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We Go Together
The beaches of Grand-Barachois had been Kat’s summer home for years. There, she created her own world with her “summer friends,” full of possibilities and free from expectation. But one summer, everything changed, and she ran from the life she’d created.
Now seventeen and on the brink of attending college, Kat is full of regret. She’s broken a friendship beyond repair, and she’s dated possibly the worst person in the world. Six months after their break-up, he still haunts her nightmares. Confused and scared, she returns to Grand-Barachois to sort out her feelings.
When she arrives, everything is different yet familiar. Some of her friends are right where she left them, while some are nowhere to be found. There are so many things they never got to do, so many words left unsaid.
And then there’s Tristan.
He wasn’t supposed to be there. He was just a guy from Kat’s youth orchestra days. When the two meet again, they become fast friends. Tristan has a few ideas to make this summer the best one yet. Together, they build a master list of all the things Kat and her friends wanted to do but never could. It’s finally time to live their wildest childhood dreams.
But the past won’t let Kat go. And while this may be a summer to remember, there’s so much she wants to forget.
Now seventeen and on the brink of attending college, Kat is full of regret. She’s broken a friendship beyond repair, and she’s dated possibly the worst person in the world. Six months after their break-up, he still haunts her nightmares. Confused and scared, she returns to Grand-Barachois to sort out her feelings.
When she arrives, everything is different yet familiar. Some of her friends are right where she left them, while some are nowhere to be found. There are so many things they never got to do, so many words left unsaid.
And then there’s Tristan.
He wasn’t supposed to be there. He was just a guy from Kat’s youth orchestra days. When the two meet again, they become fast friends. Tristan has a few ideas to make this summer the best one yet. Together, they build a master list of all the things Kat and her friends wanted to do but never could. It’s finally time to live their wildest childhood dreams.
But the past won’t let Kat go. And while this may be a summer to remember, there’s so much she wants to forget.
251 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2020
2 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Abigail de Niverville
8 books52 followersAbigail de Niverville is a Moncton-born author living in Toronto, Ontario. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 2017 with a Master’s of Composition. While studying music, Abigail would often escape the daily stresses of university life by writing stories and novels. Her experiences in theatre performance and production often influence her creative works in all mediums. She continues to dedicate her free time to writing novels, poetry, and songs.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 3, 2020
CW: off-page rape, abusive relationship, (possible) PTSD, off-page transphobia, off-page pregnancy, off-page incarceration
This was heavy. The narrative tone is somber and reminiscent. With its main theme being Kat dealing with an abusive past relationship, the story is less about what is happening in the physical world but more about what goes on in Kat’s mind. That being said, the many events during Kat's time at Grand-Barachois are so sweet they made me slightly emotional again and again. In We Go Together, we follow her journey of healing as she begins to acknowledge what she has gone through, relearns to trust others, and finds her own voice again.
When Kat decides to visit Grand-Barachois for a change of scene, she is still trapped with the memory of her abusive ex-boyfriend. Her great aunt Kay lives there, and so did her summer friends. It was with them that she had felt the most like herself when they were younger. Upon arrival, she meets Tristan, an acquaintance from youth orchestra, and the pair soon become friends. When some of her summer friends start showing up, they reconnect and Kat begins to find herself. And realizes her growing feelings for Tristan, too.
In the beginning, Kat is unable to fully see her ex as an abuser, and throughout most of the book, she continues to dance around the subject. She is somewhat in denial, self-blaming, and also in withdrawal. My heart hurts for her but I also love how she finds support in her friends: some from the Summer Six (Lucy, Annick, Sébastien, Mikey, Reagan) and Tristan. They are mostly sad queer teens but were drawn to each other well before they understood themselves. Then together, they are invincible.
I love that Kat, Lucy, and Tristan started the summer project of making the dreams of the Six's younger selves come true. The adventures the new friend group has are fun, light-hearted, and made me smile. They are all very respectful toward each other as well, and their relationships pure and beautiful.
The diverse cast is also wonderful. Siblings Annick and Sébastien are of First Nations heritage. Growing up, their father wants them to forget about their history because of his own experiences with racism. Now, Annick wants to honour their culture, starting by learning Mémère's beading. As for the main characters, Kat is bi and Tristan is trans. More of their friends identify as bi, gay, or simply implied as not straight.
My first impression of Tristan is that he is so incredibly precious. The relationship he and Kat develops over time is what healthy friendship and later on romance should be. He still has lingering internalized transphobia from his past but has overall grown into his true self. There is no doubt that he helps anchor Kat as she learns to cut out toxicity from her life. They make a cute couple, too.
Though the last closure Kat needed came a little too randomly, it didn’t bother me too much. I understand that it needs to—and also wanted it to—happen.
We Go Together is a wholesome summer story with an awesome cast of LGBTQ+ teens. I sniffled in public reading this. While this book is definitely not for every reader due to its theme and melancholy mood, it is a great YA that portrays both abusive and healthy romantic relationships along with supportive friendships. Many of the quotes are worth revisiting one day, too.
I received an e-ARC from NineStar Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was heavy. The narrative tone is somber and reminiscent. With its main theme being Kat dealing with an abusive past relationship, the story is less about what is happening in the physical world but more about what goes on in Kat’s mind. That being said, the many events during Kat's time at Grand-Barachois are so sweet they made me slightly emotional again and again. In We Go Together, we follow her journey of healing as she begins to acknowledge what she has gone through, relearns to trust others, and finds her own voice again.
I was a dandelion. They could cut me down repeatedly and I’d always grow back.
When Kat decides to visit Grand-Barachois for a change of scene, she is still trapped with the memory of her abusive ex-boyfriend. Her great aunt Kay lives there, and so did her summer friends. It was with them that she had felt the most like herself when they were younger. Upon arrival, she meets Tristan, an acquaintance from youth orchestra, and the pair soon become friends. When some of her summer friends start showing up, they reconnect and Kat begins to find herself. And realizes her growing feelings for Tristan, too.
“Sometimes life isn’t dramatic. It’s allowed to be quiet.” – Tristan
In the beginning, Kat is unable to fully see her ex as an abuser, and throughout most of the book, she continues to dance around the subject. She is somewhat in denial, self-blaming, and also in withdrawal. My heart hurts for her but I also love how she finds support in her friends: some from the Summer Six (Lucy, Annick, Sébastien, Mikey, Reagan) and Tristan. They are mostly sad queer teens but were drawn to each other well before they understood themselves. Then together, they are invincible.
I love that Kat, Lucy, and Tristan started the summer project of making the dreams of the Six's younger selves come true. The adventures the new friend group has are fun, light-hearted, and made me smile. They are all very respectful toward each other as well, and their relationships pure and beautiful.
We had a chance to do all the things we’d always dreamed for our old selves. For the people who didn’t return. For the hope that maybe they would if we lived the things they’d dreamed up.
The diverse cast is also wonderful. Siblings Annick and Sébastien are of First Nations heritage. Growing up, their father wants them to forget about their history because of his own experiences with racism. Now, Annick wants to honour their culture, starting by learning Mémère's beading. As for the main characters, Kat is bi and Tristan is trans. More of their friends identify as bi, gay, or simply implied as not straight.
My first impression of Tristan is that he is so incredibly precious. The relationship he and Kat develops over time is what healthy friendship and later on romance should be. He still has lingering internalized transphobia from his past but has overall grown into his true self. There is no doubt that he helps anchor Kat as she learns to cut out toxicity from her life. They make a cute couple, too.
