DNF @ 40%

I wasn’t familiar with this author, but as a NorCal native this title was very appealing. While I wasn’t expecting a super suspenseful plot, as this seemed more literary with a side of mystery, it was a total snooze fest. I could not get invested in any of the characters, and while it is well written, there becomes a point when a plot is so slow I can’t stay awake. Unfortunately that was the case here.

3/5

We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida

We Run the Tides opens in San Francisco in the 1980s. In the neighborhood of Sea Cliff to be specific, we meet our narrator, Eulabee. She is well read, quirky, with a flair for trouble and mild theatrics. Eulabee and her best friends Julia, Faith and the unmistakeable Maria Fabiola have all grown up together. Eulabee shares the many deceptions her and Maria Fabiola have concocted throughout the years. Now as young teenagers, the 4 girls are all inseparable and walk to school together everyday.

On one of these walks to school, a man sitting in his car asks the girls for the time. Maria Fabiola claims something indecent happens, and Julia and Faith immediately take her side. Eulabee stands by the truth that nothing indeed happened, the truth which will ostracize her from her friends for the rest of the story.

A few days later, Maria Fabiola goes missing. The entire community is traumatized. That is, everyone except for Eulabee who questions her former friends absence. Maria makes her triumphant return, on Christmas Day no less, claiming to have been held prisoner by some Russians. A seemingly happy ending to a scary situation… but did she ever get taken? Was this merely another one of her fabrications?

Eulabee is a wonderful narrator. She stays so authentically true to herself throughout the novel. The story read very choppy and at times hard to follow. There is so much emphasis on the silly nonsense of these girls, yet when real traumatic events occur, (i.e. the suicide of one of the girls father’s after he has a long conversation with Maria Fabiola, the violent death of one of the girl’s sisters) they are merely glazed over. I loved the ending though which salvaged my perception of the book.

I'm not entirely sure what We Run the Tides is supposed to be. It could be a character study of Eulabee, a thirteen year old experiencing a tumultuous time in her life. It could be about her complicated relationship with her friend and frenemy Maria Fabiola. And these sparring ideas means that the book never found its footing for me. Eulabee goes through some pretty traumatic moments but there's also periods of the book that seem utterly mundane, and once again I can't tell if it's an attempt at a character study or if they are just serving as transition points for the different crises that Eulabee goes through - which seem overdramatic for 99% percent of thirteen year olds. I think most women can remember a relationship of some kind with a Maria Fabiola at that time of their lives. This definitely serves the purpose of not making her likable. The upside of the book is clearly the setting. It is easy to picture a San Francisco of the eighties, before the tech took over, and imagine it as a unique and beautiful playground for the troubled and self-centered teens that make it home in this story.

This was beautiful, funny and a bit sad as well. It blends a coming of age story with women's fiction in a poignant tale of ostracism and the extents some girls will go to to be popular.

Thirteen is a difficult age, and through the voice of Eulabee, you really feel that. You can feel what it is like to want to fit in, but have integrity that exceeds the ability to lie to maintain friendship. Plus she has a wicked sharp sense of humour that doesn't desert her even when things go horribly wrong for her.

What a strange, chaotic, little novel. It only took me about three sittings with this book to finish it, so if you are looking for a quick read with some enjoyable writing, I would recommend it. I also think if you grew up in the 80s or in the Bay Area you may enjoy this even more than I did, as it's full of references that help to situate the novel within a time and place. This novel reminded me quite a bit of The Lightness--which I read last summer and enjoyed--particularly in its secondary main character and her potentially psychotic behavior and how that becomes intertwined with the fate of our main character. For that reason, this novel did feel a bit like something I've read before, but overall I did still enjoy it and would recommend it to fans of coming-of-age stories.

Thank you to Ecco (Harper Collins) and Vendela Vida for providing me with a free early copy of this work through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. We Run the Tides is scheduled to come out on February 9.

Wow... what an absolute gem of a book. Sharp, caustic, secrets, jealousies, trying to find yourself as a girl growing up, hate, friendship broken, madness, lies and deceits. All within sight of the golden bridge in San Fransisco. I loved all the characters and how you instinctively side with the narrator and just want her to find herself and make new friends that are not just fair weather ones. I also love that at the end even though life doesn’t always give you your happy endings there are such things as moving on and letting go of old ties. Brilliant and evocative. A coming of age story which burns bright.

WE RUN THE TIDES by Vendela Vida is a fantastic novel! Set in San Francisco in 1984, teenage Eulabee and her friend Maria Fabiola navigate high school, friendships, boys, becoming women, lies and kidnapping. I was captivating by this book and finished this one in 24 hours! All of the characters were interesting and I love a good coming of age story. I’m definitely interested to read Vida’s other books now!
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Thank you to Ecco Books via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

We Run the Tides is a coming-of-age story, written by Vendela Vida with two teenage girls at the heart of it. Eulabee and Maria Fabiola (Maria Fabiola is only referred to by both her names, never one, which isn’t the weirdest thing about the book) are in a lifelong duel. They’re both drawn to each other, Eulabee because she needs others to see how toxic Maria is even as she still craves her company, and Maria because she needs adoration from her peers.

