I received an ARC of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book follows the friendship between a black and a white woman in the aftermath of yet another police killing of an innocent black boy. The book is written by a black and a white author.

The content of this book will stir up very emotive reactions among its readers. Those reactions might well mirror the book's own narrative and its character's thoughts and feelings. Any reader's reactions will be measured against what society thinks those reactions should be I often feel comments are judged in a way that they are not when rating / reviewing a dystopia or an historical fiction. It is difficult to be truly objective. There are parts of this book which feel very realistic, but others where I feel the authors are just ticking a box to say look we thought about this or that. I don't feel as if either of the main characters ever did or perhaps could accept or feel the POV of the other. Perhaps that is simply not possible. Perhaps it is due to the fact that their friendship never really encompassed "colour" as one of its elements.

For me this does not have the strength of other books looking at this subject Between the World and Me and The Hate You Give feel more powerful.

A terrific read. A very topical happening opens the book. A white cop shoots a young black boy, who eventually dies. The community and the District attorney want to bring first degree murder charges against the two policeman involved in the shooting of an innocent boy. One of the policeman is married to Jen, a white women who is pregnant. The news is on every network but locally the key news person is Riley a young dynamic black women. Jen and Riley have been best friends from childhood. The fallout from the shooting is told from each woman's perspective.It is well written and insightful on so many fronts. The tension of the story builds throughout. Definitely one to enjoy.

"When the bullets hit him, first his arm, then his stomach, it doesn't feel like he'd always imagined it would. Because of course as a Black boy growing up in this neighbourhood, he'd imagined it."

Wow. Just, wow. It’s been a few weeks since I read this phenomenal debut and I’m still thinking about it every day. I also still have no idea how to review it. The topic feels too big, too important to reduce to a review. But I will do my best.

Lifelong friends Riley and Jen have never cared that one of them is Black and the other white. But after unarmed Black teenager Justin Dwyer is shot by two white police officers they find their friendship tested in ways they never imagined. They are both embroiled in the story and find themselves on opposing sides for the first time in their lives. Can their friendship withstand such a test?

"At the end of the day, I'm afraid that Jen won't get it. Maybe I've always been afraid."

The story is narrated by Riley and Jen in alternating chapters, offering the reader an insight into how both women are affected in the aftermath of the shooting. Riley’s job as a news reporter and Jen’s position as the wife of one of the officers involved in the shooting immediately place them on opposing sides immediately. But then race becomes part of the discussion and adds more layers and nuance to this already complex story.

I felt so conflicted reading this book. So many questions swam through my mind as I read and I found myself full of emotions I never expected. I didn’t know who to root for or where my allegiance should lay. I felt deeply sorry for both Jen and Riley, who are both great characters and saw both sides of their opposing arguments. A big part of the problem between them is down to assumption and miscommunication, which left me feeling frustrated as so much of the pain they caused each other could have been avoided. I also had some sympathy for Kevin, who is clearly torn apart by what happened, though my ultimate sympathy lay with the young boy he shot and his devastated mother, who I would have liked to see more of in the book.

"It kills me to think how some people want so badly to believe racism is buried beneath layers and layers of history, "ancient history", they say. But it's not. It's like an umpire brushing the thinnest layer of dirt off the home plate: it's right there. Only too often the trauma, the toll of it, remains unknown generation after generation. Like how Gigi kept her own awful secret, presumably to protect us from the ugly truth, and I've kept my own secrets, haunted by a similar shame."

As a white woman I am aware I occupy a position of privilege and see the world through the lens of my own experiences. I love reading books like this one as they open my eyes to things that I might not have considered and help me to understand prejudice on a deeper level. And that is part of the beauty of this book; whatever your race, gender or beliefs, there are things to learn from it. I was fortunate to read this as part of a readalong with other bloggers and during the chats about the book I enjoyed hearing their insights and views on the book as there were things some of them saw that I had missed or never considered. This enabled me to look at things from a perspective I’d otherwise never have had, something which I am grateful for.

"He wants to tell them his name. If they know his name he'll be less alone. Worse than the pain or even the fear is that he's never felt so alone in his life."

Bold, brave and thought-provoking, this made me feel ALL the feelings. It opens as it means to go on, with a chapter that is so searing, raw and heartbreaking that I will never forget it. It is an unsettling but important read. A story about humanity, compassion, privilege, race and justice that reminds us not everything is black and white, and that the truth lies in the shades of grey. Exquisitely written with vivid characterisation, you can see the care that has been taken over every word on the page and I would love to have been a fly on the wall to see how the two authors co-wrote the book.

A powerful, honest and heart-rending debut, We Are Not Like Them is a story that lingers long after closing that final page. A book that demands to be read and discussed. And one that I highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for this ARC in return for my honest review. A sensational read, genuinely emotional and thought provoking. Well crafted, believable and engaging characters. Definitely my book of the year so fat and I've read 120+ so fat. It deserves to be a huge hit. Everybody should read this compelling book.

