Wow, what a stunning book! Nagamatsu’s lyrical writing captures the heart of every moment in the story so well that you really feel like you're inside each character's skin. Each one of the characters is so carefully drawn, and I really enjoyed following them through their journeys to acceptance over the year following Link's death.

Protagonist Noemi is strong, artistic, opinionated and coping with the fact that she might have accidentally set in motion the circumstances that killed her friend. The book could devolve easily into huge amounts of angst about this, but she processes this without unrealistically blaming herself, and while growing as a person.

The romantic relationships that develop between the main characters are sometimes breathtakingly beautiful in their simplicity and sometimes complicated and awkward--in other words, exactly like real teenage relationships. This includes a really thoughtful portrayal of characters discovering/exploring their different sexual orientations.

The mood of this book is so haunting and beautiful --reminds me of the book's eerie, mysterious forest.

If you love literary writing and complex characters, this is an excellent read.

i never ended up downloading this but i picked it up recently, so i figured I'd also review it here!

This took me a while to get into, but once I got into it I was hooked. This is a very unique story, a truly compelling, atmospheric and engaging read. I definitely want more from this author!

This novel was not for me and ended up DNF-ing it. The plot progression was lagging a little too much for my taste and it was very hard to care about the characters. Nothing interesting happened that intrigued me and, unfortunately, this was an easily forgettable book in the long run. I do see how people who are a bigger fan of disturbing horror novels would still enjoy it, especially those that prioritize atmosphere.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!

I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis of this book and it did not let me down. This book instantly drew me in, I got to explore through the eyes of our main character and this is always my favorite way to discover these details of the story and, it was done very well in this book. I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This author did amazing. I loved the writing style.

I fell in love with this cover then the mystical plot lured me in. I was so intrigued after reading the plot. But unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me and I DNF’d it. No real direction, the characters weren’t interesting enough and it was not what I thought it would be after that stellar blurb.

Please note this is my personal experience and although this audiobook didn’t work for me, you may have a completely different experience.

This was a hard no for me. I just felt like I washed my time even trying to read this. The writer has potential, I just don't think this hit the mark.

This just wasn’t the book for me. I tried (made it to 60% even) but I felt like I saw the writing on the wall of what was going to happen and just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t put myself though it.

I’ll just say I felt bad for Jonah and leave it at that.

No rating on this one.

That this book took me three months to complete probably tells you a lot of what you need to know. The thing is, the author is obviously incredibly talented, the writing was often beautiful, and the atmosphere was immaculate. There just wasn't anything else I truly enjoyed. I will say I listened to this as an audiobook, and although the narrators' voices fit they also added to the slow, dry, melancholic feeling that I didn't enjoy. The mystery is interesting, but it takes well over halfway through for anything to actually develop on that front. For the most part, this is a slow, character-focused contemporary that revolves around Noemi. I feel like I know Noemi better than I know myself now, and I don't like her. She was multi-dimensional but she was also frustrating and dislikeable. I enjoy dislikeable characters most of the time but not when they're rude, secretive, and aloof for no real reason. She was a little bit more likeable by the end but the character development wasn't as strong as I would have liked. The fact that every boy in this book was in love with her just added to my frustration with her character. We can't mention that without saying that the person she ended up with was her step-brother! They didn't grow up together but it's still weird and unnecessary. Especially considering the parents were basically non-existent characters. They could have been business owners who co-owned the inn and nothing would have changed at all, so why make these characters step-siblings? I will say the representation in the book was good. I liked how Noemi's asexuality was discussed, and the background sapphic relationship was also a nice touch. Overall, I think people who like atmospheric contemporary with strange slightly paranormal touches would enjoy this, but be aware it's slow and if you don't enjoy the characters there's not much else to keep you hooked.

Not too much to say, the audio on this felt a bit dull and slow. It wasn’t so much the story itself as it was the narration that had me feeling really disconnected from the plot/storyline. I would suggest reading this one instead of audio booking it since I feel like that would make a big difference.

Sorry to say this one was a miss for me.

