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The Names They Gave Us
When it all falls apart, who can you believe in?
Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with all the constants in her life: her do-good boyfriend, her steady faith, even her longtime summer church camp job.
Instead, Lucy lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counselor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.
It’s not just new friends that Lucy discovers at camp—more than one old secret is revealed along the way. In fact, maybe there’s much more to her family and her faith than Lucy ever realized.
Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with all the constants in her life: her do-good boyfriend, her steady faith, even her longtime summer church camp job.
Instead, Lucy lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counselor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.
It’s not just new friends that Lucy discovers at camp—more than one old secret is revealed along the way. In fact, maybe there’s much more to her family and her faith than Lucy ever realized.
380 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2017
About the author
Emery Lord
9 books3,403 followersI'm Emery, and I write books about flawed girls who are really trying, complicated families, friends who show up even when everything's going down in flames, and the moments that change everything.
I don't check my GR inbox, but feel free to get in touch via ways listed on my website!
http://www.emerylord.com/p/site-qs.html
I don't check my GR inbox, but feel free to get in touch via ways listed on my website!
http://www.emerylord.com/p/site-qs.html
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,678 reviews
May 24, 2017
Wow...that was fantastic! I really didn't think I would connect with this story because I usually shy away from stories focused on religion, but I was so wrong. This story was beautiful, heartbreaking and powerful. Definitely my favourite Emery Lord novel I've read. Highly recommend it!
June 24, 2024
I am shocked by how much I liked this book.
More accurately, I am shocked I liked this at all. Emery Lord and I have a mixed history, for one thing (I hated two of her books and thought one was fine).
Also, nothing about the synopsis of this sounds particularly Me. While I do like contemporaries, especially ones set in summer, I tend to like the ones that focus on banter-y groups of friends more than Grand Realizations About Life. A dollop of coming of age is to be expected, but this one was...religious.
That sounds like my overly-serious-story-about-teenagers kryptonite.
But this book was...charming? And nice. And sweet. And not overbearing. To be honest I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember enjoying it.
And that’s way more than I expected.
Bottom line: Yay for pleasant surprises!
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how...did i like this book so much?
shoutout to the underdog great read of the year???
review to come / 3.5 stars
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it's summertime, so you know what that means........
i only read contemporaries now.
More accurately, I am shocked I liked this at all. Emery Lord and I have a mixed history, for one thing (I hated two of her books and thought one was fine).
Also, nothing about the synopsis of this sounds particularly Me. While I do like contemporaries, especially ones set in summer, I tend to like the ones that focus on banter-y groups of friends more than Grand Realizations About Life. A dollop of coming of age is to be expected, but this one was...religious.
That sounds like my overly-serious-story-about-teenagers kryptonite.
But this book was...charming? And nice. And sweet. And not overbearing. To be honest I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember enjoying it.
And that’s way more than I expected.
Bottom line: Yay for pleasant surprises!
---------
how...did i like this book so much?
shoutout to the underdog great read of the year???
review to come / 3.5 stars
---------
it's summertime, so you know what that means........
i only read contemporaries now.
May 10, 2017
Wow. Booktube review: https://youtu.be/jCCiKPNVqxg?t=4m46s
April 7, 2017
Emery Lord is an auto buy author, so I don't even read the synopsis of her books any more. I just know I'm going to love them.
Love love loved Lucy. She's an amazing character: strong, loyal, curious. I truly enjoyed being in her head and reading her struggle. Her found group of friends were fantastic and I adore the way Emery writes every friendship like its ride or die. And her parents were perfection.
The underlying theme of this story is Lucy and her faith. I'm not particularly religious, so when I saw that, I was a little reserved about how it could possible take over the story. And it totally does, but in the best way possible.
This book was a quiet heartbreak I wasn't ready for. It does have its swoons and banter like always, but there's so much feeling in it. It made my cold, black heart beat a little faster and nearly cry twice. If that's not a glowing recommendation, I don't know what is.
**Huge thanks to Bloombury for providing the arc free of charge**
Love love loved Lucy. She's an amazing character: strong, loyal, curious. I truly enjoyed being in her head and reading her struggle. Her found group of friends were fantastic and I adore the way Emery writes every friendship like its ride or die. And her parents were perfection.
The underlying theme of this story is Lucy and her faith. I'm not particularly religious, so when I saw that, I was a little reserved about how it could possible take over the story. And it totally does, but in the best way possible.
This book was a quiet heartbreak I wasn't ready for. It does have its swoons and banter like always, but there's so much feeling in it. It made my cold, black heart beat a little faster and nearly cry twice. If that's not a glowing recommendation, I don't know what is.
**Huge thanks to Bloombury for providing the arc free of charge**
May 1, 2023
I really enjoyed this! And I’m actually surprised as religious books can be very hit and miss.
Lucy has everything planned out. Summer with her boyfriend and camp with her parents like every year.
But when her mums cancer comes back she struggles with her faith. Everything that seemed straight forward now becomes impossible to believe.
When she goes to camp Daybreak rather than her normal church camp she is bet with a host of new situations and people to navigate.
Fully loved the representation in this book. Either with or without faith everyone is respected. Lucy comes to terms with her life and how she wants to move forward.
Overall a cute YA about inclusiveness and supporting one another through tough times.
Lucy has everything planned out. Summer with her boyfriend and camp with her parents like every year.
But when her mums cancer comes back she struggles with her faith. Everything that seemed straight forward now becomes impossible to believe.
When she goes to camp Daybreak rather than her normal church camp she is bet with a host of new situations and people to navigate.
Fully loved the representation in this book. Either with or without faith everyone is respected. Lucy comes to terms with her life and how she wants to move forward.
Overall a cute YA about inclusiveness and supporting one another through tough times.
September 27, 2017
Full review posted
DNF @ 80%
I’m gonna try and run through the reason why I wasn’t particularly a fan of this book real quick for y’all
- The characters are great, wonderful flowers, vibrant and strong
- All of them that is, except for Lucy our mc
- She’s kinda like a plain jane x 10
- She’s just really boring and whiny and boring and I just couldn’t keep up with her
- Now this is a personal thing but I just never found I connected with emery lord’s writing and THAT’S TOTALLY FINE I’m sure you’ll love it but like I just cant get into it
- AND THE BOOK IS PRETTY BIG FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN’T FALL INTO THE WRITING YA FEEL
- Lucy’s mom was great but we didn’t get to see her much
- The camp counselors are great except not much goes on
- Like the book has SO MUCH POTENTIAL
- But I just couldn’t get into it and everything bored me so much and I felt bad bc great topics at hand
- Her mom has cancer, she comes from a very religious Christian background and is having some doubts in her faith, jones is a little teddy bear my heart
- All very interesting things for a ya book to discuss
- But all these great qualities and still not feeling it
- yikes
- anyways so I dnfed around 80% bc I physically didn’t have to energy to continue through with it
- and I wasn’t invested in anything so soz
anyways, that’s all I got
“You can be okay again. Just a different kind of okay than before.”
