When We Collided

by Emery Lord, Elizabeth Evans (Reading), Raviv Ullman (Reading)

Seventeen-year-old Jonah Daniels has lived in Verona Cove, California, his whole life, and only one thing has ever changed: His father used to be alive, and now he is not. With a mother lost in a deep bout of depression, Jonah and his five siblings struggle to keep up their home and the restaurant their dad left behind. But at the start of summer, a second change rolls in: Vivi Alexander, the new girl in town.

Vivi is in love with life. Charming and unfiltered, she refuses to be held down by the medicine she's told should make her feel better. After meeting Jonah, she slides into the Daniels household seamlessly, winning over each sibling with her imagination and gameness. But it's not long before Vivi's zest for life begins to falter. Soon her adventurousness becomes all-out danger seeking. Through each high and low, Vivi and Jonah's love is put to the test...but what happens when love simply isn't enough?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mental Health, Fiction, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction

MP3 CD

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

I'm Emery, and I write books about flawed girls who are really trying, complicated families, friends who show up even when everything's going down in flames, and the moments that change everything.

I don't check my GR inbox, but feel free to get in touch via ways listed on my website!
http://www.emerylord.com/p/site-qs.html

Reviews

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just the book I needed right now. BRING ON ALL THE CONTEMPORARIES. I had to take a star off, because the relationship that takes place is totally instalove and I didn't enjoy the overall drama that came along with the relationship. Other than that I adored these characters and the journey they go on together in this book. Full video review coming soon!

[Wendy Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars Bursting with vivid characters, infectious humor, adorable romance, and bittersweet truth--as well as one of the best depictions of depression/mental illness I've ever read.

Lovely, lovely book. It's Dessen but deeper and brighter, and painterly with words like Jandy Nelson, but sharper and more true.

Full review on the blog, with some spoilery thoughts about the ending. http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2016...

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. I feel really conflicted about this one.

When We Collided tries to be both an honest account of a girl with bipolar disorder AND a love story. Unfortunately, while it excels in the former, it fails in the latter, turning what could have been a thoughtful contemporary into an unnecessary romance.

It's such a strange book and I'm puzzled as to why the author thought it should be a romantic story at all. Especially with a dual narrative, only half of which feels particularly meaningful. For me, there could be no doubting that this was Vivi's story. The author tries to create an interesting story for Jonah so he doesn't become another manic pixie dream boy, but his "voice" pales in comparison to Vivi's and it was hard to be drawn into his story.

Maybe this seems a little harsh, and maybe it was the lack of narrative charisma in Jonah's chapters, but Jonah's family issues and money/business problems were just not that interesting.

And then there's the romance founded on instalove:

“When I met Jonah Daniels yesterday, there was a magical shift in the trajectory of my summer. He’s the ring to my Frodo, the wardrobe to my Lucy Pevensie. His presence in my life sets me on my journey, and I can feel it, a vital mission pulsing in my bones. Here is a boy who needs me."

Where was the chemistry? The build? The tension? Why did they just seem to know as soon as they met one another? This kind of romance is really boring to read about. I never came to see them as realistic romantic partners, which is probably why the ending had no effect on me.

The book works far better as a study of a teenage girl with bipolar. It's not a pity party either, Vivi is realistically portrayed as a difficult, hyperactive and often annoying person. I think some people will struggle to find sympathy for her, especially because even her "normal" personality is quite over-the-top and she talks in a way that's a little annoying:

“And thank you especially to Jonah for the most beautiful meal I’ve seen in ages. I swear to the Man in the Moon, if it tastes half as good as it looks, I’m going to come meowing back at your front door for table scraps.”

“I’ve always fixated on the things I want in my life - paint palettes and sumptuous fabrics and star-flecked skies and dancing on my tiptoes and the smell of jasmine."

Her very exaggerated personality - full of floaty, artistic descriptions - contrasts with Jonah's bland normality and inherent niceness, making his perspective even less compelling, and hers even more overly enthusiastic.

Still, I liked that Vivi's illness wasn't used to emotionally manipulate the reader and I thought her descriptions of depression and her state of mind whilst taking medication were excellent. The author's note made it clear that depression is something personal and important to Ms Lord, so yet again I have to wonder: why choose to wrap it up in a romance?

Some good parts, but it could have been so much better.

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[High Lady of The Night Court · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even the constellations can see us now: we are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know.

I think emery lord deserves the award for writing the most adorable characters in the history of the universe. I cannot get over how AMAZINGLY PERFECT this entire book is. I want to scream my head off right now because this is probably the fastest I've fallen in love with any characters ever. This is the most emotional, heartbreaking, healing, mind blowing magical book I have ever.

The amount of thought and emotion that went into every word in his book is beyond this world. The writing is extremely skillfully and makes it so easy to visualise everything and simultaneously encapsulated everything these characters stood for. The characters were written impeccable and their personalities are so great it makes my heart ache. The descriptions, thoughts, perspectives, and metaphors that constantly fly through Vivi’s mind are just so adorably accurate in an abstract way it make me want to close my eyes and take a moment because that much emotion is going to kill me.

I love that Emery Lord wrote so realistically and didn’t try too hard to make everything seem different from the world we’re living in because the understanding that our world in itself has so many beautiful stories just waiting to be told is everything. The characters were given so much thought and the plot in itself was so simple yet story had unfathomable depth. The reality of the situation they were in was not brushed over but their problems and individual lives were highlighting making it so much more than a story about a boy and a girl who they will each remember forever, even though that too is so beautiful.

Vivi is an eccentric, artistic, and upbeat girl who seems like the most upbeat girl in world, but she has problems of her own that she would rather not face. Jonah is the sweetest, most caring person you will meet, his father died a few years ago and his mother has never gotten over the loss. She stays in her room and seems to have slipped into depression for months now. Jonah has 5 siblings two of whom are older than him and three that are younger. The call the younger ones littles which truly made my day. Since, his mother is in no state to take care of them Jonah and his older siblings have taken jobs and raise the littles. He works at his father’s old restaurant which his father started with his best friend, and happens to a great cook.

Watching this story play out was enchanting. Both these characters, with such different personalities, come together in the most incredible way into each other's lives to create heartwarming memories. I love that the journey through this part of their lives was not perfect and those little arguments or disagreements and contrast in their personalities made for a more realistic and interesting situations.
I like that depression as a topic was dealt with multiple times in this book and from different viewpoints so the different perspectives or beliefs regarding it were put down very clearly. Characters in this story that have had previous encounters with clinical depression have recognized that depression doesn't count as being disabled, helpless, or something to take pity on and rather something that can be treated and recovered from. I was amazed at the ending and it made sense to me, I loved every part of this book and it will always be one of my favorite contemporary books.

