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.

We Are Not Like Them is a very timely book. Its plot revolves around two best friends, one Black, one White, who suddenly find themselves having to take sides in a police shooting of an unarmed Black man. It is a tense, thoughtfully written book that explores race, police procedures, the media, and what it means to be a true friend. The character development leaned on stereotypes and the plot was predictable, but it didn't take away from the overall effect. It wasn't the book for me, but I do recommend it to others - I'm sure it will be really popular!
3.5 rounded up to 4

Advanced copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Christine Pride, Jo Piazza and Atria books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*


Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/we-are-not-like-them/

“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow

Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead

Walk beside me… just be my friend”

― Albert Camus

We Are Not Like Them is a novel about two best friends: Riley, a black woman and Jen, a white woman. Riley and Jen have been best friends since they were 5, when Jen was brought to Riley’s mother’s daycare. They are both living in Philadelphia now, close to their families. Riley’s career has taken a turn and now she is becoming a successful black female reporter while Jen, thanks to Riley’s loan, is finally pregnant through IVF with her police officer husband, Kevin. They are together at a bar one night when a news story breaks that an unarmed black teenager has been shot. They don’t know at that moment, but Jen’s husband is the one who shot him and their long friendship is put to the ultimate test.

A collaboration between a white author and black author writes this fast-paced and timely novel. We are Not Like Them is told from both points of view and that dual voice is necessary in this novel to understand how differently both see the same tragedy. For the first time in their 25-year friendship, race is now an issue. While it is Riley’s obligation as a reporter to cover this ground-breaking news story, Jen faces the prospect of her husband being imprisoned and also losing her best friend, who unsurprisingly is on the side of the teenager’s mother. Riley must side with the black community and cannot heed Jen’s calls for support in defense of her husband. She is especially bothered because Jen has appeared on TV stating she has a “black best friend”.

While Riley tries to see both sides, Jen’s inability to see where Riley is coming from bothers her. When she tries to explain how her life is different as a black woman, Jen cannot understand and it tears apart their friendship. Jen refuses to see “colors” but also does not understand why Riley will not come out in defense of Kevin.

Pride and Piazza’s novel is a story about friendship set with the backdrop of racism in the US and the trend of police shootings of unarmed black people. I found their relationship compelling but also heartbreaking. We are Not Like Them is an amazing and raw book with an exceptional authenticity to the dual voices that speak throughout. Being touted as one of the must-read books of the year, I found it riveting and informative.

4.5 Definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

We Are Not Like Them is a relevant, thought-provoking, educational, powerful, and emotional story. It takes a hard look at so many subjects surrounding race, prejudice, and belief systems and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I put it down. From the heartbreaking prologue to the very last page, I was hooked. The writing, empathy, and perspectives from co-authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza are brilliant and important. I have already recommended it to so many and will continue to do so.

We Are Not Them Publishes 10/5/21. A huge thank you to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced reader copy.

How often we read of incidents like these. But that is what we do. Read and wait for the next one. This book opens up a new side. What happens to the families. What happens to friendships. Riley and Jen have been friends for years. Jen and Riley seem to be an unlikely pair. One white, one black. Jen's policeman husband has shot a young unarmed black student. How they deal with it and try to remain friends is the story. It is a book that needs to be read and shared.
Thank you, NetGalley. A special thanks to Christine and Jo for writing this.

The premise of We Are Not Like Them is fantastic. And so real to the moment right now. It was great to see a nuanced look at at a problem that many see as black and white. I found one of the characters absolutely infuriating, but that was the point. While the writing felt a little YA to me, that's not a knock, it is how it read. I know many will pick up this book and hopefully treat others a little kinder after reading it. I thought the ending was perfection!

Riley, who is black, and Jen, who is white, have been best friends since they were young children. In recent years they have been separated by distance due to Riley's college and career, but she is back home and excited to see her friend. Meanwhile, two police officers shoot an unarmed black teenager. Jen's husband is one of the shooters, and Riley is reporting on the case. The situation puts a strain on their relationship, but also leads them to realities that they had not confronted. This book examines race and police brutality from both a black and white perspective.

Where to start!

Riley and Jen have been lifelong friends and their racial differences never stood between them. Now, as Jen’s husband, a cop, stands accused of killing a 14 year old kid, how will journalist Riley respond?

This story is both profoundly contemporary and realistic. The author spent a lot of time creating realistic characters who seem believable and full. The attention to detail really provided me with a proud understanding of each woman’s motivation and history, which proved to be significant as the events unfolded.

Would definitely recommend this eye opening story. It was both and important and interesting read in the current times.