We’d grown first as friends. I’d told him secrets, given him pieces of me, and it’d all been out of love. And as we continued on this path, my feelings might never fade. It might take on a different form, but it was there to stay.
Though the last closure Kat needed came a little too randomly, it didn’t bother me too much. I understand that it needs to—and also wanted it to—happen.
We Go Together is a wholesome summer story with an awesome cast of LGBTQ+ teens. I sniffled in public reading this. While this book is definitely not for every reader due to its theme and melancholy mood, it is a great YA that portrays both abusive and healthy romantic relationships along with supportive friendships. Many of the quotes are worth revisiting one day, too.
I received an e-ARC from NineStar Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 17, 2020
rep: bi mc, trans li, Mi'kmaw bi side character, Mi'kmaw gay side character, Mi'kmaw side character, sapphic side character, mlm side character
tw: past toxic relationship, past rape, transphobia (off-page), teen pregnancy (off-page), incarceration (off-page)
If we were only talking about the plot and the things that are happening in the present, it would be an easy, fun book. But there’s also the past, all the memories Kat struggles with (and frankly, everyone else), and that makes it a heavy one. It’s handled in a way that you don’t really notice it, though, apart from your heart going out for those kids.
We Go Together touches on a number of difficult topics, doesn’t shy away from anything that could be seen as uncomfortable, because really, life isn’t always comfortable. It feels very real, it feels like something any of us could go through. And at its core, it’s not really a book about hardships and traumas, it’s a book about a group of kids going through life together, supporting each other, loving each other.
It’s a very melancholic novel, despite also being a summery one. It blends together wonderfully that wholesome feeling coming from friendship (especially friendship between LGBT folks) and the heavy topics. It’s gonna make you cry, but you will be happy about it.
tw: past toxic relationship, past rape, transphobia (off-page), teen pregnancy (off-page), incarceration (off-page)
If we were only talking about the plot and the things that are happening in the present, it would be an easy, fun book. But there’s also the past, all the memories Kat struggles with (and frankly, everyone else), and that makes it a heavy one. It’s handled in a way that you don’t really notice it, though, apart from your heart going out for those kids.
We Go Together touches on a number of difficult topics, doesn’t shy away from anything that could be seen as uncomfortable, because really, life isn’t always comfortable. It feels very real, it feels like something any of us could go through. And at its core, it’s not really a book about hardships and traumas, it’s a book about a group of kids going through life together, supporting each other, loving each other.
It’s a very melancholic novel, despite also being a summery one. It blends together wonderfully that wholesome feeling coming from friendship (especially friendship between LGBT folks) and the heavy topics. It’s gonna make you cry, but you will be happy about it.
April 18, 2025
I wouldn't call this super good but it wasn't exactly bad either
You have to enjoy slow books to like this one. Because 251 pages still feels very slow for me. Our main character Kat went to Grand-Barachois for the summer . There she meet her summer friends and they make up some bucket list to try this summer. Kat been through some shit with her gromming ex bf and she is still missing her bisexual crush. I keep reading because I want to know what is going on with her ex. A couple of political message here and there but its ok . It interests me enough to keep reading. I find it kinda mess up with Kat still missing her bisexual crush and still end up being with Tristan . OK
You have to enjoy slow books to like this one. Because 251 pages still feels very slow for me. Our main character Kat went to Grand-Barachois for the summer . There she meet her summer friends and they make up some bucket list to try this summer. Kat been through some shit with her gromming ex bf and she is still missing her bisexual crush. I keep reading because I want to know what is going on with her ex. A couple of political message here and there but its ok . It interests me enough to keep reading. I find it kinda mess up with Kat still missing her bisexual crush and still end up being with Tristan . OK
August 17, 2021
4.5 ☆ | rtc
July 30, 2020
With thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
3.5*
For me, the first 50% of this book was slow going, but I'm never one to leave a book unfinished. I'm glad I carried on reading because I really enjoyed the second half. I liked the themes in this book and the sensitive handling of topics like sexual assault. Kat spends a summer staying with her Aunt Kay, where she spent many childhood summers. She is soon reunited with childhood friends and neighbour, Tristan. They embark on a bucket list of things which they always said they had wanted to do as kids. Kat finds this a good distraction after a rocky few months.
Kat, 17, struggles to trust/form relationships because of her terrible past experience. Throughout this book, this is a constant niggling thought for Kat and influences almost everything she does. I really appreciated how well this was considered and written as it shows the frustration, anger, and constant doubt which could affect somebody after such a traumatic relationship.
I struggled personally with the characters in the book. Whilst there is a good LGBTQ representation, I just felt there were too many to be fully developed and I didn't get enough for me to be invested in them. I really would have liked to have got more from them to compliment Kats story.
Overall, I would give the book 3.5* and I would definitely read another book by Abigail de Niverville.
3.5*
For me, the first 50% of this book was slow going, but I'm never one to leave a book unfinished. I'm glad I carried on reading because I really enjoyed the second half. I liked the themes in this book and the sensitive handling of topics like sexual assault. Kat spends a summer staying with her Aunt Kay, where she spent many childhood summers. She is soon reunited with childhood friends and neighbour, Tristan. They embark on a bucket list of things which they always said they had wanted to do as kids. Kat finds this a good distraction after a rocky few months.
Kat, 17, struggles to trust/form relationships because of her terrible past experience. Throughout this book, this is a constant niggling thought for Kat and influences almost everything she does. I really appreciated how well this was considered and written as it shows the frustration, anger, and constant doubt which could affect somebody after such a traumatic relationship.
I struggled personally with the characters in the book. Whilst there is a good LGBTQ representation, I just felt there were too many to be fully developed and I didn't get enough for me to be invested in them. I really would have liked to have got more from them to compliment Kats story.
Overall, I would give the book 3.5* and I would definitely read another book by Abigail de Niverville.
October 2, 2020
Abigail de Niverville's We Go Together is an interesting coming of age tale.
Kat is a main character who fully comes to life, and the reader gets a good long into her trauma.
She reconnects with old friends in a way that is honest and true to real life. I love that her relationship are illustrated realistically, as some come and go, with some friendships are solid, yet not very deep. It's a fascinating look into relationships, and I enjoy the way it's all handled.
The author approaches everything with care and compassion, as she brings Kat through her self awakening. There are some heavy aspects but it's a wonderful read.
Kat is a main character who fully comes to life, and the reader gets a good long into her trauma.
She reconnects with old friends in a way that is honest and true to real life. I love that her relationship are illustrated realistically, as some come and go, with some friendships are solid, yet not very deep. It's a fascinating look into relationships, and I enjoy the way it's all handled.
The author approaches everything with care and compassion, as she brings Kat through her self awakening. There are some heavy aspects but it's a wonderful read.
August 9, 2020
REP: bi MC, trans love interest, LGBT cast, Native side characters
TWs: sexual abuse, rape, rape apologism
Genre: new adult contemporary
--------------------------------------------
E-ARC kindly provided by the publisher.
--------------------------------------------
Plot:
It's the summer before Kat, formerly known as Kitty, is about to head off to university in Toronto, to study composition. It's been her dream since basically forever, and for the longest time she couldn't wait. Until six months ago when her boyfriend Aaron suddenly and unexpectedly broke up with her and Kat's world came crumbling down.
