When Our Worlds Collided is a story that will rile you, dismay you but still leave you with the vague sense that there is hope.
The book began in a way that I found a little jarring, with our introduction to year 11 student Jackson who is out in Manchester on a date with the girl he's fancied for ages. The dialogue between them felt a little unnatural on occasion, but you could put this down to awkwardness at the situation. There are occasional glimpses of a boy in a red puffa jacket, and we know this will be significant - and it isn't long before we realise just how important. When Jackson and his date head outside they sense a shift in the mood - and then they become aware of chaos on the street. A boy has been stabbed.
While Jackson is worried about what he has seen - as a black teenager he is acutely conscious of how he is perceived - he feels compelled to try and offer assistance to the young girl doing her best to get help and stop the bleeding. The boy on the floor is the boy in the red puffa jacket. He is not known to Jackson, but 14 year old Shaq becomes a significant character for the three teenagers who stop to offer assistance.
We then follow the viewpoints of Jackson, Chantelle and Marc as they navigate their first real experience of something that they are aware of as a threat. Their reaction to Shaq's stabbing was very believable, and I liked the fact that Jawando doesn't shy away from some unpalatable truths about the media and how certain crimes are reported, or the evident upset felt by the two male characters.
From the moment Jackson - someone who offers assistance to a person in need - is checked out by the police because of his skin colour, it's hard to ignore the underlying tension caused by racism. As a teacher I found myself riled up by the character of Mrs Edwards, and it made me desperately sad that in so many ways society is still determined to place unnecessary barriers in the way of others. What happens to these three teens felt harsh, and this was more upsetting by the knowledge that this is the reality for so many people. Yet they find support from each other, and the lovely Eileen sticking with Marc when he's not used to adults treating him with respect made me far more emotional than it should have.
While this made no difference to my enjoyment of the story, I found myself infuriated by the mistakes made in regards to grading in schools. On numerous occasions the students refer to getting grade 10s...there is no such thing! I also felt that once Jackson's story develops it became rather lacking in credibility - perhaps if there'd been some link to Shaq's story it might have felt credible, but everything felt rather rushed by the end - and included to make a point rather than as a realistic development of the story that had been started.
Nominated for the Yoto Carnegie 2023 Awards, I'm sensing a definite push with these nominations towards books that explore themes of identity and belonging and which have a clear focus on exploring social issues. This is certainly important, but I don't want to lose sight of the value of just being able to recommend a book because it has a great plot or because it says something to you.

This is a fantastic book. The characters are so strong.
This explores racism and is so powerful. It is written so well and is a complete pageturner

Danielle Jawando has a unique voice on the British market and shows perspectives I haven't found anywhere else. Highly recommended for fans of Angie Thomas.

I fell hard for her first book and this does not disappoint. It's gut-wrenching, emotional, important and beautiful. The characters all feel scarily real, and I was at the edge of my seat throughout following their stories. Not only are they well fleshed out, but their relationships with each other are so well built. The different pov's also helped these relationships come to life.

Jawando's writing makes you feel. It makes you angry at the world and the injustice in it. It also leaves you with hope that there are people out there willing to put in the work to do good, to step in and help a stranger in need even if they themselves feel helpless.

I hope everyone reads this book.

Thank you for my eARC of this book. Jawando writes about real issues in a very real and palpable way. I highly recommend this book and look forward to what this author writes next!

The last Danielle Jawando I read was also a Netgalley arc and as soon I saw she had a second book, I knew I had to get it. She did not disappoint, this was just as heart-wrenching as her first.

Three teens from different walks of life meet when a young boy, Shaq, has been stabbed in the city centre of Manchester; it will change their lives forever.

I definitely recommend this book.

If you want to have your still-beating heart ripped from your chest and stomped on, this is the book for you. Danielle absolutely broke me with this one. Brilliant characters and a heart wrenching plot. Loved the northern setting too. Danielle's books are always a winner for me.

Well this was so incredibly moving. Danielle just gets it - writing about the things that matter in a way that’s gripping and thrilling.

Amazing second novel from Danielle Jawando!

When Our World Collided had me hooked from the very first page! Hard hitting, and really emotional and beautifully written.

The book was really emotional, I could not hold back the tears. The sadness, the love and connections between each character really got me!

This book feels so alive, i don't know how else to describe it but this is a beautiful book i'd highly recommend. We need more books like this coming out of the UK!

