The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
bbrookesmith23's review against another edition
5.0
Wildly underrated, brilliant book!
I was lucky enough to hear the Danielle discuss her book at a talk for my university. What really struck me was how down to earth she was and that really comes through in the writing.
Chantelle, Jackson and Marc are normal teenagers facing all the challenges of puberty, and being black in modern Manchester. Their voices are strong, as are their stories. This book had a lump in my throat more than once, I really connected to and cared for the characters and felt particularly emotional about the injustices they faced.
Overall ‘When Our Worlds Collided’ was a great read, one that was deploy emotive and entertaining but also stayed with me far beyond the last page.
I was lucky enough to hear the Danielle discuss her book at a talk for my university. What really struck me was how down to earth she was and that really comes through in the writing.
Chantelle, Jackson and Marc are normal teenagers facing all the challenges of puberty, and being black in modern Manchester. Their voices are strong, as are their stories. This book had a lump in my throat more than once, I really connected to and cared for the characters and felt particularly emotional about the injustices they faced.
Overall ‘When Our Worlds Collided’ was a great read, one that was deploy emotive and entertaining but also stayed with me far beyond the last page.
fennyisreding's review against another edition
3.0
“I didn't wanna stick around when the police got there, in case they saw me and thought I was involved. I didn't wanna end up being arrested, or searched, like what normally happens.”
A coming-of-age story of three teenagers, who came together when something happened at the mall one day. If you’re a big fan of Angie Thomas, look out for this book because it’s very immersive and hard to put down. Content warnings include themes that may find upsetting, including racism, violence and death.
What I really like about this book was that it talks about the struggles of being a part of the black community albeit your family’s background. There were a few instances that I just wanted to throw the book across the room because I felt that it wasn’t fair for these teenagers being put at fault just for the colour of their skin!
Not going to lie, the pace in the middle was getting slow and the ending was slightly anti-climactic but that’s the truth about racism, isn’t it? That it’s still is an ongoing issue today and that’s just upsetting.
Many thanks to @definitelybooks #pansing for this powerful review copy! This book will come out at the end of March 2022 so watch out for this book in any good bookstores!
A coming-of-age story of three teenagers, who came together when something happened at the mall one day. If you’re a big fan of Angie Thomas, look out for this book because it’s very immersive and hard to put down. Content warnings include themes that may find upsetting, including racism, violence and death.
What I really like about this book was that it talks about the struggles of being a part of the black community albeit your family’s background. There were a few instances that I just wanted to throw the book across the room because I felt that it wasn’t fair for these teenagers being put at fault just for the colour of their skin!
Not going to lie, the pace in the middle was getting slow and the ending was slightly anti-climactic but that’s the truth about racism, isn’t it? That it’s still is an ongoing issue today and that’s just upsetting.
Many thanks to @definitelybooks #pansing for this powerful review copy! This book will come out at the end of March 2022 so watch out for this book in any good bookstores!
melsage1823's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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? No
5.0
Disclaimer: As a non black reader, my review my unintentionally have bias. Please check out own voices reviews to get proper qualified opinions on the representation.
An emotional, raw and brutally honest story about racism in the UK and how it can affect young black teens.
I loved this novel so much, it touched my heart and had me crying almost every chapter. Jawando knows how to write authentic raw povs that made me really connect with the characters of Chantelle, Jackson and Marc. She managed to tell an incredible story of how injustice can affect people and how messed up the justice system.
This novel was perfect and definitely deserves five stars. Honestly it's flaws are easily dismissable due to how much of punch this story is. It felt like a brutal wake up call to how bad racism is in the UK and that it doesn't just happen in America its everywhere. I'll get into my two flaws before getting into what I liked.
Firstly as someone who only left high school a few years ago as of this review, I can assure you that Grade 10 does not exist. GCSES go from grade U-9 with 9 being the highest. Jawando does an absolutely brilliant job of bringing the town of Manchester to life so as a result its super jarring to hear about grades that don't exist. I hope for future novels she does more research so mistakes like that don't happen.
Finally it's a minor nit pick but I thought I'd call it out. Although as a queer person I loved the representation I feel like they should have ratioed the relationships a bit better. It kinda feels like the heterosexual relationship in this book was an afterthought which is such a shame since there's not much black queer representation out there. No shade to the heterosexual relationship in the book though, they were a cute well built up couple.
Right, onto my main positives. First I loved how diverse the story was. Without spoiling anything Jawando showcases all the different struggles black people face in the UK in a meaningful and sensitive way. From fostercare to the justice system to the education system Jawando makes sure to show how rigged the system is against black people. She even shows how class doesn't help black people much at all. Being broad and diverse made this an educational read too I feel like if the novel only focused on the injustice of Shaqs stabbing it would have felt hallow so I'm glad Jawando wrote incredible storylines for all three of our main characters.
Secondly I loved the characters. Writing multi pov requires a lot of pratice and Jawando succeeds at this massively. Jackson, Marc and Chantelle are all fleshed out equally and given their own character arcs that are wrapped up beautifully. We see not only how Shaqs stabbing has affected them and changed them but also struggling and coping with the regular injustices that come their way as black teenagers. The trios dynamic is developed across the story too and it makes you come to route and care about their friendship.
Finally the ending. Without giving any spoilers the ending happens at the right pace and also happens in a realistic way. If I were to describe it I'd say its like a punch in the face and then a bitter sweet taste. Its sad and happy but also realistic. Through her genius writing Jawando makes the reader understand that with how strife racism is in the UK a happy ending wasn't realistic but its not completely hopeless. I also like how the ending was kinda foreshadowed at the very beginning of the book.
