We Are Not Like Them offers alternating perspectives between two close friends after a life altering event.

This book confronts real life issues, but at times felt like it didn’t go deep enough into those issues. The first half was a little slow, but the second half flew by, leading me to want to see what happened next. At times the friendship between Jen and Riley seems to not exist at all. Overall, it was a compelling book that made you think and reflect.

Great timely story. I didn’t love how it ended as it felt nothing much was learned by either party but great writing and overall an amazing theme.

This was such a great read. I can honestly say I didn't think I was going to like it as much. With all the racial tension in the world and all the killing of innocents - it was like will I be able to handle this. It was easy to fell for each woman's plight - and while I at times couldn't stand Jen's behavior or thoughts sometimes I was happy to see Riley put her in her place. I definitely think this was timely and will be a beneficial look for allies and others alike.

Smart. Moving. Two women, two voices, both struggling to see if their friendship can survive- if there can be any common ground between a black woman and the wife of a white police officer following a tragic shooting that ignites a racial firestorm. When you realize that there can be no truth without acknowledging the truly different experiences between Black people and Whites, no matter the length of history, love, and shared experiences. This book gives two valuable perspectives- also highlighting one similar thread: the fear that the ones you love won’t make it home, a fear that is palpable whether who you live wields the power and privilege, or whether how you love is powerless. Highly recommend .

Two women of different races find their friendship tested after the shooting of a young Black person. They face the issue of identity and how race plays a role in every-day life while trying to maintain the relationships that mean the most to them. Authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza tackle a subject of relevance to today’s cultural climate with cursory treatment in the surface-level book We Are Not Like Them.

Riley Wilson has recently moved back to her hometown of Philadelphia after a short stint as a news reporter in Alabama. She thought the move to Alabama would be a boost to her career, a chance to move up to the next level. Instead, the microaggressions and racial inequity become too much. When a job offer for a better market comes her way, she doesn’t think twice about coming home.

The move is a step up both professionally and personally. As an up-and-coming reporter, she’s covering important stories and eyeing the anchor desk. Her personal idol and one of the few Black anchors in the local market currently sits in that seat, but word around the newsroom is that Candace will be retiring soon. Riley is doing everything she can to prove she deserves the spot.

Work keeps her busy, but she has her family right in town—her parents and her brother, Shaun, and her best friend, Jenny Murphy. Jen and Riley have been inseparable ever since they met as preschoolers. They’ve supported one another through everything, including Jen’s fertility issues and Riley’s recent messy breakup with her longtime boyfriend.

Jen is equally thrilled to have her best friend home, although she can’t deny that the vibe between them is different now. Maybe it’s because she’s finally pregnant. Maybe it’s because Jen worries about her husband, Kevin, a cop for the Philadelphia PD. Now that the baby is coming, he’s picking up all the extra shifts he can to make more money.

While pursuing a suspect, Kevin and his partner shoot a Black teenager. Within 24 hours, Riley and Jen find their lives blown apart. Riley’s boss puts her on the story as the lead reporter. Jen spends much of her time in limbo trying to support Kevin, which is hard when his ex-cop father and current officer brother keep trying to strong-arm him into responding a certain way.

Jen and Riley face issues of race they’ve never considered before, particularly when it comes to their friendship and how they relate to one another. As the women navigate their personal lives and the public aftermath of the shooting, they learn what lines they need to draw with one another and what lines they can cross.

Authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza dial right into one of the most discussed topics of current times: police brutality and how it intersects with race. As marketing materials promise, the premise of the book feels familiar. Real-life news stories offer similar scenarios, albeit often with more depth and heft.

Although Pride and Piazza aim for a thoughtful, in-depth look at how the murder of a Black person by a police officer affects people, the result is a book that comes across as superficial at best. The book skips along the surface of the issues, touching on many different topics but not settling deep enough into one to pull readers into a heartfelt examination of anything.

Riley accuses Jen of not stopping to consider the Black experience without ever bothering to share what that experience actually is. In front of her husband and in-laws, Jen finds herself weakly defending all Black people with Riley as proxy as she’s questioning whether she even needs to do so. Several events in the book feel placed, as if meant more for the sake of an introduction to the Black experience instead of an eagle-eyed examination of how Black people suffer. Characters like Jen’s mother and Kevin’s partner feel more like placeholders.

