Simple, flowing writing that has so much to say. Two unique voices with a story to tell. You want so much for these characters, but know deep down what they are up against. A brilliant, honest, read.

Updated Romeo and Juliet tale. The voices of the protagonists ring true all through this book. A short book, so good for reluctant teenage readers.

I love the telling of this story from two different view points. I felt most sympathetic for Nicu - I think his 'accent' came across very well and showed how trapped he is by his culture and inability to speak English. I would hate to think that the racism shown by his peers at school would really be tolerated/unobserved by the teaching staff but it is a necessary plot device. Jess is also trapped but if she would only open up there would be help - this is frustrating at times, but again the plot wouldn't work if she did. There is a climatic ending but not quite what I hoped for. I hope the characters have a happy life in the end!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

In a post-Brexit world, the theme of this novel is fascinating. Jess and Nicu come from different worlds - both very difficult and trying in their own ways. Jess has a stepfather with a temper and Nicu is Romanian with the expectation of an arranged marriage on his shoulders. Through rebellion, they meet at a Community Payback programme and in their challenging school.

Nicu is the target of a multitude of hateful words and childish misunderstandings, hurled at him by children who do believe that he should be made to leave. Jess watches from afar, knowing Nicu better through their mutual Saturday hobby but is struggling to come to terms with who she should be (she's always been naughty, so surely that's her lot?). Jess's background to me was expected and whilst I appreciated her growth, I was more curious about Nicu and the role he played within the story.

Ultimately, I found We Come Apart interesting. I enjoyed it, and the approach of writing in prose - like in Sarah Crossan's One - was affecting. By the end, I was an emotional wreck. Watching the impact campaigns like Brexit have had on our social and cultural interactions, to see it from a teenager's perspective was powerful and well chosen. I recommend it but maybe not for the reasons you would think. The story was a little thin and maybe a tad rushed (that comes from writing in prose, I think). I do believe, however, a novel like this can enlighten teenagers to the impact that words can have and how their falsehoods, fed to them by an inaccurate source, come from a place of misconception. We all belong here - whether that's Britain or the planet - but for some, there's no such place of Home Sweet Home.

Loved it. Another great book from Sarah Crossan which you want to keep reading. Written in verse, makes it easy and quick to read, however the multiple layers of subtext enables the reader to understand the characters and the big issues they are facing. I was a little disappointed with the ending as I was itching to know what happened next. Did Jess come back to find Nicu? Was Nicu arrested and did he go through with the arranged marriage? Please say there Will be a sequel.

I am generally not a big fan of verse novels, although this one was very easy to read. It was a short, 2 hour read but in the time covered some horrific and heartbreaking topics.
This one is a three and half staff read for me, I felt the authors were able to bring the two characters, Jess and Nicu together in a seamless way but I wasn't able to really connect with either of them, and I think this is because of non preference for verse novels.
The ending - I was expecting a big bang of an ending but was left a bit underwhelmed.

Thanks to Bloomsbury for the ARC via Netgalley.

I'm lately very curious about co-written novels. How they originated, how they work, who writes what, when. I find it fascinating. It makes me think of future pairings, dream writing teams...

And this book, We Come Apart, written by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan is very intriguing. I've read books by Sarah Crossan before and loved everything she's written and also read the one book by Brian Conaghan and found it very unusual and interesting. This pairing isn't one that would spring to mind naturally, but I think it worked very well.

We Come Apart is a novel told in verse. I love verse novels, I think they manage to convey so much depth and emotion in fewer words and I'm usually in awe of that fact. This book manages that very well. Some of my favourite poems were quite short but each word managed to hit a place in my heart.

This is a dual-perspective verse novel told in alternating chapters from the two main characters. Nicu is a Romanian immigrant in the UK with his family. His parents are hoping to earn enough money for Nicu to return home and marry, though Nicu is struggling with the limitations on his future. And Jess is also struggling in her home life that is overshadowed by an abusive step father. The pair meet after being caught shoplifting and sentenced to community service.

I think one of my favourite aspects of We Come Apart is how subtly it engaged my emotions. As in, I wasn't fully aware of how much I had to come to care for both Jess and Nicu until something more dramatic began to happen in the last quarter of the novel that made me realise that what I was feeling was shock, anger and devastation.

My only complaint about this book is that I wanted it to be longer. Well I appreciated the ending that this book has, I also wanted more. I wanted more of these characters and to learn more about their stories.