Walking to school, a guy stops Eulabee and Maria to ask for directions. Maria swears he flashed them; Eulabee didn’t see it. And that’s the problem. Not that they remember this incident differently but because Eulabee doesn’t automatically agree with her version of events. Their fallout leads to multiple kidnappings, being expelled from school, and a dead boyfriend (possibly). It’s a quiet book but it’s endlessly readable.

Fans of Jennifer Close and Sigrid Munez should add this to the to be read pile.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

This book sucks you and doesn't let you. You want to keep reading to find out what happens. It does leave some (minor) questions unanswered. I found it a quick read with interesting characters

Witty, raw, and authentic, We Run the Tides transported me back to the confusion and awkwardness of the early adolescent time period. The plot incorporates dark humor and mystery as it explores the coming-of-age experience in the rich landscape of 1980s San Francisco. Eulabee’s experiences with friendship are painfully relatable and her reactions to her circumstances are genuine in their impulsivity. The author captures Eulabee’s voice so effectively that I truly felt like I was reading the thoughts of a young teenager. I was completely engrossed in the story and I can’t wait to read more of Vendela Vida’s works. Thank you to Ecco Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so charming. We Run The Tides is about a group of privileged teenagers in San Francisco who attend an all girls school. Their close-knit group starts to fall apart as one by one, the girls start to go missing. The ebb and flow of their friendship is fascinating to follow as the angst only teenagers can master keeps the reader hooked. Vida’s writing is poetic and captivating. It is a quick read and the characters are both eccentric and relatable. I loved the 1980s vibes and the coastal setting. We Run The Tides comes out in February and should be added to the TBRs of anyone who enjoys atmospheric coming of age novels.

One fantastic thing about this book is that it changes what it is about multiple times; is it about this girl and her clique; is it about the elusive friend, Maria; is it about being excluded and isolated from friends; is it about the truth; is it about some people never change? After Eluabee and Maria Fabiola disagree on something they saw, Eulabee finds herself alone, forced to redefine who she is, and seeing things as an outsider is a massive challenge. But then she gets a chance to do things over - but sometimes, it doesn't work just because someone else does. Or does it? And what is our truth? This book has a lot of questions for the reader (and for themselves) as these girls come of age in pre-tech San Francisco. I really loved the ending.

3 stars bumped up to 4 because of the thrill of reading a book set so clearly near where I live.

In the dedication to this slight but engaging novel, Vendela Viva very clearly states that “this is a work of fiction” but yet, this is set in her childhood home at the time (mid-1980’s) when she would have been the same age as her narrator which gives a delightful clarity to the evocation of this specific time and place.

13 year old Eulabee is on the cusp of adulthood. She and her three close friends, including the charismatic Maria Fabiola, attend a private girls school in the wealthy Seacliff neighborhood of San Francisco. The girls are pushing their boundaries and testing their limits, challenging their identities and their friendship.

On their walk to school one morning, something happens. Three of the girls describe it one way, Eulabee thinks differently. And just like that, their friendship is fractured. Then Maria Fabiola goes missing and, once again, Eulabee is on the other side of everyone else’s perceptions.

In an epilogue-like final chapter, the novel moves to 2019 in Capri and we can see where life has taken the four girls.

This book is a wonderfully told story of friendship, the challenges of growing up and the betrayals that happen along the way.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What I loved about this one...

•The characters -> the two main characters Eulabee and Maria were so interesting to me. Maria is the sparkly, big personality, focus of everyone’s attention type, and Eulabee is her hopeful, confused and more shy friend. Their dynamic drives this whole novel and I felt like it was portrayed so perfectly. Their friendship is challenged as the two girls are growing up, trying to find themselves, remain liked among their peers, and somehow follow their hearts too.

•The story was super easy to get into and feel immersed in. Right off the bat I was interested in these characters and their journey. It was an easy read, that still offered a lot of valuable points as the story went on. Issues like bullying in school, discovering ones identity, friendship dynamics, family dynamics, sex, and so much more is explored in the book in a really genuine way.

Ultimately this was a win for me! I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely be checking out more by this author! 😺💓

✨ Pub date is coming up soon - February 9th!! ✨ thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc. All opinions are my own and honest. 😊

A strange coming of age story. Eulabee is 13, almost 14, and she runs with particular clique of girls. Maria Fabiola is the leader, the one everyone looks up to. A rift happens with the group when Eulabee won’t go along w/ a strange story that Maria Fabiola & the other girls make up for attention. Then Maria Fabiola “disappears”. But did she really?
I tried to enjoy this story, but felt that the way Eulabee was ostracized was too cruel. Even knowing how teenage girls are, it just seemed like overkill. And I did not expect the story to jump ahead 30-some years after a particularly interesting development.

