Vivi falls in love with Verona Cove almost immediately. It is a small, painfully quaint town that seems to be brimming over with possibility. The perfect place for her painter mother to find inspiration this summer. The perfect place for Vivi to regroup after her painful departure from Seattle months ago. With a job in the pottery shop, breakfast at the diner each morning, and the perfect view of the ocean when she throws one of her pills away, Vivi is sure that this summer is going to be just perfect.
Jonah has been struggling. His father’s death is still a gaping, ragged hole of grief. His mother is falling apart–lost in depression that might be grief or might be clinical. He and his older siblings have been trying to keep the family together and mind their three younger siblings. But Jonah is starting to cave under the responsibilities and obligations.
Vivi and Jonah never expected to meet, much less fall in love. Over the course of one tumultuous summer they will do that and more. Together Vivi and Jonah might have all of the pieces to heal themselves. But after learning how to be together, they might also have to learn how to survive apart in When We Collided (2016) by Emery Lord.
When We Collided is Lord’s third novel.
This novel is narrated by Vivi and Jonah in alternating first-person chapters as they each tell their own stories and the story of their growing relationship. Vivi is coming to terns with her diagnosis with bipolar disorder (and the aftermath of her last manic episode) while trying to have a quiet summer with her mother. Jonah is still shattered by his father’s premature death and the sudden responsibilities he has had to take on as a result.
While Lord once again offers readers a sweet romantic plot, it is misleading to call this book a romance. Instead When We Collided is more the story of two people who meet at the right time–exactly when they need each other and when they can help each other the most.
Lord does a great job making Vivi’s life with bipolar disorder realistic and authentic. She is much more than her diagnosis. Her narration is frenetic and vibrant and makes it painfully clear when things begin to slip. While the trope of avoiding medication is tiresome, it’s handled decently in When We Collided and does end with Vivi committed to treatment and agreeing to discuss options more fully with her doctor before making and sudden decisions.
(There’s also a side-plot with Vivi looking for her father which is messy, poorly explained, and could have done with more research and development.)
By contrast, Jonah is easily the more grounded of the two and readily lets himself get swept up in Vivi’s whirlwind. His life is a nice contrast to Vivi’s and underscores that everyone has something they are working through and moving toward.
When We Collided doesn’t end neatly. Vivi and Jonah’s story is messy and complicated and open-ended. Neither character knows what will come next, and neither do readers. The only thing that’s clear for these two incredibly strong teens is that they are better for know each other and, no matter what comes next, they are going to be okay. Lord delivers another compelling and engrossing novel here. Recommended for fans and readers looking for romantic stories with complex characters and realistic portrayals of mental illness.
Possible Pairings: Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman, Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark, Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert, Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan, The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp, Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, This Raging Light by Estelle Laure, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales, As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti, Wild Awake by Hillary T. Smith, The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
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