Readers who want a quick read into a novel that mirrors current cultural clashes may like this one. Those looking for a more earnest book might want to try something else. I recommend readers Borrow We Are Not Like Them.

I picked this up based on the concept: a black and a white writer teaming up to create this story together, both helping to write each perspective. I think I wanted a much deeper dive into the two besties really talking about race. All throughout the book Riley holds back on talking to Jen about it. Jen was pretty off putting as a friend. She never stuck up for Riley either.

I think I expected to see more of the legal/court trials but they are completely skipped over. I was never sympathetic for Jen’s dude or felt that it was hard to pick a side. It’s Riley all the way for me. Either making the two sides way harder to pick could have elevated this book, or really really diving in on those racial discussions with friends and family could have made this story more heartfelt and insightful.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since they were young kids. Growing up Riley always noticed the difference in their race, but it was never a conversation they openly had. When Jen’s husband, a local cop, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teen, Riley, a tv journalist is put on the story. Will Jen and Riley’s friendship be able to survive this horrible situation? As a Black woman Riley has strong feelings about the way police treat her and others of her race, but knowing her best childhood friend is also hurting leads her to question if their friendship can truly handle this.

Do you ever go to take a picture of a book and think “I cannot take a picture that will be good enough for this book?” No? Just me? Ok well, that was the case with this book! I’m sure you have already seen me rave about this book on my stories, and I am here to tell you that you will see me rave a lot more because this was easily a 2021 favorite read! The ability for authors to write a story where you find yourself feeling empathy for the ”villain” is a true gift. You know he did wrong, you hate him, you want his life ruined for what he did, but there is that tiny part of you that feels for him. The way Pride and Piazza wrote about friendship was just absolutely mind blowing. I don’t even know how to write this review, but two authors, one Black, one White, writing a book together about race ended up being a truly beautiful thing. I also got to listen to both of them recently on a podcast and it was fascinating to listen to them talk about how writing this book together forced them to have conversations I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I think that is such a beautiful thing. I could go on forever, but let me just tell you, you do not want to miss out on this amazing read. Do yourself a favor and order your copy now.

LOVED LOVED LOVED. So well done - you really felt for each woman and this didn't feel super one-sided. A timely, necessary story that wasn't too preachy. I would definitely recommend. An easy 5 stars.

A big thank you to @atriabooks for the gifted review copy.⁣
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𝗪𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 had to be a difficult one to write and it’s definitely a weighty book to read. In it, co-authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza tackle tender, fragile topics surrounding race and unconscious biases that need to be talked about much more, but that many want to shy away from. ⁣
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This is the story of best friends Jen and Riley who have known each other since preschool. Jen is white, Riley is Black. Jen spent much of her youth with Riley’s family because her own home life was unstable. Though adulthood took them in different directions, they always counted on their friendship as a touchstone to who they were. Everything about their lives looks different when Jen’s husband, a police officer, is involved in the shooting of a teenage Black boy. Jen’s world is turned upside-down, but so too is Riley’s. She’s dealing with her own feelings about yet another police shooting of a Black youth, while also reporting on the story for the television station where she works. ⁣
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From this set up, Pride and Piazza are able to generate many important conversations around race, particularly shining a light on white people who “don’t see color.” I appreciated the realities the story brought to light and that it was done in a story that was also compelling to read. I think the authors had to walk a delicate balance between hard lessons and delivering a story that many would want to read. I was engrossed from beginning to end, so obviously they did an excellent job. I initially felt the book should have gone deeper into the epidemic of police shootings and police reform, but honestly there is only so much one story can cover and in the end I think the authors truly got it just right. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

A powerful and emotional story that is told through the eyes of two best childhood friends-one black and one white- who have to navigate their friendship after a tragedy rocks the city. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this story really makes you think and relate the issues discussed to your own life and community around you. It was intense, thought-provoking and would make an excellent book club discussion.

