Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Unavailable
And We Stay
Unavailable
And We Stay
Unavailable
And We Stay
Audiobook5 hours

And We Stay

Written by Jenny Hubbard

Narrated by Erin Spencer

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

A Michael L. Printz Honor Award Winner

Senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school with a stolen gun, threatens his girlfriend, Emily Beam, and then takes his own life. Soon after, angry and guilt-ridden Emily is sent to a boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where two quirky fellow students and the spirit of Emily Dickinson offer helping hands. But it is up to Emily Beam to heal her own damaged self, to find the good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.

Boston Globe Best YA Novel of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year 
A Tayshas High School Reading List Selection
A North Carolina Young Adult book Award Nominee

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 8, 2014
ISBN9780553396256
Unavailable
And We Stay

Related to And We Stay

Related audiobooks

YA Social Themes For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for And We Stay

Rating: 3.4539474210526313 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

76 ratings16 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Well written, the author captured the angst of teen aged relationships and the drama, the mistakes, and the prices paid are all included in this story of 17 year old Emily Beam.Emily developed a relationship with Paul, and all too quickly it became consuming. When Emily discovered she was pregnant and told Paul, she also noted that she was not going to keep the baby and was not going to stay in the relationship with Paul.Unfortunately, Paul didn't handle it well and found a gun. He killed himself, but thankfully no others. Emily is left with the severe emotional pain not only of aborting a baby, but of all the repercussions that happened.She is sent to a New England boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts. Home of the well-known poet Emily Dickinson, Emily Beam works through her grief by reading Dickinson's poems and writing some of her own poems.The girls at this private school are like most teen aged girls, bitchy, nasty, back stabbing and distrustful. Emily has a lot to deal with. The story might have fallen apart in the hands of a less skilled author. This Michael Printz award-winner is worthy of the honor.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I want to preface everything I say about this book by warning people that if you are not a fan of poetry then I wouldn't suggest reading this book.

    And We Stay is about loss and how we move on from that loss. Emily Beam is sent to an all-girls boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts after her boyfriend brings a gun to school, threatens her, and then kills himself. The book covers Emily's loss but also her own trauma with what happened. Through her own writing and the writings of Emily Dickinson, Emily slowly moves on from what happened and learns that it wasn't her fault.

    The book not only covers loss but also some other sensitive issues, such as suicide (obviously) and abortion. So I'm forewarning you if you decide to read it, be prepared. These issues though are dealt with beautifully. Hubbard's poetry and prose is beautifully woven together to bring about Emily's recovery and acceptance of what happened.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoyed this one, but the poems kind of through me off. While I understand how they tied into the story, I would have rather just read the emotions in normal book format.

    I applaud the Author for creating an intense plot with lyrical prose and I think many will find her writing to be quite captivating. I wish I could have felt more connected...

    While reading the Paul parts I was so intrigued by the horror and intensity, but those parts were kind of stripped down once the metaphors and poetic words started flowing. I guess I am more of a straight to the point kind of gal. Help me to feel emotion without making me solve puzzles to get there.

