structurally speaking.

Regardless, I feel like the poetry-prose collection still did an excellent job at showing us the world of Clare and Zari, and how precariously it hangs while their lives spin out of control. I am very glad Vink chose this format of writing because there are some definitive messages behind the words that become debatable in traditional poetry, while purely prose might’ve made it a little bland.

I urge you to give this book a try because it talks of things like love and passion, all in a way that portrays the strength of friendship and companionship in both good times and bad. I wish this book and the author well for when it is published – I have no doubt many others will have the same good things to say that I did!

Warning: This book portrays an emotionally and physically abusive romantic relationship – both from a POV perspective and from a bystander perspective. There is also an instance of lesbophobic dialogue (directed at the main characters). Be advised.

You can read my full review for this book here.
Profile Image for Ankita Singh.
Author 4 books45 followers
November 20, 2018
And We Call It Love was a story in the form of verses. It was a story of two best friends and how their friendship stayed strong despite all the people who were trying to keep them apart.

I love this writing form because there's no lenghty descriptions and it keeps "happening". There's not a dull moment.

The story itself was pretty beautiful and sweet. It portrayed Clare and Zari's friendship so nicely. The storyline was believable and something that happens way too often.

And We Call It Love was a story that said that no matter how good your life is, if you can't share it with your best friend, you ARE going to be miserable.

Quoting a few lines from the book, just to give you an idea of how beautiful it was:

"Love is like

an invisible string,
and no matter
where you go
or what you do
or how long
it is between talks,

it never breaks."
Profile Image for Erin Rogoff.
491 reviews1 follower
August 14, 2019
I started reading this book last night, and I finished it 2 minutes ago. In the end, I fell in love with this book of incredible modern poetry. I loathed Zari's controlling parents, hated Dion even more. In my group of friends, I'm everyone's protective older sister. This book and Clare's character made me feel strong, want to hug my friends, tell them how much they mean to me. This book is really inspiring!
Profile Image for Kirsten Tattersall.
192 reviews33 followers
February 7, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this style of storytelling and I love love love stories about female friendships. There aren't enough good stories about female friendship and this was one. It also does a really good job of discussing abusive relationships.
Profile Image for Courtney.
486 reviews13 followers
May 20, 2021
Three stars for this fast paced novel in verse. This is about a girl and her best friend, who has entered into an abusive relationship. The story was interesting, but I wish there was more. Either the book was longer or it was written in narrative. We got an ending, but I felt like stuff was left out of the middle.
Profile Image for Laura.
560 reviews7 followers
November 21, 2018
I got an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed this book, it’s like a YA contemporary in poetry form. It covers all kinds of teenage (and adult) issues in a sensitive way and has a lovely female friendship in it.
Profile Image for BrittanySilverman.
60 reviews10 followers
February 5, 2019
This was interesting to me I never read something like this. It felt like a book and a poetry at the same time. I would love to read more books like this. I am curious to see if Amanda’s Vink will write more like this.
Profile Image for Mahi - ماهی.
199 reviews2 followers
May 13, 2019
Thanks to NetGalley I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel in verse was a story about getting lost in our way to find love and then find ourselves with the help of Love. Because there are feelings that we call love but we should not confuse love with self-distruction.
Books find you when you need them And I needed this reminder so bad.
And We Call it Love was everything I wanted in a novel in verse and more.
Profile Image for Heather.
77 reviews
May 13, 2025
The ending starts to rush but I feel like this captures a really strong idea for young readers on how easily abuse happens and the importance of speaking up. I would recommend this to all MS/HS aged girls to read so they recognize the signs and speak out when they see it or have concerns.
Profile Image for Auburn.
Author 1 book2 followers
April 19, 2019
I felt as it didn’t really flow, the story line was hard to follow. You couldn’t really tell what character POV it was in other than that it had some loveable characters
Profile Image for DJ .
1,146 reviews8 followers
January 8, 2019
Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

And We Call It Love is a story about two best friends, written like poetry. It read beautifully. The stories are heartbreaking, and wonderful. Clare and Zari are relatable and flawed. Each of their stories are unique, they are navigating their own lives while trying to keep their friendship strong. I loved everything about this book. The way it was written made And We Call It Love have an even bigger impact as I was reading it.
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