I was given an advanced copy of this text by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a fantastic read! Very timely for the modern political culture in the US and the characters were well developed. Looking forward to recommending this novel to many people.

Heart wrenching, honest, and immersive. In the same vein as Picoult, Pride and Piazza explore all sides of a galvanizing topic in a way that breads unity rather than divisiveness.

Riley and Jenn’s richly layered bond was forged in early childhood and deepened over time.
Jenn knew Riley’s lofty career aspirations as well as her drink order. Riley adored Jenn’s aggressive friendliness. But when tragedy happens, both realize that so many things have gone unsaid over the years. And now, they must reckon with the one thing that threatens to divide them.

This story is told in alternating POV between Riley and Jenn, allowing us to see them distinctly as individuals. In so many areas, they are in sync and of one mind. But on this, their perspectives are as different as night and day.

Pride and Piazza adeptly utilize Jenn and Riley’s friendship to open this seemingly insurmountable dialogue in a way that permits empathy and understanding. These issues can be so polarizing. Yet in friendship, the issues are experienced through a lens of connectivity rather than divisiveness. Friendships, deep and intimate, have always provided me the best platform for tackling some of the most complex issues in life, which makes the premise of this book ring true and very relatable.

This book showcases the full gamut of experiences and perspectives, giving a full picture to both sides of this divide (which at times becomes quite heavy). Through Riley and Jenn, this book allowed me to walk through both of their lived experiences, broadening my understanding and compassion.

This book begs to be read with friends or in community. It will make you feel and reevaluate. And then it’ll make you want to connect. I ruminated on this book for several hours upon reading the last page. Then I immediately reached out to a friend that had also recently read this book. Our dialogue enriched my experience and solidified new perspectives.

The connection between prologue and epilogue give a fullness to the book that is worth note.

It would be easy to read the description of this book and think… “Nah. I hear enough of this in the news.” Or to think, “My mind is already made up.” But that would be such a disservice to you and this book. This is a book we need. It is a book I needed.

Thank you Christine Pride, Jo Piazza , Atria Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴?

𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠 is one of our #readspinrepeatbookclub picks for October and it's made for discussion.

Speaking of... Riley and Jen have been close since they were little kids, more like sisters than friends. But their relationship is tested when Jen's husband, a white Philly police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager. Riley, a local reporter on the verge of becoming one of the city's first Black female news anchors, is assigned to cover the story. Pride and Piazza explore how this tragedy impacts not only the community but the bond between the the two women, raising important questions about racism and empathy.

This is a timely book that addresses these divisive times. The scenes related to the shooting and the teen's family are truly gut-wrenching but this isn't the story of a family's loss. It's the story of Jen and Riley.

The authors note that "the majority of people (nearly 90 percent) say they don't have a close friend of another race or ethnicity" so through alternating POVs, we get Jen's (white) and Riley's (Black) experiences in the shooting's aftermath and see how their views change because of it. Their story of their friendship made me think but unfortunately, it didn't make me feel. It seemed liked they'd already drifted apart by the time we meet them which kept me from being fully invested.

Despite that, I highly recommend this book. It addresses issues we should be talking more about and I'm glad it opens to door to do so.

Thanks Atria Books and NetGalley for the copy to review.

This book would be a top pick for any book discussion/book club choice! Two best friends really get their relationship not only tested but layered back to uncover some hard truths about themselves and each other. One friend is white, with a husband that is a cop and the other friend, is. black, is a news reporter and tasked with covering a very race-fueled crime of an unarmed black boy that was fatally shot by the cops (one of the cop's is his best friend's husband). If that is not enough of a hook for you, then I don't know what is! I loved how this book was set up with alternating narratives between the friends - Pride and Piazza nailed the perspectives and inner struggles of each woman. This book really dove deep into friendships and racism and how racism can exist even at a surface level with those whom we love best.

What a powerful story of an interracial friendship whose strong bonds from childhood are tested by a devastating incident. This book took me on a gut-wrenching & emotional roller coaster through each of the narratives & their different perspectives. I highly recommend this thought-provoking book!