1.5 stars!!
DNF @ 80%
I’m gonna try and run through the reason why I wasn’t particularly a fan of this book real quick for y’all
- The characters are great, wonderful flowers, vibrant and strong
- All of them that is, except for Lucy our mc
- She’s kinda like a plain jane x 10
- She’s just really boring and whiny and boring and I just couldn’t keep up with her
- Now this is a personal thing but I just never found I connected with emery lord’s writing and THAT’S TOTALLY FINE I’m sure you’ll love it but like I just cant get into it
- AND THE BOOK IS PRETTY BIG FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN’T FALL INTO THE WRITING YA FEEL
- Lucy’s mom was great but we didn’t get to see her much
- The camp counselors are great except not much goes on
- Like the book has SO MUCH POTENTIAL
- But I just couldn’t get into it and everything bored me so much and I felt bad bc great topics at hand
- Her mom has cancer, she comes from a very religious Christian background and is having some doubts in her faith, jones is a little teddy bear my heart
- All very interesting things for a ya book to discuss
- But all these great qualities and still not feeling it
- yikes
- anyways so I dnfed around 80% bc I physically didn’t have to energy to continue through with it
- and I wasn’t invested in anything so soz
anyways, that’s all I got
“You can be okay again. Just a different kind of okay than before.”
1.5 stars!!
August 17, 2017
I have always found the faith of others to be a beautiful thing, but also something that has always been distant from my own life, asides from one summer when I was nine-years-old where I convinced myself I was going to become a nun after seeing Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music'. Through Lucy's exploration of Christianity the reader is invited to experience faith from an inside perspective. And through Lucy's loss of it we are also invited to analyse our own opinions and stance on religion. I have previously only ever viewed these aspects from a distance and admired the beauty of belief from a cursory level. Here, I was invited inside the fold, as it were, and truly got to experience what faith, and the loss of it, felt like.
This was also a read inclusive of all other religions. And the diversity didn't stop there. This was truly a book in which every reader could find themselves in. The protagonist might represent one thing but a voice was given to so many other perspectives. It was heartening to see such a broad spectrum of individuals represented and this has such an important message to spread about the acceptance of difference.
This was also a read inclusive of all other religions. And the diversity didn't stop there. This was truly a book in which every reader could find themselves in. The protagonist might represent one thing but a voice was given to so many other perspectives. It was heartening to see such a broad spectrum of individuals represented and this has such an important message to spread about the acceptance of difference.
February 28, 2018
This is a really hard one for me to review. While I enjoyed this book for the most part, I found myself to be really bored most of the time and had a hard time connecting to the characters. HOWEVER, I definitely think this is a personal preference thing and I feel like other readers could get much, much more out of this than I did.
Here’s hoping that Emery’s other books fare better for me!
Here’s hoping that Emery’s other books fare better for me!
April 28, 2017
(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley.)
This was a YA contemporary story about a girl whose Christian faith was tested when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time.
Lucy was an okay character and I felt really sorry for her and her family. Going through a breast cancer diagnosis must be super hard, and to have to face it twice felt really unfair, and I could see why she stopped praying for a while.
The storyline in this was about Lucy’s mom asking her to be a counsellor at a camp for troubled teens instead of at her parent’s church camp, and Lucy doing it because she knew it would make her mom happy. We also had Lucy’s faith being tested by the diagnosis and a bit of a romance storyline, with Lucy’s boyfriend Lukas ‘pausing’ their relationship at such a hard time for her, and Lucy finding another romantic interest at Camp Daybreak. The pace in this was so slow though! After the initial getting to camp was over, it was just day-to-day camp activities, very little romance, and even Lucy’s mom’s cancer seemed to take a back burner which was surprising for me as it felt like it should have been the main storyline.
The ending to this was a big disappointment for me as the story seemed to just leave us hanging, and it didn’t feel like a proper ending at all.
6 out of 10
“We don’t want you to worry,” my mom says. “Surgery is scheduled for Monday morning.”
This was a YA contemporary story about a girl whose Christian faith was tested when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time.
Lucy was an okay character and I felt really sorry for her and her family. Going through a breast cancer diagnosis must be super hard, and to have to face it twice felt really unfair, and I could see why she stopped praying for a while.
The storyline in this was about Lucy’s mom asking her to be a counsellor at a camp for troubled teens instead of at her parent’s church camp, and Lucy doing it because she knew it would make her mom happy. We also had Lucy’s faith being tested by the diagnosis and a bit of a romance storyline, with Lucy’s boyfriend Lukas ‘pausing’ their relationship at such a hard time for her, and Lucy finding another romantic interest at Camp Daybreak. The pace in this was so slow though! After the initial getting to camp was over, it was just day-to-day camp activities, very little romance, and even Lucy’s mom’s cancer seemed to take a back burner which was surprising for me as it felt like it should have been the main storyline.
The ending to this was a big disappointment for me as the story seemed to just leave us hanging, and it didn’t feel like a proper ending at all.
6 out of 10
May 16, 2017
This review was originally posted on Andi's ABCs
Sometimes you read a book and you just don’t know what to even say about it. It is pretty much perfect in all the ways that surprise you yet don’t surprise you at all. It will make you feel things as you read, make you cry, make you laugh, make you swoon. That is what The Names They Gave Us did to me. In typically Emery Lord fashion I was blown away by this books beauty and realness.
I’m not really sure how to describe what I felt and loved about this book. First and foremost I feel like I should say that this is what you would call a “cancer book” or even a “religion book”. Sure those are huge parts of Lucy’s story, parts of who Lucy is, but I don’t think those are the two things that end up defining her. What ends up defining Lucy is Lucy. She decides to open her mind and heart to new experiences and to new people. And Lucy decides it is okay to not trust in her faith, to be angry at the hand she has been dealt. To me that is really what The Names They Gave Us is all about, finding out who you are and want to be and being okay with it. Don’t get me wrong, Lucy’s mother having cancer is a major part of this story and truly broke my heart for Lucy, but that is just the beginning of her story. With the help of a new camp, new friends and a boy to mend her broken heart a new, stronger Lucy is born and that is the heart of the whole story. Well that and the friends Lucy makes
Lucy’s friends at the new camp are truly amazing and inspiring. They are all dealing with something whether it is anxiety or illness or abuse. They all have some kind of baggage but they also don’t carry that baggage alone. They let each other help and they rely on one another for support. It is the definition of a true friendship. And they willing, okay, some more than others, take Lucy into their fold which is something she needed desperately without even knowing it. And this isn’t even talking about the beauty that is Henry and what he adds to the change in Lucy. Gah. I’m smiling just thinking about Lucy and Henry.