Kat had previously consider herself perfectly agreeable, very friendly, a fan of bows and frilly things; but most importantly, Kat had been happy. Now, this summer, seeing herself a changed person, Kat runs. She runs to the small seaside town where she spent most of her childhood summers; she runs to Kay, her great-aunt, who lets her stay with her without asking too many questions.
During the summer, Kat meets people from her past, people that she shares both old and new memories with. Kat also meets Tristan, the cute boy next door who she may or may not ends up falling for. Her happy summer life is always at odds with her memories from the past, memories that she only just now is starting to remember and acknowledge. Allowing herself to be happy, to spend the summer loving herself and others, requires her sorting out her feelings and memories. How can you make memories worth remembering when all you want to do is forget?
Review:
This book is deep and heavy, honestly. This book started off happily enough and I thought I'd end up reading something light and fluffy and cute, but how wrong I was. That being said, I absolutely adored this book. I mean, I quickly understood where this book was going so the 'reveal' didn't surprise me at all (nor do I believe it was supposed to surprise the reader) and yet it felt like a punch in the gut to me. Most importantly though, it was very, very good.
This book reads very quickly, it just flows naturally and so I ended up reading 75% of it in one sitting. I kind of forgot time and space, I was so engrossed in the setting and these characters. The writing felt very natural, I don't know how to explain it in any other way than that. You really can't describe this book as a nice, fun summer read due to the topics it deal with but it was indeed a very quick read and I really, really liked it.
This book is mainly about survival, about guilt, about facing the truth and about remembering and also letting go. This book deals with rape and sexual abuse, with gaslighting, with guilt and shame. It shows how hard it can be to dare to live again. Honestly, there's nothing *new* about the topic at hand, I've seen this done multiple times in books before. That does not bother me one bit, however. It's done really well, the way it handled sexual assault and the feelings that follow felt very realistic and also tasteful. Kat is portrayed as being so much more than her trauma, it doesn't define her even though she struggles with it. I think this book balances her having a normal life with her dealing with her trauma really well.
This book was indeed very heavy but it wasn't just straight up heavy, it did contain so many elements of positivity too. I liked how this book balanced all the heaviness out with a fun, positive, awesome tale of revisiting old summer friends and childhood adventures, of having fun just for the sake of having fun.
What really touched me was how Kat was able to overcome, to work through her trauma. While I didn't feel their romance as such, I was so happy Kat found Tristan and dared to trust him. He seemed to be genuinely a good guy for her and most importantly, he seemed very understanding of her. I was very happy they ended up together.
Another thing I really appreciated was the amount of LGBT representation that was allowed to exist without making it the whole entire personality of all characters. I especially enjoyed the fact that Tristan was trans and he was just treated like any other guy, instead of having the essence of his character based around his transness. I too am a bi girl so I could really relate to that aspect of Kat's struggle because yes, the struggle IS real.
If I could change one thing about this book I think I'd make it a little bit longer; I would have liked seeing the summer adventure part of this story explored more because that was just so happy and positive and just awesome in general.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I think if you're okay reading books with heavier themes, that you should check this book out.
TWs: sexual abuse, rape, rape apologism
Genre: new adult contemporary
--------------------------------------------
E-ARC kindly provided by the publisher.
--------------------------------------------
"Life was better for her, now, albeit far from perfect. It would be better for me too."
Plot:
It's the summer before Kat, formerly known as Kitty, is about to head off to university in Toronto, to study composition. It's been her dream since basically forever, and for the longest time she couldn't wait. Until six months ago when her boyfriend Aaron suddenly and unexpectedly broke up with her and Kat's world came crumbling down.
Kat had previously consider herself perfectly agreeable, very friendly, a fan of bows and frilly things; but most importantly, Kat had been happy. Now, this summer, seeing herself a changed person, Kat runs. She runs to the small seaside town where she spent most of her childhood summers; she runs to Kay, her great-aunt, who lets her stay with her without asking too many questions.
During the summer, Kat meets people from her past, people that she shares both old and new memories with. Kat also meets Tristan, the cute boy next door who she may or may not ends up falling for. Her happy summer life is always at odds with her memories from the past, memories that she only just now is starting to remember and acknowledge. Allowing herself to be happy, to spend the summer loving herself and others, requires her sorting out her feelings and memories. How can you make memories worth remembering when all you want to do is forget?
Review:
This book is deep and heavy, honestly. This book started off happily enough and I thought I'd end up reading something light and fluffy and cute, but how wrong I was. That being said, I absolutely adored this book. I mean, I quickly understood where this book was going so the 'reveal' didn't surprise me at all (nor do I believe it was supposed to surprise the reader) and yet it felt like a punch in the gut to me. Most importantly though, it was very, very good.
This book reads very quickly, it just flows naturally and so I ended up reading 75% of it in one sitting. I kind of forgot time and space, I was so engrossed in the setting and these characters. The writing felt very natural, I don't know how to explain it in any other way than that. You really can't describe this book as a nice, fun summer read due to the topics it deal with but it was indeed a very quick read and I really, really liked it.
This book is mainly about survival, about guilt, about facing the truth and about remembering and also letting go. This book deals with rape and sexual abuse, with gaslighting, with guilt and shame. It shows how hard it can be to dare to live again. Honestly, there's nothing *new* about the topic at hand, I've seen this done multiple times in books before. That does not bother me one bit, however. It's done really well, the way it handled sexual assault and the feelings that follow felt very realistic and also tasteful. Kat is portrayed as being so much more than her trauma, it doesn't define her even though she struggles with it. I think this book balances her having a normal life with her dealing with her trauma really well.
This book was indeed very heavy but it wasn't just straight up heavy, it did contain so many elements of positivity too. I liked how this book balanced all the heaviness out with a fun, positive, awesome tale of revisiting old summer friends and childhood adventures, of having fun just for the sake of having fun.
What really touched me was how Kat was able to overcome, to work through her trauma. While I didn't feel their romance as such, I was so happy Kat found Tristan and dared to trust him. He seemed to be genuinely a good guy for her and most importantly, he seemed very understanding of her. I was very happy they ended up together.
Another thing I really appreciated was the amount of LGBT representation that was allowed to exist without making it the whole entire personality of all characters. I especially enjoyed the fact that Tristan was trans and he was just treated like any other guy, instead of having the essence of his character based around his transness. I too am a bi girl so I could really relate to that aspect of Kat's struggle because yes, the struggle IS real.
If I could change one thing about this book I think I'd make it a little bit longer; I would have liked seeing the summer adventure part of this story explored more because that was just so happy and positive and just awesome in general.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I think if you're okay reading books with heavier themes, that you should check this book out.
August 3, 2020
3.5 stars
There were a lot of things I really liked about this book. Firstly, the way it covered sexual assault was done really well. I thought the author did a great job at handling the issue of trauma and mental health, and the way that the main character comes to terms with and deals with her trauma was dealt with delicately. The LGBTQ+ representation in this book was also brilliant. I really liked how there were so many different LGBTQ+ characters (there are gay, bisexual, and trans characters) – it’s always weird when books have just one token LQBTQ+ character in a friendship group as that’s hardly a realistic representation of friendship groups in real life! I especially liked how the characters’ sexuality weren’t their only defining feature but was still relevant enough that it didn’t feel like token representation. In fact, I think that was one of the strongest elements of this book. Also, while it’s only a small thing, I really appreciated how the main character has eczema – as someone who suffered with quite bad eczema in my teens, it was so nice seeing the struggles of eczema flare-ups when you’re stressed, waking up to blood-stained bedsheets, and finding suitable clothes to cover your sores represented in a YA novel.
