We Come Apart ~ Sarah Crossan & Brian Conaghan

Sarah Crossan is definitely a firm favourite of mine, so when I saw this collaboration with Brian Conaghan in my local library I knew I needed to read it. During secondary school, I read both One and The Weight of Water by Crossan which are still favourites of mine. Crossan is known for writing in verse and manages to convey a wide array of emotions in a much smaller amount of text. 

We Come Apart follows two teenagers called Jess and Nicu. Jess, written by Crossan, and Nicu, written by Conaghan, lead very different lives but are brought together through litter picking in the park for community service. Nicu is definitely not Jess’ type but Nicu cannot help but be in awe of her beauty. Nicu’s family has very different plans for him when it comes to love with a looming arranged marriage on the horizon. This contemporary take on star crossed lovers is a high-impact emotions rollercoaster.

I loved this book for a multitude of reasons but mainly due to just how easy both Crossan and Conaghan’s writing flowed so effortlessly not only separately but together. The way in which we were able to dive into the headspace of both characters through the dual narrative was eye-opening. The only downside for me was that I did not want it to end, I easily could have read a book double the pages about Jess and Nicu and the sacrifices they make for each other. For me, We Came Apart is a definite 4.5 ⭐️ read.

M🌸