We Are the Goldens is a book about the strong bond between two sisters, Nell and Layla. Nell has always idolized her older sister and is thrilled to start her freshman year at the same high school at which Layla is a junior. All Nell wants is to follow in Layla's footsteps. So when Layla asks Nell to keep a dangerous secret for her, Nell's loyalty to her sister leaves her conflicted about what to do.
The sisterhood relationship here is super intense, so much so that I was originally a little creeped out by it. Maybe reading The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs has left me a little suspicious of excessively close family bonds; maybe it's just because my sister and I were never this close (and because I'm the oldest of three either, so maybe I can't relate to the younger-sibling hero worship). But thankfully it never turned Rumbaugh creepy, and the intimacy between the sisters really underlines Nell's conflict. It's so easy for the reader to discern the right thing to do, but her reluctance to shake the foundations of her bond with her sister, which has for Nell become shorthand for her personal identity. Loving Layla means betraying her, and before she can do that Nell has to redefine herself as an individual.
I've never read anything by Dana Reinhardt, but I'm interested to seek out more by her. Despite my initial misgivings, I really enjoyed this book. The major characters were fully developed, I loved how Nell grew and matured, and the writing was lovely. I would've liked an epilogue, though, just some hint as to what happened after Nell's reveal. A
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