This story was narrated beautifully and played out before my eyes in the most unforgettable way. I love every inch of this book, and I recommend it to all contemporary lovers.

[emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did someone carefully look at all my reviews/read my mind, discover my worst nightmare, and write that book? Because if so, it's called When We Collided, and it's available wherever books are sold!



https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...

The gal's a manic pixie dream girl, the guy's an extremely bland doormat. Reading this book was so unpleasant. They started quasi-dating (i.e., she force-kisses him at random times - "of all the quirks about life with Vivi, her ready-or-not approach to kissing me is the most disorienting") pretty much immediately after she forces him to make dinner. Vivi is an absolute burden on Jonah's already supremely difficult life. She flirts with other guys and gets mad when he talks to other girls. She's possessive, she's crazy - but it's alllll okay because she's just so quirky. Sans the quirkiness, she's what I expect from my least favorite male archetype, and I had enough.



At the halfway point, I already had a deep hatred for Vivi that I had never experienced before. The plot was redundant (she'd gotten mad at him for talking to the same childhood friend twice; they do the same thing every day). Swaths of time were skipped. He treated her childish requests (for restaurant birthday parties, for meals made for her, for Slip n Slide playdates) like commands. They were just such a bad fit for each other, and I was actively rooting against them. (Very different from the "summer that would rewrite their futures"/"new love"/"colli[sion] with the right person at just the right time" written about in the synopsis.)



In short, reading this was almost as much of an entirely-negative burden as Jonah's relationship with Vivi. There are times, in the middle of books, that you realize reading is supposed to be fun. So eff this. I hated reading this and I'm not going to force myself to continue. And you know what, Vivi? I'm counting your dumbass antics toward my reading challenge anyway. So.



Bottom line: if you like YA love stories about totally unrealistic teens suffering from mental illness (cough cough, if you're a John Green fan, cough) then check this book out. Otherwise - and this is a serious warning - STAY AWAY.

P.S.: On a petty note, I hate the cover of this book. So...bad first impression.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

***SOME SPOILERS***

This book is about love and loss. Finding oneself. Helping others. Mental disorders. Grief. I think this is a wonderful book.

To the deepest, most cellular level of my being, I resent people who believe that depression is the same as weakness, that "sad" people must be coddled like helpless toddlers. So to think that Jonah-my own boyfriend, my friend, my lover, whatever he is-would believe that he knows what his mom needs better than she does? That her grief makes her unaskable, voiceless, unreliable? This is very hurtful.

Vivi talks her mom into spending their summer in Verona Cove, California. It's a nice and peaceful little town where everyone knows everyone else.

Verona Cove sits above sea level, so if you walk westward on any street in town, you'll eventually hit the bluffs. Some of them drop off right above the ocean, and others taper downhill toward the shore. I think I imagined the California coast with surfers running headlong into the waves and with pops of colorful umbrellas. But it's quieter, just the whoosh of water and call of birds. I stand on the cliff with mist rising from the ocean almost straight below me, and, even after a week of this, it stuns me. The natural world makes the finest architects and designers and artists look like silly amateurs. I'm so lucky to stand witness to panoramic blues skies and white-tipped waves and the craggy earth beneath my feet.

Vivi has stopped taking her pills......

Vivi gets a job at the pottery store and this is where she meets sweet Jonah and his little sister Leah. I should say one of his sisters. They are several of them in his family. I fell in love with each character in this book and I love Jonah and his family. I even love Vivi, I love how she is and who she is, even when she crashes. But, back to the meeting :-)

"Here." Vivi grasps my wrist, pulling my whole left arm toward her. I feel wetness against my skin, the cool stroke of a damp paintbrush. When she's done, my arm displays ten digits in blue paint. Her phone number runs from my bicep, where my T-shirt sleeve begins, to the base of my palm. "Just text me when you know."
By the time we step outside, we've been at the shop for less than an hour. In that time, Leah made a new friend, and I got a girl's phone number painted on my arm. I look down at Leah. "That was weird."
She nods. "Good weird."

I am in love with little Leah! She is so sweet and funny throughout the whole book. Jonah has to take care of the littles (that's what they call the little kids in the family) while his brother is at work at their fathers Italian restaurant and his sister is at college. They all take turns and Jonah works at the restaurant too. Their mother is in a deep depression and grief period that has went on for months. She just mostly sleeps while the others take care of things.

Vivi fits right in with Jonah's family. He is so afraid to bring her around when Leah asked her to come to dinner. They are a pretty depressed and messed up household but Jonah makes wonderful food (takes after his father) and he pulls out all of the stops. Everyone has a great time around Vivi, only the one sister has reservations. But that's just her thing.

I'm in love with Leah, of course, and her limitless imagination and infectious giggle and the unselfconscious way she plays with my hair. I love Isaac and his obsessions and his tiny glasses and spiky hair, created with some sort of gel clearly stolen from an older sibling. I'm in love with Bekah and her preteen moodiness and eye rolls, the way she's still a carefree child until she catches herself and slips back into sulkiness. I'm in love with Silas-his immature jokes meshed with responsibility for the littles. Even Naomi, obstinately making me earn her friendship, and I'm failing so far, which only makes me try harder.
And Jonah. Oh, Jonah. That boy did me in that first night at his house-seeing him in his natural element, cooking and surrounded by his rambunctious family.

I can't say that I blame Vivi. I would love to know this family and be friends with them! Vivi says Jonah is the ring to my Frodo. I thought that was cute as I have never heard that said before about someone. lol

They have such a wonderful time. All of them, with Vivi and Vivi and Jonah alone. It seems like everything is perfect. But we all know things are never perfect. Suddenly Vivi's spirited and fun personality starts to change. Then there is an accident, we find out the pills have not been taken. But it's all going to be okay. Vivi has a few things but one is bi polar and she's starting to accept that. The book had such a sweet ending and I cried and cried. Everyone that knows me, knows I do that in most books!!



Also, if you read the book, take time to read the author's note at the end. It made me cry too!

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[Warda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this narrative is dying down now, but it’s insane that over the course of a lifetime we were sort of expected to pick one book. One defining book that left its mark on us and changed the course of our life. The notion has been becoming ridiculous to me, but it’s even more ridiculous to me now. Because of books like these.

Certain books are made for particular milestones in your life. That makes more sense to me and this book has become my book now. My story. My vulnerability poured out and the one that has made me feel most understood.

[Era ➴ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect going into this.

I went on Libby looking for something new, refreshing, light and quick. This book didn’t look like my speed, but the first chapter was pretty good so I tried it out.