(This review will appear on my blog, flutteringbutterflies.com on Friday, 20 January)

I called 'One' by Sarah Crossan as the winner of the Carnegie Medal as soon as I read it, roughly six months beforehand, and I was over the moon because it was one of the greatest YA books I've ever read (and one of the best books I've read every in general, to be honest). 'We Come Apart' does exactly the same job of willing two characters to find happiness and then tearing my heart in two along the way, whilst making me utterly overjoyed to have borne witness to it.

This is, of course, jointly written with author Brian Conaghan, and it's clearly a writing match made in heaven. It's done in the same poetical prose-style of 'One' and 'The Weight of Water' that Sarah has used previously, which is so beautifully done that it instantly makes books like this stand out from most anything else currently available.

I feel every so privileged to get to read it before it goes on sale properly, and I want to spend as much time as possible singing its praises to everyone I meet. I love YA titles that have every bit the same impact emotionally as you would find in an adult book, perhaps more so when you consider that what happens in this story happens to two people still in their teens.

I don't know whether I'd said it's better than 'One', only that it deserves to be read every bit as much, and that it's going to have every bit as much chance of winning the Carnegie Medal as the other.

WE COME APART tells the story of a working class girl called Jess and a Romanian boy named Nicu whose path cross when taking part in a Reparation scheme after both get caught for theft. Nicu struggles to find his place in his new home – a country where he faces prejudice and racism. Jess faces abuse in her home life, and wishes to escape. Both find comfort in each other and bond over their pain and their friendship turns to romance and they see hope in each other.

WE COME APART is a free verse novel, which therefore made it a quick read. I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as Sarah Crossan’s other free verse novel ONE, but it was an okay read. I felt that the characterisation was lacking is places, perhaps due to it being such a sort read, so I felt that the characters and the romance were not as fleshed out as they could have been.

Nicu is Romani, originally from Romania. I can’t speak for this representation, but I was uncomfortable with how often the g**** slur was used, even when considering the context it was used in, as racism against Romani people is rife in Britain. The book featured this slur to highlight this racism – especially prevalent in a post-Brexit Britain – and while it was sometimes called out in the text, I still feel like it could be harmful to some readers.

I liked the fact that Jess was a working class British girl, something we don’t see very often in UKYA, but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped, especially considering how much I loved Sarah Crossan’s other novel.

RATING: ★★★☆☆

**Disclaimer: eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

First off, One was one of my favourite books of last year and so when a new Sarah Crossan book came across the horizon, I pounced on it. If you haven’t read One yet, just know that it’s a beautiful and quick read, and well worth the hype.

We Come Apart is a new book from Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan, told from dual perspectives. Nicu is a Romanian immigrant, who has come to the UK with his mum and dad to earn some extra cash for his upcoming arranged marriage. Jess is a British girl who has fallen in with the wrong crowd, and who is experiencing domestic violence at home. They meet at a youth reparation scheme, picking up litter, and become friends.

I love reading novels in verse since I picked up One - it’s a really powerful medium, but also really quick and accessible to read. The writing here is also really clever - Nicu’s broken English was difficult to get used to at first but really brought life to a character struggling with his English language skills.

This book was especially poignant regarding racism in the wake of Brexit, and the bullying Nicu faces is worsened by taunts of ‘I though we’d voted you out of this country’.

Due to the topics discussed in this book, I imagine some readers might find it difficult to read and please do keep that in mind before picking this one up.

I only had two issues with the book - one is that I wanted more from the conclusion, and the other that I felt Jess’s storyline coming from a working class household blighted with domestic violence was a little cliché and perhaps dangerous (but this is a symptom of fiction in general I think).

If you enjoyed One, We Come Apart is another great novel from Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan and well worth the read. I’m looking forward to more books from these two authors!

Brilliant. Utterly brilliant. Individually Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan are seriously good writers. Together they have created a masterpiece. We Come Apart is subtle but hits with the weight of a sledgehammer as the reader is forced to face uncomfortable truths. As a jointly written novel it is superb with no jarring in the rhythm or style. Their writing maturity is apparent all the way through and is highlighted in the ending. Read this book!

I was very lucky to receive this book from NetGalley - thanks very much to them!

I read this last night in about an hour or so and LOVED IT. It’s a dual voice book and also in verse – good sales point for those not wanting something too long/big - and as a secondary school librarian, being aware of books of that ilk is excellent!