This book is so timely! It is the story of two women, Rye and Jenny. Rye is a black newscaster, Jenny is her lifelong white best friend, pregnant and glowing. Their world is shattered when, once again, a young black child is shot and killed by a policeman. Worst of all, the policeman is Jenny’s husband.

Navigating friendship, tragedy and rebirth, the reader follows these women. It is a fascinating trip that has a great deal to discuss and process. This is a very readable story, written in the right time in our history. I enjoyed it and I recommend it to reading groups and seminars.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this novel.

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza is such a timely book by this power duo. The book alternates the perspectives of two lifelong best friends: Jenny, a white woman married to a white Philadelphia police officer, and Riley, a black tv reporter. Their friendship begins to fracture after Jenny's husband was involved in the shooting of an unarmed black kid, and the book follows them as they work their way through this tragedy, their emotional response to it, and discussions/perspectives on race.

What worked for me:
- This book was so well handled and I felt that it everything was address in a very sensitive manner. Various perspectives, experiences, and emotions were portrayed, giving the reader a lot to think about and consider. In a society that is so divided, this book helps to give an insight into both perspectives of such a divisive issue.
- It is such an important topic.
The characters are well-crafted and I felt I could relate to both. Jenny could be a bit whiny at times, and I wish she would have had better empathy to what Riley was going through, but they were still strong characters
- The authors didn't insert unnecessary drama (such as Riley's conflict of interest). Doing so would have detracted from the overarching message and would have felt unnecessary.

What didn't work as well:
- My largest complaint (which unfortunately is slightly contradictory to my positive about it being sensitive) was that I felt like the book played it a little safe. It toed a very fine line in an effort to be appealing to readers who fall on either side of this issue. On the one hand, this is good because I think more people need to see issues from both perspectives and I think this book will have wider appeal and everyone can take something away from it. On the other hand, as someone who has a strong opinion on this issue, I thought the book could have pushed a little harder on certain points.
- Along a similar line, I felt like some of the conversations between Riley and Jenny were a bit stilted. They felt more like a debate or a rundown of the talking points of both perspectives. I would have liked to see more passionate dialogue from two characters who are so immersed in this hot button racial issue. I also would have liked to see a bit more of their personal reflection and growth after these conversations.

Overall, I think the book was a good read that handled a sensitive issue really well. As mentioned, I think everyone can take something away from this book and I think it's a book that can be used as a tool to spark discussions and see things from other perspectives. I think it would be a great book club book! I appreciate that I had the opportunity to read it and look forward to joining group reads for it in the coming months.

This is an innovative approach to writing a compelling and insightful story. Told in alternative perspectives, this is a book simultaneously about two lifelong friends who relationship is tested in ways they never expected and some of the most critical issues facing society today. An interesting and thought-provoking novel.

This will be a great sell for book clubs. Reciting the plot alone sparks conversation! I enjoyed the characters' imperfections and the delicate touch the authors had describing awkward, ugly feelings and awkward, ugly actions -- especially race-focused ones, from across the aisle, borne out of ignorance or just self-centeredness. I liked the strong beam of hope at the end, and the emphasis on talking things through to help one another understand, to call out ignorant behavior rather than condemn it, in the context of the friendship. I'm not sure I believe in that, but the hopefulness of the idea gives the story such an uplift. This will be an easy sell for book clubs who have enjoyed grappling with racially charged themes, a la Such a Fun Age.

We Are Not Like Them by Christina Pride and Jo Piazza is a thought-provoking story about race, friendship, and forgiveness.

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. While I have read several fiction books that cover racial injustice, I’ve never read one like this before: a book written by both a Black and white author. As such, the novel features two key characters: Riley, a Black female reporter and Jen, a white pregnant wife of a police officer. The authors put together an exceptional novel that covers race relations, lifelong friendships, police violence, motherhood, all wrapped together. This is not an easy read in many ways but it’s quite important.

We Are Not Like Them is stunning, heartbreaking but also a hopeful novel that will make you think. It’s an ideal book club selection and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the celebrity book clubs select this for their pick (and I hope they do!). If you only have time to read just a couple more books for the rest of the year, be sure to check this one out.