It was not light and quick. It was heavy and emotional and rich. It was new and refreshing, but not how I intended it to be.

“When We Collided” is a (straight) summer romance taking place in Verona Cove, California. Verona Cove is a tight-knit, beautiful little town far away from LA and San Diego - it’s a small, pretty little thing on the coast. It is also the home of Jonah Daniels, a teen boy filling in at his dad’s restaurant.

Jonah is grieving his father’s death and struggling to hold his family together. His mother is spiraling out, his siblings are impossible to manage, and money is tight for Jonah.

Into this picture breezes Vivi Alexander, new girl in town moving in for the summer. Vivi is unapologetic and bold, brash and stubborn. She owns herself, bringing light and color wherever she goes.

“Most of her pieces look, to the untrained eye, like a total mess. A joyful, colorful, total mess. It is not so hard to see how she made me, too.”

The plot wasn’t that original - romance when the new girl comes to town. They fall in love and it’s dreamy until their lives develop more issues. It’s a summer romance.

But the execution was completely different.

At first, I wasn’t sure about this book. I didn’t think I’d be that into it. But Vivi’s unique perspective was enough to hook me in and the grief and pain and mental health representation kept me through the rest of it.

Both of the characters have something they’re struggling to deal with. For Jonah, it’s his father’s death, his wayward family, and his mother who is falling into depression. For Vivi, it’s the events in the past and the medication she was prescribed - which she still hasn't taken.

This mental health rep was amazing. Vivi doesn’t outright state what she’s taking her antidepressants for (well yes, they’re antidepressants but like the scar on her wrist and the way she seems so upbeat? You can’t tell that she’s struggling with anything). That’s the amazing part. Because when someone is really struggling with something, they never let it slip because of the mental health stigma. You can’t tell from looking at someone that they have anxiety or depression.

Jonah’s grief. I’ve seen better grief representations, but there was something very raw about how Jonah couldn’t face his loss for a long time.

“Even the constellations can see us now: we are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know.”

The romance was sweet. Like the plot, I kinda thought it was pretty ordinary. And like the plot, the execution made it unique.

I liked that even though Vivi set her sights on Jonah almost immediately (ugh, insta-love), she fell in love with his family first. She became enchanted by his siblings and his cooking before she ever saw him shirtless.

I liked that it wasn’t a whole ~soulmates-who-helped-each-other-to-closure-with-every-kiss~ trope. I think it’s sickening how so many books will be like “THEY FELL IN LOVE SO NOW THEY’RE HEALED AND HAPPY AND THEY’VE GOTTEN OVER THEIR TRAUMA ToGeThEr” because one, a lot of romantic relationships have been toxic enough to cause that trauma, and two, that’s just not realistic at all with mental health.

But with Vivi and Jonah, they fought. They failed. They hid. They really represented the struggles they were facing and they didn’t totally fix each other. And that was amazing because no, ~love~ does not fix all your broken shit.

Some of it really bothered me, though. At one point, Jonah and Vivi were in a fight and Vivi came in the middle of the night. And even though Jonah made it clear that he wasn’t ready to forgive her, Vivi kept coming on, and the next thing you know they’re making out and doing the deed while they’re furious?

No comprendo?

That was problematic to me. To be fair, it probably was realistic, but also? No.

Past the strangely angsty parts of teenage romance (another reason I hate ~LoVe~), these two were a very sweet couple. They shared their joys with one another and even though the insta-love was annoying and their relationship seemed too romance-y, it was emotional and beautiful.

“I don't really know how to break this to you," I say. I hop down from the counter and look up at him. "But I think you are maybe falling in love with me."
“Viv, I just made you wild-caught Alaskan salmon baked with mango chutney, on a bed of garlic red potatoes and arugula. While talking about an Audrey Hepburn movie. I think you are maybe falling in love with me.”

The narrative alternated between Vivi and Jonah in first person. At first, Jonah’s narrative seemed boring and it was Vivi who drew me in. But over time (maybe like 60% through the book), Jonah’s perspective started getting more emotional and exciting. Vivi’s started getting...annoying.

I know that it was supposed to show her spiral/relapse, but I also just wanted to slap her really badly. Her increasing nonsense and the breeziness and the way she “couldn’t be tied down” just slowly became more and more irritating. She was making such stupid decisions. But then it really started showing how dangerous things were getting for her.

“People out there are waiting to be on your side. But first you have to tell them where you are so they can come stand with you. I know verbalizing what you feel—what you need—can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before. But using your voice is a kind of strength that makes you powerful.”

This book was powerful and emotional, and it was a great love story. I loved that the ending didn’t resolve itself. But there was too much that bogged down the plot for me to really love it that much. I liked it and I would say it’s a great book, but there were enough flaws that I just couldn’t call it amazing.

Overall: good romance, amazing mental health rep, gorgeous characters and message...flawed and a bit concerning.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW wow WOW wow this book. This dang book.
As with most things, there are things I did and didn't like, but in this case likes DEFINITELY outweigh the dislikes.
I really loved being inside the two main characters heads. Both of them are dealing with some hard battles (mental illness, losing a parent) and they both help each other find more of themselves. I loved how this book dealt with mental illness and grief and I think it's SO important. I feel like this book opened my eyes to new kinds of mental illness and what that can look like for some people and how different it is for others.
I enjoyed the characters, specifically Jonah. LOVE ME A GOOD GUY AS A MC. HE IS SO LOVELY AND NICE AND RESPONSIBLE AND WONDERFUL. I liked him so much. His family was also really fantastic and overall well developed even though the story was about Jonah.
I didn't really like Vivi as much, mostly because she frustrated me. I learned SO MUCH from being inside her head, and that's why I loved reading about her, but I just didn't like her as a character as much as Jonah. Sometimes it felt like she didn't have as much depth to her as Jonah, which may have been partially her personality and how she was written.
I loved seeing how the world of Verona Cove was so diverse- lots of different people all living together and it was wonderful. ❤️
The plot was GREAT the writing was BEAUTIFUL and overall i think this is just such an important story for understanding and comprehending mental illness.

[Ninoska Goris · Rating 3 out of 5]

English - Español

Vivi desperately wants to live her life to the fullest and to record her passage through life, but she has a disease that the treatment leaves her as lifeless, so she leaves the treatment.

Jonah six months ago lost his father to a heart attack. Her mother is unwilling to live and is confined to her room. He and his two older brothers have to take care of the house and their three little brothers.

Vivi and Jonah are only seventeen and have to deal with things that are too big for their age.