Danielle Jawando has done it again! If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I adored her debut novel, And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, so I had high expectations going in to her second book, and Danielle, you didn’t disappoint, another 5 star read! 👏🏼 👏🏼

When Our Worlds Collided sees Marc, Chantelle and Jackson, three teenagers from different backgrounds, brought together by the stabbing of Shaq, a 14 year old boy. When Our Worlds Collided represents so much, teenagers struggles in school, grief, foster care, LGBTQ+ representation as well as racism and prejudice, within social media, the police force, and even those you shouldn’t and wouldn’t expect it from.

This book is absolutely incredible. The main three characters have such depth and their stories had me gripped. I didn’t want to put it down. You see our three characters’ situations, you see inside their hearts and it makes them feel so real. I felt so angry while reading this, the injustice of these children’s situations, yes because they’re just that, children! And it frustrated me so much that there were people who were meant to be there to support them that simply made things worse for them. That’s how amazing the writing is.

But I also felt so much love. For the characters, for those in the story that were there for them. It was both a heartwarming yet heartbreaking story. It’s such a powerful read, and yet another that I think should be read by all teenagers in schools, and of course, adults too! Friends, prepare yourselves for me to make you buy this book like I did with Stars 😂

After reading And the Stars Were Burning Brightly, I had high hopes When our Worlds Collided and Danielle Jawando definitely delivered. I was hooked from the first page through to the last. Jawando is incredibly gifted with her ability to identify with teens and the difficulties that they face in today's culture. She tackles real issues and shows them for what they are in a very relatable way. I feel like I really get to know Jawando's characters and understand their complex emotions and actions. I appreciate that she can so eloquently describe current societal problems such as knife crime, racism, police brutality, bulling, social media, etc. I have purchased this book for my school library and plan to implement it into our reading groups in the future. I highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book!
The book is so fast paced, and the opening few pages are just so gripping - I knew from the off that I would like this book.
The characters felt so real, and the writing felt so vivid I could picture everything. Think this would make a great TV series or film.

This felt similar to THUG (The Hate You Give) but maybe the British version. Lots of similarities in the writing, and in the themes.
I didn't want to put this book down, and think it should be studied by young people at school.

Once again Danielle Jawando covers very difficult topics with amazing writing. Her ability to write with raw honesty leaves me an emotional wreck. 14 year old Shaq is stabbed one day and three teenagers rush over to help him. None of these teens know each other prior to the incident but suddenly find their lives thrown together under horrendous circumstances. As the story unfolds each teen shows how prejudice and racism can affect their lives in different ways despite their very different backgrounds. Reading the book I felt a whole range of emotions with heartache being the front runner. But I also felt a lot of anger and frustration. There was one point where I felt so much anger that Chantelle was being accused of things she hadn't done. I could feel myself seething, frowning and clenching my jaw. I was willing her to stand up for herself and to say the things she needed to say. It really made me think about how may teenagers might find themselves without the right words or the confidence to defend themselves or stand up for their rights. I'm being very vague here so as not to give away any spoilers and it's making it hard to describe the emotional and mental impact the book has.
Despite being a YA book I think that due to the topics covered I'd really recommend it to adults as well. Jawando does a fantastic job of not only telling a story but of raising awareness of racism and gives us food for thought.

Chantelle, Jackson, and Marc are teenagers from Manchester thrown together when they witness a crime which will change their perspective of life and what they want from it forever. Their experiences going forward, together and apart, lead them to reassess their relationships, expectations, and abilities to succeed in such a way none of them are the same as they were before that fateful afternoon.

Sometimes, to begin to understand a situation which happens with terrifying regularity, a fictional account allows you far more insight than a bland newspaper article or television news report. Author Danielle Jawando has written a novel which gives you this opportunity through the eyes of those most intimately involved when a teenage boy is fatally stabbed for no discernible reason.

The three main protagonists led similar lives to those of their peers until circumstances throw them together. What struck me was how the trauma made them needy in ways they didn't have to explain to each other while being surprised that was the case. The racial tension was a very scary part of this story, and the details of the behaviour of supposedly responsible adults in some instances was reprehensible. Living with the prejudices and never ending pressures of being a teenager in an inner city location didn't however mean a lack of naivety about the situations they found themselves in and they were all likeable young adults who I wanted to succeed.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is the second book by Danielle Jawando and should also be on the reading list of anyone working with young adults or wanting to understand the difficulties they experience all to regularly. Highly recommended.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. I thought it was really excellent. I remember reading THUG when it came out and feeling that every secondary school student shouldread it. I feel exactly the same with this book. It's so good. I loved the relationship between the three unlikely friends. Chantelle is a brilliant character. Would love to read a next installment about the trio. Will definitely be recommending this to all of my students.