The reason I didn’t rate this higher is probably that I didn’t quite love the writing. I appreciated what the author was going for in terms of alluding to things that happened in the past but I felt like it could have perhaps been executed better, perhaps through the use of flashbacks. I think this would have worked especially well as one of the central themes of this book is nostalgia and the MC looking back at past summers, and at times it felt kind of heavy-handed the way she talked about past memories and other characters in a way that I didn’t feel that invested in them, which made the “big reveals” less impactful I will say, however, that I really liked how one of the central themes of the book was rekindling old friendships and the nostalgia of summers in a different place with “summer friends” and looking back at past worries that seem insignificant when you’re older.
It feels weird to call this a fun and easy read because of the very serious topics it does cover, and anyone who plans on reading this should note that it comes with a trigger warning for sexual assault, but I did manage to get through it pretty quickly and it was enjoyable. One of the central plotlines is Kat and her friends ticking things off a summer bucket list, and those scenes were quite fun to read. There’s also a small romance sub-plot that had one of the sweetest (and most respectful!) YA romances I’ve read
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a summer YA contemporary novel(again, with the caveat to be mindful of the trigger warning), especially if you’re after something with good LGBTQ+ representation!
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
There were a lot of things I really liked about this book. Firstly, the way it covered sexual assault was done really well. I thought the author did a great job at handling the issue of trauma and mental health, and the way that the main character comes to terms with and deals with her trauma was dealt with delicately. The LGBTQ+ representation in this book was also brilliant. I really liked how there were so many different LGBTQ+ characters (there are gay, bisexual, and trans characters) – it’s always weird when books have just one token LQBTQ+ character in a friendship group as that’s hardly a realistic representation of friendship groups in real life! I especially liked how the characters’ sexuality weren’t their only defining feature but was still relevant enough that it didn’t feel like token representation. In fact, I think that was one of the strongest elements of this book. Also, while it’s only a small thing, I really appreciated how the main character has eczema – as someone who suffered with quite bad eczema in my teens, it was so nice seeing the struggles of eczema flare-ups when you’re stressed, waking up to blood-stained bedsheets, and finding suitable clothes to cover your sores represented in a YA novel.
The reason I didn’t rate this higher is probably that I didn’t quite love the writing. I appreciated what the author was going for in terms of alluding to things that happened in the past but I felt like it could have perhaps been executed better, perhaps through the use of flashbacks. I think this would have worked especially well as one of the central themes of this book is nostalgia and the MC looking back at past summers, and at times it felt kind of heavy-handed the way she talked about past memories and other characters in a way that I didn’t feel that invested in them, which made the “big reveals” less impactful I will say, however, that I really liked how one of the central themes of the book was rekindling old friendships and the nostalgia of summers in a different place with “summer friends” and looking back at past worries that seem insignificant when you’re older.
It feels weird to call this a fun and easy read because of the very serious topics it does cover, and anyone who plans on reading this should note that it comes with a trigger warning for sexual assault, but I did manage to get through it pretty quickly and it was enjoyable. One of the central plotlines is Kat and her friends ticking things off a summer bucket list, and those scenes were quite fun to read. There’s also a small romance sub-plot that had one of the sweetest (and most respectful!) YA romances I’ve read
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a summer YA contemporary novel(again, with the caveat to be mindful of the trigger warning), especially if you’re after something with good LGBTQ+ representation!
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 25, 2020
I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of We Go Together for review. We Go Together is a YA contemporary novel that focuses on the main character, Kat, who returns to Grand-Barachois, a beach town where she used to spend every summer before meeting her ex-boyfriend, Aaron. After breaking up with Aaron, she returns to Grand-Barachois to come to terms with her past relationship and pick up the pieces before heading off to college. The story tackles the challenges of finding oneself, moving on from broken friendships, and acknowledging and moving forward after leaving an abusive relationship. I do want to warn that there is mention of sexual assault throughout the novel so if that is a triggering subject, I would proceed with caution or skip the novel entirely. I really did enjoy We Go Together, I think it handled the sensitive topic of sexual assault well and encapsulated a lot of the struggles of growing up and finding oneself.
I enjoyed seeing the progression of Kat's character throughout the novel. At the beginning of We Go Together, she was continuously struggling with reconciliating with what had happened to her and was trying to figure out how she could redefine who she was after everything that happened. While I have not been a victim of sexual assault, I found myself really relating with Kat when it came to her struggles with high school friendships. I enjoyed seeing her move past some of those unhealthy relationships and allowing herself to enter friendships that gave her as much as she gave them. It was great to see her develop throughout the story and learn how to move forward after everything.
I found the Grand-Barachois' crew to be a great addition to the story. All of those characters had different personalities and brought something different to the story. I would love to see some of those characters explored further in a novella or spin-off novel. I think they all have interesting stories to tell and I was disappointed that we only saw so much of them, I felt like their stories could have been explored a bit further in We Go Together. I did, however, like the inclusion and representation of sexually diverse characters. Various queer characters were represented throughout the novel and I especially like the addition of a central transgendered character.
We Go Together has some of the quintessential components of a stereotypical summer YA novel, but in all the best ways. While I read We Go Together near the end of summer, it definitely was a nice and reminiscent way to end the summer. The contents of the story were not always easy to read, but I thought that We Go Together was a quick and memorable read. I really enjoyed all the characters and being along for the ride with them. I think it is a powerful and great year-round read, but has a special place in the summer. I would definitely recommend checking out We Go Together if you are looking for a story about moving on from the past, redefining yourself, and creating a new future.
I enjoyed seeing the progression of Kat's character throughout the novel. At the beginning of We Go Together, she was continuously struggling with reconciliating with what had happened to her and was trying to figure out how she could redefine who she was after everything that happened. While I have not been a victim of sexual assault, I found myself really relating with Kat when it came to her struggles with high school friendships. I enjoyed seeing her move past some of those unhealthy relationships and allowing herself to enter friendships that gave her as much as she gave them. It was great to see her develop throughout the story and learn how to move forward after everything.
I found the Grand-Barachois' crew to be a great addition to the story. All of those characters had different personalities and brought something different to the story. I would love to see some of those characters explored further in a novella or spin-off novel. I think they all have interesting stories to tell and I was disappointed that we only saw so much of them, I felt like their stories could have been explored a bit further in We Go Together. I did, however, like the inclusion and representation of sexually diverse characters. Various queer characters were represented throughout the novel and I especially like the addition of a central transgendered character.
We Go Together has some of the quintessential components of a stereotypical summer YA novel, but in all the best ways. While I read We Go Together near the end of summer, it definitely was a nice and reminiscent way to end the summer. The contents of the story were not always easy to read, but I thought that We Go Together was a quick and memorable read. I really enjoyed all the characters and being along for the ride with them. I think it is a powerful and great year-round read, but has a special place in the summer. I would definitely recommend checking out We Go Together if you are looking for a story about moving on from the past, redefining yourself, and creating a new future.
August 5, 2020
When she was young, Kat and her summer friends would spend their long summer days roaming around Grand-Barachois. Then suddenly, everything changed. Now Kat is about to attend college and finds herself unable to forget the memories that continue to torment her. She decides to return to Grand Barachois for the last time and try to reinvent herself.