Overall a raw but incredibly real and elegantly written story with well developed characters, good foreshadowing and an incredible black solidarity friendship at the forefront of everything. Highly recommended, I'm so glad I picked this up even though it wasn't on my list.
An emotional, raw and brutally honest story about racism in the UK and how it can affect young black teens.
I loved this novel so much, it touched my heart and had me crying almost every chapter. Jawando knows how to write authentic raw povs that made me really connect with the characters of Chantelle, Jackson and Marc. She managed to tell an incredible story of how injustice can affect people and how messed up the justice system.
This novel was perfect and definitely deserves five stars. Honestly it's flaws are easily dismissable due to how much of punch this story is. It felt like a brutal wake up call to how bad racism is in the UK and that it doesn't just happen in America its everywhere. I'll get into my two flaws before getting into what I liked.
Firstly as someone who only left high school a few years ago as of this review, I can assure you that Grade 10 does not exist. GCSES go from grade U-9 with 9 being the highest. Jawando does an absolutely brilliant job of bringing the town of Manchester to life so as a result its super jarring to hear about grades that don't exist. I hope for future novels she does more research so mistakes like that don't happen.
Finally it's a minor nit pick but I thought I'd call it out. Although as a queer person I loved the representation I feel like they should have ratioed the relationships a bit better. It kinda feels like the heterosexual relationship in this book was an afterthought which is such a shame since there's not much black queer representation out there. No shade to the heterosexual relationship in the book though, they were a cute well built up couple.
Right, onto my main positives. First I loved how diverse the story was. Without spoiling anything Jawando showcases all the different struggles black people face in the UK in a meaningful and sensitive way. From fostercare to the justice system to the education system Jawando makes sure to show how rigged the system is against black people. She even shows how class doesn't help black people much at all. Being broad and diverse made this an educational read too I feel like if the novel only focused on the injustice of Shaqs stabbing it would have felt hallow so I'm glad Jawando wrote incredible storylines for all three of our main characters.
Secondly I loved the characters. Writing multi pov requires a lot of pratice and Jawando succeeds at this massively. Jackson, Marc and Chantelle are all fleshed out equally and given their own character arcs that are wrapped up beautifully. We see not only how Shaqs stabbing has affected them and changed them but also struggling and coping with the regular injustices that come their way as black teenagers. The trios dynamic is developed across the story too and it makes you come to route and care about their friendship.
Finally the ending. Without giving any spoilers the ending happens at the right pace and also happens in a realistic way. If I were to describe it I'd say its like a punch in the face and then a bitter sweet taste. Its sad and happy but also realistic. Through her genius writing Jawando makes the reader understand that with how strife racism is in the UK a happy ending wasn't realistic but its not completely hopeless. I also like how the ending was kinda foreshadowed at the very beginning of the book.
Overall a raw but incredibly real and elegantly written story with well developed characters, good foreshadowing and an incredible black solidarity friendship at the forefront of everything. Highly recommended, I'm so glad I picked this up even though it wasn't on my list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Hate crime
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Classism, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment
gracwalk's review
emotional
tense
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? No
4.0
blakeisgreene's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
bonkyboot's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
5.0
WOW. I had never heard of this book until I went to a panel which Danielle was on. It was YA so there were parts which definitely weren't aimed at me and it isn't something I'd usually read but I flew through this in two sittings. It was heartwarming, heartbreaking, and perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
xan_48's review
5.0
When our Worlds Collided by Danielle Jawando
Expectations: Hoping for some fresh writing; I love a YA read, loved that this is a UK author with Manchester as a setting. I read so many US YA authors that I was excited to read something different.
What's it about: 3 teenagers witness the stabbing of 14 year old Shaq outside of a busy shopping centre. The incident brings strangers Chantelle, Jackson & Marc together because as witnesses to the same crime they understand each other's feelings in a way no-one else can. What the incident brings into light for each of them is their own experiences of racism in places that are meant to be safe (home, school, friendship groups) and the impact it has on each one of them.
My Thoughts: 5/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is quite a hard-hitting book, that is not afraid to address issues head-on. It's full of empathy and the idea of finding something special, even when the world around you is falling apart. As a white person, who has white privilege it was really eye-opening for me to see things from a different perspective and made me question my own thoughts about race.
Summary
A captivating, hard-hitting book. Although upsetting, it was also warming and hopeful. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone as both a page-turning, exciting read but also as an opportunity to question your own & other's behaviours.
Expectations: Hoping for some fresh writing; I love a YA read, loved that this is a UK author with Manchester as a setting. I read so many US YA authors that I was excited to read something different.
What's it about: 3 teenagers witness the stabbing of 14 year old Shaq outside of a busy shopping centre. The incident brings strangers Chantelle, Jackson & Marc together because as witnesses to the same crime they understand each other's feelings in a way no-one else can. What the incident brings into light for each of them is their own experiences of racism in places that are meant to be safe (home, school, friendship groups) and the impact it has on each one of them.
My Thoughts: 5/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is quite a hard-hitting book, that is not afraid to address issues head-on. It's full of empathy and the idea of finding something special, even when the world around you is falling apart. As a white person, who has white privilege it was really eye-opening for me to see things from a different perspective and made me question my own thoughts about race.
Summary
A captivating, hard-hitting book. Although upsetting, it was also warming and hopeful. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone as both a page-turning, exciting read but also as an opportunity to question your own & other's behaviours.
lostintheplot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Violence and Police brutality
theatrekidpoppy's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I loved this book! It’s the best book I’ve ever read!
jo_the_bookworm's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0