50 years ago a tornado changed a town and teenagers that lived there. Now another tornado hit in the same place and is affecting the lives of the new teenagers in town.

This book didn't go the way I expected but that's okay. It went better than I thought. Originally I thought the book would just be about storms only but it's so much more. It's about friendships, growth, and family. It's a good book.

I'm sorry I waited so long to read this! It's a lovely coming-of-age YA novel about 3 teens who are dealing with issues in a small midwest town. The town was traumatized by a deadly tornado in 1961 and there are rumors that the souls of the dead never really left. Brenna (a Latinx girl who feels ostracized by the mostly white community), Josh (a gay teen whose friends abandoned him when he came out), and Callie (whose mother is dying) come together after another tornado seems to bring out ghosts with a message.

The emotions are raw and real, the issues are current, and the revelations and resolutions seem genuine and logical. A fine example of what YA fiction can be. This should resonate with teens.

A dark emotional story that will appeal to teens who want an intense read. It was a bit dark and suffered from a few too many issues.

This really wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I'm not sure what I thought it was? It actually reminds me a lot of When a Monster Calls with that same sort of haunting, deep, thoughtful tone.

Excellent young adult book. Explores afterlife and connects people. Quick read that would appeal to many people

We Speak in Storms is just lovely. Teens and tornadoes and ghosts and all the things that exist in the Midwest. The writing is stunning.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The plot involves two tornadoes and the deaths and shattered lives the storms leave behind. The resolution is peaceful acceptance.

A small town suffered the loss of most of a generation of its young people when a tornado swept through through town in the 1960s. Decades later on the anniversary of that tragedy another tornado hits the town. The resulting mystery brings together three teen social misfits who learn to accept who they are. One is a boy who has recently come out to his classmates, the other is a Hispanic girl from a poor single parent family, the third girl has isolated herself from her former friends and family as her mother slowly dies from cancer.

This gripping and atmospheric novel is astonishingly beautiful and heartfelt. We Speak in Storms is a powerful story about learning to let go of the past and the pain and finding yourself in a world constantly filled with tragedy. It questions what really happens after a small town tragedy and how one devastation can make it hard for anyone to move on and let go.

Fifty years ago, a deadly tornado tore through the town’s drive-in movie theater and killed many people, wiping out a complete generation. Now in present time, another tornado touches down in the same spot the drive-in movie theater was, which not only leaves the living clearly shocked, but brings together three teenagers that run into a few of the Storm Spirits, the ghosts of those who died. And through this journey, this connection, each character starts to understand the power of the past and how it can hold someone down if they don’t let go of the things they can’t change.

Natalie Lund is an extraordinary author, with gorgeous prose and beautiful world building. Lund brings readers a strong and poignant debut. Anyone who reads We Speak in Storms can connect with one of the characters in some way; the main three characters are all relatable, but each in a different way. Brenna is learning how to navigate school now that she is back to being an outcast after her boyfriend breaks up with her. Joshua is learning to be himself in a town that is not too keen on acceptance. And Callie has to learn that you can’t change the inevitable and that you only have so much time on this Earth. The different stories intertwine with each other to create a stunning debut novel that will easily leave readers pondering on their life.

Told in multiple point of views, We Speak in Storms will grip you and show you what people are like after a devastating aftermath that wiped out a whole generation. But We Speak in Storms doesn’t just address the storm, but also what we, as humans, have to do years after the devastation and while facing new and unforeseen obstacles. These depictions and scenarios feel so real and heartbreaking that it’s difficult not to feel something for these characters. The emotions and sorrow leap off each page as if it was the reader experiencing those emotions. And that right there, to me, is something I look for in any book I read: an emotional connection to share with the characters and the story. And Lund did a phenomenal job connecting it all.

We Speak in Storms is a beautifully haunting yet realistic story. Natalie Lund has weaved an emotional tale of the living and the dead, and it’s a story I will recommend to everyone.