*Special thanks to NetGalley for the digital Arc.*

We meet four teenage girls in San Francisco, CA in the mid-1980’s, living in the wealthy neighborhood of Sea Cliff. The houses are unique and built high up on the cliffs, with perfect views of the Golden Gate Bridge, with steep paths down to China beach. The people here now are before the big Tech companies that will take over Silicon Valley; so, they are wealthy but not billionaires.

The girls are all thirteen years old and attend the nearby private, girls’ school. They have all known each other since kindergarten and walk to school as a group every morning, as young girls do. It’s a ritual that must not be broken, as it’s part of the unwritten rules teen girls endlessly develop and would take a major insurrection to alter.

Eulabee is our main character and narrator. She is intelligent and articulate, and her family is financially comfortable but not as wealthy as some of the others. Her parents work outside the home but are involved in their children’s lives. Maria Fabiola, who’s first and last name are also stated aloud, is Eulabee’s best friend, but comes from a very wealthy family, who’s parents give her quite a bit of independence and don’t seem to be that involved with her life or her younger twin brothers. We know Maria Fabiola is pretty and popular and loves attention. Julia and Faith are also members of the group.

One morning as the group walks to school an incident will occur that will change the dynamics of the group for ever more. A man sitting in a car calls the girls over and asks, if they have the time. They answer him and walk away. Maria then says, “Did you see that?” Without hesitation, Julia and Faith say, “Yes!” Eulabee says, “What?” Maria describes what she thought she saw, and Julia and Faith concur. Eulabee disagrees. Not another word is spoken as they complete their walk to school.

After they arrive at school, they are each called to the Office and are questioned about the incident. Eulabee is the only outlier and thus shunned from the group making her young life miserable. A few days later, Maria is missing from school and home. Everyone is frantic except Eulabee because she knows her best friend’s penchant for attention. What happens in this part of the book is smart, and witty, with a bit of dark humor that just seems to fit the circumstances perfectly. I love how Vendela Vida handles the drama of thirteen-year old’s here. Her writing is fabulous. We know as adults, to the girls, this is the end of the world, but really, it’s not. We can trust Eulabee’s instincts here because she’s shown us how mature and intelligent, she is, so if she says Maria is hiding and not really kidnapped, we can believe her. (Don’t want to reveal spoilers!)

Eventually Eulabee will confront Maria about her disappearance, privately, but Maria will not engage.

In 2019 Eulabee is in Europe, she’s married and has children. She runs into Maria Fabiola and her husband, and the separate conversations are the icing on the cake of this book. Meaning, you have to read all the way to the end to get the reward!

In my opinion, the location of San Francisco is lovely, but this “happening” could have taken place in any wealthy suburb in the country. (ex. Connecticut, Ohio, New York, Georgia, etc.) I will bet some of you have seen some Middle School, ‘mean girls’ yourselves. (It’s unfortunate, but it’s not new.)

Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, ECCO, and Harper Collins, and Vendela Vida

Eulabee and Maria Fabiola live in the coveted neighborhood of Sea Cliff in San Francisco. Since they were little girls, Eulabee and Maria Fabiola have roamed the neighborhood and the beaches below. They know everything and everyone in the neighborhood. They are the best of friends until Maria Fabiola embellishes on an encounter with a man in a white car and Eulabee refuses to go along with Maria Fabiola's largely fale narratve. this created a rift between Eulabee and all her firends, who now shun her. Eulabee misses Maria Fabiola and their past friendship and when Maria Fabiola goes missing, Eulabee sets out to find her, an adventure that creates more problems, in spite of its noble endeavor. Vida tells the story from Eulabee's point of view, with all her adolescent insights. I laughed out loud several times but WE RUN THE TIDES is a beautiful exploration of childhood friendship and how it shapes and changes us as we grow older. I absolutely loved it.

Vendela Vida never, ever disappoints - I was thrilled to find this book every bit as extraordinary as I expected it to be. Beautiful prose, thought-provoking twists and turns....truly a treat to escape into this read during a strange time.

Great coming of age tale that really highlights how complicated and messy the inner lives of teenage girls can be.

A lovely, beautifully-written novel set in San Francisco about teenage girls and friendships and growing up - taking chances and figuring things out. Vendela Vida can write about teenage girls with such an authentic voice - so much so I was relating to the characters remembering feeling so many of those feelings . I love that the settling was almost another character filled with emotions. San Francisco was as vibrant as the characters in the book. Wealth and privilege is a strong theme that I appreciated as it dictates the opportunities we are presented which shapes so much of our identity. Lots to.discuss - this is a great book club choice. I read it in a day and will recommend to everyone.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ecco, HarperCollins, and the marvelous Vandela Vida for an advanced copy of this wonderful book. Loved it!