Sadly, this is a DNF for me. I got through about 30% of the book and I coudn't keep going. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and the writing fell flat for me. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion, I can see reasons why others would love this story!

What really attracted me to this book originally was the cover. I had not read anything by this author, nor had I heard anyone talking about this upcoming book. After reading the synopsis, I decided to give it a try. This story was very unique, and I overall enjoyed the writing style.

It lost stars for me as the first half of the book was very slow paced and hard to get into. It just felt messy and I had to push myself to want to keep reading it. There was a little too much emphasis on some things and not enough emphasis on others.. so overall, I felt just okay with this novel, giving it 3 stars.

Thank you for the E-Arc!

Great story and loved the slight romance. Really enjoyed the characters and how the plot moved and how the characters changed throughout the book. I would read this author again.

We Were Restless Things is a little bit of a fever dream. A bit of a mix between Anna-Marie McLemore and T. Kingfisher, it is both magical and dark. It is a bit of a tough read to fall into, but once things get moving, it can be terribly encompassing. The multiple point of view approach gives it a bit of extra depth, but also works very well to add to the tension and the mystery.

Nagamatsu's characters are diverse and independent, each coming through on the page with great emotional roundness. I will admit that there were certain characters who felt more realistic and believable than others (the character of Lyle honestly just drove me bonkers).

This book is not for those who are looking for a largely plot-driven novel. It is very focused on the interactions and relationships between the characters and the intricacies of their own personal experiences. It is a slow burn that dives well into the individual ways we process grief and the not-so-simple act of coming-of-age. Oddly, the character I really connected with most was Gaetan, who is really a side character along for the ride. I wanted more of him. Noemi was fine and Jonah was someone I was able to comprehend, but something about Gaetan just gripped me. He was the most emotionally vivid for me and I was here for it.

The romantic (and non-romantic, as Noemi is asexual) aspects of the plot were well explored and nicely diverse. This component added some wonderful depth to the plot and made these characters quite a bit more human and realistic. It captured the teen experience of "finding oneself" that I think was both important and unique.

While I certainly enjoyed the journeys taken by the majority of the characters, perhaps the best part of this novel for me was the atmospheric and descriptive nature of the narrative. It was haunting and vivid in a misty kind of way. (That probably makes no sense to anyone but me.) There was a lot at work and there was a lot of tension present in both the "real" and the magical worlds carved out by the plot.

This novel is not for everyone, but it certainly worked for me. I like my books odd, I like them dark, and I like them different. This delivered on all three of those aspects. It was creepy and mysterious and occasionally vague in a way that left me lost and swirling. That vagueness could admittedly be frustrating, but it also made me think harder about what was happening and why. I may not have interpreted it exactly as the author intended, but I think that is just part of the individual experience with a book like this. I enjoyed it and think a reread could only serve to make me fall deeper into the plot and come up with more ways to analyze every weird thing taking place. A challenging, but intriguing read.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I couldn't finish this. I wanted to love it so bad, but there was just nothing I found compelling enough to continue after the halfway point. Bummer.

Sadly, I didn’t like this book as I expected. At the beginning I had a lot of expectations because of the premise of the story and I was liking it but reaching the middle the plot got really slow and the focus about the mystery was left behind to become a secondary element.

As I said, the beginning got my attention instantly thanks to the writing style of the author and the characters. They were the thing I liked the most, their outline and development is well done showing how they felt, what their fears and desires were. This made me sympathize and connected with them and I want to highlight the great representation that it is presented. One of the characters is asexual and her journey to know herself is well executed.

The execution of the plot was the main problem for me, at the point that I was difficult for me to have the motivation to keep reading. At the beginning a mystery that involves a magic lake withing a forest where a young boy died recently leaving behind lot of doubts about what really happened, is presented but as we go on throw the story this premise loose strength.

As final thoughts, I want to mention the good thing of this book:
*The development of the characters.
*The sexual representation.
*The valuable way topics like self-discovering and grief for the lost is handle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me an e-ARC of this book.