✨✨✨

Vivi desea desesperadamente vivir su vida al máximo y dejar constancia de su paso por la vida, pero tiene una enfermedad que el tratamiento la deja como sin vida, así que lo deja.

Jonah hace seis meses perdió a su padre por un ataque al corazón. Su madre está sin ganas de vivir y recluida en su habitación. El y sus dos hermanos mayores tienen que hacerse cargo de la casa y de sus tres hermanos pequeños.

Vivi y Jonah solo tienen diecisiete años y tienen que hacerle frente a cosas muy grandes para su edad.

[Stacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I'll ever have the appropriate words to express how amazing this book is.

We need more books like this.
With these topics.
With words dripping with love and strength and acceptance.

Do yourself a favor and read it as soon as you can and then shove it into the hands of the person closest to you.

[Lala BooksandLala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another one of those books where I appreciate the topic, but didn't particularly like the story itself.

[Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Overview

“Every girl wants to be Dorothy Gale or maybe Glinda. I never wanted to be the tornado.”

I’m no stranger to unpopular-opinions, but I don’t often enjoy a book more than the majority of my GR friends.

My first of Emery Lord's books, the initial premise of this revolves around the typical summer romance of two teens, but in a refreshing turn-of-events, features a heavy emphasis on mental health and family dynamics.

Pros:

I completely wasn’t expecting the family dynamic in this, but loved it! Jonah has a large family, but every single one of his six siblings is as a multidimensional character—even the younger kids have their own likes, dislikes, motivations and personality quirks. Most of the time, large families in books sort of exist as background noise created by flat characters. Not the case here, and it was great

This was a multifaceted depiction of bipolar disorder, which a beautiful emphasis on self-care and love. (Slight spoilers? The character's illness is quickly discussed/mentioned?) The depictions of mania were very well done and really illustrated what was going on in Vivi’s head. I’m sure experiences with this are personal for each individual with the disorder, but from my perspective, this appeared to be handled very well.

“Vivi was here.” <---- this was used perfectly

Vivi and Jonah’s relationships starts and develops fast—but the narrative is completely aware of this. The realities of this quick-moving relationship were quickly shown, especially when the characters realized how little they knew about each other.

Cons:

Here’s my thing: I still don’t understand Vivi as a character. This seems like a horrible, nit-picky thing, because I’m not sure Vivi herself understood her character. But it was incredibly difficult for me to really feel for here when I couldn’t figure out what she wanted or who she was.

Her narrative was large, exciting and eccentric, so much so it was hard to determine when her manic episodes began or if she was simply being intense in her descriptions again. She was incredibly flawed and could be outright selfish, which I did not have a problem with. I don’t judge characters based off if I would want to be friends with them, I base off how real they feel.

Her selfishness felt like a real flaw and she was still likeable despite this. However, she seemed incredibly aimless and I didn’t understand the purpose of her actions 75% of the time.

I have some issues with the ending, largely because Jonah’s development and resolution is sacrificed for Vivi’s.

Am I the only one who hated Ellie? Because I did. She was insanely perfect and all the other characters constantly talked about how “nice” or “relatable” she was. She felt like a caricature of the worlds-greatest friend and super fake.

In Conclusion:

This puts a twist on the typical summer romance YA by focusing on family and self-care, but certain characters were still lacking direction.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5/5 stars

"When we collided, we bounced each other back into orbit."

Looking back on this review (and cringing, because it was the first one I've ever written on Goodreads), I realized that I don't have much of an attachment to this story. I liked Jonah and his family, but Vivi got on my nerves, and I was very close to DNFing halfway through. It was extremely instalove-y, and I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I did like the author's writing style, but it seemed more fit for a high fantasy book rather than a contemporary.

We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know…

I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this book. I didn't hate it enough to give it one star, but I didn't love it enough to give it four stars. I don't look back on it and want to start ranting about how much I disliked it. But I also don't look back on it and feel all warm and fuzzy inside like I do with other books. Perhaps this book just wasn't for me.

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the beginning and the end and skipped the middle because from the beginning, I just knew that I wasn't going to like this book. I read some reviews and I can definitely appreciate how mental illness was incorporated into the novel, but the romance was just soooooooo unnecessary and insta-lovey and I didn't like Vivi as a character.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ 4 / 5 ★

This was definitely a cute and easy read—not necessarily a memorable book, but nonetheless it was amusing and meaningful.

I’ve already read and enjoyed The Names they Gave Us by Emery Lord, so going into When We Collided I expected another amazing read—and I wasn’t disappointed! Thankfully, this also got me out of a small reading slump I was falling into; thank goodness for that.

Okay, so, this book seriously tricks you, ya’ll! As soon as you start, Vivi’s bubbly personality and happy outlook on life makes you think “this is going to be such a fun and endearing read!” Ya’ll, it’s a lie. This is not entirely a happy read—there’s a lot of sadness intertwined within, and I loved how smooth Lord was with that shift; it didn’t feel awkward at all.

Let me add something here: Jonah is such a cute guy. Seriously. He’s so responsible and mature for his age, while taking care of his 6 siblings. I really enjoyed reading in his perspective; perhaps even more than in Vivi’s. But I liked them both. They balanced one another very well.

Something I loved about this novel is how clear it was about how people with depression/bipolar disorder are not “broken” people. Sure, they have their own demons, but they do not need to be coddled; in fact, they don’t want to be. I thought it was great how Lord got that across.

Overall, if you like contemporary and/or romance novels, I don’t see why you wouldn’t enjoy this one. The writing is fluid and the characters are believable and likable. Seriously, it’s an endearing story about a girl who doesn’t want her diagnosis to define her, and a boy who’s trying to keep everything together for his family after his father’s sudden death.

[Sophie "Beware Of The Reader" · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 “personal taste” stars

5 “featuring psychological problems” stars

 

OK don’t shoot the messenger please but this reading has been a deception for me. I was on holiday when I came across this book with a pretty cover and high praise from USA today “A beautifully wrought portrait of bipolar disorder and depression …Full, compassionate and achingly vibrant”.

 

So of course I had to read it.

 

My main problem with the book was Viv’s personality. I really have a hard time connecting with characters behaving erratically or buoyantly. Constant whirlwind. I had the same difficulties with Finch from All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and yet I ended adoring this book.

Here though the magic did not work on me.

 

Second issue I have with the book: the love between Jonah and Viv did not feel real to me. They did things together, Viv helped Jonah throughout his ordeals and they cared for each other but … I guess Viv acting so careless sometimes and flirting somehow with other guys and just coming too forcefully on Jonah made me disbelieve their feelings.