Truth, I’m not convinced Emery Lord is human. Okay well I know she is because I have met her, but still. The Names They Gave Us is Emery’s 4th book (I’ve been a massive fan since Open Road Summer) and her 4th book to completely blow me away. Every time I read a book by her I think her next one can’t be better and then I read the next one. It’s unfathomable yet she manages to do it every time. There is something just so magical about her books. I swear if you are not a fan yet you will be as soon as you read something with her name on it. Make sure you add The Names They Gave Us to your TBR.
Sometimes you read a book and you just don’t know what to even say about it. It is pretty much perfect in all the ways that surprise you yet don’t surprise you at all. It will make you feel things as you read, make you cry, make you laugh, make you swoon. That is what The Names They Gave Us did to me. In typically Emery Lord fashion I was blown away by this books beauty and realness.
I’m not really sure how to describe what I felt and loved about this book. First and foremost I feel like I should say that this is what you would call a “cancer book” or even a “religion book”. Sure those are huge parts of Lucy’s story, parts of who Lucy is, but I don’t think those are the two things that end up defining her. What ends up defining Lucy is Lucy. She decides to open her mind and heart to new experiences and to new people. And Lucy decides it is okay to not trust in her faith, to be angry at the hand she has been dealt. To me that is really what The Names They Gave Us is all about, finding out who you are and want to be and being okay with it. Don’t get me wrong, Lucy’s mother having cancer is a major part of this story and truly broke my heart for Lucy, but that is just the beginning of her story. With the help of a new camp, new friends and a boy to mend her broken heart a new, stronger Lucy is born and that is the heart of the whole story. Well that and the friends Lucy makes
Lucy’s friends at the new camp are truly amazing and inspiring. They are all dealing with something whether it is anxiety or illness or abuse. They all have some kind of baggage but they also don’t carry that baggage alone. They let each other help and they rely on one another for support. It is the definition of a true friendship. And they willing, okay, some more than others, take Lucy into their fold which is something she needed desperately without even knowing it. And this isn’t even talking about the beauty that is Henry and what he adds to the change in Lucy. Gah. I’m smiling just thinking about Lucy and Henry.
Truth, I’m not convinced Emery Lord is human. Okay well I know she is because I have met her, but still. The Names They Gave Us is Emery’s 4th book (I’ve been a massive fan since Open Road Summer) and her 4th book to completely blow me away. Every time I read a book by her I think her next one can’t be better and then I read the next one. It’s unfathomable yet she manages to do it every time. There is something just so magical about her books. I swear if you are not a fan yet you will be as soon as you read something with her name on it. Make sure you add The Names They Gave Us to your TBR.
June 27, 2020
“You can be okay again. Just a different kind of okay than before.”
This is one of my favorite contemporary. And here's why :
1: Set at Camp:
One of my favorite bookish trope is books set at camp at summer. I don't ever since i was kid camp stories just make me happy. And this one is no exception. It has a bunch kids, being counselor, camp activities. And obviously a bunch of amazing cast of characters that our mc makes friends with.
2. Relationship with faith and religion:
One of the most important and the selling point of this book was me was the main characters struggle with her faith. Her on and off again belief, where she comes to terms with her life and the things going on with it. As someone who struggles a lot with faith I felt her journey to be heartwarming. Her panic and her "arguments" with God. Personally related to them a lot.
“I believe in nature, in science, in jazz, in dancing. And I believe in people. In their resilience, in their goodness. This is my credo; this is my hymn. Maybe it's not enough for heaven, and maybe I'm even wrong. But if I can walk through the fire and, with blistered skin, still have faith in better days? I have to believe that's good enough.”
3. Dealing with loss:
“You can be okay again. Just a different kind of okay than before.”
As her mother's cancer is in remission, Lucy has to deal with the pain, get herself ready for loss. The hardest thing. And the journey she takes, the intense fight with herself, the hiding of feeling first but than actually finding and coming to terms with stuff and actually coming towards a healthy coping mechanism.
“The world moves twice as fast. Or twice as slow. It’s hard to tell when it feels like you’re watching your own life instead of living it.”
4. Friendship:
“I wasn't even looking for him, so why do I feel found?”
Lucy, has pretty much spent her whole life isolated and actually more with family ever since her mom's first cancer scare. She wanted to cherish and spend every moment of life with them. And that left her friendship side pretty scarce. And to see her make friends find that level of relationship with someone was beauty. To her having someone her age to trust, to know secrets of, to have to share and laugh and cry with finally. It was one of the biggest help in her character development.
“And I want to be one of them. I want to be one of them so, so badly - to fit into this balance, their history, the wolf pack way of them. I see it now, why my mom wants that for me. I see how you can't help but want it, if you get close enough to witness a group of friends knitted together like this.”
And the friends she finds, are such diverse, amazing quirky people I loved them.
“It's enough to make you believe. Maybe not in symbols; maybe not in gods. But certainly in people.”
5. Love:
“Hasn't Daybreak shown me, day after day, that people can outlast unbelievable pain? That human hearts are like noble little ants, able to carry so much more weight than you'd expect.”
Love. The biggest theme of thing book to finding people you place in this world. To cherishing your time with them. And to come to terms with their. But knowing that your love for them will always remain. As long as you're human you will always have someone to love.
“After all, once there was a girl named Lucy who loved her family, old and new.
It's not the type of love that ends.”
This book is beautiful journey about life, its highs and its lows. It about finding hope and faith in even the darkest of times to be able to hold onto it and to move forward. It emotional, heart wrenching and warming at the same time.
“Well, you change as you get older, especially at this time in your life. You become more yourself, hopefully. And sometimes that changes the dynamic, even with people you love. So it's not that you were wrong. You were right for that time. But you grow up and you grow out of relationships. Even the ones you thought, at one point, might be forever.”
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This was such a beautiful book! Rtc 😭
January 18, 2019
What can I say - this book deserves every single positive review it gets. It's so beautiful, so full of amazing character development, wonderful friendships, an absolutely heartwarming romance. It's a melancholic, sad Contemporary but never fails to make you laugh.