Thanks to @netgalley and @philomelbooks for the advance Kindle@copy of this book. It is out TOMORROW! All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. On the fiftieth anniversary of the deadliest tornado in Mercer history, another one rolls through town. Three teens find themselves visited by the ghosts of those who died (or their loved ones died) that day. Each seems to attach to the teen who needs them the most, but what happens when it is time for them to go? I found the insane number of chapters tough (like 70+), and thought the story could have been more concise. I think high school readers will enjoy it though. Recommended for grades 9+.

There was a bittersweetness in this story. There is an overhanging darkness- the historical part of the story focuses on a tragic tornado in the town's past that claimed the lives of many of its young people, and the present features three teens all dealing with big issues in their personal lives. The storm connects all of them, and the story follows the three teens as they learn more about the past storm, and begin to connect with each other. It has some elements that reminded me of A.S. King, but I preferred this story stylistically.

We Speaks in Storms is a unique story about a small town crippled by grief in the wake of tragic hurricane that hit Mercer, Illinois on October 7, 1961. Over 50 years later, another hurricane strikes in the exactly the same spot, on the same day of the year. Three teens who don't feel like they fit anywhere, witness the aftermath of the current hurricane and begin hearing voices, whispers asking the kids to "save them."

Brenna is one of 5 students of color in Mercer High. She's frustrated with people, even her friends, making assumptions about her based on the color of her skin and her Mexican ancestry. Joshua bravely came out to the entire school at the beginning of the year, then promptly fainted. He's used to not fitting in but now he's being completely ignored, treated like he's invisible. Callie's mother has terminal cancer and is failing fast. Callie tries to be brave and do what her mother needs her to do, but she's isolated herself from her friends and quit everything but track. She doesn't want to add to her father's worries thus finds herself un-moored. After the hurricane, the three teens find themselves getting together to talk about the voices and the strange happenings in town. And things get even stranger.

Natalie Lund has written a spooky, yet very moving story about how we can learn many things from the past. Brenna, Joshua, and Callie learn they are not as alone as they thought, and are able to help put some of the voices to rest. Lund is a good writer, faithful to the language of teenagers. The present day chapters are interspersed with conversations of the spirits of all the people killed in the 1961 hurricane - lending it a spooky, otherworldly tone. Teens will love this! It wasn't too graphic for middle-schoolers either. I'd recommend We Speak in Storms for anyone looking for a good ghost story.

Decades to the day after a tornado decimated a small town, another storm strikes, causing several lives from the past and present to intersect in unexpected ways. I was not expecting the somewhat supernatural elements of this novel, and it came as a nice surprise to me. I felt the book presented the theme of acceptance well on several fronts.. Additionally, the emphasis on the way the past affects us even in the future will speak to students whose towns dwell on tradition. I hope some of my students enjoy this novel as much as I did this year.

Voices from the past meld with present-day teens in this mystery thriller set in Western Illinois. Reminiscent of Ruckman’s “Night of the Twisters” but with some Mary Downing Hahn-like twists and turns, this book will keep teens interested from beginning to end. Older adults will enjoy the accurate details from the early 60s.

We Speak in Storms tells the story of Callie, Brenna, and Joshua--three teens growing up in the small town of Mercer, where a tornado devastated the town 50 years ago. Each teen is struggling with their own issues, and the ghost spirits of Mercer intervene to help the three become friends.

An interesting book about a small town, prejudice, tornadoes, ghosts, and finding one's self.

Three very different high school students that are struggling with major issues meet the skills that help find themselves. Supernatural mixes with the weather and guides these three to each other and to peace within themselves.

Many times books labeled YA or teens easily cross over as adult fiction, and We Speak In Storms is one. Beautifully and lyrically written, with an unique premise, blending past and present, this is a book that will stay with me long after the last page read.
50 years ago in Mercer a tornado at the drive in claimed the lives of many of the towns teenagers. The town has never forgotten and their ghostly lore is taught to each new generation. On the anniversary of the storm in present day, a tornado touches down in the exact same spot changing the lives of three teenagers who for various reasons feel like outcasts in their own town. Banding together they discover something magical and how to open up. A beautiful book for every age.