 

Now all that is being said I have to praise Emery Lord for the excellent job she’s done describing bipolar disorder. Viv’s behavior really embodied perfectly how people suffering from this disorder must act when they’re on a high. Their mind and their body want things they would not normally want. They can behave recklessly, dangerously even just to be horrified later. I honestly think Emery Lord helped us seeing these people in another light.

 

“She has no idea. She was there, but she has no idea how scary it got-like my brain, my body, my whole life was on fast-forward and I couldn’t push stop or even pause. How low it got after, living with what happened. And then how numb. How much I missed feeling music in my bones.”

 

Jonah is one of these characters you can’t help rooting for. He is seventeen and bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. Since his father’s death he is taking care of the three younger in the family taking turn with his two other siblings. He also works at his dad’s restaurant trying to keep it afloat and having money running in the family. His mom is buried under grief and rarely leaves her room leaving the older kids to care for the younger ones.

Jonah is aged before his time. He is an incredibly strong character always thinking about his siblings before his own needs. A caretaker, a protector he often forgets his own wants and needs.

 

 

 

When Vivi barrels cheerfully in his life he is overwhelmed and awed. She is the breath of fresh air he needs. She never judges. She never asks questions about his parents. She simply is present and always a whirlwind of ideas, joy and cheerfulness.

“I need a Vividay, which is a holiday, only better.”

Vivi will knock Jonah on his behind, take him hostage and hos whole family will happily follow suite.

She will help this distraught family to have one of their best summers and bring some joy back.

 

For that I’m grateful to Vivi as Jonah and his family needed some brightness so much in their lives.

 

Now as the time goes on Vivi’s behavior is not only buoyant and eccentric but borders on dangerous. She is prone to reckless behaviors and takes risks, more and more risks. She wants to feel. She is invincible.

 

I think Emery Lord did an excellent job in:

-creating moving and colorful side characters;

-depicting mental problems and all that it entails for people suffering from said problems but also for their friends and family;

-creating a tight knit and moving family

“How weird do you think our family is, on a scale of one to ten? “ “One hundred, “ she says simply. “But good weird.”

-showing love or friendship does not only show when it’s good but also when it’s bad.

“Why should you even come here? She asked.” “Because I’ve been having a hard time since before the day we met. She never walked away from me because of it. Her feelings weren’t contingent on how easy or hard it was to be in my life. She doesn’t have to be sunny for me. That’s not how it works.”

-featuring heavy topics such as grief.

 



 

Sadly this book was just not for me. Would I recommend it? Yes if you don’t have the same issues with eccentric and erratic characters that I have. Will I read other books by Emery Lord? Certainly!

Have you read this book? Did you envoy it?

 

Amazon buy link -> http://amzn.to/2jeyDoN

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[Monica Kim | Musings of Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know. — Emery Lord’s, When We Collided
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I was torn as to how to review Emery Lord’s “When We Collided.” I’m glad I finally read it. I thought I was in for some fun, light reading, even though the title suggests otherwise, this novel deals with some big issues I did not expect. It’s a typical YA love story that touches on some big issues, which felt like it wasn’t combined seamlessly as I’d liked to. I feel like I was reading two separate books in one book, if that makes any sense. There was just ALOT going on, it’s light, yet heavy read, felt overwhelming at times trying to focus on everything that was happening.
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Told from alternating POV, Jonah is a 17 year old teenager boy living in Verona Cove, taking of his family after sudden death of his dad, while working at his dad’s struggling restaurant. Vivi a free-spirited, artistic 17 year old teenager girl from Seattle, living there for the summer with her artist mom, while working at a pottery shop. Then these two meets and falls for each other hard and collides, literally. Both of them are dealing with lot of problems, Jonah is taking care of his family, working, and figuring out what to do with his life. Vivi pretty much does whatever she wants to do and is dealing with personal issues which was the reason they moved away for the summer and has an extreme case of bipolar & depression. Jonah doesn’t know everything about Vivi’s past, and despite their differences, they form a very cute relationship and helps each other deal with their problems.
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I really liked the love story aspect of the novel, it was super cute, and I definitely think they helped each other to become better person. I really liked Jonah, he’s hard-working, takes care of his younger siblings, while trying to help his mom out who’s been bed-ridden since death of her husband. As someone with bipolar myself, I tried to be more understanding of Vivi, but she was bit unbearable, annoying, and selfish. I think the author really overdid it with Vivi’s character. Also, I don’t know if teenagers are just like this now days, Vivi was way too sexual for me. She could’ve been toned down, it would be super cute, but she would get too wild & sexual that made it not cute.
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Despite being overwhelming at times, I think author has done a great job of incorporating important topics into the story. And the ending was absolutely beautiful. Can they make their summer relationship work out? You’ll need to read it to find out. I thought the writing was very smart, characters well developed & relatable (although annoying at times), and overall story very interesting & cute. Oh, to be young & in love. Remember being in high school? care-free, young & in love, messy, heartbroken, and looking for trouble. Feels like million years ago...🤓✌️📖

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book to death. Jonah and Vivi's relationship is one of my favorites. This story is adorable and the way Vivi said goodbye to Jonah made me cry. She stayed up all night and painted him a frickin mural with his father in it. There relationship was beautiful and it was sweet and it kind of broke my heart in the end when he never got to say good bye. Instead she left him a note and painted a mural on the blank wall by the patio. And I'm just sitting here like awwwww while crying. I loved how Vivi fell in love a little bit with everyone is Jonah's family and included them and they included her whenever she was there. I loved how their relationship blossomed. They help each other out of the dark hole they where sometimes living in and they showed and reminded each other that good things can happen too.

One of my favorite quotes from this book is :
“That's the thing they never tell you about love stories: just because one ends, that doesn't mean it failed. A cherry pie isn't a failure just because you eat it all. It's perfect for what it is, and then it's gone”

Some of the other quotes or parts that I loved are :

1.) “Even the constellations can see us now: we are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know.”

2.) “That's the thing they never tell you about love stories: just because one ends, that doesn't mean it failed. A cherry pie isn't a failure just because you eat it all. It's perfect for what it is, and then it's gone. And exchanging the truest parts of yourself--all the things you are--with someone? What a slice of life. One I'll carry with me into every single someday.”

3.) “No matter what heaven you believe in, your time on this earth will end. What I’m saying is that you should listen—really listen—to the slosh of the waves and the distant call of Pacific birds. You should feel a boy’s pulse against your cheek; you should fill your lungs with ocean air. While you can, I mean. You should do these things while you still can.”

4.) “Maybe we were dying planets, Jonah, being drawn into the darkness.” I hold my right palm against his cheek, and I wish I could touch him with both my hands. “When we collided, we bounced each other back into orbit. And now we have to do that—we have to return to our own paths because that’s what we gave each other.”