This is an emotional and thought-provoking book that was surprisingly easy to read given the heavy themes it explores (racism, death, miscarriages). I loved the dual perspectives as you understood each woman better by being in their heads and were able to empathise with them, or at least see where they were coming from. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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The beauty in this book is that it challenges you. It makes you consider your own relationships, your own prejudices about race, class and privilege, and your own fears regarding being accepted if you are truly seen. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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For me, this book is a must-read! It sparks conversation and will keep you emotionally engaged, whilst probing you to ponder integrity, empathy, friendship and love.

Simply sensational, this book was beautifully written and poignantly depicts the differing lived experiences of white and black people. It can be an uncomfortable read because it challenges the system on which everything is built and addresses white privilege and tackles heartbreaking events that never should occur. It was an eye opener for me and I think it relies such important and powerful messages. The narrative is so beautifully crafted from the perspectives of reporter Riley and her best friend, Jay as for the first time in their lifelong friendship race takes centre stage.

Beautiful and thought provoking and very well written. I loved how the narrators entwined bring this story to life. I think everyone should read this book its a massive eye opener of a through provoking subject

Very readable, and covers some important and timely topics.
Reminiscent of Jodi Picoult, in finding significant opposing views and people in impossible situations.

We Are Not Like Them is a very powerful, thought provoking and topical read. It is told from the alternating points of view of Riley (a black woman) and Jen (a white woman), two friends since childhood and looks at the impact on their friendship when Jen's husband, a police officer, shoots a black teenager. I found that the dual narratives worked so well and forced me to address my own conscious and unconscious judgements and conflicting feelings. I feel that this is an essential read for all of us. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Price & Jo Piazza. Publication Date - 5th Oct 2021

Ok - I will start by saying, that I finished this book yesterday. I didn’t want to do my review right away. I needed to process how much I enjoyed this book! This is a book that will stick with me. I only have a small number of books that I feel like that about. Also because of conditions I have, I have terrible memory fog! But this is one story I won’t forget. I also could personally relate to some points brought up in the story.

Jen & Riley have been friends, since they were small children. Jen becoming like part of Riley’s family, a black churchgoing family- where Jen would be the only white person in the house but none of that mattered. They were best friends. They are now adults. Riley is hoping to be the first black anchor woman for her channel and Jen is pregnant and married to a policeman.
This story is told from both Jen & Riley’s point of view.
Something devastating happens, having an impact on both the girls. Will their friendship be able to get passed it .....: who knows?!

Thanks for allowing me to read an ARC #christineprice #jopiazza #netgalley #wearenotlikethem #HQ

Wow. Given the times we still yet live in, this is a book that should be on everyone’s reading list. A Compelling, Slow but tender to unravel, Incisive & deeply affecting/personable Story centering Racial Injustice and its Consequences on both a personal and larger macro scale. Not a single word that could skipped, including the foreword, every single line matters. Impressive work from the author.

We are not like them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza is a timely exploration of racism, both conscious and unconscious. Set in the context of a tragic police shooting, we see things unfold through the eyes of two interracial, childhood friends who bring us an interesting, insightful dual narrative. We’re taken on an uncomfortable journey which is frustrating, heartbreaking and extremely thought provoking. I think the authors have done a decent job of furthering our understanding of systemic blindness and bias, and also a pure lack of awareness of past and continuing fears and injustices. A pretty great one for book club discussion. Slightly weakened by the girls’ friendship feeling a bit lightweight and the ending a little bit tidy but I’ve rounded up to four stars as this is a very readable book and, unfortunately, a very credible storyline

3.5 stars rounded up. This was an enjoyable thought provoking read which is so current just now. My only criticism would be that it was a bit long and dragged at some bits

A very interesting read in the current climate of the world with regard to race and one which I am sure is unfortunately true in a lot of ways. Jen and Riley have been friends since childhood and did not really notice their different ethnic backgrounds. Jen is pregnant with her first child and her husband is a Police Officer. Riley is a reporter for a local TV station. They have lived in different parts of America and are now both in the same city. The trouble between them then starts. Kevin, Jen’s husband shoots an unarmed black teenage boy – he shot second, his partner first. They were looking for a person of interest and unfortunately they killed an innocent boy who was walking home. Jen expects Riley to “pick sides”. As she does not understand the way Riley has been treated by her colour she cannot understand how prickly Riley becomes. She is asked by her boss to be sole lead in the story and life gets difficult to the point where Jen and Riley are hardly speaking especially as Jen wants her to put Kevin’s story first on the news. The story moves on and settles somewhat towards being able to get together, Jen’s baby being the glue that sticks them together. The book does not leave anyone in any doubt that racism is alive and kicking and I find that difficult to deal with. We are all the same and life should be teaching us that not the other way. A very emotional book and if people read this maybe they would be less cynical and unbury their heads from the sand – racism does exist and is terrible.