This was such an interesting story, which had me hooked from early on and kept me reading much later than I should have done! The 3 main characters: Chantelle, Marc and Jackson, are brought together by extreme circumstances which helps them form a strong friendship very early quickly. Each has their own background story and troubles to deal with, and they certainly define each character.

I was really invested in the characters and despite having very few experiences anything like what life throws at these three young teenagers I was captivated by their stories and anxious for their future wellbeing. This book is of its time and seems to be a direct response to the #BlackLivesMatter, but I learnt a lot and definitely saw a different side to humanity to that which I have personally experienced (lots of violence and racism portrayed through this story).

I thought the three main characters were well-developed and convinced me that their individual circumstances posed difficult challenges which had shaped them into who they were at the time of the story starting; however, I also thought that their experiences had helped them grow as individual people by the end. There are so many injustices in this book and I definitely did not see that ending coming!! So much to talk about and discuss,: I would happily use this in a classroom or reading group environment.

My only criticism relates to the overuse of the word 'proper' for emphasis, which really grated by the end of the book for me: 'I feel proper shy', 'I proper enjoyed the taster day...the building was proper nice'. If it had been one character speaking this way I would have accepted it as a character flaw, but it is used throughout the book by all the characters - I understand that these are young people speaking, and their use of English can be non-standard, but this did irritate me as it felt overused.

I absolutely adored this book and the characters within it. It can be difficult sometimes when a book is written from numerous perspectives, but Jawando’s characters have such distinct voices and backgrounds making the storyline easy to follow.
The themes of injustice and prejudice are so prevalent in this book and sadly reflect some of the issues we see in the world today. I think Jawando offers us an insight into the way the media can manipulate our view of the world and we see the turmoil this creates for those who experience tragic events firsthand. A powerful book that will be going on my classroom shelf.

When three teenagers witness a fatal stabbing one afternoon in Manchester, their lives intertwine in ways they’d never imagine.

Jackson, Chantelle and Marc have little in common, coming from very different backgrounds but their need to be with others who understand the feelings of helplessness they experienced that day draw them together. They question how the police respond to the incident and to a community in mourning. Would the response be different if they and the victim were white?

This is an excellent story about the pressures teenagers feel growing up, with the added insight into growing up black. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and found the storyline gripping from the start. Most of all though, it challenged some of my ideas about white privilege.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once I found out that Danielle Jawando was releasing a new book, I instantly added it to my TBR. I read And the Stars were Burning Brightly back in 2020 and it completely blew me away with its beautiful and emotional writing. So, of course I had high hopes going into When Our Worlds Collided and let me tell you, it exceeded all of them!

This book had me laughing one minute, crying the next and a minute after that I was filled with rage! It is an emotional book and it needs to be put in the hands of so many people. It opened my eyes to what so many people are facing on a daily basis and I’m sure it will do that with so many other people too.

The book starts out at the Manchester Arndale where I’ve spent so many hours of my life, so I was instantly sucked into the world. I could vividly imagine where each section of the book took place and it really helped to bring the story to life for me.

inWhen Our Worlds Collided is told from three perspectives. These are the perspectives of Chantelle, Jackson and Marc. Each of them are from very different walks of life but are pulled together by a single violent event. The three perspectives allow for some nuanced conversations about the events they face and how it impacts them all in different ways. I loved all three characters and rooted for them all. They are all facing their own battles but are also similar in more ways than they realise. The three of them are incredibly inspirational.

I can’t disguise from the fact that this story is extremely heavy with the themes it discusses. It makes it far from easy to read at times but that is what makes it incredibly important. This book tackles themes such as racism, gang violence, stabbing, bullying and much more. None of these themes are sugar-coated in any way and are told in an open and honest way.

I feel like this book needs to be read in schools. I don’t just mean by the students either. It needs to be in the hands of teachers as well. I think it would really give people an insight into how what they say can have such a huge impact on those around them. It would also open peoples eyes to the biased perceptions that we can have of people due to how the media writes about those from particular background or ethnicities. This book is incredibly important.

Danielle Jawando has written yet another heart-breaking, honest, emotional and immense story that I feel will effect so many people. I cannot wait to see what Danielle Jawando writes in the future and I will definitely be picking it up right away!

Overall, When Our Worlds Collided is a book I would highly recommend and I will be talking about it for years to come. It is a book you do not want to miss!

This book is perfect for fans of The Hate U Give. I was absolutely gripped by this book and had to take some time to process it before writing this. It was emotional and I did cry quite a bit. It's such a wonderful coming of age story that everyone, regardless of whether you're 15 or 51, should read.