    Overall I enjoyed it, but I don't really recommend it. It's for a certain kind of audience and the ending is kind of open ended and bland.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    To 16 year old Emily, it feels like the tragedy has hit her alone. Her parents have been convinced by someone else that Emily will be able to move on with her life if she doesn't have to face her hometown or anyone in it on a day to day basis, so she is sent to an all girls boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts; the school turns out to be the same that Emily Dickinson attended over a hundred years ago. Emily does her best to remain socially withdrawn from the other girls and their shallow social games while, on the inside, she deals with what has happened, and all that she has lost. A couple of quirky friends, including her roommate and a sophomore in her French class who paints and is probably a kleptomaniac, find ways to support her, and manage to build true and genuine friendships with her which probably saves her and gives her a way to begin to pull herself out of the isolation and depression.This book is very well written, and literary in nature. The poems of Dickinson, and her legacy play a major role in the story. One of the major themes that the author wants you to take away is how the deep sincerity of the friendships between the girls affects the life of the main character. The book begins with the tragedy, but it is not really about the tragedy.Great book. 8th grade and up.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I started this 224 page book in June 2019 and finished it March 2022. It was my bathroom book. I start reading a book in my bedroom or in my reading chair and if I can't really get into it I take it into the bathroom to read while taking a bath or whatever in the bathroom. If the book suddenly hits me I end up taking it out of the bathroom and finishing it up. This book just never hit me. I found it slow at times and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it was the back and forth between the present and the past or just the talk of poetry, but I just never really got into this book. I wanted to really like this book, but I just never did.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily is sent to boarding school after her boyfriend brings a gun to school, threatens her, and then kills himself. She's pretty much on her own dealing with her grief and guilt, working it out through poetry, and keeping it all a secret from her new classmates. If it all comes out, what then?I picked this up because of its Printz honor. I thought the author got the teenage voice right, though the writing in general was not as polished as I expected. There's a major focus on Emily Dickinson (not my favorite poet, I'll admit), so fans of her poetry might enjoy this more than I did. For me, it was just okay.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    There is no plot and all of it is twisted, I really hated this
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I requested to read this one on Netgalley because I have always been draw to self-harm and suicide, and even though I was touched personally by suicide by gun with my dad in 2012, those key words still attract my attention and I want to read it. I don't know if its healthy, but I just feel compelled to read about others who have been through these things, and see how they heal, and move on. When I read the synopsis, I saw a keyword that I had missed when I first requested though--the dreaded (for me) prose. I almost didn't even start this one, but I still picked it up and opened it and I am glad that I did. Most of it is done in narrative, and while I skimmed the poems, they were not primarily how the story is told. And We Stay is told in a somewhat strange to me format though, it is 3rd person, and that is not the prevalent way to tell a story in YA these days, and sometimes it distances me from the main character, but it was no so with Emily. I of course related to her because a loved one killed himself, but also just her whole countenance and way of thinking. It wasn't overly dark to where I was depressed every time I picked it up, since it is a bit out from the big event and she is already at the boarding school. I can also totally relate how she keeps people at arm's length although mine happened even before grief and because of my anxiety, but hers is because the girls at school don't know what she went through with her boyfriend Paul, and she doesn't want them to. The story was well paced, and it was all about the flashbacks, piecing together the relationship between Paul and Emily, and what led them to that day. We see Emily working through things in her own head and through writing poetry and trying to heal. She begins to trust others as well as reach out to people that she knew from her hometown, those who knew her and who also knew Paul, who are grieving as well. This story is all about character development and even though there wasn't huge action scenes, there was lots of powerful and emotional things, as well as a blossoming friendship that kept me enthralled. I enjoyed this journey with Emily and recommend to those who love a darker and emotional contemporary. Bottom Line: Great contemporary, very emotional and lots of character growth.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In And We Stay, author Jenny Hubbard looks at a school shooting very differently. Not only is the shooting not as large and dramatic as might be expected, the event itself is also not the focus of the novel. Rather, it's Emily, the victim (or most direct one) and how she's affected in the aftermath that is the focus of And We Stay.Neither Hubbard's novel nor Emily's character come at you with a lot of visceral emotion. It might seem, given all that Emily's been through, that she would be just bursting with it all. Instead, she seems to go the other way. She comes across as almost detached.It's understandable that she doesn't want to tell everyone what happened back home (and with the story set pre-internet in 1995, that works). Yet, it also feels that she doesn't want to tell herself what's happened. Her poetry - most of the plot is told in prose but Emily's poetry, while part of the story also tells the story, too - does give a bit of a glimpse into what she's keeping under wraps.Every once in a while, we're given just enough, from Emily, to know that not only is she really struggling, but that she is aware of it: "'I don't feel strong on the inside,' As a matter of fact, Emly wants to say, my insides feel like a hurricane, and not the eye part, either." (34%)Emily keeps things bottled up and when things start to become too much for her, when the poetry, the secrets, the connection with Emily Dickinson, and her past all comes together, it's clear something has to happen. I wasn't sure if just enough happened for me at the end, but some grand something would have been out of place for Emily.If we had gotten to know Emily better - the Emily before who was a cheerleader but seems to have no friends, who could turn to her parents, but isn't close to them, etc - it may have been easier to see a fuller future for Emily past the ending and, therefore, find it more satisfying. So much seems focused on Emily Beam understanding and getting closer to Emily Dickinson, the girl and the poet, though, that we don't get all of Emily Beam, the poet and the girl.One odd thing was how often main character Emily was referred to by her full name. It was likely to differentiate her from Emily Dickinson who was mentioned quite frequently and possibly avoid confusion, but was still odd. Perhaps the author wanted to keep the two 'Emily's in the narrative, to have the repetition of their names, but I wish this hadn't been in third person. While we wouldn't have gotten the same Emily/Emily juxtaposition with a first person narration, it may have helped create a connection between Emily Beam and the reader.It is still a good read. The poetry is very well done and the prose is, itself, very poetic. While I wish I had gotten to know Emily better, I will definitely take how much I did get to know her over not meeting Emily Beam, K.T., Amber or any of the other characters at all.(e-arc received through NetGalley from publisher)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Violence in schools continues to be an issue that plagues our country and it's young people. In AND WE STAY, Jenny Hubbard takes on this heavy topic, telling the story of Emily Beam, a teen who survived the terrifying suicide of her boyfriend.Entering the Amherst School for Girls halfway through the school year, Emily Beam is immediately confronted with culture shock and questions. She's not up to snuff on fashion trends, she hasn't had time to figure out the social rituals of boarding school, she doesn't have the kind of money that her classmates have, and, on top of all this, there are the rumors that come with being the new girl. The new girl who shows up in January of junior year. Emily isn't eager to talk about what happened in the library that day, but she is eager to write. Even if she doesn't share it right away. Emily has always felt close to Emily Dickinson, and now in Emily D.'s hometown, she finds herself writing more poems than ever, occasionally sneaking off campus to visit the Emily Dickinson house. But as much as she tries to keep her world small, soon Emily Beam grows closer to her room mate and the other girls at ASG, and she finds she has choices to make.Jenny Hubbard's writing is elegant and succinct, playing well alongside the wintery atmosphere of New England winter. The author's choice to set the story in 1995 gives AND WE STAY an extra sense of remoteness: no cell phones, no Google, and no email make for an almost claustrophobic feeling in both the small communities of Emily Beam's home town and the all-girls boarding school. This is a beautiful, important book, and one that I hope will find the readers who need it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought for sure that this book would have it all...