The reason why I wanted to read this book is because the story takes place in the province where I am from, New Brunswick, Canada. I was prepared for all the nostalgia and familiarity I just don’t tend to find when reading other books. I was also delighted that the author, Abigail de Niverville, is originally from Moncton, New Brunswick. I liked hearing the names of familiar places such as “Shediac,” “Cape Enragé,” and “Riverview” thrown around in the universe of this book. I could easily form images in my mind of these places. Unfortunately, someone who is not from New Brunswick or has never been to New Brunswick won’t be able to picture any of these locations. The narration tends to focus more on the main character, Kat, and her thoughts about the past rather than the landscape surrounding her.
Kat was a compelling character, and I could feel the weight of the emotional turmoil she experiences throughout the book. The subject matter is very heavy throughout the story, and I would not recommend this book to a younger teenage audience for the many mentions of sexual abuse. The looming depressing atmosphere of this book was lightened a bit by the romance between Kat and Tristan, and by Kat reconnecting with her summer friends. We Go Together, above all else, is a story of the first stages of healing after trauma, the pains of growing up, and accepting one’s own identity.
I would recommend this book to an older teenage audience and to those looking for a diverse cast of LGBTQ characters.
*I received an advanced reader’s copy of We Go Together by Abigail de Niverville from NetGalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review*
The reason why I wanted to read this book is because the story takes place in the province where I am from, New Brunswick, Canada. I was prepared for all the nostalgia and familiarity I just don’t tend to find when reading other books. I was also delighted that the author, Abigail de Niverville, is originally from Moncton, New Brunswick. I liked hearing the names of familiar places such as “Shediac,” “Cape Enragé,” and “Riverview” thrown around in the universe of this book. I could easily form images in my mind of these places. Unfortunately, someone who is not from New Brunswick or has never been to New Brunswick won’t be able to picture any of these locations. The narration tends to focus more on the main character, Kat, and her thoughts about the past rather than the landscape surrounding her.
Kat was a compelling character, and I could feel the weight of the emotional turmoil she experiences throughout the book. The subject matter is very heavy throughout the story, and I would not recommend this book to a younger teenage audience for the many mentions of sexual abuse. The looming depressing atmosphere of this book was lightened a bit by the romance between Kat and Tristan, and by Kat reconnecting with her summer friends. We Go Together, above all else, is a story of the first stages of healing after trauma, the pains of growing up, and accepting one’s own identity.
I would recommend this book to an older teenage audience and to those looking for a diverse cast of LGBTQ characters.
*I received an advanced reader’s copy of We Go Together by Abigail de Niverville from NetGalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review*
August 13, 2020
Real rating: 3.25
Read this review and more like it on my blog, here!
ARC received from NetGalley.
TW for past of sexual assault and grooming (protagonist remembers and recounts said events).
This is ownvoices for bi rep, but there are also gay characters, a trans character, and one character who never puts a label on themselves. Also, two of the gay characters are indigenous Canadian.
This book is about Kat returning to the beach she used to go to as a kid to hide from the nightmare plaguing her about her ex. The book is about reconnecting with her summer friends and making new ones, namely Tristan. She’s also trying to parse out what happened to her. It’s also about growing up and recapturing the feelings of being a kid.
While I appreciate the themes, the cast isn’t that memorable. I appreciate the diverse cast other than the sexualities, as the MC has eczema, two of the friends being indigenous Canadians who are gay and bi, and one of the group dealing with prison. Other than that, they didn’t have stand out personality/voices. I did feel their love for each other at least.
The romance was definitely a slow burn, sneaking up on you until the end. I really liked how the relationship ended up.
A large part of the internal conflict is Kat trying to figure out what her last relationship was. I really appreciate that she didn’t immediately know if her relationship was abusive. Not all abusive relationships are clearly abusive, and this book delves into that as well as Kat figuring out if she did consent to sex. It also discusses how muddled concepts of consent are thanks to societal standards. She’s scared of being a statistic/victim. It was rough by the end, so be aware of that.
There is one scene with the trans love interest that can be construed as transphobic, but I feel it’s unintentional. Tristan, the trans guy talks about a non-consensual kiss he experienced prior to transitioning. The main character, who’s a cis girl, has an internal monologue talking about how boys are allowed to take whatever wanted from a relationship, while girls just have to take it.
So yes, she is misgendering Tristan here by just saying a blanket “all girls” have to deal with guys taking things from relationships, but Tristan was technically socialized into assuming his assigned gender is his gender. I think that discussion could’ve gone better with more elaboration.
I rated this book 3.25 stars. It was a good, relatively hard-hitting contemporary dealing with friendship as well as sexual assault. I just wanted to feel closer to the characters earlier than at the end of the climactic emotional arc.
Read this review and more like it on my blog, here!
ARC received from NetGalley.
TW for past of sexual assault and grooming (protagonist remembers and recounts said events).
This is ownvoices for bi rep, but there are also gay characters, a trans character, and one character who never puts a label on themselves. Also, two of the gay characters are indigenous Canadian.
This book is about Kat returning to the beach she used to go to as a kid to hide from the nightmare plaguing her about her ex. The book is about reconnecting with her summer friends and making new ones, namely Tristan. She’s also trying to parse out what happened to her. It’s also about growing up and recapturing the feelings of being a kid.
While I appreciate the themes, the cast isn’t that memorable. I appreciate the diverse cast other than the sexualities, as the MC has eczema, two of the friends being indigenous Canadians who are gay and bi, and one of the group dealing with prison. Other than that, they didn’t have stand out personality/voices. I did feel their love for each other at least.
The romance was definitely a slow burn, sneaking up on you until the end. I really liked how the relationship ended up.
A large part of the internal conflict is Kat trying to figure out what her last relationship was. I really appreciate that she didn’t immediately know if her relationship was abusive. Not all abusive relationships are clearly abusive, and this book delves into that as well as Kat figuring out if she did consent to sex. It also discusses how muddled concepts of consent are thanks to societal standards. She’s scared of being a statistic/victim. It was rough by the end, so be aware of that.
There is one scene with the trans love interest that can be construed as transphobic, but I feel it’s unintentional. Tristan, the trans guy talks about a non-consensual kiss he experienced prior to transitioning. The main character, who’s a cis girl, has an internal monologue talking about how boys are allowed to take whatever wanted from a relationship, while girls just have to take it.
So yes, she is misgendering Tristan here by just saying a blanket “all girls” have to deal with guys taking things from relationships, but Tristan was technically socialized into assuming his assigned gender is his gender. I think that discussion could’ve gone better with more elaboration.
I rated this book 3.25 stars. It was a good, relatively hard-hitting contemporary dealing with friendship as well as sexual assault. I just wanted to feel closer to the characters earlier than at the end of the climactic emotional arc.
July 22, 2020
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
We Go Together was such a deeper story than I expected and I loved it for that. Following 17 year old Kat after getting out of a mentally and (possibly, she still isn't quite sure) physically/sexually abusive relationship and returning to the beaches she spent her childhood growing up on, this book examines self identity, friendship, love, and the strength it requires to move on and heal.
Kat is bisexual and the rest of the cast is also wonderfully diverse. I really really loved the equal weight We Go Together puts into Kat's feelings towards all genders and gender identities. I've read a lot of bi characters where you know from the get-go that the character is bound to end up with a certain gender because the feelings towards the other gender are never given much merit, and that definitely isn't the case here. She and her trauma both felt very real.