5.) “My cheeks are wet, but oh, my heart—it is so full.”

6.) “Every girl wants to be Dorothy Gale or maybe Glinda. I never wanted to be the tornado.”

7.) “Here is something I never expected to feel: love at first sight for an entire family. But life surprises you. It tells you to close your eyes and blow out the candles, and then sometimes smashes your face into the cake before you can even make a wish. But! Sometimes, every once in a while, you get your wish in. You wish for a boy to spend the summer with, and instead life gives you his whole beautiful family.”

8.) “The glow of my birthday candles and the fairy lights would have been more than enough. But Jonah Daniels? He lit up my whole world.”

9.) “I've prowled the dirtiest back alleys of sadness, okay? And I know what it's like to fight for your life on those mean streets. So if you need someone to vent to or someone to be quiet with or someone to talk your ear off, I can be that person. I'm not scared of the dark places.”

10.) “Lace is one of the most beautiful fabrics, you know. All those holes and gaps, but it's still complete somehow - still lovely.”

11.) “She rediscovered me under all that rubble, and that means I'll always be a little bit hers.”

12.) “Give your family kisses from me, will you? I think I fell for all seven of you a little more every day. But mostly you, Jonah. Mostly, madly, beautifully you.”

13.) “I think about boats, how they're powerful but so delicate compared to the fickle sea. I think about lighthouses, about safe mooring and how easy it is to crash.”

14.) “I watch the waves swell and break down the coastline, swell and break. My chest threatens to crack on the left side.
The heart is such a strange little beast - a lump of thick muscle with pipes sticking out. Sometimes I think my heart is made of rubber, and the world stretches it and twists so that it writhes in my chest and aches. This is why I have spent most of my time on this planet here but hurting. Sometimes I think a hear of porcelain would be easier. Let it drop out of my rib cage and break on the floor, no heartbeat, the end. Instead, I get a bouncy heart that bleeds when the world claws at it but keeps beating though the pain.”

[ambsreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Even the constellations can see us now: we are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know.”

When We Collided was a book I was hoping to like. I hadn't heard much about it, but I had seen a few of my close friends had enjoyed this book which only made me want to dive in more. However, I found this book too easily predictable, the female protagonist annoying and the ending less than satisfactory. This all contributed to the star rating I have given this book. For a lot of this book, I was set on a three-star rating, but those final chapters completely lost my interest to the point I was skimming to put this book behind me.

This isn't to say When We Collided is a bad book. It isn't. It has a cast of crazy and creative characters, real struggles and the ending is real (I just prefer my YA contemporaries to end with an HEA). I will have to mention the Daniels family, which who single handily saved this book. I loved the family and the unit of children that took place in the family. One of my best friends, when I was younger, was the second eldest in her family of six so I could imagine the family that was painted for me in clarity.

Characters

Vivi



The gif is an accurate representation of my thoughts of Vivi. I hated her. Now, I do remember that she has bipolar disorder, which justifies the fluxes in mood changes. However, her character was so over the top that it left tired. I don't know a lot about bipolar disorder, and I still don't really. I mean, I still can't say I know a lot since not a lot of information is provided through the novel.

However, despite this, every time I read a chapter of Vivi's perspective I was like



Her overexaggerated personality was a challenging perspective to read. I will admit. However, it was nice to see a girl going for what she wanted despite the fact a lot of it was due to the fact she wasn't taking her medication. Despite my hatred for Vivi as a character, I thought the author did a superb representation.

Jonah



Did I like Jonah? Did I not? I have no idea. I found him to be someone who was a push over, completely unable to say no to anyone and simply going along with everything. This got incredibly frustrating when he let his siblings push him around and Vivi as well.

Example one:

“Are you busy tomorrow morning? I’m off work.”
“Not busy. Just home with the other three.”
“Good. I’ll bring supplies.”
“For what?”
“A Slip ’N Slide.” She flashes me that strawberry smile. “God, Jonah, keep up."

I'm sorry, this may have seemed all great and perfect, but I would have been annoyed. You're going to use his backyard and not even ask? C'mon Jonah, say no. Also, it felt like each time they had sex he said "something doesn't feel right" but refused to say anything.

Jonah ultimately was a character who didn't really say what he was feeling the slightest, and when he did snap there was no one there for him to vent to. Vivi didn't care, and his mum was comatose. The poor kid had to grow up at 17, and I know that feeling so on some level, I could relate to them - though ultimately I related to his older sister Naomi a lot more.

Plot

The plot was heavily reliant on the romance that was happening. How do I know this? Well, apart from Vivi stating it several times she also says this to Jonah after a two-week span of meeting or something:

“Hey, Jonah?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t really know how to break this to you,” I say. I hop down from the counter and look up at him. “But I think you are maybe falling in love with me.”

Now, it's not uncommon for me to read a book where the plot is heavily reliant on the romance between characters but in this case, I expected more. I wanted for the problems in the characters life to be more present, more challenging. However, I did not get that. I did get a diverse group of characters, or I felt so at least.

To compress this into a lot of gifs, here are my feelings on this books - in no particular order:











Yeah, you think you're confused.

Writing

The writing wasn't bad. It was quite beautiful and poetic. I really enjoyed it. If this book wasn't written in the fast way it was, I doubt I would have enjoyed it as much as I did (and I did enjoy this despite my review). I mean, I have nowhere else to put a bunch of quotes I enjoyed so I figured here is a better place than any:

“Here’s what I learned from the past five minutes: you can’t out-crazy Vivi Alexander. On the grouchy to blissful spectrum, she spends zero time in the middle. She wallops me with the change in her moods like a one-two punch. Thrilled! Pissed! And right now, with her glare burning into my skin, she hates me.”

“I’ve always loved the Wizard of Oz, you know? Every girl wants to be Dorothy Gale or maybe Glinda. I never wanted to be the tornado.”

“Maybe we were dying planets, Jonah, being drawn into the darkness.” I hold my right palm against his cheek, and I wish I could touch him with both my hands. “When we collided, we bounced each other back into orbit. And now we have to do that—we have to return to our own paths because that’s what we gave each other.”

Overall

Overall, a light read that lacked the overall substance I was hoping for.

“You wish for a boy to spend the summer with, and instead life gives you his whole beautiful family.”

[Joce (squibblesreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After sleeping on this review, I think I'm gonna give it the full 4. The problematic things I found were only slight, and being an #ownvoices book, I can see why some things were written how they were. There was one thing at the end of the book that smacked me in a tender spot, and I was proud of how she ended the book. The more I think about it, I find more things to applaud her for and less to say "I'd change this" to. It's not perfect and not gritty enough for my liking but the + > -.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

That’s the thing they never tell you about love stories: Just because one ends doesn’t mean it failed. A cherry pie isn’t a failure just because you eat it all. It’s perfect for what it is, and then it’s gone.”