It took me a little while to get into - largely because of the male character’s voice. He’s Romanian and his English is fairly average – so, initially, I found it somewhat jarring. As the book progresses, though, he improves…occasionally not using QUITE the right words, phrases and sayings. By that point, however, I found it really endearing and funny! Thus, I got past the jarring element pretty quickly. :-D It didn’t end at all the way I thought it would, which was great – bit of a twist (to me, anyway). It probably seemed obvious in hindsight, but at the time, I was quite surprised! ;-)

The authors did a great job of writing a story that I was able to mentally conjure up REALLY vividly. To me, that's an indication of an excellent book - if I can "see" things happening in my head, the authors have definitely engaged me - and my imagination. I got very angry at some of the characters, too (rightly so, I think!)...I found them very well-written and "real".

Definitely worth reading and I am recommending we purchase this book for the school library.

Utterly stunning.
Less is more when it comes to Sarah crossan. discovered her through 'one" last year which I have gone on to recommend far and wide.
This may be classed as YA but it's very much for all ages. It is very much one for current U.K. Market particularly the treatment of migrants since brexit, but all the more heartbreaking as it is teenagers behind the abuse. Rooted for Jess and Nico throughout, to the very end. Stunning

An absolute delight - and not at all what I was expecting.
Similar to 'One' in that the story is told in verse, but here we have two distinct voices. Jess and Nicu are troubled in ways that will touch a chord with readers, and their determination to find something positive in each other was uplifting. I loved the style of Nicu's voice, but it was Jess's story that I found compelling - perhaps because it'll be easier for teen readers to understand.
Though the climax felt like it came upon us very suddenly, this left me with a real sense of hope and optimism (even if it was open-ended) and some rather damp eyes!

The individual voices in this story, Niku and Jess, are distinct and different to anything I’ve read. I loved them. I swallowed this book in a big gulp in one sleepless night. Jess has a horrific home life, she is fighting to stay in her home but the bully her mother is living with is terrorising her and her mum. She is forced to watch her mum get beaten. Niku is Romanian and has come to England with his family, he cannot speak English and is treated badly by his classmates but along with these struggles, he is being forced into marriage to a girl he has never met back in his home country. It sounds dreadful, it is dreadful, but it is a story which has hope. It also has one of the most shocking endings, it left me open mouthed with shock.

Buy it for your high school library, this is quality literature and I highly recommend it.

As you can see from the cover, these authors are critically acclaimed. Sarah Crossan won the Carnegie Medal for her verse book about conjoined twins, One, which Maddie adored in 2015. We also knew we desperately wanted to read this because we're going to meet the authors at an event and this is the book they're promoting. All we knew before going in was that it's written in verse and the poems are from two perspectives: Jess, a mild kleptomaniac and is forced by her mother's partner, Terry, to film her mum whenever he beats her, and Nicu, a refugee that has to start going to school where he is bullied to a horrifying extent.

The pair come together after both being caught shoplifting which gets them a one way ticket to doing community service. Then you learn about their home lives. Nicu's struggling to accept that his family want him to marry as soon as they go back to Romania and Jess lives in an abusive environment that neither she or her mother can get out of. It's absolutely heartbreaking, the things these characters go through, which is why I'm calling We Come Apart a modern tragedy. I had no hope for either of the characters' futures beyond the final page.

This was also the first time I'd read a book in verse, and it was so addicting - partly to do with the form, partly because I was so invested in Nicu and Jess' relationship that I wanted to keep reading to find out what came next for them. I loved both Jess and Nicu's voices and how, together, they found themselves, learning that judging someone by appearance or from a first impression is counterproductive to building meaningful relationships. For a book that has way less words than your average YA, We Come Apart managed to create characters and scenarios with such depth and reality, I was blown away by how much I could empathise, with so few words to go on.

It's safe to say that reading We Come Apart was an intense experience. Maddie and I read it in one sitting, and were constantly looking up from our screens and sharing worried looks, because this book did deal with some extremely difficult subjects, like domestic abuse, gang violence, xenophobia and bullying.The scenes with Jess and Terry were unimaginably horrible, the kind of thing you don't want to think about, but can't look away from when you're reading. The bullying in Nicu's perspective was also very troubling, because you know that there are people out there like Dan and his crew that will go to such lengths to make anyone different from them feel miserable.

I felt unsettled the entire time I was reading it, and I'm probably never going to forget it - for both good reasons and some more unpleasant ones - but it's one of those books that's going to be labelled 'IMPORTANT' and rightly so.

Not having read either of these authors I wasn't sure what to expect but from the very first sentence I was captivated.    I loved the way the story was delivered in an almost poetic style, short bursts of verse with an authentic voice for each of the two main characters.  More than anything I adored Nicu and his broken English, the beautiful way his story was told.    Though he regularly chose the wrong word the message conveyed was crystal clear.

