1st book of 2017 - (3.5 stars) ~finished january 11, 2017~ 
 Originally posted on The Winner's Book Thief. 
 "That's the thing they never tell you about love stories: just because one ends, that doesn't mean it failed. A cherry pie isn't a failure just because you eat it all. It's perfect for what it is, and then it's gone. And exchanging the truest parts of yourself--all the things you are--with someone? What a slice of life. One I'll carry with me into every single someday." 
 Wow wow wow. I honestly have no idea what to say about this. In short, When We Collided is a beautiful story. Emery Lord describes Vivi's mental illness extremely well, and her writing style in general is amazing and fits this story so well. 
 Let's talk about Vivi. As an introvert, I would probably find Vivi incredibly annoying. She's the type of girl who's the life of the party, extremely talkative, and kind of impulsive. She is an artist, a very bold artist, and often expressed herself in colors and art. I actually really loved reading about the art that she created.The "unstable" Vivi was portrayed extremely well, but I just didn't like how impulsive, and even selfish she got. Jonas, the love interest of the book, was my favorite. He was so much more chill, and sweet and responsible and overall, I just didn't understand how Vivi and Jonas were together since their personalities contrasted so much. I loved Jonas' family and all the food that he made. I got so hungry when reading about him making food. 
 The romance in general was not the slow burn I was expecting, rather, it was an "omg that guy's hot i'm going to flirt with him", and within a day or two, they were together. I don't know why I was expecting a slowburn romance, but this romance, especially with their two contrasting personality traits, just didn't work for me. Vivi also felt very controlling of Jonas, which may have been because of her disorder, and also because of his calmer disposition, but their entire relationship sort of felt weird. Vivi rarely listened to Jonas, and it was very frustrating because I love Jonas and didn't want to see him get hurt by her. 
 The ending was 100% predictable for me. I find that this ending occurs many times in more deep, thoughtful contemporaries, like these. 
 Lord does not hold back on painting a picture of the realities of mental illnesses. It's a very raw, touching story, and as long as you don't get too annoyed by Vivi like I did, this book is a beautiful representation of mental illnesses.