We Come Apart
Authors: Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release date: March 2017
R.R.P: $17.99
Jess would never have looked twice at Nicu if her friends hadn't left her in the lurch. Nicu is all big eyes and ill-fitting clothes, eager as a puppy, even when they're picking up litter in the park for community service. He's so not her type. Appearances matter to Jess. She's got a lot to hide.
Nicu thinks Jess is beautiful. His dad brought Nicu and his mum here for a better life, but now all they talk about it going back home to find Nicu a wife. The last thing Nicu wants is to get married. But his dad's fists are th most powerful force in Nicu's life, and in the end, he'll have to do what his dad wants.
As Nicu and Jess get closer, their secrets come to the surface like bruises. The only safe place they have is with each other. But they can't be together forever and stay safe- can they?
My review
Thoughts on the book: We Come Apart tells the story of renowned shoplifter Jess and Romanian import Nicu, who after both getting caught for the third time shoplifting, must take part in the reparation scheme where they will do community service and attend classes to help them be better citizens. Here is where Nicu and Jess meet and eventually a friendship forms. Both have serious troubles in their lives that they are also trying to deal with and through this new formed friendship they both learn to let someone else into their lives who will truly know them. We Come Apart is a co-written book b Sarah Crossan and Brisn Conaghan and is told in verse form by our two main characters Jess and Nicu.
We Come Apart was a surprising read for me. I don't normally read books told entirely in verse and I think from memory this is only my second book in verse. I thought it would be quite difficult to get the gist of the story being as its not as long and there aren't full sentences or chapters but amazingly I felt that there was so much more depth to the story with less. I could really feel the emotions of how the characters were feeling and get pictures inside my heads of what I though the characters and settings were with little to know words. It was really amazing and I think I might have to try more books in verse.
I found the story very easy to follow until the end where sometimes the points of view would be put into one verse instead of there normal seperate ones which confused me a little. But I loved watching Jess's and Nicu's friendship blossom and how Jess and Nicu change throughout the book, not to mention how fascinating it was to see how the author put in about how hard it is for someone from a different country to fit into their new one. When I was at school we actually had a new student one day from Romania and of course we all thought he was a little weird because he didn't speak English very well and dressed weird. But come the end of our schooling he we just like any of the rest of us and was one of the most popular people at our school. I now know through this book how he might have felt during that initial period and it makes me sad that we weren't as friendly and accepting of him as we should have been.
Last thing before I wrap this all up though is that ending. The last 100 pages or so are so terrifying yet thrilling at the same time. I felt so hurt and angry for what happens to Jess and Nicu and the sacrifice that one of them makes in the end for the other is truly heartbreaking, I just wanted more. I think We Come Apart is a very powerful read that will leave you thinking about how you treat people.
Rating: 4/5
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