While I think anyone, at any age, can read YA, I feel like this is a YA book in particular that I would recommend to everyone. I think there's something eye-opening in here for everyone.
While I think anyone, at any age, can read YA, I feel like this is a YA book in particular that I would recommend to everyone. I think there's something eye-opening in here for everyone.
May 17, 2017
I just started reading Emery Lord last year and she has gradually become an auto-buy author for me. She has such a way with words and characters that each book is utterly unputadownable. This story does deal with tough subjects such as cancer and religion, (I know what you're thinking - ugh cancer, ugh religion - no thanks) but don't let that scare you off! If you've read any of Lord's previous work then you know that the hard subjects are what she excels at. Cancer stories hit a little too close to home for me but I can assure you that Emery Lord handles every topic with respect.
Lucy is a Christian and daughter of a pastor so Religion plays a huge part of the book, yes, but it's not in a bad way at all like you may think. Lucy has her beliefs and sticks to them but she's not judgmental towards anyone else's nor does she push her religion on others. She is open minded, loving, and accepting. Though, that's not to mean that she is perfect, far from it.
In The Names They Gave Us you will explore a girl who begins to question her faith.
"For the first time in my life, I consider that I am being looked down on by no one, by nothing."
A camp for troubled kids, with a group of counselors all carrying around their own heavy baggage. A huge array of diverse characters. Failing in love. Grief - how to deal with it and still live your life. And at the core of this story is family and friendships and finding your "herd".
"And I want to be one of them. I want to be one of them so, so badly -- to fit into this balance, their history, the wolf pack way of them."
Emery Lord never ceases to amaze me. She has a magical way of weaving words and creating flawed, complex characters that are entirely relatable. I loved every single one of these characters and that's no exaggeration.
Even though this book deals with a lot of heavy topics, there is still much fun to be had! Highly recommend this for your summer reading.
*Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.*
Lucy is a Christian and daughter of a pastor so Religion plays a huge part of the book, yes, but it's not in a bad way at all like you may think. Lucy has her beliefs and sticks to them but she's not judgmental towards anyone else's nor does she push her religion on others. She is open minded, loving, and accepting. Though, that's not to mean that she is perfect, far from it.
In The Names They Gave Us you will explore a girl who begins to question her faith.
"For the first time in my life, I consider that I am being looked down on by no one, by nothing."
A camp for troubled kids, with a group of counselors all carrying around their own heavy baggage. A huge array of diverse characters. Failing in love. Grief - how to deal with it and still live your life. And at the core of this story is family and friendships and finding your "herd".
"And I want to be one of them. I want to be one of them so, so badly -- to fit into this balance, their history, the wolf pack way of them."
Emery Lord never ceases to amaze me. She has a magical way of weaving words and creating flawed, complex characters that are entirely relatable. I loved every single one of these characters and that's no exaggeration.
Even though this book deals with a lot of heavy topics, there is still much fun to be had! Highly recommend this for your summer reading.
*Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.*
December 20, 2018
This is hands down my favorite read of the year. I hope everyone will give this book a chance if reading hard-hitting contemporaries is your thing. I rarely rarely rarely read a book that makes me cry, and this book made me cry five times like a big fat baby. It was so beautiful, so heart-warming, and so sad. The writing was amazing and lyrical, the protagonist was relatable, well-developed, unique, and showed a great character arc throughout the story. The secondary characters all had their own voices, and there was a ton of diversity. There was an amazing friend group and family bonds as well!
I personally related to this book and the main character so much. As a Christian, I understand how grief and death can leave you feeling so angry with God. I experienced the same thing when I was younger, and it was a breath of fresh air to know that there is a book that I can relate to about that time in my life. I love seeing how Lucy's faith evolved and knowing her thought processes. This book truly warmed my heart, especially seeing her accept people different than her and making amazing friends that she never had before. I don't know how else to say how much I loved this book but if this is something you have experienced, GO READ THIS BOOK!
I am so ready to go and read every single book Emery Lord has ever written and I hope they are just as amazing as this book!
I personally related to this book and the main character so much. As a Christian, I understand how grief and death can leave you feeling so angry with God. I experienced the same thing when I was younger, and it was a breath of fresh air to know that there is a book that I can relate to about that time in my life. I love seeing how Lucy's faith evolved and knowing her thought processes. This book truly warmed my heart, especially seeing her accept people different than her and making amazing friends that she never had before. I don't know how else to say how much I loved this book but if this is something you have experienced, GO READ THIS BOOK!
I am so ready to go and read every single book Emery Lord has ever written and I hope they are just as amazing as this book!
February 16, 2019
Read this book for my hometown book club.... It was meh.
"Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with all the constants in her life: her do-good boyfriend, her steady faith, even her longtime summer church camp job.
Instead, Lucy lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counselor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.
It’s not just new friends that Lucy discovers at camp—more than one old secret is revealed along the way. In fact, maybe there’s much more to her family and her faith than Lucy ever realized."
"Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with all the constants in her life: her do-good boyfriend, her steady faith, even her longtime summer church camp job.
Instead, Lucy lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counselor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.
It’s not just new friends that Lucy discovers at camp—more than one old secret is revealed along the way. In fact, maybe there’s much more to her family and her faith than Lucy ever realized."
Read
August 8, 2017I’ve shied away from contemporary YA over the last few years, only rarely dipping my toes back in if someone recs me a specific book. The subgenre has been dominated by first person narrators of late, and that’s something I often struggle to connect with, but I’m always looking for more YA to read. Emery Lord came highly recommended by a friend, so I jumped at the chance to read The Names They Gave Us. It was astonishing. This book is a very tough, emotional read handled with a deft touch and clean, beautiful prose. The world and its ensemble of characters are vivid and diverse, the dialogue is pitch perfect for teenagers, and the feelings ring incredibly true.
— Kay Taylor Rea
from The Best Books We Read In April 2017: http://bookriot.com/2017/05/01/riot-r...
— Kay Taylor Rea
from The Best Books We Read In April 2017: http://bookriot.com/2017/05/01/riot-r...
September 15, 2017
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
The Names They Gave Us is a moving story in which we follow Lucy, as she is challenged in her faith when her mother is diagnosed with cancer - after already beating it years ago.
Instead of going to church camp with her parents as she does every year, her mother wants Lucy to go to Daybreak camp, which is a camp for kids and teens that have been through a lot. Lucy is hesitant but very quickly she starts to enjoy herself at Daybreak, makes friends, and rediscovers her faith.
