We follow Mila, an 18-year old, who aged out of the foster system and gets a job on a remote farm. This lyrical book explores grief and trauma, with a hint of magical realism in the form of ghosts. I enjoyed the straightforward writing of Nina LaCour, but nothing really happens. There are sweet, mundane moments that highlights daily farm life. I think I wanted more out of the story in terms of plot.

This was such a beautiful title! I adore everything that Nina LaCour writes, and this story was a delight to read. Nina's writing shines in the details, and her descriptions of something as simple as churning butter at the dinner table captivated me in its simplicity. I loved the use of ghosts to illustrate the concept of grief, and Mila working her way through trauma with the ghost was fascinating to read. This was a wonderful book, and I can definitely see myself recommending it to teens.

A remarkable, motional, and heart wrenching YA story with great characters and fantastic haunting story line I enjoyed reading.

Mila has finally graduated high school and at 19 is out of the foster care system. looking for a fresh start, she accepts a position in an isolated farm in the coast of Northern California where besides being a refuge, is also a place where the past will haunt and live through past traumas and memories.

This was an unusual read full of emotional triggers, yet beautiful and so immersive that will have you turning those pages in this quick read gem of a book. Overall, this was a book that touched upon the themes of grief, resiliency and with beautifully complex characters that I loved reading about.

I read this book in one day. It is a beautiful story about dealing with trauma. If my library doesn't already have a copy I am definitely ordering one.

Very haunting yet emotional story. I loved the main characters and the ghosts. I loved how it was "spooky" without being overly scary

Watch over Me By Nina LaCour is another amazing read! Awesome characters! Mila is another character with such depth. Aged out of the foster system Mila takes a house sitting job on a farm....that's haunted. What happens when Mila's memories of the past begin to surface. Read Watch Over Me and find out for yourself. Happy reading!

This one just wasn't for me. If you like haunting, emotional stories, you'd probably enjoy this. I appreciate the effort the author took to create this world, but it just didn't appeal to me.

I have never read anything by LaCour that wasn't absolutely gorgeous and heart wrenching. This is no different.

No one writes grief and loneliness as well as Nina LaCour, Atmospheric and beautiful. Also the cover is gorgeous.

ifrst of all, I just have to acknowledge how beautiful this book cover is, I could stare at it for HOURS. I have yet to be disappointed by a Nina LaCour book, and it did not stop with this one. This is such a beautiful and haunting story about trauma, grief, and self love. It is one that I will definitely be thinking about for a while.

This was REALLY good. I enjoyed it a lot. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because I felt like we just rushed through the ending and I didn’t like that. But overall, it was good!

Mila has been in the foster system for several years after her mother abandoned her after a fire and never returned. Now at almost 19, she was able to leave and move on. She’s given the opportunity to work as a teacher at a farm. But the farm holds more secrets than Mila is ready for.

It’s a modern day ghost story in a new way, which I really liked. It goes through grief and sadness, feeling peripheral and being included, being scared and facing your demons. I thought it was fantastic.

Atmosphere! Atmosphere! Atmosphere! I could visualize this book; in addition to the emotional pull, this should have led to a stronger reaction on my part. Unfortunately, while I have nothing negative to say about this book... I also have little to speak on. Simply, this book left me wanting more. I struggle to write that because yes! The writing and atmosphere is top notch - I was left with an empty feeling. While that may be the intent (the book is certainly haunting) it did not result in the best reading experience. It hits steady notes throughout but it never really crescendos. Again, in defense of the novel, this does fit with the narrative. It is also on the shorter side so I do not find the pacing gratuitous at all. It just was not enjoyable or particularly stimulating.

Reflecting on the book, I do like the messaging and the way it deals with trauma. I think I may have aged out of this one a bit in terms of age. 12 - 18 Bailey would have been really hooked to this... which is a pretty big range for YA readers! So, I would still recommend this book but probably not to my peers. I will be bookmarking this as a good YA fall read.

I loved this book! Nina LaCour has an amazing way with words and a minimalistic vibe that really pulls on your heartstrings!

I picked this one up on a whim and wow I really loved it. The exploration of grief and trauma was so thoughtful and well done. Mila's story was so atmospheric and I felt like I was out on the farm with her. For such a short story, it was full of emotion and I could easily read another 100 pages about Mila. I also really loved the inclusion of the ghosts in a way that didn't feel silly or fake.

This is my first by Nina LaCour but I am really looking forward to Yerba Buena and checking out her backlist as well.

Watch over me is a paranormal tale about letting go of what you can't seem to get over. Its a relatively short book that is lyrical and haunting and maybe even slightly a bit of a thriller.

Nina has aged out of her foster care and is sent to live in a farm with other foster kids and some haunting ghosts. This story jumps back and forth between wanting to feel loved and needed and finding out why she has the dire to feel so. Theres this feeling of what is real and what could just be the imagination of thought.

Although this wasn't my favorite read I think it would appeal to a lot of people especially for those who want a theme of belonging with a bit of a haunted twist.

Thank you so much to the publisher for approving me. This was a DNF for me, I suppose since I never got back into it and I’m just updating this to move this off my shelf.

This is a haunting story about loneliness and trauma. It was moving at times, but I wish it was longer. I connected to the characters, but not as strongly as I wish I could have. I still really enjoyed it!

*3.5

This book was haunting in a way you wouldn’t expect. I was going into it thinking I was going to be creeped out but was more intrigued than anything as I followed along with Mila and her reflection of herself as a person with a traumatizing past.

It really explores the effects of grief and how it affects someone and the relationships they build after the fact. I flew through the book because it felt like a puzzle to me and I was trying to figure out what was going on and how it was going to conclude.

The writing was very poetic and beautiful. I would recommend this to someone that is a fan of poetry or even into light suspense although don’t expect big twists or anything. This is more of a slow burn self mystery if that makes sense.

Ghosts, loneliness, trauma, and abuse swirl together in this atmospheric and rural look at solitude and healing.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own*

DNF at ~20%

Honestly the writing style was not for me personally. I didn't get emotionally invested to any of the characters, and I was just bored while reading.

I don't think the book was bad. In fact, a lot of it was beautifully written, but i just wasn't able to read it.