I was expecting a cutesy romance in the He Said, She Said POV. It started out that way actually but it turned out so much different than my expectation. I know now never to associate the term “cutesy” with Ms. Emery Lord.

When We Collided is still a love story, albeit a bitter sweet one between two people who are going through something very difficult in their lives. Vivi is on her way to learning how to live with bipolar disorder while Jonah is struggling with parental roles (alongside his two older siblings) looking after his younger ones because of the death of their father leaving their mom grieving for months now in her bedroom.

The main issues of the story are mental health and grief and I appreciate how the author buried these subject matters in the love story of the main characters. Honestly, Ms. Lord is so adept at making the reader feel emotions. She made the character, Vivi, exactly to annoy and challenge not only Jonah but us readers as well. It’s so easy to get frustrated at her mood’s drastic changes, at her “Vivi-ness” and her being too self-involved. Any normal person wouldn’t want a girl with bipolar disorder for Jonah because he is already surrounded with depression while juggling too many things in his life but she made the reader see exactly that you don’t enter a relationship because it’s easy.

This is already my third book by the author and I’ve already noticed that with her, there is no pattern. You can never tell what you’ll get in each book and I like it very much. This is definitely not your conventional romance. It doesn’t end the way a hopeless romantic hopes it would but it makes perfect sense to the story. Just a few months ago, I’ve read and seriously loved The Start of Me and You. I’m officially a fan.

[Iulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivi and Jonah, two people with different burdens to bear, teach each other about hurt and healing. I overall liked this book, despite not being too fond of the romance and all the "extra" everything seemed to be soaked in. I found it a bit annoying that every single character in this novel is a bright, unique, fascinating and completely standout person . On the plus side, the atmosphere reminded me of the island where I spent several of my past summers, so I can definitely see how summer plus a magical place could equal unforgettable romance.

[Nadhira Satria · Rating 2 out of 5]

My bipolar ass is very disappointed rn. The rep was good and the mania is shown well but I just can’t stand the mc and the romance ugh

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried really hard to get into this book. I listened to the audio book. The narrators were not the issue. In fact, they were great. The book was just… Cliché? I'm not really sure how to describe it but it just didn't click with me. And I read the reviews so I know what mental illness Vivi has on though I guessed it from beginning but that could just be because I am currently studying psychology in college. I commend this book and the author for tackling Mental illness as always, just not the way it was written. And I know I only got to 4% but just the first chapter was odd. And the bit of the second chapter that I read as well. Maybe it's just because I'm getting older I don't really like these young adult books as much as I used to. I'm not sure though. I like some of them. It just seemed… I guess overdramatic. Again, I'm not sure how to describe it really. I mean, I definitely read some sappy books but it just seemed… I don't know. It was just… Something is definitely off in the first chapter. And it's not because of her mental illness. It was with the little I saw of his point of you as well. I really really did want to finish this book. I just can't get into it. Maybe it's just not for me? I don't know. I've considered trying to read this book again but honestly I'm not sure if I would be able to do it. It's just not for me. I know this review was horrible and rambling. I'm just not sure how to express in words how I feel about this book. Then again, I did only make it 4%. Innoway I feel like I'm judging too fast and too harshly but from the reviews I've read it seems as though this book continues on the similar path as what I have previously read and I did not really like that very much.

[Erin Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2016/05...

Confession: I decided to borrow this book from the library and read it because of the author's Twitter account. LOL! I wanted to read the book anyway, but her twitter account made me bump it up and read it now. I'm glad I did! I saw on someone's TTT post a while back that Emery Lord is a good one to follow on Twitter. So I followed her and I just love her hilarious and relatable tweets. Then I figured well if she writes this well on Twitter then surely her book is good, right? Well I absolutely LOVED it and it's all thanks to Twitter. How cool is that? I think more authors need to remember that Twitter can be such a great promotional tool! (Instead of getting involved in book blogger drama... but this post isn't about that.)
#AuthorsUseTwitterWisely

When We Collided is the first book by Emery Lord I've read and I'm still trying to get my emotions in check. Are all her books this way?? If they are then I need to read more of them. When I first started reading this one I kept thinking, "Oh this is such a cute summer romance novel." Then BAM! Emotions. I started noticing a few things about Vivi pretty early on and then I knew where the story was headed. I was not prepared for how accurately mental illness was depicted though. Many kudos to Emery Lord for doing her research!
#TooManyFeels

I really fell in love with Vivi and Jonah. I rooted for them to be together and I wanted so badly for both of them to be in a good place at the end of the book. I don't always root for a happy ending, but this time I really did. I don't mean that I wanted them to end up together either. I just wanted both Vivi and Jonah to be healed and happy at the end of the book regardless of the relationship. The romance (Do we even call this a romance?) was so well done, but there is much more to this story. The romance is only a small part of it. When We Collided is cute, messy, fun, and thought provoking. This book is really like a mixed bag of emotions.
#ViviAndJonah

I also loved all of Jonah's siblings! I can't recall reading a book where a main character had so many siblings. Plus they were actually IN the book, not just background people, and each sibling had their own distinct personality. Probably the only character I disliked was Jonah's mom, but I'm sure you're supposed to dislike her some. She had her own healing to do.
#SIBLINGS!

Overall When We Collided was more emotional and meaningful than I expected it would be. I love emotional books! Everything was worded so perfectly and really hit me in the feels. I love these characters and I was so invested in what would happen to them. Also, I just can't get over how accurate the depiction of mental illness is. I think that takes some major talent!
#Meaningful

I recommend When We Collided to fans of emotional YA contemporary novels. Even though this is a deep read it's still a perfect one to read for summer!
#SummerReading

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am just going to say I am not here to offend anyone- but I don't like when I don't necessarily like a novel, ((and I tell my opinion on it)) and it seems either people are just being nippy with me today or taking their anger out on me bc I don't necessarily love this novel. Just saying I'm 50 percent of the way done with this novel and it's just not for me and I seen mixed reviews on it so - I'm not the only one. :/ just saying. Maybe I'm reading peoples messages wrong or what, but don't get offended by my opinion- there is a lot of opinions out there about this novel. I don't necessarily make negative reviews all the time either- but I usually have constructive criticisms. Maybe I'm comparing this to all the bright places more than not - and I LOVED that book. Maybe I read them too close to each other- maybe I'm having a hard time because I like one better than the other.. but it doesn't mean I am insensitive to people's mental illnesses. That's all I'm going to say for now about the matter if I decide to finish the book I won't make anymore updates.

