We Are All So Good at Smiling

Written by Amber McBride

Narrated by Amber McBride

"McBride brings a special gift to this production by narrating her own material." - AudioFile Magazine


This audiobook features music and special effects. Listen along and enjoy the fun that is We Are All So Good at Smiling.

This program is read by the author.

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.

Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.

They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.

The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

A Macmillan Audio production from Feiwel & Friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jan 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250877413

Amber McBride

Amber McBride estimates she reads about 100 books a year. Her work has been published in literary magazines including Ploughshares and Provincetown Arts. Her debut young adult novel, Me (Moth) was a finalist for the National Book Award, and won the 2022 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades. She is a professor of creative writing at University of Virginia, and lives in Charlottesville, Virgina.

Reviews for We Are All So Good at Smiling

[Jill Ann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A creative story written in poetry form that tells the story of a girl named Whimsy, a magical girl who struggles with depression and battling the secrets of her past. She meets Fairy- a kindred spirit who shares some of the same struggles in his own life. Together they embark on a journey of self - discovery which helps them face their fears, rekindle hope and rediscover that magic isn’t just in fairy tales, sometimes we need to create it from within ourselves.
A must read for anyone who has struggled with depression or self-acceptance.

[clphotography027 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had me in tears! So good! So SO good! A great look at adolescence and how they process grief and mental health. There so much that I could say about this book, but I’ll just say it’s a short book that really packs a punch. So many lessons in grief, sorrow, learning to forgive yourself and how these feelings present themselves from different cultural aspects. Just great. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Savannah Briggs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing story telling and a beautiful story. Brining mental health and fairy tales together in a way I feel so many can relate.

[Maria João Victorino · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful book and audio production? The writing is breathtaking! Absolutely loved it.

[Ashley James · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful work!! For someone who struggles with depression this book was very inspiring

[Devyn Spencer · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was way too metaphorical. So weird. I just could not enjoy it, I had to think too much. Exhausting story.