I'm cis so I obviously can't speak to how accurate the trans rep in this book is, but I really appreciated this book's handling of the romantic lead. We follow Kat so his story and identity aren't a focus of the novel, but the way he and his identity as a trans man were written felt both casual enough that it didn't feel like Niverville was going "Look! Diverse!" but was also mentioned whenever it would obviously come up in a conversation so it never felt like it was something she was shying away from. It felt like one of the most respectful ways a cis author (I'm assuming the author is cis but I am aware that just because an author doesn't openly discuss their queerdom online doesn't mean they can't be queer) can write trans rep.
Nothing in this book is black and white. Criminals can be good, nice guys can be bad, and assault isn't always something you recognize. We Go Together is a deep, gorgeous story.
We Go Together was such a deeper story than I expected and I loved it for that. Following 17 year old Kat after getting out of a mentally and (possibly, she still isn't quite sure) physically/sexually abusive relationship and returning to the beaches she spent her childhood growing up on, this book examines self identity, friendship, love, and the strength it requires to move on and heal.
Kat is bisexual and the rest of the cast is also wonderfully diverse. I really really loved the equal weight We Go Together puts into Kat's feelings towards all genders and gender identities. I've read a lot of bi characters where you know from the get-go that the character is bound to end up with a certain gender because the feelings towards the other gender are never given much merit, and that definitely isn't the case here. She and her trauma both felt very real.
I'm cis so I obviously can't speak to how accurate the trans rep in this book is, but I really appreciated this book's handling of the romantic lead. We follow Kat so his story and identity aren't a focus of the novel, but the way he and his identity as a trans man were written felt both casual enough that it didn't feel like Niverville was going "Look! Diverse!" but was also mentioned whenever it would obviously come up in a conversation so it never felt like it was something she was shying away from. It felt like one of the most respectful ways a cis author (I'm assuming the author is cis but I am aware that just because an author doesn't openly discuss their queerdom online doesn't mean they can't be queer) can write trans rep.
Nothing in this book is black and white. Criminals can be good, nice guys can be bad, and assault isn't always something you recognize. We Go Together is a deep, gorgeous story.
July 24, 2020
We Go Together is a beautiful book about the past... it's about looking back and trying to understand what we did, what happened to us, and how it affects us going forward. The main character of his story is Kat. She's dealing with the weight of a break up with her boyfriend. In addition to that - as she spends the summer with old friends, she begins to question her relationship with her ex.
Consent is a big part of this novel. Abigail de Niverville does a remarkable job of expressing how confused, frustrated, and frightened Kat is by her sexual relationship with her ex. Looking back at her past relationship through the filter of a new friend with potential, she knows that what happened to her, happened without her consent and she battles to put that into perspective in her life.
There is wonderfully diverse representation in this novel. What I have enjoyed in the past about Abigail's writing is the way that she captures her bisexual characters. The author gives a balanced view of a character's thoughts and feelings... they don't immediately have a connection to a certain gender.
The trans supporting character was great. What I liked most was that it was handled wonderfully. Tristan is a great character in his own right, the fact that he is trans is just one other thing about him. (Note: I am a cisgender woman and can only speak to the representation as an ally.)
Consent is a big part of this novel. Abigail de Niverville does a remarkable job of expressing how confused, frustrated, and frightened Kat is by her sexual relationship with her ex. Looking back at her past relationship through the filter of a new friend with potential, she knows that what happened to her, happened without her consent and she battles to put that into perspective in her life.
There is wonderfully diverse representation in this novel. What I have enjoyed in the past about Abigail's writing is the way that she captures her bisexual characters. The author gives a balanced view of a character's thoughts and feelings... they don't immediately have a connection to a certain gender.
The trans supporting character was great. What I liked most was that it was handled wonderfully. Tristan is a great character in his own right, the fact that he is trans is just one other thing about him. (Note: I am a cisgender woman and can only speak to the representation as an ally.)
August 15, 2020
I received an ARC of WE GO TOGETHER by Abigail de Neverville thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.
First and foremost I want to give a content warning for the book. While there is nothing explicit, there is a large rape theme (and learning what being a victim means). It is a really tough topic and the author did a wonderful job portraying the emotions one goes through with intimate partner rape.
At the beginning of the book, we learn that Kat is trying to cope with an event that happened and a sudden breakup. To help deal with these emotional issues she escapes to her great aunt Kay’s house where she used to spend the summer. When she gets there those memories of her past summers with her ‘summer friends’ has her craving an easier, more innocent life. As those friends start to trickle back to town, she realizes that forgetting isn’t the answer.
This book is a tough read because it is really well done. There are enough hints of the event early on that if you need an out, you know without needing to encounter the potential triggers. There is so much emotion and sadness and trauma poured into these pages that I saw myself in them., which was really hard, but so needed for teens (which is truly terrible).
WE GO TOGETHER reminds me of THE WAY I USED TO BE and multiple books by Sarah Dressen. I really recommend this ‘what happens after’ story in a summery setting.
First and foremost I want to give a content warning for the book. While there is nothing explicit, there is a large rape theme (and learning what being a victim means). It is a really tough topic and the author did a wonderful job portraying the emotions one goes through with intimate partner rape.
At the beginning of the book, we learn that Kat is trying to cope with an event that happened and a sudden breakup. To help deal with these emotional issues she escapes to her great aunt Kay’s house where she used to spend the summer. When she gets there those memories of her past summers with her ‘summer friends’ has her craving an easier, more innocent life. As those friends start to trickle back to town, she realizes that forgetting isn’t the answer.
This book is a tough read because it is really well done. There are enough hints of the event early on that if you need an out, you know without needing to encounter the potential triggers. There is so much emotion and sadness and trauma poured into these pages that I saw myself in them., which was really hard, but so needed for teens (which is truly terrible).
WE GO TOGETHER reminds me of THE WAY I USED TO BE and multiple books by Sarah Dressen. I really recommend this ‘what happens after’ story in a summery setting.
October 2, 2020
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This book was very good! It was a simple, contemporary book. By that I mean there wasn’t a whole lot going on, but it was still very entertaining. There was a lot of drama, but it was fairly low key and easy to read.
I really liked all of the different characters. It was interesting that they were all so different, but all such good friends. It was fun that they all got to meet up again after a few years, even the ones that just popped by to say hello. I also liked the character development of Kat. I liked seeing her go from a timid, shy girl, to a woman that was not afraid to share her opinions.
I feel terrible for saying this, but I did get a little tired of her at some points. She was always like “Did he assault me or did he not?”. I feel terrible for getting tired of that, but it felt excessively long and too drawn out.
I think it would be nice if we got a sequel. Just to see if they all get together again and what happens with her and her love interest. I don’t believe there will be one, but it would be cool. Overall, this book was very good and I would definitely recommend it to a contemporary lover or someone looking for an easy and fun book to read.
This book was very good! It was a simple, contemporary book. By that I mean there wasn’t a whole lot going on, but it was still very entertaining. There was a lot of drama, but it was fairly low key and easy to read.
I really liked all of the different characters. It was interesting that they were all so different, but all such good friends. It was fun that they all got to meet up again after a few years, even the ones that just popped by to say hello. I also liked the character development of Kat. I liked seeing her go from a timid, shy girl, to a woman that was not afraid to share her opinions.
I feel terrible for saying this, but I did get a little tired of her at some points. She was always like “Did he assault me or did he not?”. I feel terrible for getting tired of that, but it felt excessively long and too drawn out.
