The Names They Gave Us

by Emery Lord

Overview

Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake and spending quality time with her parents. But when her mom's cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in her faith 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?

Emotionally-charged and unforgettable, Emery Lord's storytelling shines with the promise of new love and true friendship, even in the face of life's biggest challenges.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619639744
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/16/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	651,249
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Emery Lord is the author of Open Road Summer, The Start of Me and You, and When We Collided. She lives with her husband in Ohio, where they are owned by two rescue dogs.
www.emerylord.com
@emerylord

Editorial Reviews

"A natural successor to Sarah Dessen’s The Truth about Forever. . . . Lord explores the hardships in both Lucy’s life and the lives of the people around her without forgetting about the joys of ordinary life, summer love, and the pitfalls of growing up, all while offering a beautiful, all-too-rare portrait of a religion that accepts instead of condemns. Comfortingly familiar, vibrant, and, at times, wrenching, this belongs on all shelves." - starred review, Booklist

"Lucy’s story, as well as those of the other Daybreakers, will ring true for kids trying to find peace among their own broken pieces." - BCCB

"This solid coming-of-age story with family drama and personal growth is a must-have for libraries with Jenny Han and Jennifer Niven fans." - School Library Journal

"Lucy's problems are delivered with sensitivity and originality, plus romance, intrigue, and a little bit of mischief." - Kirkus Reviews

"A vividly drawn novel of how we believe, how it changes, and how it changes us. In Lucy Hansson, Emery Lord gives us a narrator so vibrantly real that by the last chapter she felt like a friend I'd grown up with. Lucy's journey is as unforgettable as her voice." - Anna-Marie McLemore, author of Morris Award Finalist THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS and National Book Award longlisted WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS

"This is more than a love story. When We Collided carefully yet effortlessly puts mental illness in conversation with the beauty and struggle of adolescence. It is a book I wish could have written, but am so much better for having read." - Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DUMPLIN’ and SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY on WHEN WE COLLIDED

"Searingly honest, gut-wrenchingly authentic, and deeply romantic, When We Collided is a gift of a novel. It tackles tough topics with nuance, and will make readers both laugh and cry, sometimes within the span of a page." - Jasmine Warga, author of MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES on WHEN WE COLLIDED

"A five-star must-read romance for older teens (and up) that will challenge readers toward a better understanding of a too-often marginalized and stigmatized segment of the population, When We Collided is an important book not only for this generation of teens, but those who’ve come before . . . and those who will come after." - USA Today on WHEN WE COLLIDED

"An absolute tearjerker romance with a powerful message about weightier topics of grief and mental illness." - starred review, School Library Journal on WHEN WE COLLIDED

"In sharp contrast to darker, more issue-driven YA books, this title keeps truer to the problems that most teens face. The protagonist’s upbeat attitude will inspire readers to persevere even during the low points in life." - starred review, School Library Journal on THE START OF ME AND YOU

"This is the teen world as it should be, full of good times and good friends to temper life’s inevitable sorrows, big and small. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti will want to add Emery Lord to their summer reading list." - BCCB on THE START OF ME AND YOU

"Reads like an ode to unconditional love that will keep readers firmly believing in believing." - Booklist on OPEN ROAD SUMMER

From the Publisher

03/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—Lucy seems to have a normal and uncomplicated life; she has loving parents, an attentive boyfriend, and good grades, and she is the captain of the swim team. But on the night of her junior prom, she learns that her mother's breast cancer is back and that she will need a mastectomy. Lucy's mother is the center of her universe, and this realization makes Lucy question her faith, which she has always relied upon. Her doubts form the core of the book. Outwardly, Lucy has it together, but still her parents decide that she won't be a summer camp counselor at the family's church camp but instead will work at the "hippie" camp across the lake. They want her to make friends, see the lives of others, and not obsess about her mother's cancer and chemotherapy. The "hippie" camp is a retreat for children with difficult home lives. Lucy's experiences there illustrate her naïveté about the world around her, which might become tedious for some readers, but other times her maturity and compassion toward others are spot-on. This small character inconsistency should not be a problem for most. VERDICT This solid coming-of-age story with family drama and personal growth is a must-have for libraries with Jenny Han and Jennifer Niven fans.—Lisa Nabel, Tacoma Public Library, WA

School Library Journal

2017-02-14
When Lucy learns that her mother's cancer has reoccurred, she reacts with anger that affects her relationship with her parents, her boyfriend, and God.The white high school junior has a pretty well-put-together life. She competes on the swim team, has a perfectly mannered boyfriend, and gets along well with her parents, especially her mom. When her mom's breast cancer comes back, Lucy feels like it's a betrayal. She did everything right the first time, from taking care of her mother to praying regularly, so why did the sickness come back? As she's figuring out her new reality, her mother makes a special request, that she spend her summer at Daybreak, a camp for kids dealing with trauma. There, a diverse cast of characters, including a trans girl and people of color, help to expand her world. But is she wasting valuable time? Lucy's problems are delivered with sensitivity and originality, plus romance, intrigue, and a little bit of mischief. The characters are well-written and complex, but toward the end, the plot strays into a series of over-the-top connections that erodes the suspension of disbelief. Lucy's discoveries about her mom's life multiply at too great a rate to be either believable or interesting. A sweet story that trips on its own eagerness to tug at the heartstrings. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews