From the publisher: Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.

But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.

This is a very timely novel about a tragic and increasingly frequent event: how many times have the news headlines been filled with stories of young black men being killed by white police officers. The subject matter is far from easy, and this novel challenges you to examine your own privileges, but, is very readable and really compelling.

The story has a dual narrative structure, with chapters alternating between Riley and Jen. In using this device the authors have very cleverly enabled different view points and perspectives on the killing and its subsequent impacts, to be presented. This enables a balanced exploration of reactions, adds weight to the impact of the story and also prompts the reader to think about and consider their own thoughts and reactions, at every change of voice.

Characterisation is good and none of the characters feel like cliches or stereo-types, which could be all too easy given the subject matter. Jen and Riley each have very distinct and different voices, and the other characters are also reasonably well developed too. I was especially fond of Riley's grandmother, Gigi.

This novel explores the themes of friendship and loyalty. Jen and Riley's inter-racial friendship began when they were 5 years old and has had to evolve with adulthood, but it is inevitably altered by the tragedy - can it survive such a devastating event? It also takes a look at the foundation of their relationship - does "colour blind" Jen really understand what it is like, and has been like, for Riley and her family? Can she fully understand and appreciate her own white privilege, and the prejudices and struggles, both large and small, faced every day by Riley, by Shaun etc?

The novel is also an exploration of race in 21st Century America - how racism is all pervasive, in every level of society and every institution; its devastating impact on ordinary lives; how it seeps into the closest relationships; how politicians and officials can fan the flames and use the race card to push their own agenda; have things really moved on as much as they ought to have, from the days when lynchings regularly took place?

A thought-provoking, readable, compelling book about a hugely important subject. Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for an Advance Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.

We Are Not Like Them is told from alternating perspectives: Jen is white and expecting her first baby via IVF and her best friend, Riley, is black and working to become the next anchor at her local news station.

When Jen’s husband is involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, all of their lives are turned upside down and the story explores the range of emotions experienced by both women as they come face to face with the issue of racism and how it impacts (and has impacted in the past) on their friendship.

This story is so powerful and presents the issues and experiences on both sides so clearly, giving a really well-rounded view by the two authors.

It is so thought-provoking and very relevant to the current climate – it was just one of those books that, when you start reading, you just can’t put down due to the emotional rollercoaster it puts you through.

I would highly recommend it as a must-read for everyone!

The ultimate test of friendship

As children, Riley and Jen forge what they believe is an unbreakable bond. As adults, that friendship is put to the ultimate test when Jen’s police officer husband shoots an unarmed black teenager.

We Are Not Like Them examines the joys and conflicts of love, friendship and loyalty, and it addresses racism, institutional prejudice and unconscious bias. It is a book that is both warming and chilling.

The novel has been co-authored by a black writer and a white writer and is written from dual points of view. This allows the reader to enter the mindset of both Jen and Riley, and their respective families, helping them to understand things from both sides. By presenting the whole picture, the book challenges us to make up our own minds.

With thanks to @netgalley and @hqstories for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a relevant story,to today and how things are in our world.
Yet I feel it didn't get beyond surface level.
In fact for a book about the unbreakable friendship of two women,it wasn't till an email exchange about three quarters of the way through that I got a real sense of that friendship properly.

However,it was an interesting look on things from different sides of the event,and the history that has formed their opinions and beliefs.

It's given me a few things to think about.

We are Not Like Them offers a fresh focus at the fall out when a young black man is shot by cops.

This time it examines the impact of the event on the friendship of life long best friends Jen and Riley, Jens husband is involved in the shooting and Riley is the black journalist covering the story.

Framed by the events of the shooting this acts as a catalyst to rock these women's friendship, and for me this is where the interest lies. As each tries to reconcile what happened and what this means for their friendship as Jen stands by her husband, and Riley demands the truth no matter the cost.

It explores the complexities of their relationship, how strong really are the roots and are they still friends because its easier than not being? Its a powerful test of how adult friendships evolve and change, how honest are they being with each other?

I enjoyed this book and it got me thinking and considering, for a white female, what it is like for those of different heritages. Despite I felt the characters were nuanced in their portrayal, with no caricatures, in fact in some ways the tables were turned as Rileys family life was more stable than. Jens, and each was built up with their own back story. Both made good, and bad decisions that I disagreed with.

Overall I found this a compelling read.

As the story is told by POVs of both sides, it reminded me of 𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 by Jodi Picoult which I love and recommend along with this book if you are interested in learning about institutional racism. 

This book makes us think about racism, but ultimately this is also about friendship between the two women, which I think softened the harshness and difficulty the racism topic brings to the book. I liked that about this book.

It’s really interesting that this book is written by co-authors, a white author and a black author. I think it’s really great to see a collaborative effort on racism. I didn’t feel like this book was written by two authors, so I think it successfully integrated both voices.

Thank you @netgalley and @hqstories for giving me the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

It was a thought provoking story. A little self righteous in some places and almost predictable in others. But still well written and kept you interested to the end.

When a black teenage boy is shot the lives of two women are turned upside down. Jen is white, Riley is black. They have been friends since they were five years old. Jen’s husband is one of the police officers involved in the shooting. How will this affect their friendship?
As the community takes sides will their friendship survive?
This is a thoughtful and emotive read which is topical in our current world.

This book had me in tears from the start. A very powerful and current topic at the moment it is a difficult subject to read about but the authors make you like both characters who are thrust in a difficult and tragic situation. This book is packed with strong female characters I loved Gigi my favourite by far. A must read.
Thanks to netgalley for my advanced copy.