Sorry guys can't do it it's too -..well what is a word I can put it..Idk what to think of this book and I decided to put it down..it has a pretty cover and Jonah is relatable that is all I can really say about it. I get Viv as a mental illness- but I don't like her character and maybe that is dragging my feet to read the rest of this novel. DNF around 70 percent I can't. I am not saying the plot is bad - and I am not saying this isn't typical for a person with a high level of bipolar disorder, but I am upset on how Jonah is not seeing her weird mood swings and not saying anything about it. Violet saw Finches symptoms but when confronting him she done it all wrong. Jonah doesn't even see the symptoms yet he is letting her do all this crazy crap even though they are dating. She literally took a picture with a guy half naked- and Jonah automatically forgave her?...if I was Jonah I be pissed to the cloud 9 clouds wouldn't you guys agree with me? I don't know maybe I am being too harsh on the novel or what not. Maybe I shouldn't read books with sad qualities in it - it just makes me sad on what fictional people do to themselves. I am trying to take a less negative approach to this without sounding too negative. I will leave it at that for now.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't a totally into When We Collided when I started it but the more I read, it started to grow on me and by the end, I loved it for the most part.
I wasn't a fan of Vivi and she's pretty much the only reason that I didn't love this book from the start. I couldn't completely grasp her mental state and I just didn't feel like she was realistic. She was very much a manic pixie dream girl at first but the more I read, the more I could understand her so that's what led me to give this book four stars. I really struggled with Vivi's chapters in the beginning because I would rather read Jonah's chapters. I really really liked him and his family. Honestly, I would totally be down for a book just about Jonah and his family.
Overall, I wasn't totally thrilled with the first half of this book but I fell really hard for the characters in the second half. I thought about the end of this book for a good chunk of time after I finished it and it's still stuck with me. And even though I didn't completely love this book, I would still recommend it.

[Kelly]

I love the hell out of this love story. Vivi and Jonah are extremely well-developed characters dealing with real issues -- Vivi, bipolar disorder, and Jonah, taking care of his siblings while his mother grieves the death of his father.

Where Lord excels is in character building and relationships. I felt tension between the two but never felt it was unrealistic or love at first sight. And more, the thing that really resonated for me, was seeing Vivi experience bipolar disorder. Seeing Vivi deal with the trouble of choosing to medicate for her mental illness. Seeing the incredibly thoughtful lines in the book about how sometimes, your brain just screws up its chemicals and there's no shame in getting help or taking pills to fix that. That those imbalances do not in any way define you or change the essence of who you are. Sure, Vivi has sheer manic moments, but she's still a free spirit, an artist, and a soul longing to leave a mark in the world. And she does, even with meds.

A powerful read, as well as a sweet one. This will resonate with fans of Siobhan Vivian, Sara Zarr, and Tiffany Schmidt. This one made me think specifically about Bright Before Sunrise, especially in the interplay between the male and female leads, as well as how each of them helps teach one another about themselves.

This is one book with depression I'd recommend, one where there's not suicide or a mental-health-as-a-sexy-plot-line. It's real, it's honest, it's authentic, and it's so empathetic.

[Fani · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When we collided” is a young adult contemporary book about two teenagers, living in two different worlds and what happens to them when their paths cross one summer. Favorite quote:

“Do you know if the Verona Cove police are strict? I mean, like, on first-time offenders. Who may have created some, ahem, unsanctioned art on the local plant life. Asking for a friend, of course.”

Our heroine is Vivi, although she has bipolar disorder which caused her a lot of problems in the past, she decided to be brave and keep living her life. She is artistic, positive and during all her social interactions she seems pretty confident.

“ I don’t mind being introduced to people’s skeletons first hand, in person. I more than don’t mind it. I prefer to reach right into the closet and shake their bony hands and say hello for myself.”

Our hero, Jonah, after spending many years in his father’s restaurant has come to love cooking and he spends his time preparing food for the people he cares including his big family. However, his family is trying to survive a tragedy, not only Jonah’s father has recently died but his mother who cannot handle her grief for her husband’s death has left the care of her children to their older siblings, one of whom is Jonah. Not only he has to work for his father’s restaurant but he also has to take care of his many siblings and after six months of doing just that, he is nothing but exhausted.

“I’m going to murder my alarm clock one of these days. I don’t use my phone as an alarm because there’s a very real chance I’d chuck it out my attic room’s window. Every morning the clock shrieks, and I mentally flambé the whole damn thing. ”

That’s how we find our two characters in the beginning of this book and from the very first pages, their worlds immediately collide and change everything in their lives.

I went into this book expecting to find a romance story but as I kept reading I discovered that the main theme of this book is mental illness, grief and depression. Those themes were portrayed so beautifully that the romance seemed to fade in the background, it served more as a way to bring together the struggles each character faced into one story and it would have worked just as well if the protagonists were friends.

Their romance which sparked instantly may seem as an insta-love but I believe that the characters didn’t believe that they found the love of their lives the moment they met each other but instead they chose to be together out of excitement and desperation.

Vivi because of her bipolar disorder many times was overly excited and over the top energetic even a little obsessive with her artistic ideas and projects. So, after she meets Jonah she acts in her encounters with him with the same over the top enthusiasm.

Jonah on the other hand is so emotionally exhausted that he desperately needs something to destruct him from the tragedy his family is facing and that destruction comes in the form of Vivi. So, it’s not a big surprise that he immediately jumps into this romance with her.

Nonetheless, despite all the wrong reasons they chose one another, as the story continued, their flirting transformed into love.

I lie down in the cool grass beside him as planets collide above us, and we stay like this for a long time, down to every last crumb. My cheeks are wet, but oh, my heart—it is so full.

While reading each point of view(the book had dual point) I must say that Vivi’s was not my favorite, even though I really liked her artistic creativity and the adventure and happiness that she brought into Jonah’s life , she could be sometimes annoying.

I much preferred seeing Jonah’s way of thinking. His shyness and awkwardness around Vivi as well as his passion for cooking was definitely swoon worthy. However the most heartbreaking thing was his lowest moments, when he didn’t have any idea what was happening to Vivi or when he didn’t know how to take care of his family, when he realized that the person who should be taking care of him and his siblings wasn’t strong enough and he was the one who had to carry this burden and that left him utterly terrified.

Overall, I did enjoy this story, even though in the first chapters of this book I thought that I wouldn’t. If I had to recommend this book to someone I would recommend it to those who are looking for a book focused more on mental illness rather than romance.