I was very intrigued with this book, but it unfortunately fell flat for me. The mysterious circumstances surrounding Link’s death had so much potential but it was bogged down by some weird happenings in the book, including a little romance between step-siblings? By about 40% in I was just speeding through it to get it done. There were a couple fantastical pieces that I thought kept me engaged a little, and without them it likely would have been a DNF for me. I listened to this book, and though the narration started very dry and slow, I got into the groove with it about halfway through. Unfortunately just a little too late.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an audio ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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 book tried very hard. When the male protagonist moves into his father's home, he encounters his father's girlfriend's daughter. They develop a relationship, and he discovers that daughter lost a friend by drowning in the forest even though there is no lake in the forest. This could have been interesting, but it really wasn't. This book did have an asexual teenage character. In many ways, she was cliched, but at least the asexual component of her character was well-written. Besides that, this book can be skipped.

There is not much I can tell you about this book. A teen boy is moving in with his dad and step mom. They live in a giant rooming house with other random people including a new girl who is about to become his new friend. This is a very gothic story, and the description says it’s a fantasy, but I didn’t see any fantasy in the first 2 hours. The only fantasy element was that a boy drowned in the middle of a forest where there was no water. I think for me this would be better as a read book than an audiobook. I was bored and found myself spacing out on the audio. I would be willing to give this book another chance, but it will be in print, not something I listen to.

'We Were Restless Things' by Cole Nagamatsu is an atmospheric and poetically written YA novel with elements magical realism. The plot revolves around Jonas and Noemi and a mystery of how a classmate drowned in a forest the year before. The story begins when Jonas moves to a new town into a home with his father, his girlfriend, and girlfriend’s daughter-Noemi. The aftermath of the friend’s death is felt by Noemi and her friends, who Jonas gets to know. Noemi and Jonas live near the forest that took their friend’s life. The descriptions, especially of the forest and magical elements, are stunningly beautiful. Though the concept is fascinating, the plot is a bit uneven. There is not a lot of action through much of the novel. Sophie Amoss and Tom Picasso excellently narrate the audiobook, each taking turns to narrate parts in the perspective of the young women and young men in the story. They really enhance the eerie atmosphere of Nagamatsu has created in their writing.

Thank you RB Media and NetGalley for providing this audiobook ARC.

This was an interesting story. I liked the characters, mysterious atmosphere and the idea of the story. I felt like it moved a bit slow for me but it’s still a good story.

This one has such a great cover and a wonderful premise but it just does not deliver. I'll be honest here and say I did not make it to the end of this one. Somewhere near the middle I put it down and just didn't pick it back up. I had no idea where the author was going with this one, but I didn't feel like going along. The story was way too detail oriented and lacking in a plot that moved things along. I couldn't connect to any of the characters either. Without a strong plot or likeable characters There isn't much to hold my attention here.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media Recorded Books for an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Having read previous reviews/ratings of this book I wasn't quite sure I was going to enjoy this book. However, I found this YA audio to be quite intriguing ! A story about friends and the loss of siblings , slowly we learn the history of the death of Link and how he drowned in a Lake in the forest that didn't exist. Fantasy and mystery are intertwined in this well done story of teens learning to cope with loss.
Recommended to fans fo YA, Fantasy and Magical Realism.

I honestly wanted to love this one, but it missed the mark for me. I am unsure if it was the narrator, which is hard to understand on Netgalley audiobooks, or the story line. I finally gave up and read the ARC ebook that I'd received. It felt repetitive in some of the view points, but I pushed through most of the way before giving up.

Thank you for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

I was taken in by the gorgeous cover and mysterious premise. I was let down by everything else.

For me, this book was just lacking at every corner. The beginning chapter was somewhat intriguing and I thought I was in for a great mystery. After that, I lost interest quickly. The characters were flat and uninteresting, the story went nowhere, and there was nothing new to keep a reader interested. The writing seemed to drag on and on without a purpose or end in sight. It was hard to follow as chapters switched point of views and time. I couldn’t keep it all straight. I did like the idea of this story and, if told differently, it could have been an exciting read. I don’t know if I will seek out another read by this author, but I may watch for future reviews.

The digitally produced voice of this audiobook may have played a part as it was hard to get invested in these characters without any emotion behind their voices (although I have not had this problem with other such audiobooks).

We Were Restless Things is an interesting contemporary / magical realism book which explores the themes of friendships and identity. It definitely wasn't quite what I was expecting. While the beginning was a little slow, I felt really drawn to the end of the story as truths began to unravel. The character development is quite admirable and I found a lot of aspects of the book enticing and unique.