The Names They Gave Us

Emery Lord

Jun 2017 · Bloomsbury Publishing

About this ebook

From the acclaimed author of When We Collided comes a vibrant, compelling story of love, loss, faith, and friendship.

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.

Ratings and reviews

Thoughts/ Opinions before Reading: 1) This is only my second Emery Lord book – the first being When We Collided that was NICE, but not all I expected it to be 2) I’m a little wary to be reading a book about faith and Christianity (I’m agnostic, and books that incorporate a lot of religion aren’t necessarily my favourite) 3) THIS COVER IS SO SO BEAUTIFUL THAT I HAVE TO OWN IT. Thoughts after reading the book: Short and Sweet: The Names They Gave Us surprised me in the best way – it had all the goodness of a summer romance, had just the right amount of family and faith, it handled all the issues it took on perfectly and was so real I couldn’t help but fall in love. · Lucy Esther had one of the best character growths I’ve seen in a while. She started off as your standard good girl, a little naïve, a little set in her ways (cue terms like *hippie camp* and *heathens*) but by the end of it, she’d definitely grown as a person and I loved witnessing it. · I LOVED LUCY’S FAMILY. I’m ALWAYS, ALWAYS complaining about how families just aren’t portrayed enough in YA contemporaries and how that makes them so unbelievable because HELLO – minors and high school? Lucy’s family was just the right amount of present, they were constantly in her thoughts and well, THEY MATTERED IN THIS BOOK. Thank you, Emery for bringing the perfect amount of family life to a YA Book. · SUMMER CAMP! I’ve never been at a month long camp, and I haven’t really thought about what it would be like, but I really truly loved the atmosphere of this camp. It had a bunch of kids with difficult lives trying to be kids and I loved everything about it! I loved the counselors and the banter they had among themselves, and the fact that these humans were real friends · FAITH. Or, more specifically, the way faith was handled. Like I said in my ‘before’ thoughts, I’m agnostic (not an atheist, not religious) and so books with their content as religion aren’t my favourite. For the first time, I not only didn’t mind it, I felt like it really tied the whole book together, making Lucy a character that was so much more life-like. A cute, refreshing, swoon-worthy, family filled summer read from one of the masters of contemporary young adult literature! 5 stars!

It's amazing one of the best ever

About the author

Emery Lord is the author of Open Road Summer, The Start of Me and You, and When We Collided. She lives in a pink row house in Cincinnati, with a husband, two rescue dogs, and a closet full of impractical shoes.
www.emerylord.com
Twitter: @emerylord