Reviews

When Our Worlds Collided by Danielle Jawando

ezraloacire's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

easyvisionary's review against another edition

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5.0

This felt slow at the beginning but once the trio came together and started getting close and working through things this was everything. I fell in love with Danielle’s writing and couldn’t get enough of it.

thefireandblood's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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dramagirl2003's review against another edition

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challenging sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

ahhh some of the characters and situations made me so angry at times, so author’s job well completed! this is a book about racial injustice, and succeeds greatly in making the reader feel the injustice in their soul
age rating — 15+

thoughts while reading

p8: hehe jackson and aimee are cute together
p31: i am incredibly offended on jackson’s behalf
p60: dry eileen is very quickly growing on me, she sounds like an excellent foster mum
p73: honestly chantelle makes an excellent point, we need more diversity in school reading

‘My little cousin in Birmingham got killed and he was just eleven. It’s like, if you make it to twenty you’re doing well.’
💔😭

p100: NO

I hate this school so much sometimes, but the truth is, I'm actually pretty scared of leaving. This is all I've known for ages and what if I don't figure out what I'm supposed to do with my life?
damn that’s so relatable

I remember how my mum would run into my room and pull me out of bed, so she could hide behind me. Like I was some sort of human shield.
that is so freaking messed up dude

p250: this whole incident is really pissing me off. so blatantly racist, and this is gonna change jax’s life forever. next time he gets an unsolicited background check, this is gonna pop up even though none of this was his fault
p282: what the actual hell is wrong with harrison 😡
p307: nah i suspect that
eileen wants to make the placement more permanent
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rubiereads's review against another edition

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5.0

a perfect depiction of what life is like living as a black person in a predominantly white country. i feel slightly less alone after reading this

lancashire_kat's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

sgall75's review against another edition

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4.0

When Our Worlds Collided is a powerful, emotive YA novel that deserves to be on the shelves of every high school in the UK. Set in Manchester, the novel revolves around the lives of three teenagers who begin a friendship after being witnesses to the murder of a 14 year old boy on the streets of the city they live in. Jackson attends an elite private school and his sheltered life is shattered as he begins to awaken to the racism around him. Chantelle is strong and intelligent but finds that her upbringing in Moss Side causes her to face prejudice no matter how hard she tries and Marc, who finds it difficult to trust others after being brought up in the care system.

I found I was quickly absorbed in the stories of each of the main characters and shared their frustrations and anger with the injustices and prejudice they face daily. It was such a well written, thought provoking book that highlights how Black people are forced to behave and speak just to avoid the prejudice they face from the systematic racism of the media, justice system and society in general. There are some lovely light moments that the three teenagers share that help balance the harsh theme of the book.

This such a wonderful book that provides insight into the reasons why we still need to highlight the issue of racism, especially in the post BLM world we live in. I really enjoyed this novel and I've also bought a copy so my own teenage daughter can enjoy it too.

Thank you so much to the publishers and netgalley for providing me with an arc of this wonderful novel in return for an honest review.

rgoodhart's review against another edition

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5.0

What a gripping book. Shocking story of three teens drawn together in the aftermath of a stabbing in Manchester. Another title that highlights my white privilege and gives me some insights into experiences, mindsets etc. that are far outside my own.

I liked the three characters and appreciated seeing them coming to terms with different aspects of themselves.

A quote on the back described it as ‘a beautiful ode to found family’ and that was indeed a lovely theme.

miss_marples_teatime's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

scotsbookworm's review against another edition

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challenging emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0