This was such a wonderful story with beautiful writing and the most amazing characters. I appreciated the diverse cast of characters (black love interest, more people of color, a trans girl with anxiety).
The Names They Gave Us is a moving story in which we follow Lucy, as she is challenged in her faith when her mother is diagnosed with cancer - after already beating it years ago.
Instead of going to church camp with her parents as she does every year, her mother wants Lucy to go to Daybreak camp, which is a camp for kids and teens that have been through a lot. Lucy is hesitant but very quickly she starts to enjoy herself at Daybreak, makes friends, and rediscovers her faith.
This was such a wonderful story with beautiful writing and the most amazing characters. I appreciated the diverse cast of characters (black love interest, more people of color, a trans girl with anxiety).
Read
May 14, 2017UPDATE May 14: I did read this and overall I'm glad I did. But for those of you who are hesitant to read a cancer book, here's a heads up that illness and other types of loss and the sorrow and despair that go with them were a thread that ran strongly through the entire story.
As always, Emery Lord's writing is lovely. Most of the book takes place at a camp for kids who have suffered some sort of loss or trauma. Lucy's mom asks her to go there for a bunch of reasons, one of them being that Lucy's mom has breast cancer that has recurred. Before Lucy arrives, her boyfriend has just put their relationship "on pause" so she's free to fall for another guy, which she does.
The counselors and campers were a wonderful bunch, my only gripe being that there were a bunch of characters and first the counselors are introduced by last name and then the book switches to calling them by their first names.
Where I feared the illness theme, I see that other readers feared the religious themes. For me those weren't really much of the book - Lucy is a Christian and her father is a pastor and some of her beliefs are questioned a bit. There's a big spoiler, which almost made me wish that the book had picked one path or the other: either illness/Christianity or the spoiler/Christianity. I felt that both were almost too much.
To me, the book was exploring how people go on living in the face of terrible things, or as the book puts it, "being okay and not okay all at once." When things are like that, it is comforting to be around other people who get it, though the book acknowledges that's a temporary thing. "I want to go back to when I felt like nothing could hurt me," Lucy says at one point.
SET BOOK ASIDE on May 7: Read a few chapters and I just can't do this one. I used to love sad books but I don't feel that way any more. And I really can't read any more illness books. The synopsis was worrisome but I decided to try this. I had a knot in my stomach the whole time I was reading and had to stop. Peeked at the ending and that didn't make me feel much better - and that's not a spoiler! Just saying that the illness theme runs throughout the book, which was one of my concerns.
Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
The FTC would like you to know that the publisher provided me a free advance copy of this book, that free books can be enjoyable or not, and other readers may disagree with my opinion.
As always, Emery Lord's writing is lovely. Most of the book takes place at a camp for kids who have suffered some sort of loss or trauma. Lucy's mom asks her to go there for a bunch of reasons, one of them being that Lucy's mom has breast cancer that has recurred. Before Lucy arrives, her boyfriend has just put their relationship "on pause" so she's free to fall for another guy, which she does.
The counselors and campers were a wonderful bunch, my only gripe being that there were a bunch of characters and first the counselors are introduced by last name and then the book switches to calling them by their first names.
Where I feared the illness theme, I see that other readers feared the religious themes. For me those weren't really much of the book - Lucy is a Christian and her father is a pastor and some of her beliefs are questioned a bit. There's a big spoiler, which almost made me wish that the book had picked one path or the other: either illness/Christianity or the spoiler/Christianity. I felt that both were almost too much.
To me, the book was exploring how people go on living in the face of terrible things, or as the book puts it, "being okay and not okay all at once." When things are like that, it is comforting to be around other people who get it, though the book acknowledges that's a temporary thing. "I want to go back to when I felt like nothing could hurt me," Lucy says at one point.
SET BOOK ASIDE on May 7: Read a few chapters and I just can't do this one. I used to love sad books but I don't feel that way any more. And I really can't read any more illness books. The synopsis was worrisome but I decided to try this. I had a knot in my stomach the whole time I was reading and had to stop. Peeked at the ending and that didn't make me feel much better - and that's not a spoiler! Just saying that the illness theme runs throughout the book, which was one of my concerns.
Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
The FTC would like you to know that the publisher provided me a free advance copy of this book, that free books can be enjoyable or not, and other readers may disagree with my opinion.
April 30, 2017
in honor of two weeks until pub date, here is my review!
Thank God for this book, honestly. And thank Emery Lord for writing it. I... am in awe. Every word of this was like a balm to the soul. I really don't have the words to talk about it right now, but I felt the full spectrum of emotions reading this, in their purest forms. Glee, giddiness, love, sorrow, pity. I felt surrounded by the love of friends and family, found and born with. I just... I'll post a review closer to pub date, but you guys NEED to put this on your lists ASAP. Y'all will love it. I swear.
Thank God for this book, honestly. And thank Emery Lord for writing it. I... am in awe. Every word of this was like a balm to the soul. I really don't have the words to talk about it right now, but I felt the full spectrum of emotions reading this, in their purest forms. Glee, giddiness, love, sorrow, pity. I felt surrounded by the love of friends and family, found and born with. I just... I'll post a review closer to pub date, but you guys NEED to put this on your lists ASAP. Y'all will love it. I swear.
April 11, 2017
This book started off really slow and pretty boring for me I was seriously think I wasn't in the mood for it and about to put it down for another time THEN something magical happened.
We get a whole freakin cast of amazing character that had heartbreaking back stories and amazing relationships with each other.
This camp, these character, the diversity (that should be in EVERY contemporary) every character had a backstory, every character was messy and lovely, the romance was so cute, and the struggles and hardships everyone faced felt so real.
Full gushing review to come closer to release
Thank you Bloomsbury for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
We get a whole freakin cast of amazing character that had heartbreaking back stories and amazing relationships with each other.
This camp, these character, the diversity (that should be in EVERY contemporary) every character had a backstory, every character was messy and lovely, the romance was so cute, and the struggles and hardships everyone faced felt so real.
Full gushing review to come closer to release
Thank you Bloomsbury for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2019
I FLEW through this book. Nearly in one sitting.
It was beautiful and full of character growth, the cutest relationships, and gorgeous writing.
I loved loved LOVED the friend group in this book. Our main character Lucy finally figures out what it means to have deep, meaningful friendships and it made my little heart ache for her. All of the characters in this book are going through a lot. It's definitely not an easy read in terms of hard topics, but 100% an easy read when it comes to time.
It was beautiful and full of character growth, the cutest relationships, and gorgeous writing.
