This book features a lot of racism towards Romani people, and a lot of parental abuse so if you don't think you can read that, don't. As well as that, I'm not Romani and neither are the authors so I'm sorry if I missed something problematic in the book or if I say something wrong in this review, please let me know.

After reading One by Sarah I thought I would read this, as Brian recently won some awards for his book The Bombs We Brought Together I was interested to try a joint foray by the pair. And I was impressed.

We Come Apart is about Nicu, who is a Romani Romanian who has immigrated to the UK so that his parents can earn money for his arranged marriage, and Jess who is struggling a lot at home as her mum's boyfriend is abusive. Nicu starts at Jess' school and Jess finds herself defending Nicu against her racist friends who she begins to realise are horrible people.

One thing I really loved about this book was that it was about a Romani boy, I've never read about someone who is Romani and I've never even heard of one. Romani people are basically the UK's punching bag, I couldn't even explain to you the disgusting tv shows I've see about them or the characters they are made out to be in dramas, it's gross. So because of this I thought it was really good to read from the point of view of someone who is Romani, again I will say though that neither of the writers are Romani and I don't know how much research they did so it might not be accurate. But based on my knowledge of the UK and the people who live here and how cruel British school kids are I would say that the the bulling the Nicu experiences is pretty accurate, in fact I felt like it was pulled back a bit.

What I would have to say about the Nicu story is that I felt like the whole "parents forcing him to get married" thing was quite a harmful stereotype. Of course with stereotypes there will be some people who are true to that stereotype but there's so many that aren't and I wish this book had given him a different storyline because I'm 100% sure there is more to Romani people than what we see in the media.

I'm still not really sure how I feel about books written in verse. They're great for a quick read and the often pack a real punch but I don't think I get the effect of them that other people get.

At times this book was super hard to read but it felt honest. Jess' home life was horrible but it wasn't glossed over. Neither was the life of teens living in an area which is considered to be impoverished. A lot of adults writing YA books seem to be under the impression that kids don't get violently drunk or have meaningless sex or get involved in drugs, but this book showed these things in a brutal light. I've lived in Glasgow I've seen the ways some people live when they don't have much money coming in, I've seen how their children grow up and this book felt very true to that.

I loved that it was in verse! Thank you to the Publisher for the review copy :))

This was an up and down book for me. I really liked how it was told in verse from dual perspectives. The premise of the story had me hooked and while parts of it were great, fantastic even. I felt there was something lacking.
It's hard to put a finger on it, but I guess what I'd say is I just wanted more. More depth to the characters and more to their story. This isn't because it was written in verse because I've read other books which have used that format with huge success.
Overall, I'd say that while this book was enjoyable and had some great moments. It didn't hook me as much as I thought it was, and I would up being disappointed with the ending.
So while I am glad I read it and mostly enjoyed it, it's not a book I would read again to rush to recommend to someone.

Absolutely made my heart sing and eyes brim with tears. A wonderful YA novel about teenage life - of not belonging, making sense of a broken world, of loving bravely, and chasing after one's dream for a better life. Nicu and Jess strive to understand each other, overcoming language barriers and cultural differences. This story touches me on a personal note due to my own status here as an expat/migrant come to reside in the UK (anyone else feels the sting of the connotations of expat and immigrant?) - a lot of the racism rings true. Crossan and Conaghan come together to bring us a poignant coming of age story that is guaranteed to make you cry (or blink tears away bravely if you happen to be on public transport).

As a teacher who is still thrusting 'One' into the hands of every student who asks me to recommend a book, I couldn't wait to read this and it certainly didn't disappoint. Sensitively rendered characters, brilliantly developed, gorgeously crafted narrative voices and a topic that could not be more timely. Everyone should read this book.

The relationship between the two vulnerable young people is beautifully described and the themes (including immigration, bullying, domestic violence) are sensitively explored. And all in verse. Impressive.

I am not going to lie, I was quite nervous of reading this book. While I hadn’t read any books by Sarah Crossan or Brian Conaghan, but I had heard only good things about Sarah Crossan’s previous novel ‘One’. I knew both that one and this book were written in free verse which was quite daunting to me. I’ve read unusual narrative’s before to critically acclaimed books, and I couldn’t get on with them at all, so I was nervous, but I really wanted to read something a little out of my comfort zone.