Overall, this book was beautiful. The writing and the mysterious atmosphere that lingered throughout the story is what drove me to continue. Going into the book I expected more of a dark fantasy thriller type of story but the mystery ended up taking a back seat to the contemporary aspects. It felt like I was waiting the entirety of the book for the plot to pick up, which it never really did. The characters were likeable, although I can't say I connected with any of them. Noemi definitely suffered with the basic quirky girl personality type and I struggled to connect with the main relationship of the story. Not to give spoilers but this relationship simply made me a little uncomfortable and was the hardest thing for me to believe in, which is saying a lot when we're talking about a peculiar forest that has a life of its own. Although this did help discuss the concept of asexuality, which wouldn't have been possible without a relationship forming, I just couldn't take it in.

For the most part I still enjoyed my time reading We Were Restless Things and I would definitely recommend this if you love YA contemporary with a tiny bit of fantasy/magical realism. Oh and lastly, that cover is soooo gorgeous!

Last summer, Link Miller drowned in a puddle of water, but Noemi Amato knows the truth, that he really drowned in a lake only she can see. What’s worse, the text messages have started showing up, from someone claiming to be Link. As she has more trouble handling everything, she turns to her new housemate Jonas and Link’s sister, Amberlyn, and as they try to find out what really happened to Link, they discover more about themselves as well.

I really enjoyed this one and particularly loved the Ace rep, the deep exploration of feelings of “otherness” at not particularly wanting sex even while longing for romantic companionship.

Labels are just tools, though, and they help some people frame feelings that are hard to describe, but it’s easy to use them to put others in a box, and I liked that there were deep discussions about identity and wants/desires, and feelings of guilt throughout the book. I love it when representation serves to tell a story and show the reader that they aren’t alone. When character development is the goal, it never feels forced or obligatory.

Anyway. Overall, Weird. Kinda sad and melancholy. Deep. Introspective. Alternating POVs. Do recommend. It’s out now.

This was definitely a different story then I've read before, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. The story lost me at multiple times. There were some interesting points that kept me reading but overall it seemed overly complicated and confusing. The relationships in the book also seemed to be a weird afterthought. Having the characters just be friends might have been better.

*I received this book as a gift in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'd like to first start by mentioning that I am a PNR lover. I crave these books and am always looking for an opportunity to find new authors. This is why I picked this book. The cover, the blurb...it all looked really great. Unfortunately, that's the only thing I can positively say right now.

I'm not gonna lie, I DNF'd this book. I just couldn't get in to it...and I SWEAR I tried. I'm so sorry...

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I was given an ARC copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I tried very hard to finish this book. The cover and description hooked me immediately on NetGalley and I was excited to receive it. The writing style and voice of the characters immediately made it hard for me to read. As teenage characters, you don't expect them to use certain phrases and vocabulary better suited to adults. I kept on reading, but found it continuously frustrating. I hope to revisit it at a later time and will adjust my review accordingly.
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In-depth review here: https://fictionfixerreads.wordpress.com/2020/12/11/arc-review-we-were-restless-things/
I’d like to thank Netgalley for providing me with the eARC of We Were Restless Things in exchange for an honest review.

We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu had such promise based on its premise alone: a magic-realism coming-of-age novel set in a sleepy town where a boy drowned in dry land. However, all of Nagamatsu’s thoughtful, dreamy prose couldn’t save the book’s underdeveloped plot, human relationships, and understanding of magic-realism. The magic isn’t intrinsically tied to the world, characters, or issues around it; the characters felt flat; the mystery in the premise fizzles out; and the relationship drama that took over felt melodramatic, and not necessarily in a good way. We Were Restless Things could have been stronger as a novella, with a tighter focus on its characters, how Link’s death affected everyone, and how the ‘impossible lake’ is connected to all of them. But alas, like its lake, We Were Restless Things meandered so far away from its original points that it changed into something unrecognizable from what it was.

This was a really unique book and while it took me some time to get into it, I really ended up enjoying it. It's very mysterious and follows a group of teenagers who struggle to understand their friend's death. The characters are all complicated and interesting. I'm not a huge YA fan typically, but this one definitely held my attention. I found the dream journal POV a little confusing, but it did add to the mysteriousness of the story.

3.5 out of 5 stars for We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu.