I loved loved LOVED the friend group in this book. Our main character Lucy finally figures out what it means to have deep, meaningful friendships and it made my little heart ache for her. All of the characters in this book are going through a lot. It's definitely not an easy read in terms of hard topics, but 100% an easy read when it comes to time.
July 9, 2017
I raved about When We Collided for months after it brought me out of a reading slump and became one of my favourite books. I wanted more of Emery Lord's beautiful writing and so I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Names They Gave Us. (I still haven't picked up her first two books, but I very recently bought The Start of Me and You!).
Lucy Hansson has her life all figured out until her long-term boyfriend 'pauses' their relationship over the summer and her mum's cancer comes back. To help her cope with the upheaval, her mum suggests that she work for a camp for troubled young people instead of her usual Bible camp, so Lucy heads to Camp Daybreak.
I thoroughly enjoyed the summer camp setting. It made me feel the same way boarding school stories do, probably because it's something I haven't experienced. I nearly applied to work for Camp America (and then shortly after remembered that children intimidate me, shh). I wish I had done it because it would've been an excellent life experience, as Lucy discovers. I loved watching Lucy make new friend and become more open-minded. I was hesitant about the religious aspect, being an atheist who went to a Catholic school, but there's still a lot to enjoy about The Names They Gave Us. It has been nearly three months since I read this book but the scene of the campers being sorted into their Hogwarts Houses still sticks in my mind.
The Names They Gave Us hasn't replaced When We Collided as my favourite Emery Lord, but I adored the entire cast of characters, from the camp counsellors to the campers and Lucy's family.
Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review!
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
Lucy Hansson has her life all figured out until her long-term boyfriend 'pauses' their relationship over the summer and her mum's cancer comes back. To help her cope with the upheaval, her mum suggests that she work for a camp for troubled young people instead of her usual Bible camp, so Lucy heads to Camp Daybreak.
I thoroughly enjoyed the summer camp setting. It made me feel the same way boarding school stories do, probably because it's something I haven't experienced. I nearly applied to work for Camp America (and then shortly after remembered that children intimidate me, shh). I wish I had done it because it would've been an excellent life experience, as Lucy discovers. I loved watching Lucy make new friend and become more open-minded. I was hesitant about the religious aspect, being an atheist who went to a Catholic school, but there's still a lot to enjoy about The Names They Gave Us. It has been nearly three months since I read this book but the scene of the campers being sorted into their Hogwarts Houses still sticks in my mind.
The Names They Gave Us hasn't replaced When We Collided as my favourite Emery Lord, but I adored the entire cast of characters, from the camp counsellors to the campers and Lucy's family.
Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review!
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
July 22, 2017
Thanks Pansing Malaysia for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5
Read my full review here: https://booklovesreviews.wordpress.co...
One of my favourite YA contemporaries ever! My god, Emery Lord sure can write. I love how poignant and emotionally explored this book is. Such a gem. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 4.5
Read my full review here: https://booklovesreviews.wordpress.co...
One of my favourite YA contemporaries ever! My god, Emery Lord sure can write. I love how poignant and emotionally explored this book is. Such a gem. I highly recommend it!
February 7, 2017
Beautiful, emotional and raw. I appreciate the care with which the author depicted faith - it's struggle and resolution. Somehow the story manages to be somber yet funny without feeling heavy. Ah, how I felt for Lucy! Read this one
September 20, 2019
A few minutes after finishing The Names They Gave Us, with a teary face, I sat down and thought to myself “How does she keep doing this to me?”. She being, Emery Lord, author who likes to destroy me with feels. I’ve read all four of her books now and every one of them has been an emotional and memorable read that I will always cherish. The Names They Gave Us, was just … gorgeously written, and for now, it is my second favorite book from her.
Despite being religious, I always think to myself that I won’t enjoy books that have a focus on faith and religion. Having read several books now, I know that there are actually authors who can write stories about faith without coming across as preachy. I honestly think that it’s important that there are books out there for teen about teens and their relationship with faith, which is why I think The Names They Gave Us will resonate with many readers. Lucy has a complicated relationship with her religion, and I absolutely loved how Emery Lord depicted that here. A lot of her doubts, the sometimes shaky foundations of her faith, the strength of her relationship with God resonated with me on many levels. I saw a lot of my teen AND current self in Lucy. Lucy wasn’t just all about her religion. She was a sweet girl, really struggling with the resurgence of her mother’s cancer and how that affects her relationship with her religion. Deep down, she was an inherently good person and throughout the book you really see her goodness come out in the small, but consequential scenes.
The Names They Gave Us wasn’t just Lucy’s story of coming to terms with the ongoing changes in her life. Her family life, the new friendships she forges and the romance she finds, all add to her story. Lucy’s parents were such important figures in her life. I loved how much of a role they played here, and how involved they were in her life. Not only that, but they were not portrayed as the stereotypical pastor and pastor’s wife that you sometimes see. They were open-minded and kind and absolutely loving. Some of my favorite scenes in The Names They Gave Us were Lucy’s scenes with her parents. The new friends that she makes at her camp, were another highlight for me. This was such a diverse cast in race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and personalities, and I absolutely loved that. They were all very different from each other, but they still fit together seamlessly. They made me laugh, think and sometimes, tear up. Then there was Henry, Lucy’s love interest, who as with all Emery Lord book boyfriends, made me swoon with his charm, kindness and loving nature. Henry was a sweetheart, and his slow growing relationship with Lucy was awkward, sometimes complicated, but so sweet and swoony. Their kisses and conversations made me positively giddy.
The Names They Gave Us was an emotional roller coaster of a book – it made me smile, laugh and by the end, cry. It has to be one of the most honest books I have ever read, and that I will wholeheartedly recommend. In fact, if you’re a YA contemporary fan and have yet to read Emery Lord, I demand that you read her books right away.
Despite being religious, I always think to myself that I won’t enjoy books that have a focus on faith and religion. Having read several books now, I know that there are actually authors who can write stories about faith without coming across as preachy. I honestly think that it’s important that there are books out there for teen about teens and their relationship with faith, which is why I think The Names They Gave Us will resonate with many readers. Lucy has a complicated relationship with her religion, and I absolutely loved how Emery Lord depicted that here. A lot of her doubts, the sometimes shaky foundations of her faith, the strength of her relationship with God resonated with me on many levels. I saw a lot of my teen AND current self in Lucy. Lucy wasn’t just all about her religion. She was a sweet girl, really struggling with the resurgence of her mother’s cancer and how that affects her relationship with her religion. Deep down, she was an inherently good person and throughout the book you really see her goodness come out in the small, but consequential scenes.