My first time to read anything by this author and I will be on the lookout for more by them. This book had great character development and a story that was very captivating. Highly recommend this read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. Given what has been happening in North America, this book is timely. Two young women who have been friends since childhood, one black, one white, find themselves on opposite sides. Riley is a beautiful black news reporter and her best friend Jen, who is white, is expecting her first baby, with her husband a white police officer.
This is where things start to get complicated. Jen's husband Kevin and his partner, Travis are in persuit of a suspect involved in a robbery. Travis, shoots the suspect and Kevin follows suit. In reality, they have shot a 14 year old black teenager, Justin, who didn't even match the description of their suspect.
Riley becomes the lead reporter in this investigation. Riley and Jen have never dealt with race or skin colour, or being on the opposite sides of the fence during their whole friendship. That is about to change.
I was blown away on how the co-authors wrote what it felt like for both sides. You can never know what it feels like to walk in someone elses shoes, until you do. I felt like that's what I was doing, while I read this story. I felt empathy for everyone concerned. Justin's family, Jen's family and Riley's family. I think this book may help some to have some important conversations.
It is a very well written story, current with the times. I give this 4.5 out of 5

There’s no doubt that Piazza and Pride can write a compelling novel, but interestingly, this isn’t the book I was expecting it to be. The plot is propulsive, but this is much less of a page-turner and more of a study in relationships, race and character. I think this will by and large be a buzzy book this fall and for good reason, but its marketing - or perhaps my expectations - were a little off. Ultimately, the writing between our two authors was seamless, and the exploration of friendship at the heart of the story was incredibly compelling.

I definitely recommend this very thought provoking and relevant book. The authors presented the story from two perspectives (best friends, one is a Black journalist, and one a white police officer’s wife). This narrative choice effectively showed differing feelings, viewpoints, personal history, confusion and conflicting emotions. As a white reader, I loved seeing the situation through Riley’s lens, and also learning from the well intentioned mistakes Jenny makes. These two have been best friends for years, but the undercurrent surrounding their experiences couldn’t be more different. I am usually not a slow reader, but this book took me 2 weeks to read. I can’t figure out if there was something that wasn’t connecting to make me keep picking it up, or (more likely) it was a heavy topic that I could only handle so much of at one time.

“It comes in waves, moments like these, a sense of hopelessness so strong it steals her breath. The sense that no one will understand and nothing will ever change. That white folks will just go about their lives and pity Black folks, and wonder why they can’t get ahead, get a break, just behave already, listen to the police.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A very timely story. Two women, one black and one white are close friends. A tragedy occurs and threatens that friendship. The story covers racism and the impact it has in different ways. Beautifully done!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a very engaging read about two friends whose lives diverge, particularly after Jenny’s husband shoots an unarmed Black teenager. I had a hard time with Jenny’s chapters and being empathetic with her to be honest, but Riley’s chapters really hooked me.

We Are Not Like Them is absolutely fantastic! It is so beautifully written and the plot so well developed, I literally could not put it down. This is the book that will hook you from the first page until the very end. HIGHLY recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

If the prologue doesn't hook you, then hopefully the characters will! Riley and Jenny are so well written characters, I really loved them and connected with them from the start. This one was hard to put down and I found myself thinking about them long after I put the book down. This is a story of friendship and the differences of people and how that can tear us a part or bring us closer together. A timely story, a must read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

A timely, compelling read that brings to the forefront many relevant issues of our times. This story draws you in, and it doesn't release it's grip when you take a break from it. A heart wrenching look at the ties that bind, and what those limits are. A book that will stay with long after it ends!

From the chilling prologue to the gut-wrenching epilogue, I could not put this book down nor could I stop thinking about it in those small windows that I wasn't reading it.

Jenny is white and Riley is black. They are best friends and grew up almost like sisters and through the years, their lives have taken very different paths. Riley obtained a degree and is now a journalist gunning for the anchor spot. Jenny got married and is now, after years of trying, pregnant with her first child. Despite their different life paths and the fact that for much of their adult life they were living in different cities, Jenny and Riley remained close. Now that they are both back in Philly they are hopeful that they will pick up where they left off until the unthinkable happens. Jenny's (white) cop husband shoots an unarmed black teenager. This thrusts race into the forefront of their relationship and turns both their worlds upside down. You will devour this book in search of the outcome: whether or not the victim survives, how the case will play out in the justice system, and if Jenny and Riley's friendship can survive the ensuing storm.

This novel was written by two authors, one black and one white, each bringing their unique perspectives to the table. In the forward, they describe the give-and-take nature of their conversations as they wrestled with how to best present the characters and ideas in this book. This leg-work on their behalf and the different perspectives they bring surrounding race is evident throughout the book and is the reason the book feels so real, raw, and empathic from start to finish. The writing was relatable and yet challenging and I have no doubt that this book will become an instant classic.

I would recommend this novel to any reader who enjoys realistic or historical fiction. I also recommend this to book clubs, classroom teachers, and anyone looking to stretch and challenge themselves on the topic of race in our country. Actually, I would just flat-out recommend this book to anyone.

A huge thank you to the authors and to NetGalley for this Advanced Reader's Copy which I so thoroughly enjoyed and which stretched me in the best ways imaginable.

This book was phenomenal! A lifelong friendship between a Black woman and a white woman is tested when a major tragedy takes place that affects both of their lives. Will they be able to save the friendship? Or will the tragedy tear them apart for good? This was so good and so prevalent to right now. It brought out so many emotions in me that, at some points, I had to put the book down and walk away to clear my head. This book will stay with me for a long time to come.