Title: We Are Still Tornadoes
Author: Michael Kun and Susan Mullen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Published: November 1st, 2016
Page Count: 304 pages
Format: eARC
Source: From publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review
Summary:
Growing up across the street from each other, Scott and Cath have been best friends their entire lives. Cath would help Scott with his English homework, he would make her mix tapes (it’s the 80’s after all), and any fight they had would be forgotten over TV and cookies. But now they’ve graduated high school and Cath is off to college while Scott is at home pursuing his musical dreams.During their first year apart, Scott and Cath’s letters help them understand heartache, annoying roommates, family drama and the pressure to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. And through it all, they realize that the only person they want to turn to is each other. But does that mean they should be more than friends? The only thing that’s clear is that change is an inescapable part of growing up. And the friends who help us navigate it share an unshakable bond.
This funny yet deeply moving book–set to an awesome 80’s soundtrack–captures all the beautiful confusion and emotional intensity we find on the verge of adulthood…and first love.
*The Reader’s Review*
We Are Still Tornadoes is a cute story about long distance friendship, college life, life in general, ’80s music, and all kinds of heartache. Written entirely through letters, readers will find themselves laughing along the antics between two best friends and hoping to be a tornado!
What I liked:
My favorite part of We Are Still Tornadoes is hands down the friendship between Cath and Scott. Even though the events take place in the ’80s, many readers will be able to relate to their relationship as they exchange letters back and forth. Both of these characters are smart and funny, and I love how they pledged to continue their friendship through the written word despite their distance. It IS tough to maintain a long distance relationship, even when it is between friends. So many misunderstandings and fall-outs can happen during extended periods, but these two manage to form a stronger bond even when their friendship is tested. I admire them for it!
Cath and Scott have great personalities, but if I had to pick one of them who I would love to exchange letters with, it would have to be with Scott. His antics had me laughing from the first letter and I love how he grows throughout the story. I am so jealous of Cath for having him in her life!
I must also mention that I highly enjoyed Michael Kun’s and Susan Mullen’s writing styles. They have a way with words that makes it seem as if letter writing (also known as epistolary) is such an effortless thing to do while it’s truly not.
What left me wanting more:
Although We Are Still Tornadoes is well-written and enjoyable read, I must admit that I sometimes wished for the story to not have been entirely told through letters. It’s an amazing format, but I often missed the emotional connection you get with characters when you have access to their inner thoughts and reactions. I wish I could have felt every single emotion from each character–their excitement, pain, insecurities–rather than just be told about it after things happened.
I’m also a bit torn about the ending of this book. It ends how one hopes for it to end when starting to read this book, but I hoped for something less rushed. A few extra letters would have been nice to slowly enjoy the new relationship development between Cath and Scott. To FEEL all the feels.
Final Verdict:
All in all, We Are Still Tornadoes is a sweet read that I recommend to readers searching for a fast-paced book full of humor, friendship, and all matters of the heart.
This sounds interesting, but probably not my thing. I can't read books told entirely in emails or letters… I go a little crazy without knowing more about the character. Still I'm glad you mostly-ish enjoyed this 🙂