The Names They Gave Us wasn’t just Lucy’s story of coming to terms with the ongoing changes in her life. Her family life, the new friendships she forges and the romance she finds, all add to her story. Lucy’s parents were such important figures in her life. I loved how much of a role they played here, and how involved they were in her life. Not only that, but they were not portrayed as the stereotypical pastor and pastor’s wife that you sometimes see. They were open-minded and kind and absolutely loving. Some of my favorite scenes in The Names They Gave Us were Lucy’s scenes with her parents. The new friends that she makes at her camp, were another highlight for me. This was such a diverse cast in race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and personalities, and I absolutely loved that. They were all very different from each other, but they still fit together seamlessly. They made me laugh, think and sometimes, tear up. Then there was Henry, Lucy’s love interest, who as with all Emery Lord book boyfriends, made me swoon with his charm, kindness and loving nature. Henry was a sweetheart, and his slow growing relationship with Lucy was awkward, sometimes complicated, but so sweet and swoony. Their kisses and conversations made me positively giddy.
The Names They Gave Us was an emotional roller coaster of a book – it made me smile, laugh and by the end, cry. It has to be one of the most honest books I have ever read, and that I will wholeheartedly recommend. In fact, if you’re a YA contemporary fan and have yet to read Emery Lord, I demand that you read her books right away.
May 21, 2017
The Names They Gave Us is tied with The Start of Me and You as my favorite novel by Emery Lord. I enjoyed Open Road Summer but When We Collided made me re-evaluate whether Lord and I had gone our separate ways. We haven't; not yet, at any rate.
Lord's latest follows Lucy, from the night of her junior prom when she finds out that her mother's breast cancer is back after two years, to her boyfriend "pausing" their relationship for the summer, just as Lucy goes off to be a counselor at Camp Daybreak, a far cry from the Camp Holyoke, the Christian camp where she typically spends her summers helping her pastor father. Lucy's voice is so fresh and honest. I couldn't help but be enamored by her from the beginning. Lord always writes characters I'd want to be friends with and Lucy was no exception. Even in the beginning of the novel, when Lucy simply wants to yell at the world--and especially at God--I knew The Names They Gave Us would be a gem.
Lucy's summer isn't easy, but the friendships she makes and the person she grows into are all wonderful. Camp Daybreak is a summer camp for children who have their own griefs to deal with, whether it be parental neglect, a teenage pregnancy, the death of a loved one, or something else entirely and, in that respect, The Names They Gave Us is an emotional novel. It isn't a cancer story, even though Lucy's mother's cancer is such a huge part of the book and especially a large part of Lucy and her mother's evolving relationship, not to mention family dynamic. It also isn't a religious novel, despite the fact that Lucy's father is a pastor.
Lucy has been raised in the Christian faith all her life but now, with the re-emergence of her mother's cancer she begins to doubt everything she knew. And, as someone who didn't grow up in the Christian faith, I can testify that I could still relate with Lucy. Her struggle to reconcile her experiences with her faith is a journey I think a lot of teens can relate to and Lord writes it with aplomb, balancing the religious and self-discovery aspects perfectly. I especially enjoyed that Lucy struggles to fit in because she's the pastor's daughter--people make assumptions about her personality, whether or not she drinks, her sexual limits, etc.--and watching Lucy grow and own who she is is such a rewarding part of this novel.
The Names They Gave Us features a trans best friend, people of color (and a love interest of color, actually!), discussions of privilege and sex, and is just all-round fantastic. It passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors, the friendships in this novel make me wish for the past, and this story made me tear up on more than one occasion. I don't know how Lord manages to write such consistently fantastic YA novels which simply breath life into the genre, but she does. And I sincerely hope she doesn't stop.
Lord's latest follows Lucy, from the night of her junior prom when she finds out that her mother's breast cancer is back after two years, to her boyfriend "pausing" their relationship for the summer, just as Lucy goes off to be a counselor at Camp Daybreak, a far cry from the Camp Holyoke, the Christian camp where she typically spends her summers helping her pastor father. Lucy's voice is so fresh and honest. I couldn't help but be enamored by her from the beginning. Lord always writes characters I'd want to be friends with and Lucy was no exception. Even in the beginning of the novel, when Lucy simply wants to yell at the world--and especially at God--I knew The Names They Gave Us would be a gem.
Lucy's summer isn't easy, but the friendships she makes and the person she grows into are all wonderful. Camp Daybreak is a summer camp for children who have their own griefs to deal with, whether it be parental neglect, a teenage pregnancy, the death of a loved one, or something else entirely and, in that respect, The Names They Gave Us is an emotional novel. It isn't a cancer story, even though Lucy's mother's cancer is such a huge part of the book and especially a large part of Lucy and her mother's evolving relationship, not to mention family dynamic. It also isn't a religious novel, despite the fact that Lucy's father is a pastor.
Lucy has been raised in the Christian faith all her life but now, with the re-emergence of her mother's cancer she begins to doubt everything she knew. And, as someone who didn't grow up in the Christian faith, I can testify that I could still relate with Lucy. Her struggle to reconcile her experiences with her faith is a journey I think a lot of teens can relate to and Lord writes it with aplomb, balancing the religious and self-discovery aspects perfectly. I especially enjoyed that Lucy struggles to fit in because she's the pastor's daughter--people make assumptions about her personality, whether or not she drinks, her sexual limits, etc.--and watching Lucy grow and own who she is is such a rewarding part of this novel.
The Names They Gave Us features a trans best friend, people of color (and a love interest of color, actually!), discussions of privilege and sex, and is just all-round fantastic. It passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors, the friendships in this novel make me wish for the past, and this story made me tear up on more than one occasion. I don't know how Lord manages to write such consistently fantastic YA novels which simply breath life into the genre, but she does. And I sincerely hope she doesn't stop.
July 5, 2024
2024 reads: 130/250
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
content warnings: cancer, death of parent (prior to story), medical content, suicide (prior to story)
with the return of her mom’s cancer comes the crumbling of constants in lucy hansson’s life: her boyfriend, her faith, and her longtime summer job at church camp. then, lucy’s mom asks her to be a counselor at a summer camp for troubled kids. there, lucy finds loving and confident friends she strives to be more like, a stronger faith, and even some family secrets.
somehow, i had no idea this was about a christian girl when i went into this, so this aspect was a really nice surprise! as a christian, i love how lucy’s faith was depicted in the book. there are several instances of her praying and praising. her faith is also tested throughout the book, and i appreciated how she moved through this. lucy also grew a lot as a character, as she learns to be less judgmental and more confident as a camp counselor.
narration: the audiobook narrator, yinka ladeinde, had the perfect voice for this story! this really helped immerse me into lucy’s mind.
