When We Collided - by Emery Lord (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A vivid, emotional novel about life-changing summer love, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Jenny Han.

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

Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along.

Vivi didn't know Jonah would light up her world.

Neither of them expected a summer like this . . . a summer that would rewrite their futures.

In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.

"When We Collided is a book I wish could have written, but am so much better for having read." --Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

Review Quotes

"Nothing short of heartbreaking. These are definitely two teens worth rooting for in a tale that's several clicks above the usual frothy summer romance fare." --BCCB

"Lord sucks readers into the fully realized world of two teenagers and their messy, honest families. As much about the fragility of the human experience as it is about mental illness, this offers a refreshing perspective on a spectrum of mental health disorders. This love story veers away from tragedy, instead firmly entrenching itself in hope and possibility." --Booklist

"Filled with raw, descriptive truths . . . a powerful book for reader engagement . . . An absolute tearjerker romance with a powerful message about weightier topics of grief and mental illness." --starred review, School Library Journal

"This is more than a love story. When We Collided carefully yet effortlessly puts mental illness in conversation with the beauty and struggle of adolescence. It is a book I wish could have written, but am so much better for having read." --Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DUMPLIN' and SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY

"Searingly honest, gut-wrenchingly authentic, and deeply romantic, When We Collided is a gift of a novel. It tackles tough topics with nuance, and will make readers both laugh and cry, sometimes within the span of a page." --Jasmine Warga, author of MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES

"Vivi and Jonah's story will hit you deep in a book that shows what it means not only to be a person inflicted with mental illness, but to be the people that love them. In a word, fantastic!" --Andi of Andi's ABCs

"Fans of Jandy Nelson and Rainbow Rowell will fall in love with this poetic story of two damaged kids." --Daria Plumb, 2015 President of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) and secondary English Language Arts teacher

"There is an honest portrayal of how life can be jagged, with rough corners and uneven edges. But if you take a closer look, there's a beauty to these misshapen moments, outlined with hope." --Blogger Ginger Phillips at GReadsBooks!

"I can't shake Vivi, her mistakes and her growth, the way she changes, the way she loves, and I don't want to. She's a YA heroine who will matter so much to teens." --Angie Manfredi, Los Alamos County Library

"Emery weaves an emotional tale of two people who are essentially flawed, but so very human, navigating a relationship. She truly has a feel for the seventeen-year-old within all of us girls." --Cori Smith, Joseph-Beth Booksellers

"It's romance and excitement and nervousness and heartbreak and sadness. . . . The teens at my library will eat this up!" --Maggie Melson, Children's/Teen Librarian, St. Charles City-County Library District

"What happens when an irrepressible spirit meets a burdened teen? Magic, that's what. Emery Lord knows how to craft a romance." --Michael Fleming, Librarian, Pacific Cascade Middle School

"A fabulously entertaining story of friendship, healing, and love. Filled with laughter, heart, and a side of sass, this rock star debut will have you cheering for an encore!" --Elizabeth Eulberg, author of BETTER OFF FRIENDS, on OPEN ROAD SUMMER

About the Author

Emery Lord is the author of Open Road Summer; The Start of Me and You; When We Collided, which was a Schneider Family Book Award Winner, a YALSA-ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a YALSA-ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Books; and The Names They Gave Us. She lives in Ohio with her family and several shelves of books that she considers friends.
www.emerylord.com
@emerylord