We Are the Goldens

School Library Journal03/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—At the heart of this work of realistic fiction is a close but complicated relationship between two sisters as they come of age. For as long as 15-year-old Nell can remember, her best friend has been her older sister, Layla. The two girls are confidantes, and Nell aspires to be as accomplished, and well respected as Layla. But when Nell begins her freshman year at the high school where Layla is a junior, she begins to suspect that something isn't right in Layla's world. She worries about her sister throughout the school year and finally discovers that Layla is concealing a romantic involvement with a teacher. Reinhardt approaches this complex and heavy issue from Nell's perspective as she struggles with whether to alert an adult to her sibling's inappropriate relationship.