If you are to reading Amber McBride’s works I encourage you to. She is creating incredible, impactful works.

I listened to this thanks to NetGalley and it was beautiful but I look forward to revisiting it in print when it releases in a few weeks.

A beautiful tale weaving how people deal with grief differntly. Is forgetting the answer to peace, or do we really need to go through the forest to find our way out. Told as a fairy tale extended metaphor that lets the reader get what they need. TW grief and loss and working through and others' assumptions. We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride is in Netgalley 💜💜💜

A unique read on mental health for the lovers of fantasy and YA. The length feels just right. The characters are relatively well developed. The narration is spot on. Would recommend to almost anyone looking for a quick read. A-

(ALC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you.)

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Much like with McBride's ME (MOTH), readers are taken on a mental health journey mixed with magic and wrapped up in McBride's eloquent prose. WE ARE ALL SO GOOD AT SMILING is an enjoyable read - even if I'm not entirely sure what was happening in the plot at times. I liked the dynamic between Whimsy and Faerry and how their backstory was revealed.

This is a quick read and the audiobook is very well done. I highly recommend listening to it as there are musical elements added which are a nice touch.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this YA novel in verse.
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The story begins with Whimsy back in the hospital again to help treat her clinical depression. It’s there she meets a boy named Faerry. Whimsy sees something in him from the beginning—a like soul that also shares magic inside like her. When Whimsy is released from the hospital she realizes that Faerry and his family have moved onto her street and they will go to the same school now too. The more time they spend together the more they realize they have a lot in common such as they’re both afraid of the forest, but it’s the forest that calls them and the forest that might hold the answers they seek.
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McBride had me at Me (Moth) because of how beautifully that story was written so I had to grab this one from Netgalley especially the audiobook which was done so well. This book has a magical realism take to it, as well as deals with very serious mental health issues that a lot of young people will connect and relate to. There was a lot of fairy tales interwoven into the story (check the ending for a detailed glossary of characters). Plus, the cover is STUNNING. This title releases January 10.

CW: racism, depression, hospitalization, self-harm, suicide ideation, panic attacks, bullying, death, PTSD, child death

This was a beautiful story about finding the light in the darkest of places. It was well written and beautifully read. Ithe only thing I would change is the music between chapters. I feel like it took away from the story.

Absolutely sunning. This is everything I wanted it to be and more. The poems are beautiful, the story is compelling, and the mystery is captivating. I read the ebook while listening to the audiobook - which is narrated by the author - and I highly recommend that experience as you get to hear the authors intonations while also enjoying the creativity of the written poetry.

Such a beautiful, speculative metaphor. This book deserves every ounce of praise it's been receiving.

This was such a fantastic #ownvoices YA novel in verse narrated by the author with AMAZING clinical depression rep! The audiobook production was top notch with some great music accompaniment and the fantasy/fairy tale elements were cleverly interlaced with a more modern and very relatable story about trauma, grief and mental health. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The cover is STUNNING too!!

4.5 stars
The narrator/author was indeed a blessing in this book. The voice was perfect for the ache, happiness and sadness twisted with magic. I love when authors read their audiobooks, it just gives us the magic they created with their hands and now, with their voice, gives it life.

Otherworldly in both creativity and word. I loved this book; it was captivating, and I couldn't put it down as we see how magic isn't the cure for everything like mental health; it is an assisting tool, not the forever solution.
This world is magical and cruel, pain can be honest, and healing is lengthy.

I think the descriptions of how hard mental health, depression & suicidal tentacles are really hard-hitting but so accurate. I can relate to and understand the pressure that builds within it until it just leaves you lost.
The lack of understanding is also real - felt that school scene.
Magic is real but also such a strong metaphor for mental health.

TW: death, suicidal tendencies, mental health, depression, child loss, memory loss, magic, racism & pain.

In this world of magical realism, fairytales or often real. Unfortunately for Whimsy, so is mental illness.

She’s struggling through remembering things she shouldn’t. Things no one else seems to remember.

This book is written almost lyrically. Nothing really seems real but everything is. For me, a literal person, this was a bit frustrating, but I can see a lot of people taking pleasure in this writing style.

🅐🅤🅓🅘🅞🅑🅞🅞🅚 🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦⁣
Title: We Are All So Good At Smiling ⁣
Author: Amber McBride⁣
Narrator: Amber McBride⁣
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🅓🅔🅢🅒🅡🅘🅟🅣🅘🅞🅝: ⁣
They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.⁣
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Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.⁣
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They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.⁣
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The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.⁣
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🅜🅨 🅣🅗🅞🅤🅖🅗🅣🅢:⁣
This is such a beautifully written novel. The way the author, Amber, writes about mental health in the context of fairy tales and folklore is phenomenal. Although this book deals with heavy subject matters , it also gives the readers a sense of hope.

Thanks to Macmillan Young Listeners for the ALC.

This audiobook is narrated by the author, Amber McBride, and that's my favorite for audiobook narration!

"No one ever tells you that Sorrow doesn't grab you by the throat.
it opens the door, offers a warm fire, says--Have some candy.

& I step inside (again)."

I am SO glad We Are All So Good at Smiling is out in the world. Short, powerful, and written in verse, this book is going to impact so many young readers who struggle with depression. Amber McBride's writing is enchanting, clever, and beautiful, even though the story has dark fairytale storyline, with Sorrow personified, Hansel & Gretel, Baba Yaga, Anansi, Mama Wata, Snow White, Adze, and Ursula. There is an amazing friendship and words that are necessary to hear - both to learn about what it's like to live with clinical depression, and to know that there's hope and healing and people out there rooting for you if you struggle with depression. I love that Amber explored clinical depression in a story combined with magic and folklore, and that our MC is a Black girl - because this isn't a common narrative in YA stories. This is really masterful writing and absolutely worth reading.