I love that this book was written by one black and one white author, who had previously worked together as an author-editor publishing partnership. We Are Not Like Them was completed shortly before the murder of George Floyd, but as the novel's Black characters are painfully aware, there was no shortage of people to mourn already - Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin are all named.

The novel focuses on Riley, a polished, highly educated Black newscaster, and her best friend Jen, a white woman who describes herself as a knockoff Gwyneth Paltrow (the trailer park version). Jen wants desperately to be a mother; she's married to a cop, and struggling with being part of his highly traditional family (in which she chafes at having to be in the kitchen making appetisers while the men watch football games). Jen is heavily pregnant and has almost achieved her dream, including a potential change of career, when her husband is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager and everything swiftly goes to hell, including the years of loving friendship between Riley and Jen.

This novel explores the limits of understanding and some of the awkwardness that occurs when Jen's understandable desire for everything to be OK, and to keep her family together, clashes with Riley's increasing awareness of the racism that's been directed at her all her life and the trauma of knowing young Black people are constantly killed on the streets. I also loved the secondary characters - Gigi, Riley's magnificent Grandma, Lou, Jenny's chain-smoking bartender mother and even Cookie, Jenny's monstrous mother-in-law who still loves her family and whose loyalty, no matter how misplaced, eventually comes into its own.

“It’s a paradox, loving someone precisely because you know them so well, inside and out, and at the same time nursing a small fantasy that they can be different in the specific ways you want them to be.”

Fantastic novel about the complexities of race and friendship. The authors did an excellent job writing this story together and creating empathy for all characters. Also a great reminder that the most difficult conversations truly make a difference. Highly recommended.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was amazing! The way the story was told - raw and truthful struck me a lot. In parts it was difficult to read, however the story being told was a difficult one.

I don’t feel like I can say too much about the story as I don’t want to give too much away. The story was told with passion, humanity and overall rawness.

I would absolutely recommend this to everyone.

This was a very timely read due to what’s going on right now in the world. An AMAZING story and one that will stay with me for some time to come.

This was a good book, which I raced through in one sitting.
Through the story of Riley and Jen we see a wonderfully close friendship, which is put under immense pressure.
As events unfold and larger issues in society need to be confronted, the cracks start to show and it makes each woman question how well they really know each other and whether they can ever really understand life walking in another persons shoes.

I thought this was a good book, with a number of thought provoking paragraphs. It is well written, flows smoothly and deals with a difficult topic in a very balanced way.
I am happy to recommend this book and rated it 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I’m not sure I can do this book justice with my review. Such a powerful, important read of what is unfortunately a very current topic. I want to thank HQ for giving me the opportunity to read this emotional and thought provoking book.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since they were 5 years old. Jen is white, Riley is black. One doesn’t see race as an issue, one unfortunately knows that it is. When Jen’s husband, a policeman, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teenage boy, both women’s lives are turned upside down. Jen is heavily pregnant with their first baby which was conceived through IVF and is now trying to support her husband through the aftermath of that night. Riley is appointed the lead journalist on the story by her news channel, and is facing the reality that this could have easily been her brother or any of her loved ones killed at the hand of police brutality.

This story explores so many emotions and the realities of the difficulties many black peoples face every day. As well as being a very well written story, it was an education. I really loved that this book was written by two authors, one white and one black, so that both of the characters experiences could be properly explained and narrated with honesty and truth.

I urge anyone who wants to support the need for change in the world to read this, and would suggest that anyone who doesn’t think there is a need for change to make sure they read it!

Jen and Riley are lifelong friends. But their relationship is threatened when Jen's husband, a police officer, is involved in the killing of a 14 year old black boy. Riley, a TV reporter, brings a black perspective to the story.

Jen considers herself 'colour blind' and her view of the killing (evocative of any number of black deaths at the hands of the police) is coloured by the impending prosecution of her husband. Riley is deeply impacted by the death and by her friend's ignorance of the prejudice Riley encounters on a daily basis.

There are important questions raised about the continued prevalence of racism in society and white privilege. Even towards the end of the story, Jen still seems blasé about the ways in which white people benefit at the expense of black people.

The story remains focused on the personal repercussions of the death rather than widening the story, which weakens any message. And introducing a mixed race relationship into the story seemed unnecessary.

Topical and very realistic portrayal of a biracial friendship. Thought provoking and kept me hooked til the end.

Brilliant contemporary story looking at how world events can affect friends from different ethnicities. Particularly topical with the Derek Chavin trial and murders of black teenagers in the US. Reminding us that life and friendships are complex and not binary depending on what your background and ethnicity are but that world events can influence relationships.

I received this as an ARC on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

Actual rate: 4
Good:
- Incredibly relevant storyline
- Hard hitting and emotive story
- three-dimensional characters who had motives and feelings that made sense

Bad:
- it didnt feel as in-depth as i wished

This book is so relevant and while it was a really difficult and emotive read, I did feel that it was important to keep the way the issues were presented. The characters inspired so much empathy and I felt myself hurting along with them and feeling exactly what they did. They definitely felt real and like this could be on the news tonight, which hurt so much.

Hard hitting, no-sugar-coating and sharply real.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Its an important read, especially for adults who maybe arent very knowledgeable about the BLM movement and police brutality.

Overall: 4/5

We Are Not Like Them is a brilliantly written story about friendship and racism. What happens when white police officers shoot and kill a black child? What happens to the friendship of the officers while and her Black best friend? Everyone should read this book, it is thought provoking and highlights the ways people can be unconsciously racist. Brilliant book.