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Not every story is black and white.
Riley and Jen have been best friends since they were children, and they thought their bond was unbreakable. It never mattered to them that Riley is black and Jen is white. And then Jen's husband, a Philadelphia police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager and everything changes in an instant.
This one act could destroy more than just Riley and Jen's friendship. As their community takes sides, so must Jen and Riley, and for the first time in their lives the lifelong friends find themselves on opposing sides.
But can anyone win a fight like this?

This is such a thought provoking read and I loved the honest discussions it generated in our @tand readalong group. The dual narratives now was the perfect way to give a balanced view of what became an impossible situation for both the women in this story.

Would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to be challenged, I had such conflicting thoughts on which ‘side’ I was on and my feeling kept changing with each chapter. It was a heartbreaking and at times uncomfortable read which teaches us about the importance of talking about racism and unconscious bias.

My only criticism would be that the ending felt a bit rushed and convenient and that there was one part of the storyline that I felt wasn’t explained as well as I would of liked.

Thank you to netgalley for an copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

It is an excellent storyline, which will make you question your own beliefs.

Riley and Jenny are best friends. They have shared everything since they were incredibly young. However, when Jenny’s husband, Kevin engages in the shooting and killing of a young African American boy, not only their friendship will be questioned but how they have managed to reach this point of that friendship without questioning that Riley is black, and Jenny is white.

It will be impossible to review this novel without giving away spoilers. However, I can say that I highly recommend that everyone reads it and then takes time to ask themselves to put themselves first in Riley’s position and then in Jenny’s to see how they would have behaved. My responses to doing this shocked me. And I can only assume that regardless of how uncomplicated and open we might feel about ourselves and our beliefs, until we examine ourselves under a microscope, we will not be able to utterly understand our dark inner selves.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

I really enjoyed this…. Not what I was expecting at all! I loved the connection between Jen and Riley and the unfolding storyline! Well done to both authors for highlighting the difference between Black and White

This is one of those books that you need to read. A book that once you read you will learn, if only a small amount but it will educate you. Educate you on racism, prejudice, police brutality, white privilege.

The chapters alternate between two close friends Jen and Riley. The difference is their skin colour, which given their friendship and history hasn't bothered them. Until one fatal day Jen’s husband shoots a Black teen. Jen’s husband is a cop.

This is a story that deals with themes that we are seeing in the news and on social media a lot. And given that it is written by two authors we get to see through their own perspective.

It took me a while to read this story, mainly because I was stopping to Google the names that were being mentioned within. It open up my mind to a lot of Black history that I wasn't aware of. I learnt from this story.

My only small negative about this book is that I would have liked it to be more emotional and raw. Jen and Riley's relationship went far back to their childhood, yet sometimes it did feel we were only scratching the surface of their feelings.

Many thanks to HQ Stories for my gifted digital copy and allowing me to be a part of the book tour.

In this book, childhood friends and best friends Riley (a Black woman) and Jen (a White woman) come to a big make-or-break moment when Jen's husband, who is a police officer, shoots a Black child. The book is told from their perspectives as time after this horrible incident occurs, and we see how they both feel about the events that arise, race, and their friendship.

I am very sad, because I really wanted to love this book. I loved the premise and the fact that it's written by two women (one white, one black) who could have done so much more with the story. However, I found it too simplistic. The conversations about race and feeling misunderstood by the other friend felt as if they were a workshop exercise about how to talk about race, or as if the authors had gone to couple's therapy to talk about this themselves and then copied this conversation on the book. I thought it lacked depth and tension, and felt flat. It seemed like the story was building up to a major tension point but then it didn't deliver the punch. I really didn't care much if Jen and Riley stopped being friends, because I couldn't understand why Riley was still friends with Jen, although I acknowledge that many times we remain friends with our childhood friends just because, but I wouldn't call them 'best friends' at this point. Ultimately I was disappointed with the book.

I think conversations about race should be tackled more often and I really hoped this book would have been it, to the point that I would have forgiven other minor points if the big conversations had felt more real. But sadly, in my opinion, this isn't the go-to book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was an incredibly moving and thought provoking novel. I enjoyed the way it was told by two alternating characters written by different authors. It really helped Riley a black reporter and Jen a white pregnant police officers wife have distinct voices and perspectives. I thought it was a clever device that they were both observing an event that was caused by others but the effects really threaten to destroy their friendship and lives. Their friendship from childhood was totally believable and so was the fact that as they grew up they started to grow apart but still felt that pull to each other due to their shared history and love for each other.
This novel really made me think about how race is not talked about between friends of different races, it really explored this in a non judgmental way. Jen and Riley are both at times sympathetic characters. The novel moved me to tears on a number of occassions and was very powerful. I still keep thinking about it a week after finishing it.