I am so glad I did and about 3 pages in, I put my Kindle down, ordered ‘One’ and then went back to reading this wonderful story. It is quite a quick read, but that doesn’t stop the story being simply beautiful.

Each author has taken charge of a different character. Jess is a troubled teenage girl who lives with her mum, who’s in an abusive relationship. Nice is Romanian, and is determined to make the most of his life in England.

I adored both characters. It was so sad seeing Jess’s situation at home. It just goes to show that because someone acts loud and rebellious, there is often a reason behind it. Any other circumstance, I would find it hard to connect with Jess, but I was so wishful that life was different for both Jess and her mum. Jess, when you got to know her was a really nice person, she was the only person to give Nicu the time of day and see him as a human being. It would of been easy to ignore him from peer pressure, but their friendship grows and it is lovely to read.
I really liked Nicu too, he genuinely seemed keen to learn and fit in, but was barely given a chance, by both his father (who was abusive and arranging a marriage for Nicu) and people at school who were beyond rude and it was some uncomfortable reading.

Then there was the last third which really got to me. |t was part anger-inducing and really sad at the same time. This book was a great read, and definitely has pushed me to try more books I’d normally be nervous to try.

I loved this. I read it so quickly. I loved both of the characters. Their stories seemed so honest and true.

I have read several books over the last year or two that, in my opinion, are spoiled by having too many threads to the plot. This latest offering from award winning author Sarah Crossan, in collaboration with Brian Conaghan, has so many sub-plots that it's difficult to engage properly with any of them. It is a very short book, written in verse, as are all Crossan's books, and told in alternating chapters by the two main characters, Jess and Nicu. Having read One, I had high expectations of this book but because it tries to cover so many different issues in so few pages it ends up only scratching the surface. I also felt that it had a quite a bleak outlook, almost everyone was racist, Jess's friends are all horrible, the teachers either turn a blind eye or join in. I'm not sure what the message of the book is, children's and YA books don't have to be happy ever after but this left me feeling quite depressed.
I would have liked the book more if the authors had explored just one or two themes in greater depth rather than take a sort of scatter gun approach. I also found Nicu's pidgin English laboured and unnecessary.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

WE COME APART is a timely and moving story about two teens who come together from very different places. Though Jess and Nicu have radically different backgrounds, and even different first languages, they share a connection which only develops and grows stronger. This story touches on race, immigration, family and friendship, and really makes you think about being in someone else's shoes. An excellent book to introduce someone to the idea of casual racism, discrimination and the positives of diversity.

I loved this book. Nicu and Jess are wonderful characters who completely come alive on the page, and I loved seeing them change as they got to know each other. I also found the things they have to go through really painful reading, but this is one of the things that makes it so good. I absolutely loved the book and it's right up there as one of the best I've read this year!

Was a bit confusing to begin with, as Nicu's broken English and Jess's words collided to create this story. Quite a moving story which leaves readers sat on the edge of their seats asking what happened and what will happen to the two main characters. Very well written!

Jess and Nicu. They meet during community service, they become friends, they both have home lives they want to escape, for different reasons. But how do you escape when the world seems like it can never change? What future is there when surviving the present takes your strength?

This is a wonderful book where every word deserves to be read, considered and thought about. It's beautifully written in free verse, deceptively easy to read in a way that highlights every emotion, and features characters that get under your skin. A tour de force.

I am a big fan of Sarah Crossan and really enjoyed the Carnegie award winning 'One' last year. This is a very interesting collaboration with Brian Conaghan about an English girl and a Roma boy.
I read this in one sitting as you want to race through this to find out what happens. Loved it

We Come Apart is driven by an intensity that forces the reader to sit up and take notice from the beginning. Written in sublime verse by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan, We Come Apart is a modern tale of two star crossed lovers, told from the dual viewpoint's of protagonists Jess and Nicu.

Equal parts hopeful, humbling and heartbreaking. Please read this stunning novel.

Thanks to Bloomsbury for the ARC via Netgalley

This book was one of my most anticipated books of 2017 and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Sarah Crossan is a magnificent writer and I love that she writes her stories in verse. In this book Sarah Crossan is collaborating with Brian Conaghan the author of The Bombs That Brought Us Together and When Mr Dog Bites.

The story follows Nicu and Jess, two unlikely friends that meet at a youth reform course for being caught shoplifting. Nicu has recently emigrated to the UK from Romania and struggling to be accepted, whilst Jess lives at home with her mother and abusive step father and wants to get away.