I think it would be nice if we got a sequel. Just to see if they all get together again and what happens with her and her love interest. I don’t believe there will be one, but it would be cool. Overall, this book was very good and I would definitely recommend it to a contemporary lover or someone looking for an easy and fun book to read.
July 19, 2021
I would like to thank NineStar Press and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.
We find Kat who loved the beaches of Grand Barachois, her summer residence for a few years now. She lived in her own world with her friends except that one summer everything changed and she had to flee that world.
Now, at seventeen years old, she returns to university full of regrets. She ran away from her friends and got into a relationship with the worst person in the world. Six months later she still has bad dreams about it. To take her mind off things she returns to Grand-Barachois. Once there, everything seems different, even though some of her friends from that time are still there.
She meets Tristan and becomes his friend. Together they do what Kat and her friends have never been able to do before. Except that Kat's past catches up with her and for her it's hard to forget everything like that.
A book read in one go so much I was immediately hooked on the story so moving in some parts, captivating, gripping, addictive, full of intrigue, suspense and twists with very endearing characters. I love the author's writing. I can't wait to discover more of her books.
We find Kat who loved the beaches of Grand Barachois, her summer residence for a few years now. She lived in her own world with her friends except that one summer everything changed and she had to flee that world.
Now, at seventeen years old, she returns to university full of regrets. She ran away from her friends and got into a relationship with the worst person in the world. Six months later she still has bad dreams about it. To take her mind off things she returns to Grand-Barachois. Once there, everything seems different, even though some of her friends from that time are still there.
She meets Tristan and becomes his friend. Together they do what Kat and her friends have never been able to do before. Except that Kat's past catches up with her and for her it's hard to forget everything like that.
A book read in one go so much I was immediately hooked on the story so moving in some parts, captivating, gripping, addictive, full of intrigue, suspense and twists with very endearing characters. I love the author's writing. I can't wait to discover more of her books.
July 29, 2020
CW: Rape, sexual assault.
We Go Together follows a teen girl named Kat who is struggling with her previous relationship. In an attempt to better herself she spends her summer where she always did as a child.
I truly enjoyed how Abigail de Niverville discussed consent throughout the book. It was something that Kat continuously grappled with, and it showed the complexity of the topic.
Unfortunately, the character development of Kat felt oddly paced. For a majority of the book, she seemed static, and when she developed it felt immediate. I would have loved to see more small changes with her throughout.
There is a diverse LGBT+ cast of characters that people will hopefully be able to relate to. as a cishet person, I can't say whether the representation is good or not.
Overall I am giving this book three stars. I would have liked more fleshed out development, but altogether it was a quick read with a good message.
We Go Together follows a teen girl named Kat who is struggling with her previous relationship. In an attempt to better herself she spends her summer where she always did as a child.
I truly enjoyed how Abigail de Niverville discussed consent throughout the book. It was something that Kat continuously grappled with, and it showed the complexity of the topic.
Unfortunately, the character development of Kat felt oddly paced. For a majority of the book, she seemed static, and when she developed it felt immediate. I would have loved to see more small changes with her throughout.
There is a diverse LGBT+ cast of characters that people will hopefully be able to relate to. as a cishet person, I can't say whether the representation is good or not.
Overall I am giving this book three stars. I would have liked more fleshed out development, but altogether it was a quick read with a good message.
August 10, 2020
We Go Together is a beautifully written story of friendship, growth, and acceptance.
de Niverville approaches Kat's trauma in such a respectful and heartfelt way that feels so true to her character. Kat is tortured, partly by herself ("No wonder this had happened to me.") and partly by those around her.
As Kat navigates her internal turmoil and reconnects with old friends she thought she'd lost, she comes to find her strength and resilience.
"Sometimes I wondered if I'd ever been what everyone else saw."
The storytelling is raw and introspective; there is no sugar-coating of hard realizations and frank discussions of consent. That's what made me fall in love with this book.
Kat is an amazing character, even if it takes her some time to come to that realization.
"I was a dandelion. They could cut me down repeatedly and I'd always grow back."
***ARC provided by author in exchange for honest and unbiased review.***
de Niverville approaches Kat's trauma in such a respectful and heartfelt way that feels so true to her character. Kat is tortured, partly by herself ("No wonder this had happened to me.") and partly by those around her.
As Kat navigates her internal turmoil and reconnects with old friends she thought she'd lost, she comes to find her strength and resilience.
"Sometimes I wondered if I'd ever been what everyone else saw."
The storytelling is raw and introspective; there is no sugar-coating of hard realizations and frank discussions of consent. That's what made me fall in love with this book.
Kat is an amazing character, even if it takes her some time to come to that realization.
"I was a dandelion. They could cut me down repeatedly and I'd always grow back."
***ARC provided by author in exchange for honest and unbiased review.***
August 12, 2020
We Go Together
Author: Abigail de Niverville (@abawhale)
•
Thanks at @netgalley for access to this one!
•
A book I didn’t know I need, but came into my life at the right time.
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Kat revisits her summer life after going through some big changes. Being around her summer friends allows her to visit and deal with some demons. And she’s not alone. She learns that everyone is fighting their own battles, and how important your friends are to get you through the darkness.
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I loved this book. It was an easy read but the message was heartfelt and important. Coming of age stories are important at any point in your life. And I need this one.
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Also it was nice to have a beach read set in Canada instead of on a North Carolina beach (I’m looking at you sparks).
Author: Abigail de Niverville (@abawhale)
•
Thanks at @netgalley for access to this one!
•
A book I didn’t know I need, but came into my life at the right time.
•
Kat revisits her summer life after going through some big changes. Being around her summer friends allows her to visit and deal with some demons. And she’s not alone. She learns that everyone is fighting their own battles, and how important your friends are to get you through the darkness.
•
I loved this book. It was an easy read but the message was heartfelt and important. Coming of age stories are important at any point in your life. And I need this one.
•
Also it was nice to have a beach read set in Canada instead of on a North Carolina beach (I’m looking at you sparks).
February 6, 2021
I received a copy of this book from net galley in exchange for an honest review.
I will start by saying I didn't finish this book. I got about 45% of the way through before I wanted to read something else.
I think the overall tone of the book was too sad for me to want to continue reading and dealt with very sensitive themes and LGBTQ representation. Overall, the sensitive themes were dealt with well, but not great, and the story progressed very slowly, to the point that I wasn't invested enough to continue.
I think the main issue is that there were a lot of characters of none of them were able to be fully developed.
I will start by saying I didn't finish this book. I got about 45% of the way through before I wanted to read something else.
I think the overall tone of the book was too sad for me to want to continue reading and dealt with very sensitive themes and LGBTQ representation. Overall, the sensitive themes were dealt with well, but not great, and the story progressed very slowly, to the point that I wasn't invested enough to continue.
I think the main issue is that there were a lot of characters of none of them were able to be fully developed.
August 9, 2020
We Go Together
We Go Together by Abigail de Niverville
Well this book just seemed like a jumbled mess to me. There was so many random characters and stories it made me think of someone off their ADHD medicine trying to write a story! I think if it was cleaned up and the stories more organized and separated it would be great! To many stories in this new book that didn’t get enough attention
3 Stars
We Go Together by Abigail de Niverville
Well this book just seemed like a jumbled mess to me. There was so many random characters and stories it made me think of someone off their ADHD medicine trying to write a story! I think if it was cleaned up and the stories more organized and separated it would be great! To many stories in this new book that didn’t get enough attention
3 Stars
August 9, 2020
A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest reviewl.
