Vivi is spending the summer in the Californian beach town of Verona Cove. She's only been there a week and is in love with it all. And when she goes to work one day and sees a cute boy sitting outside where she works, well, everything is about to get even more perfect. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Jonah has always lived in Verona Cove, just like his parents. Everyone knows him, his parents and his brothers. And his father's restaurant. And that his father died of a heart attack six months ago, shattering everything. Vivi knows none of this; she doesn't look at him with pity. And Jonah doesn't know Vivi's secrets, and she's glad of that, so she doesn't push him with questions. Jonah and Vivi meet; and the collision shakes them both, releasing the secrets. Before you say it, it's not perfect. Vivi, who spends much of the book building or entering a manic phase of her bipolar disorder, is as dazzling to the reader as she is to Jonah. And that means the dual narrative structure suffers a bit because so much of your attention is focused on her at the expense of Jonah's sections. Emery Lord said he wanted to write a love story in which mental health played a role but wasn't the focus. I think she's come as close as she can to achieving that, but I also think that for most readers, the takeaway will be all about mental health and how it impacts the loving relationships that all teenagers are looking for. This may not be what Lord really wanted, but I think it's a good thing and not a bad thing: an epiphany and a conversation starter at the very least. But there is so much to enjoy. Vivi being Vivi, she's thrown herself into a romance before Jonah has even managed to register much more than the fact that she's beautiful. There is no build-up of attraction – it's a tornado of first love and it's a beautiful, engaging whirlwind to read as Vivi drags Jonah out of his inner life and into the impulsive, colorful world he inhabits. Seen through the eyes of both the boy and the girl, Lord perfectly captures the overwhelming nature of first love. And it's not a pity party. Lord doesn't shy away from Vivi's self-centeredness and how her erratic behavior negatively impacts both herself and those around her. Nor is she missing the fact that keeping family problems secret, as Jonah does, can prolong the problem and delay healing. At its core, When We Collided is a compassionate story. Bipolar disorder and depression are an integral part of the path taken by this story but do not completely define it. Nor should they. They complement and complement each other; and they help each other; and they fall in love. One of the things I really liked about Jonah, or rather, Jonah and Vivi, was that their opposition sometimes caused friction. At best, it was, oh, I love his outgoingness, I love his reserve, but other times, frankly, they would get angry or frustrated with each other. And sometimes, Jonah needed to shake off the his premature maturity; and sometimes Vivi needed to be reminded that the tides exist other times, it's just their personalities. Neither of them are wrong, they are both true to themselves together. And they shouldn't. Keep in mind: this is just one example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. And finally the last thing I loved about this book. love about two teenagers who are perfect for each other right now, not forever.