Reading Group: 16 years old+
Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Synopses: Seventeen-year-old Jonah Daniels has lived in Verona Cove, California, his whole life, and only one thing has ever changed: his father used to be alive, and now he is not. With a mother lost in a deep bout of depression, Jonah and his five siblings struggle to keep up their home and the restaurant their dad left behind. But at the start of summer, a second change rolls in: Vivi Alexander, the new girl in town.
Vivi is in love with life. Charming and unfiltered, she refuses to be held down by the medicine she's told should make her feel better. After meeting Jonah, she slides into the Daniels' household seamlessly, winning over each sibling with her imagination and gameness. But it's not long before Vivi's zest for life begins to falter. Soon her adventurousness becomes all-out danger-seeking.
Through each high and low, Vivi and Jonah's love is put to the test . . . but what happens when love simply isn't enough?
Cover: The front cover of this novel has paint splatter behind the title, which I think is a really good representation of collision. Yes, Vivi is very into art, and her mom is even a painter, so that could be a reason for the paint splatter, but even if that wasn't the case, I think it would work. Splatter paint is messy, even when it's done intentionally, but it can be beautiful, and I think that is an excellent representation of this story.
My Review: I can't help but relate this book to Love & Gelato because in both stories the main female character goes looking for her dad at some point. It's not as big of a deal in this story, but I thought it was interesting that it just so happened in books I read back to back.
I definitely liked Jonah more than Vivi. She was just a lot for me, and even when I was reading her dialogue, I found myself going a mile a minute. I also found myself getting very frustrated with her, especially when Jonah was trying to ask for help. But I think that was the point. From an outsiders standpoint, it can be frustrated when you know something is wrong with someone, but you can't help them. Vivi wasn't taking her medication, which made her act the way she did.
Jonah was just trying to keep everything together, but he was slipping. Vivi came into his life when he needed her to, but she was never meant to stay. She wasn't someone who could stay in one place for too long. I loved the part I the hospital when Vivi admits that Jonah would probably end up with Ellie or someone like her because from the moment she came into the book I thought her and Jonah would be a good match.
This book reminded me of All the Bright Places because it talked about mental illness and made it apparent that there are more people around you struggling than you might think, but I was pleasantly surprised that this story didn't end in death. That's not what this book was about because that's not what mental illness always leads to, especially if the person suffering can get the proper help. However, if you did read ATBP, I think you'd like this story as well.
It's important to read books with topics like the many covered in this book because even if you can't personally relate, it lets you inside someone's head and teaches you how to be empathetic towards the situation if one was ever to come up.
I definitely liked Jonah more than Vivi. She was just a lot for me, and even when I was reading her dialogue, I found myself going a mile a minute. I also found myself getting very frustrated with her, especially when Jonah was trying to ask for help. But I think that was the point. From an outsiders standpoint, it can be frustrated when you know something is wrong with someone, but you can't help them. Vivi wasn't taking her medication, which made her act the way she did.
Jonah was just trying to keep everything together, but he was slipping. Vivi came into his life when he needed her to, but she was never meant to stay. She wasn't someone who could stay in one place for too long. I loved the part I the hospital when Vivi admits that Jonah would probably end up with Ellie or someone like her because from the moment she came into the book I thought her and Jonah would be a good match.
This book reminded me of All the Bright Places because it talked about mental illness and made it apparent that there are more people around you struggling than you might think, but I was pleasantly surprised that this story didn't end in death. That's not what this book was about because that's not what mental illness always leads to, especially if the person suffering can get the proper help. However, if you did read ATBP, I think you'd like this story as well.
It's important to read books with topics like the many covered in this book because even if you can't personally relate, it lets you inside someone's head and teaches you how to be empathetic towards the situation if one was ever to come up.
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