After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O'Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah's 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts.
But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking.
A fresh voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord's gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.
From the Publisher
"Reagan’s tough, wised-up voice and her burgeoning romance with Matt are the engines that keep Lord’s engaging debut moving along." - Publishers Weekly"Lord successfully adapts classic elements of adult romance novels into a love story gentle enough for younger readers." - Kirkus Reviews
"Lord’s debut provides an insightful take on friendship, romance, and celebrity culture." - Booklist
"This is more than a love story. When We Collided carefully yet effortlessly puts mental illness in conversation with the beauty and struggle of adolescence. It is a book I wish could have written, but am so much better for having read." - Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DUMPLIN’ and SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY on WHEN WE COLLIDED
"Searingly honest, gut-wrenchingly authentic, and deeply romantic, When We Collided is a gift of a novel. It tackles tough topics with nuance, and will make readers both laugh and cry, sometimes within the span of a page." - Jasmine Warga, author of MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES on WHEN WE COLLIDED
"A five-star must-read romance for older teens (and up) that will challenge readers toward a better understanding of a too-often marginalized and stigmatized segment of the population, When We Collided is an important book not only for this generation of teens, but those who’ve come before . . . and those who will come after." - USA Today on WHEN WE COLLIDED
"An absolute tearjerker romance with a powerful message about weightier topics of grief and mental illness." - starred review, School Library Journal on WHEN WE COLLIDED
Publishers Weekly
02/03/2014
Reagan and Dee have been friends since they were young, and although their lives are very different, they’re still close at 17. Dee, known to her fans as Lilah, is a country music star with a “squeaky-clean” reputation. Reagan may get good grades, but she dresses like a bad girl, drinks, and has an arm in a cast from a confrontation with the boyfriend she met while doing community service. When Dee needs support after splitting with her longtime boyfriend, she invites Reagan on tour; that’s where Reagan meets Matt, a former teen sensation who is Dee’s opening act. The two plot strands—the stresses of Dee’s love life, celebrity, and tabloid travails vs. Reagan’s struggle to accept her past and shape her future—aren’t always equally effective; for one thing, it’s hard to believe a photo of a kiss (in which Dee appears to be, but isn’t actually, topless) would be so shocking in today’s Miley Cyrus world. Nevertheless, Reagan’s tough, wised-up voice and her burgeoning romance with Matt are the engines that keep Lord’s engaging debut moving along. Ages 12–up. Agent: Taylor Martindale, Full Circle Literary. (Apr.)
Children's Literature - Kristi Bernard
Reagan O’Neill is a typical teenage girl with a best friend that she has had since the days they wore braces. Her best friend, Deliah Montgomery or Dee, is not a normal best friend. Dee is a famous country singer who is gearing up for a summer tour. When Dee invites Reagan to join her, the two friends are a support network for each other. Dee has a crazy life since her hit song sent her and her career soaring. She also has to deal with the tabloids and her image is on the line. Reagan needs this opportunity to get a new start for herself. She was abandoned by her mother and left with a drunk father Left alone most of the time she trusted no one except Dee. But that does not mean the tour will be easy. Friendships can sometimes have a few bumps especially when it comes to boys. The characters are easy to relate to, loyal and seemingly very realistic in nature. The story is not just about romance, it also taps into friendships and family. Lord does a great job of showing the parallel between the two female characters. The backdrop of scenery and the life of a music star engages readers with all five senses. Readers, parents and teachers will approve. Reviewer: Kristi Bernard; Ages 12 up.
Voya Reviews, April 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 1) - Ed Goldberg
Rising country star seventeen-year-old Lilah Montgomery is on her summer tour and takes her best friend, bad-girl Reagan O’Neill, with her. Reagan, coming off bad relationships, has resolved to reform starting this summer. When the tabloids print a photo of Lilah and her ex-boyfriend with hints of her being pregnant, her good-girl image is tarnished. Her publicist signs Matt Finch as an opening act, replacing the local talents, hoping to divert media attention with speculation that Lilah and Matt are a couple. Matt, in a brother band, the Finch Four, several years earlier, is currently under the radar. His good looks and squeaky clean image are enough to start new rumors. The only problem: no matter how much Reagan tries not to, she is falling for Matt and vice versa. Can she have a relationship with a “good” guy? If the media finds out, how will that impact Lilah? Open Road Summer, Lord’s debut novel, is truly fun chick-lit. Lilah, Reagan, and Matt are characters that readers will immediately like. Lilah’s pain at leaving her ex-boyfriend, who let her go to follow her dream, will pain readers as well. Reagan’s uncertainty about life and love will resonate with teenage girls, whether “good” or “bad.” Readers will want Matt’s and Reagan’s relationship to thrive. Lord also provides a realistic look at the lengths paparazzi and the media will go to invade a star’s privacy. Since Open Road Summer is due out in April, this reviewer recommends it as a well written beach read. Reviewer: Ed Goldberg; Ages 12 to 18.
Voya Reviews, April 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 1) - Rachelle David
A quick and silly read, this love story is already overdone. There is some witty dialogue but it is predictable and shallow. There is not much depth to the characters. Even the main character Reagan, who changes her life around, is simple. The novel does provide an insight into the country music industry, though it focuses more on relationships between the characters. There are plenty of similar novels and most are better written than this one. Reviewer: Rachelle David, Teen Reviewer; Ages 12 to 18.
Kirkus Reviews
2014-02-12
Reagan joins her best friend Delilah's summer concert tour to escape some poor decisions and break some bad habits, finding romance and complication instead. When Reagan finds herself attracted to soulful musician Matt, romance seems inevitable—but the record company has hired him to pose as Delilah's wholesome boyfriend. Reagan and Matt are both good-hearted characters suffering from emotional wounds. A victim of dating violence (described dramatically but not graphically in flashback), Reagan finds curbing her reckless impulses surprisingly difficult. Matt is reeling from his mother's death and struggling to define himself as a person and artist after the demise of his famous band. Luckily, both have the classic supportive friend in Delilah, who shores them up emotionally and encourages their romance—even as she struggles with the pressures of her increasing fame. These characters are predictable, and the happily-ever-after ending is really never in doubt, but romance fans will undoubtedly still enjoy the developing relationships. Lord also deserves credit for plausibly explaining the lack of adult supervision: Their chaperone, Delilah's 26-year-old aunt, is distracted by her involvement with a new tour boyfriend. Even without adult supervision, Reagan and Matt's physical relationship is passionate but, refreshingly, restrained. Lord successfully adapts classic elements of adult romance novels into a love story gentle enough for younger readers. (Romance. 12-18)
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