A review by lnocita
When We Collided by Emery Lord

3.0

Sixteen year old Vivi is a whirling dervish delighting and enthralling everyone she encounters with ethereal charm, panache, and sincerity. She dances gleefully and fully living in the moment without a care until…she doesn’t. Jonah is reliable, kind, and careworn. The middle of five siblings, he carries the heavy burden of keeping his family together after the unexpected death of his dad. His mom is grief stricken and catatonic. Jonah juggles his own grief and worries about his family day to day. Needless to say that when Jonah and Vivi collide (not literally), the sparks fly. There’s romance and sexual activity, some profanity. But it’s also, importantly, a headlong dive exploring depression, grief, and bipolar disorder. Jonah is one of those 80s romcom kind of leading men any teen girl (or middle aged gal) might swoon for; truly a good guy. The end feels apropos—not neatly tidied up with a bow.