This book was told in dual perspective, I am presuming from reading Sarah’s other books that she wrote Jess and Nicu was written by Conaghan, I enjoyed that It was written in verse and made it a quick enjoyable read. Nicu’s character is written in broken English which I thought was a cool idea but I felt that the two characters didn’t connect very well as their voices were so different.

There were some really powerful messages in this book E,g how difficult it can be for immigrants to accepted, having to learn a new language and way of life. The most astonishing part of this was how the teachers treated Nicu.Due to his limited English and them having no idea of the curriculum over in Romania, he was put in the lowest classes and not even assessed as to how much he knew. The saddest part was that the teachers would never engage with him,I just wanted to give the poor boy a hug.

Jess’ mother is in an abusive relationship, she starts stealing and acting out at school, when she makes friends with Nicu it’s only at the youth reform group, even though he goes to her school. When they start becoming closer Jess is witness to the bullying that Nicu endures on a daily basis and starts standing up for him even if it is against her so-called friends.

Nicu is a more memorable character than Jess and you will become very fond of him due to everything he goes through, but both characters have great development. This book deals with topics such as bullying, domestic violence and gangs.

Crossan always manages to incorporate prevalent issues that are happening in the world today such as Brexit and racism. If you enjoyed One or The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan then you will certainly enjoy this.

I rated this 3 out of 5 stars.

To my mind, Sarah Crossan has never bettered The Weight of Water, a grossly underrated novel. This veers very close to that quality, and the two authors make an excellent team. This doesn't really feel like two authors at all, despite the obvious division of labour. Sarah's chapters are better, perhaps because she has set herself slightly less to do. She portrays teenage angst at her finest in this novel and the ending is crushing (I can't be the only person who was reminder of Junk in terms of the escape plot) Brian's character has limited English but his verse is easy to understand and his character empathetic.

I loved One by Crossan and looked forward to reading this but for some reason neither plot captured me and I just didn't care what happened to either character - there just seemed to be too many issues in one book.

a very clever book and so relevant today.. two young people who at first glance seem culturally miles apart, but as a result of falling foul of the law have to spend time together and become star-crossed lovers. Nicu's stumbling English and struggle to avoid being bullied by both peers and teachers at school is depressing to read , as is Jess to whom appearances mean a lot and yet her family life means that she has such a lot to hide. A bleak, emotional read.

I've seen lots of people online talking about just how relevant this book is and the timing of its release couldn't be better. With Trump's stupid ban and Brexit causing increasing rate of race-related crimes and abuse, the young adult audience need to be made aware of the seriousness of these issues and the pain they cause.

Jess is a Year 10 student dealing with an abusive step-father. Often forced into filming her mother's torment, Jess knows that if she acts out it is her mum who will experience the punishment. Trapped and rebellious, Jess has no real friends to turn to. Then there's Niku, the other half of the narrative. Niku is Romanian and moves to England temporarily with his family so that they can earn money and send some of it back home. Niku wants to settle in England despite the racism sent his way, but his family keep talking about going home and providing him with an arranged marriage.

Of course, Jess and Niku connect and a friendship is formed. The dynamics between the pair are constantly evolving and based upon young adult conventions such as social acceptance and slang, but in some ways it is more true a friendship than many adult ones. I loved how Niku was very patient with Jess and kept his thoughts separate from his actions, exemplifying maturity that his peers not only think he is incapable of, but is in fact more noteworthy than their own. Meanwhile, the background characters in the story, Meg, Dan and so on, aren't developed at all but this isn't necessary as they are there to play the roles of the 'society' - to be representations and nothing more.

I feel like it would be impossible to write a review of We Come Apart without mentioning the writing style. Calling it "unique" feels like an understatement. It could have been a poem in parts. The use of minimal language which carried huge significance meant that the book was memorable, fluid in form and had a sense of immediacy. Like the characters were telling their story to only you.

I heard recently that statistically more women read or are "better" readers because they are typically more empathetic and reading is about empathising with characters. Whether you think this is true or not, I thoroughly empathised with both Jess and Niku. The ending was so emotionally powerful, packed with so much that I had to re-read it multiple times.

We Come Apart was a quick read but one that was nonetheless strikingly poignant. It's a special book that I hope will find its way into the hands of many readers who can also appreciate how important these issues are.