The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Also by this author: The Start of Me and You, When We Collided
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on May 16th 2017
Genres: Adolescence, Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries, General, Health & Daily Living, Love & Romance, Social Themes, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake. But when her mom’s cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in faith, in love, and in her ability to cope. When her boyfriend “pauses” their relationship and her summer job switches to a different camp—one for troubled kids—Lucy isn’t sure how much more she can handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow counselor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her problems and discover what grace really means?
Books that deal with faith and religion are not typically my thing… not for any particular reason, I just am always afraid they might get a little too into religion and faith and that’s not usually my thing. That said, how am I supposed to pass up an Emery Lord book?
I’m so glad I didn’t let the word “faith” in the summary scare me away because this was such a beautiful story and one I think only Emery Lord could have told. She just has an amazing way of portraying family and friendship and the way she tells a story, makes it virtually impossible to put it down until the last page. Honestly, after I turned the last page, I went back and reread the last chapter again just to revel in the beauty of it. I promise it’s everything you’ll want in a summer read.
Lucy Hansson has always had her faith to get her through the rough patches and her beliefs have always helped her in making her decisions. She’s looking forward to spending the summer with her family working at their bible camp, but when Lucy finds out her mother’s cancer has reappeared, she isn’t prepared for how it affects her. The things she’s believed in her whole life she now questions, the boy she thought she was meant to be with, isn’t helping her cope and now her mom is asking her to work at the “hippie” camp located across the lake. Yes, I said the dreaded “C” word, but rest assured this book isn’t about cancer so don’t let that scare you off either.
Lucy was just an amazing character all around. I loved her from the first page to the last and all of them in between. Her growth was just wonderful to see, starting the book somewhat naïve about so many things, it was lovely to see her become the Lucy on the last page. Watching her learn about friendship and bond with her camp friends and learn to trust this new group of people allowed so much growth and gave her relationships that until now had been missing from her life.
Can I also add how much I loved her family and how much her family was a part of this story? She talked with them, she spent time with them… and she enjoyed being with them. That’s a rare thing in YA for sure and I appreciate that Lord really developed that part of the story.
There is definitely a romance here… and it’s sweet and swoony and just plain lovely, but ultimately it’s not really what this story is about. Friendship, family…. love. This book has it all – and the ups and downs that go with them. Amazing story-telling as always and a wonderful, unforgettable character in Lucy Hansson.
Thank you to the publisher for sending an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
About Emery Lord
I'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, the boy who Gets You even when you don't expect it, and the summer that changed everything.
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