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
content warnings: cancer, death of parent (prior to story), medical content, suicide (prior to story)
with the return of her mom’s cancer comes the crumbling of constants in lucy hansson’s life: her boyfriend, her faith, and her longtime summer job at church camp. then, lucy’s mom asks her to be a counselor at a summer camp for troubled kids. there, lucy finds loving and confident friends she strives to be more like, a stronger faith, and even some family secrets.
somehow, i had no idea this was about a christian girl when i went into this, so this aspect was a really nice surprise! as a christian, i love how lucy’s faith was depicted in the book. there are several instances of her praying and praising. her faith is also tested throughout the book, and i appreciated how she moved through this. lucy also grew a lot as a character, as she learns to be less judgmental and more confident as a camp counselor.
narration: the audiobook narrator, yinka ladeinde, had the perfect voice for this story! this really helped immerse me into lucy’s mind.
February 2, 2018
oh this book was beautiful!
we follow the tale of lucy who goes into summer knowing her mother’s got cancer again, her boyfriend has put their relationship on “pause” & has agreed to become a counsellor at a camp for troubled kids.
i did not think i’d love this book as much as i did! i loved the main character and how this story was a lot about her and growing up and finding herself as well as her faith.
i loved the friendship between the main character and keely & anna & mohan & henry.
and the relationship in this book was lucy and her mother was written gorgeously.
and the romance wasn’t forced! i wasn’t even a main subject in the story but loved how it exceeded!
THE DIVERSITY IN THIS BOOK WAS STUNNING.
we had a character who was trans.
a pregnant 14-years-old.
a christian.
several black characters and other races.
we had someone with anxiety disorder.
and many kids with differen’t family backgrounds.
and not to mention a plot twist i didn’t see coming!
the only tiny flaw i could say about this book was i wish there was like 5 more ages!
we follow the tale of lucy who goes into summer knowing her mother’s got cancer again, her boyfriend has put their relationship on “pause” & has agreed to become a counsellor at a camp for troubled kids.
i did not think i’d love this book as much as i did! i loved the main character and how this story was a lot about her and growing up and finding herself as well as her faith.
i loved the friendship between the main character and keely & anna & mohan & henry.
and the relationship in this book was lucy and her mother was written gorgeously.
and the romance wasn’t forced! i wasn’t even a main subject in the story but loved how it exceeded!
THE DIVERSITY IN THIS BOOK WAS STUNNING.
we had a character who was trans.
a pregnant 14-years-old.
a christian.
several black characters and other races.
we had someone with anxiety disorder.
and many kids with differen’t family backgrounds.
and not to mention a plot twist i didn’t see coming!
the only tiny flaw i could say about this book was i wish there was like 5 more ages!
August 3, 2017
I have read all of Emery Lord's books so far and it's beautiful to see her development as a writer. The Names They Gave Us is by far her best book in my opinion, though I thought When We Collided was amazing, and I have a special place in my heart for The Start of Me and You.
But this one is on another level. I might even write a review once I've recovered from this overload of feelings.
But this one is on another level. I might even write a review once I've recovered from this overload of feelings.
June 10, 2017
Lucy Hansson finds glory in the inspiration of Our Father, a passionate parishioner honouring thy father and thy mother. A wonderful community of support for the sixteen year old high achiever. Lucy's character is delightful. She's a wonderfully positive young woman with a tremendous sense of community for her fellow parishioners. Her strong Christian beliefs extend to her relationship with fellow Christian Lukas until Lucy challenges the boundaries of their physical relationship.
Daybreak is a summer program for children and teens enduring grief, displacement and despite Lucy's reluctance, she accepts the position of counselor to satisfy her mother. The Names They Gave Us explores adolescence grief and acceptance. Lucy's mother is breast cancer survivor although in the summer of Lucy's senior year, her mother is rediagnosed and scheduled for surgery.
Lucy begins to challenge her Christian ideology, an aspect of the narrative I found fascinating. Lucy is a compassionate humanitarian but her ideology often leads to the judgement of others, including a pregnant young lady seeking guidance. Lucy's character encounters a diverse and wonderful company of counselors who have all experienced trauma or loss throughout their young lives. In particular gentle Anna and the magnificent Henry. The delicate romance between Lucy and Henry was captivating. Daybreak is a positive and maternal environment and the counselors all share a wonderfully affirming perspective.
Although Christianity and illness are components of Lucy's narrative, The essence of The Names They Gave Us is compassion. Through her interactions with fellow councilors, Lucy experiences a sense of belonging and immeasurable admiration, now accepting of new experiences guided by the group of diverse, young individuals. African American adolescents, transgender, exploring sexuality, displacement, socioeconomics, race, religion, anxiety, grief, adoption and illness. Both children and councilors were wonderfully representative of our diverse communities.
Unfortunately it ended rather abruptly and I needed closure.
Emery Lord is a prolific contemporary author, creating socially conscious characters with compassion and consideration. The Names They Gave Us is marvelously delightful, beautifully written and enchanting.
Daybreak is a summer program for children and teens enduring grief, displacement and despite Lucy's reluctance, she accepts the position of counselor to satisfy her mother. The Names They Gave Us explores adolescence grief and acceptance. Lucy's mother is breast cancer survivor although in the summer of Lucy's senior year, her mother is rediagnosed and scheduled for surgery.
Lucy begins to challenge her Christian ideology, an aspect of the narrative I found fascinating. Lucy is a compassionate humanitarian but her ideology often leads to the judgement of others, including a pregnant young lady seeking guidance. Lucy's character encounters a diverse and wonderful company of counselors who have all experienced trauma or loss throughout their young lives. In particular gentle Anna and the magnificent Henry. The delicate romance between Lucy and Henry was captivating. Daybreak is a positive and maternal environment and the counselors all share a wonderfully affirming perspective.
Although Christianity and illness are components of Lucy's narrative, The essence of The Names They Gave Us is compassion. Through her interactions with fellow councilors, Lucy experiences a sense of belonging and immeasurable admiration, now accepting of new experiences guided by the group of diverse, young individuals. African American adolescents, transgender, exploring sexuality, displacement, socioeconomics, race, religion, anxiety, grief, adoption and illness. Both children and councilors were wonderfully representative of our diverse communities.
Unfortunately it ended rather abruptly and I needed closure.
Emery Lord is a prolific contemporary author, creating socially conscious characters with compassion and consideration. The Names They Gave Us is marvelously delightful, beautifully written and enchanting.
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