I had really high hopes for this one, however i found it to be too predictable and not enjoyable. The writing however, I did like and will be checking out future works from this author

I was super intrigued by this book and it's premise ever since I first saw it's gorgeous cover and while I did enjoy some parts of the story, ultimately this just was not for me.

It often felt like things were just dragging on, I was patient though and kept waiting for things to happen but I just never got the rush. I wanted more to happen.

I would consider revisiting it in the future as I still do feel like the overall premise is promising.

MY REVIEW: 2 Stars ⭐️

I’m at a loss at how I feel about this book. I enjoyed some of the characters, but it just didn’t work for me. The storyline didn’t pull me in like I was hoping.

But, you should make your own opinion about the book because it just might be your jam!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a digital copy of this book.

DNF at 41%

I really like the characters here but I’ve reached almost halfway through the book and *nothing* has happened plot wise.

I don’t typically mind if a book is a little slow but I need some type of movement in the story. So far, the only things that had happened were the same things in the synopsis.

I may come back to this in the future. 2 stars because I did like all the characters.

I went back and forth a lot while reading this book. I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I would sometimes be content and involved and then it would suddenly lose me and I had to work to get back in. I think it is because it went in too many directions. Sometimes it was one thing. Sometimes another. I was trying the entire time to get my head around what the author was trying to do and say with this work. Too often, the change in direction would pull me out of the narrative. There was just too much going on with not too much happening and very little direction. I had a hard time picturing the setting or getting to know the characters.

This is the first book I've read which covered some specific sensitive subjects which teenagers may experience when figuring out themselves and where they fit in the world. It does so in a mystical way, with the darker theme of how the main character is contacted by their deceased friend.

The ending I felt let the rest of the book down, I felt that the eventual resolution was more of a "setting more questions" than answers.

I'd give it a 2.5 rating.

Spoiler:
I found it frustrating that the book never resolves how Link is contacting Naomi from beyond.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the free digital ARC in return for my honest review.

<i>"He had no form. He was unraveled memory, a history and a heart broken open, left new and naked. He flooded my body, spread himself between my roots. I could not hide the lake when he was here."</i>
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With a such a beautiful cover, this book along with the blurb really sucked me in and made me give it a go. This follows our three main characters : Amberlyn, Noemi, Jonas as they try to regain normalcy after going through a tragic event that affects them all. It has a beautiful setting and an amazing writing style. It can get quite emotional at times and deals with loss of loved ones. So keep that in mind.
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First, That writing style! From the beginning, the flow of the story was complimented by the lyrical writing style that felt whimsical in a way. Pair that with the mystery of the woods and the lake, it can get really dreamy at times. I loved the Character introductions and the way the story started off with discussion about grief and the different ways the Characters dealt with it. I really liked Noemi. She might come off as arrogant with mean girls vibe, but it's her defence mechanism to protect her and that kinda tugged at my heart.
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Second, I think one of my favorite Characters in the book was none other than our dead boy ghost texting Noemi. I mean, the fact that he takes the top says something about the other living Characters introduced in the book. Jonas was a pushover sometimes with his Obsession over Noemi even when she clearly stated her wishes. Plus all the side Characters started to contribute something to the story, but then became a tool for a particular plot line and that didn't sit right with me.
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Coming to the pacing and the Character development, I think I loved reading about Gaetan and he grew so much emotionally in the story and wrt his feelings towards Noemi. I felt the book started with a steady pacing, but once we got into the mystery of the lake, it became erratic and lost it's focus. The story started focusing more about the Characters and their feelings than the mystery, the ghost texting and the lake. And Jonas got on my nervous to be honest. I mean pressuring a girl who identified herself as asexual to have sex with him was just disgusting at one point. I might overlook it once when he didn't know that, but even when she told him time and again? That was irritating and I kinda lost my interest at that point. And that ending with the lake and the friend group? I don't know how I felt about that. It had an amazing start and an amazing story line, but it lost that magic half way through. Overall, I'm having confused feelings about the story as a whole, but loved the concept.
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Thank you so much Netgalley for the review copy.
Kindle/ Arc/ October 2020