    Emily's character was as to be expected after the tragedy she suffered with her boyfriend's actions. I was sucked in at first. This book had me intrigued.

    Then, as the book went on, it no longer could hold my attention. I got lost somewhere, but not in the book, like I wanted to. It turned from interesting to mundane at some point, not exactly sure where.

    Overall, this is a good book. My disinterest in it may come from my own personal taste. It is more of an average book with a unique plot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Since poetry is my favorite part of ELA and Emily Dickinson is my favortie poet, this was a no-brainer for me:) Even without those, I loved the story and think all of the young girls and girls still yung at heart would like this one. Who doesn't like to know there is spring after winter?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    High school student Emily survives the suicide death of her boyfriend Paul who shoots himself in her presence while at school. Unable to deal with returning to school, Emily ends up at a private school where she encounters some other students and faculty, with the help of the ghost of Emily Dickinson, come to terms with all that has happened to her. Emily is quite a talented poet in her own right, as evidenced by the included poetry.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another sad award winning book. That did not make it any less lovely though. The poetry was gorgeous and really helped to show rather then tell Emily's feelings.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard was electrifying for me. I hated the first three discs, by the time I got to disc 4 and I was really thinking about my brother’s suicide long ago. By the last disc, I wanted to replay all of it again.I can understand why people might not like this heavy subject of a senior in high school threatening his girlfriend in the school library and then turning his gun on himself. But I think that I got angry at first simply because the main character, Emily Beam seemed stuck in denial so long. The trivial was so important then. I can understand her holding her secrets so close to herself because she needed to be protected from the sharp jagged edges of this tragedy. She has an endless fascination with Emily Dickenson. The poet’s house is near the campus of the boarding school where her parents sent her after the shooting. The two Emilys both feel compelled to write poetry, it pushes through their being and they both wanted to be very private. There is a danger in writing a story in this manner and that is that the readers will be so mad that they will not finish the book. But I kept on and was greatly rewarded by the ending. I think that the people will “get” this book the most are the ones who have had a suicide in their close family or have had a loved one do that. The grief from suicide is magnified so much more than ordinary painful grief. So many times, guilt comes into the feelings, could I have prevented it? Why did that person commit suicide? Unfortunately, we will never completely know. Then how can we go back to living our living after this has happened. The poetry in this story lends the expression of grief and all its stages and the added emotions from the suicide. It is beautifully written. I have always loved Emily Dickinson’s poetry so having the main character immersed into what she felt as what Emily may have felt was a strong bonus for me.I highly recommend And We Stay for anyone who has gone through a tragedy in their life. If you don’t like the beginning, stick with it and you will be deeply rewarded.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love poetry. I hate poetry. I love poetry. I hate poetry….I love poetry that I can understand, AndWeStaynot those deep poems with hidden meanings. And for some inexplicable reason, it is comforting to both write and read poetry.In And We Stay, Jennifer Hubbard’s second novel after Paper Covers Rock, Emily Beam’s ex-boyfriend, Paul, shoots himself in the school library while standing in front of her. Did he mean to do it all along? Did the fact that she broke up with him two days before (on her birthday, December 10) spur him to do it, or was it inevitable? In the aftermath of this tragedy, Emily’s parents enroll her in Amherst School for Girls, hundreds of miles away from what appears to be their Midwest home (although the state is never mentioned).There’s always a story surrounding a mid-year transfer, but Emily doesn’t want to share her secret(s). She stays aloof from her roommate, K.T. and other kids in school. However, when a teacher gives her a book of poems by Emily Dickinson, it reinvigorates Emily’s B.’s poetic desires. She becomes obsessed and inspired by Ms. Dickinson, who shares birthdays with our Emily.In a marvelous fashion combining prose and poetry, Jennifer Hubbard fleshes out Emily Beam. In flashbacks, she recreates Emily and Paul’s relationship, how it started and what led to that fateful event. She describes Emily’s growth and her ultimate connection to her new schoolmates. Her poems are beautiful and add an aura to the story that would be sorely missed without them. Emily, K.T., Paul and all the supporting characters have real personalities. Emily’s transformation is evident.I wasn’t sure I was going to like And We Stay, and despite all the positive reviews, I hesitantly began reading, at which point I was sold. And We Stay should be on everyone’s reading list.