Watch Over Me

Nina LaCour

Sep 2020 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

A modern ghost story about trauma and survival, Watch Over Me is the much-anticipated new novel from the Printz Award-winning author of We Are Okay

★ “Gripping; an emotion-packed must-read.” –Kirkus, starred review
★ “A painfully compelling gem from a masterful creator.” –Booklist, starred review 
★ “Moving, unsettling, and full of atmospheric beauty.” –SLJ, starred review 
 
Mila is used to being alone.

Maybe that’s why she said yes. Yes to a second chance in this remote place, among the flowers and the fog and the crash of waves far below.

But she hadn’t known about the ghosts.

Newly graduated from high school, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. So when she’s offered a teaching job and a place to live on an isolated part of the Northern California coast, she immediately accepts. Maybe she will finally find a new home—a real home. The farm is a refuge, but it’s also haunted by the past. And Mila’s own memories are starting to rise to the surface.
 
Nina LaCour, the Printz Award–winning author of We Are Okay, delivers another emotional knockout with Watch Over Me about trauma and survival, chosen family and rebirth.

Ratings and reviews

This book really wasn't for me. To be fair I haven't read anything from Nina before this. Nina has a really good writing style. It flows smoothly and she managed to piece, almost, everything together in the end. Most of this book takes place on a huge farm and the detail made me feel like I was there. Despite that, the books pace was exceptionally slow. I didn’t connect to the book. Albeit the idea behind her story is a good one! Emotionally I couldn’t get on board with this. It just felt like there was not enough background detail (plot wise) and there were some significant things left unanswered for me regarding Mila’s mother. There was one character here that I actually liked and he was my favorite, not just by default. Lee! The relationship Nina wrote between Mila and Lee was heart warming. Mila quickly takes a protective stance when she meets Lee. She feels a kindred connection to him and also see’s some of herself in him. She recognizes his fear. For a younger child he displays a lot of bravery and compassion. When it came to all of the characters, Nina did a wonderful job of including diversity. White, Black, Asian! It made my heart pleasantly happy to imagine a place like the farm with so many loving people, all of different backgrounds. Other than that I felt no connection to the characters what so ever. Not even to Lee. Sure he was my favorite but I didn’t feel connected. Where was his background story? It was so briefly told! In like two sentences, then nothing else. I also didn’t even know he was Asian until close to the end. There was simply not enough there for me to feel anything tangible. What about his ghost? What the hell happened??? That whole incident is just glossed over. Maybe its because there were too many characters? I also really appreciated the symbolism Nina put into the ghosts. It seems a misfortune that I didn't really see a lot of the ghosts as I was lead to believe. When it does finally come together though, it’s really neat! The idea was quite unique! In the end, I read it but.....well……I didn’t like it. The only reason I didn’t DNF it was for all the reasons I mentioned. It was enough to keep me going. Though it didn’t stay my disappointment. Hey that cover though! Am I right? Great job there. If you’re already a fan of Nina LaCour than I recommend reading this book. You’ll probably love it as much as you love the others. If, like me, you haven’t yet read her books than I would probably pass this one up and try another of her (more popular) books first. *Thank you Dutton Publishing and BookishFirst for my advanced copy, in exchange for my honest review. (And honest I was....)*

This is one of the best books I’ve read in such a long time. The story is about Mila and her journey after aging out of the foster care system. She accepts a job on a farm teaching children, who like her, have been through the foster system. The setting is hauntingly beautiful...in every meaning of the word haunted. As Mila tries to acclimate to her new home, she finds that her past has followed her there and she grapples with ghosts from her past that refuse to stay buried. This is a true gem of a book with gorgeous writing and masterful story telling. Mila is a wonderfully flawed and devastatingly injured protagonist who will make you feel all the things, above all love and hope. I highly recommend this book!

For starters, I love the concept of this novel. The farm is such an interesting setting, and from the moment it was introduced, I wanted to learn more about its history and the ghosts that inhabit it. I'll admit, at first, I wasn't super keen on the idea of these ghosts, but as I read on, I found myself enjoying the role they play in this novel. While I sometimes had trouble keeping track of all of the different characters, I found many of them compelling and enjoyable, particularly Mila and Lee. Speaking of Mila, I greatly enjoyed her as a narrator, and found her background and character development interesting. LaCour has a real knack for writing flawed yet sympathetic characters, and Mila is no exception. Overall, I found "Watch Over Me" to be a captivating and enjoyable read!

About the author

Nina LaCour is the author of the widely acclaimed Hold Still, The Disenchantments, Everything Leads to You, and the Michael L. Printz Award winner We Are Okay. She is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of You Know Me Well. Formerly a bookseller and high school English teacher, she now writes and parents full-time. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Nina lives with her family in San Francisco, California. www.ninalacour.com