This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime books and psychological ones too however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for opening up my mind to something totally different.
This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime books and psychological ones too however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for opening up my mind to something totally different.
July 24, 2020
We Go Together is a lovely read about facing one's past. The characters are well written and the LGBTQ representation feels extremely well done and necessary part of the story rather than like some other stories where it feels it's just added in to make the story more diverse and inclusive. Really not the case here.
A very enjoyable read.
A very enjoyable read.
August 14, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and NineStar Press for a free e-book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Release date: 10 August 2020.
* Warnings *: Rape, teen pregnancy
I'll confess; I assumed this was going to be a fluffy read with a hint of seriousness, when, in fact, it was the opposite.
Kat suffered from something horrible. Needing to get away from everything, she goes to stay with a relative, where she used to spend all her summers. Here, she is surprised to find many of her summer friends, as well as reunite with Tristan, a shy, sweet guy. The group decides to do everything they'd always wanted to do in summer, but never got the chance to.
Once again, I was blown away by the diversity. So many of the characters were LQBTQIA, and I loved that the transgender character was a main character, instead of just a side character. Two of the characters are also of Mi'kmaw heritage.
This book shows the suffering of having to cope with being hurt by someone you trusted. It shows healing, and learning to trust, and friendship.
I. LOVED. IT.
* Warnings *: Rape, teen pregnancy
I'll confess; I assumed this was going to be a fluffy read with a hint of seriousness, when, in fact, it was the opposite.
Kat suffered from something horrible. Needing to get away from everything, she goes to stay with a relative, where she used to spend all her summers. Here, she is surprised to find many of her summer friends, as well as reunite with Tristan, a shy, sweet guy. The group decides to do everything they'd always wanted to do in summer, but never got the chance to.
Once again, I was blown away by the diversity. So many of the characters were LQBTQIA, and I loved that the transgender character was a main character, instead of just a side character. Two of the characters are also of Mi'kmaw heritage.
This book shows the suffering of having to cope with being hurt by someone you trusted. It shows healing, and learning to trust, and friendship.
I. LOVED. IT.
August 11, 2020
I'mma not a crier but this story had me sniffling. It comes with a warning and it should because there are a lot of hard subjects in here that may have people overlooking this well written story that will have your heart in a grip from beginning to end. I don't shy away from the hard books because then you might miss something amazing. Check this out. Happy reading! #WeGoTogether #NetGalley
July 24, 2020
I couldn't really get into this book but I'm glad that I kept read. It was fairly well-written but think we could've used a little more context for a few things instead of people just getting thrown into the story.
Read
June 9, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Transmisia, off-page
Rape recounted
Toxic relationship recounted
Teen pregnancy
Incarceration
Transmisia, off-page
Rape recounted
Toxic relationship recounted
Teen pregnancy
Incarceration
October 10, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
We Go Together opens with Kat, our seventeen year old protagonist who goes to Grand-Barachois to spend the summer in her beach house. Early on, we learn that Kat had a relatively recent break up and had her heart broken. However, the more Kat reveals the more I realized this relationship did not sound like a healthy one. She seemed to be dealing with trauma that was slowly revealed throughout the story.
The other characters in the story – Tristan, Annick, Seb, Reagan, Lucy, Kay – were all likable enough but I didn’t feel distinct personalities from any of them and just lumped them together in my head. They were all the ‘summer friends.’ I did appreciate all of the LGBT reps in the book. Kat is bisexual and Tristan, her love interest, is trans. The romance itself was lackluster, which I think was in part that I had a hard time connecting with the writing style.
I really appreciated the discussion of the meaning of consensual sex throughout the book. Consent means saying YES, not the absence of a no. The perspective of an offender being someone who is in a relationship with the victim was heartbreaking to read about but so, so important. Sexual assault can and often is a boyfriend, husband or someone else in a relationship. Just because you are in a relationship does not automatically make sex consensual! There are a lot of complex feelings Kat works through – how can she love someone who hurt her? Is she a victim? – these feelings were all very raw and difficult to read from an outside perspective. This is not a topic I have seen discussed in YA fiction before and was very glad to see it here.
Overall, this was a nice story. There were many aspects of the story I appreciated, but it felt slow at times. Much of the book was Kat’s internal dialogue and dealing with her past trauma, which was heartbreaking and realistic, but often did not help to move the story along. The writing fell a bit flat for me and as I mentioned above, I had a hard time finding an emotional connection to the characters despite the intense subject matter. There were some refreshing topics that I don’t normally see discussed in YA fiction and I definitely appreciate that.
We Go Together opens with Kat, our seventeen year old protagonist who goes to Grand-Barachois to spend the summer in her beach house. Early on, we learn that Kat had a relatively recent break up and had her heart broken. However, the more Kat reveals the more I realized this relationship did not sound like a healthy one. She seemed to be dealing with trauma that was slowly revealed throughout the story.
The other characters in the story – Tristan, Annick, Seb, Reagan, Lucy, Kay – were all likable enough but I didn’t feel distinct personalities from any of them and just lumped them together in my head. They were all the ‘summer friends.’ I did appreciate all of the LGBT reps in the book. Kat is bisexual and Tristan, her love interest, is trans. The romance itself was lackluster, which I think was in part that I had a hard time connecting with the writing style.
I really appreciated the discussion of the meaning of consensual sex throughout the book. Consent means saying YES, not the absence of a no. The perspective of an offender being someone who is in a relationship with the victim was heartbreaking to read about but so, so important. Sexual assault can and often is a boyfriend, husband or someone else in a relationship. Just because you are in a relationship does not automatically make sex consensual! There are a lot of complex feelings Kat works through – how can she love someone who hurt her? Is she a victim? – these feelings were all very raw and difficult to read from an outside perspective. This is not a topic I have seen discussed in YA fiction before and was very glad to see it here.
Overall, this was a nice story. There were many aspects of the story I appreciated, but it felt slow at times. Much of the book was Kat’s internal dialogue and dealing with her past trauma, which was heartbreaking and realistic, but often did not help to move the story along. The writing fell a bit flat for me and as I mentioned above, I had a hard time finding an emotional connection to the characters despite the intense subject matter. There were some refreshing topics that I don’t normally see discussed in YA fiction and I definitely appreciate that.
April 17, 2021
We Go Together is a book that tackles a lot of complicated subjects. At first it's a lot to bite off however the author manages to weave together the story so that the times where it feels like a lot it is tampered down quite a bit.
Our main character, Kat, is very introspective and dissects her past and how situations weaves through her current life. Queer representation is delivered in droves with this novel- a wonderful representation of a trans supporting character that was natural and not forced. Moving on is a big topic in this read, as is consent. This is a perfect read for anyone who is/has felt the growing pain of adolescence and is struggling to understand where your personal boundaries lie.
This is a novel with a mission and a strong underlying statement. While I tend to gravitate to novels with a levity to them this was still wonderfully written and a great overall message.
Our main character, Kat, is very introspective and dissects her past and how situations weaves through her current life. Queer representation is delivered in droves with this novel- a wonderful representation of a trans supporting character that was natural and not forced. Moving on is a big topic in this read, as is consent. This is a perfect read for anyone who is/has felt the growing pain of adolescence and is struggling to understand where your personal boundaries lie.
This is a novel with a mission and a strong underlying statement. While I tend to gravitate to novels with a levity to them this was still wonderfully written and a great overall message.
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