Once again, you all know how I feel about YA Contemp, so I love it when I find those gems that I not only enjoy, but also really love. This is actually my first Lord book and I'm very pleased. Her writing is very engaging, her characters (at least in this book) are so relatable, and the story that she presented here truly felt so real and I think every reader could find at least one thing in this book that they could relate to their own life. In here, Emery gives you a bit of a cutesy kind of romance, but she also mixes things up a bit and gives you a bunch of drama. Some of it was out there, but it fit with Vivi's character and personality and I think she let it all play out in such an amazing way. 
 One of my favorite aspects of this book was Jonah's family dynamic. I loved how they tackled such a frustrating, difficult, and emotional life event that I lot of people deal with. So many times in books I read there is a big family where the parents are horrible, barely there for their kids or like putting so many unrealistic expectations on their kids that it annoys the heck out of me. Also, a lot of the time the siblings aren't that great either. There might be one that the MC is close to, but for the most part, they treat the MC like crap. I don't get it! Why are so many large families depicted as unsupportive and narrow-minded?! Anyways, that is not the case here. Yes, there is tension and that's totally understandable, but for the most part, they're all on the same team and all trying their best to support each other and the little kids. Now that I loved and totally appreciated. 
 I've dealt with mental illness on the professional side, so I do know quite a bit about it, and it's always nice to see an author's take on it. I think Emery did an excellent job at portraying such a complicated illness and the many facets that a person with this illness could be like. She really tugs at your emotions and I totally felt for Vivi, not only because she kind of has my name (my American name is Vivian), and I loved getting to know her and seeing her face her reality. Emery also did a great job with Jonah's story and how he worked through the grieving and moving on process. 
 When We Collided was just outstanding and definitely worth a read if you like an engaging story that focuses on an important and challenging topic. There's a good amount of drama, which is expected with someone like Vivi, but I actually really liked it. It's over-the-top, just like Vivi's personality (which I usually find annoying, but for some reason with Vivi, I liked it - to a point, of course) and it fit with the story. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Emery and would recommend this book, for sure.