We Come Apart was easily read in one sitting.   For a short book it certainly packed a punch and I was not ready for the ending it delivered.    It has left me thinking about it regularly since reading the final page.      In many ways this reminded me of Rainbow Rowells Eleanor and Park, another YA title I loved.   

For me this was a winner and I thank Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and NetGalley for this electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unflinching, engaging, sharp and occasionally, totally heartbreaking. We Come Apart is is helmed by two tour-de-force leads with distinctive verse voices. Jess is a gobby, streetwise London teenager turned truant who feels fed up with school and with adults who try to tell her what to do when they can't - or won't - see what's right in front of them. Nicu, on the other hand, is what you'd call "a good egg." He is naive, kind, straightforward, and big-hearted, but lives in a life, bound by the confines of culture and the traditions of family, in which it is difficult to be so. Both long for understanding, friendship and freedom. Both discover it, at least for a while, in each other. In a novel where every word is up for scrutiny, their presence dominates and leaves the rest of the cast for dust.(Nicu is an easy favourite. He will be everyone's favourite).

This book is striking partly because Jess and Nicu's story at first seems like one that doesn't belong in poetry. This is poetry with shoplifting, criminal records, peer pressure, community service, and class in. It explores immigration, racism, prejudice, and clashing cultures. It features characters who experience disenfranchisement, distrust, and domestic violence. But is is also rarely about those things: instead it is often about friendship and strength and kindness and hope. It's about loyalty and betrayal and realizing that, for better or worse, everyone has a choice when it comes to who and what they want to be. There is a sense that it is very deliberately saying to readers, "Look what we can do with poetry. This story belongs in poetry, too."

For an audience often forced to stare at stanzas until their eyes fall out or the carefully-highlighted exam-worthy words lose all meaning, We Come Apart will be a bit of a shock, but it's a worthwhile read. It may, in the hands of an open-minded gatekeeper, find favour in classrooms and library recommendation shelves or even persuade the skeptical that poetry is, every now and then, more than daffodils, metaphors and toffs with nothing better to do than write melodramatically about their feelings or the weather. (The Daffodils, by the way, was probably about the French Revolution). And of course, there's plenty to satisfy the seasoned YA reader, too, including a page-turning pace, a handful of plot twists, and an effective narrative style. Fans of Phil Earle, Keren David and Benjamin Zephaniah will find an ideal recommendation in this poetic turn. Expect to see it up for multiple awards this year.

A full version of this review will be posted on my blog closer to publication.

Oh my Lord. Call me a big softie but some books just feel like they've reached into my chest and ripped my heart right out and this is one of them.
Told in alternating voices this is the story of Jess, a troubled teen from an abusive home, and Nicu a Romanian Roma gypsy living in England but still immersed in the culture of home. Jess sees no future for herself and Nicu sees his future far too clearly thanks to his parent's intention to send him home to be married to a girl he's never met. When they both end up in community service, building rafts and cleaning off graffiti, an unlikely friendship begins.
Told in free verse this is a beautiful and troubling read. It is Nicu's voice which really bought the story alive for me. His pigeon English that improves as the book progresses is incredibly affecting. I have no idea how the author's researched it but it reeks of authenticity.
I cannot praise this book enough, but can we have a sequel please as my heart can't cope with the ending?

"We laugh in same time.

"my family too is arse pain." I say.

"Yeah but I bet you don't wish any of them were dead."

We look to each other."

Nicu is new in England, and already liking his new life more than he should, considered that his family plans on only stayin some months before having earned enough money for their family back in romania. He really wants to belong here, this beautiful country with more opportunities for him than his old home. But not knowing the language makes it really difficult for him to blend in. And noone is eager to help him.

Jess keeps to herself. With even her friends betraying her, she knows better than to trust anyone. Especially with her family secrets. But that new boy sees her and her pain. And while he cannot change his life, he wants to try very hard to take her pain away. Both of them end up in trouble, working at picking up rubbish in the local park on a youth reparation scheme - that's how they become unlikely friends.

What I didn't knew up front was that this book is written in verses, which made this quite a quick read. Every chapter can be read as a stand alone poem, almost. While there is not much text, every phrase to the point it delivers a deepness with feelings that haunts you.

While you want them to become close, you realise quite soon that there can't be an happy end. At least I was hoping for something more than just rainbows and stardust. The ending was on point, while still surprising.

All in all this was a fantastic day read that I will come back to again. It's gripping, it's moving, it's surprising. A must read this spring.