Billed in the publisher’s synopsis as a modern day Romeo and Juliet type story, Reasons We Break is thankfully much more than that.

The two protagonists Rajan and Simran are young, they do have feelings for each other, and Simran’s family doesn’t approve of Rajan, but this is because of the things he’s done, not because there’s any bad blood between families.

They’re not wrong. Rajan has done bad things, though not as bad as everyone has been led to believe. Fresh out of juvie, he’s coerced back into the gang that got him into trouble in the first place when he was coping with his mother’s critical illness and death.

Simran, his math tutor in high school and now his mentor during his probation, has lived her own life with high expectations and trying to please her parents is now spiraling out of control with her own mother’s cancer diagnosis and desire to keep it a secret.

In convincing herself that she’s helping Rajan out, she gets sucked into the gang as their bookkeeper, because it’s one of the few things that she feels she can make better. But doing such a good job draws the attention of the wrong people in an igniting gang war and puts both her and Rajan in a perilous position.

I will confess that at times this seems to get bogged down. But it does a great job of addressing the dangers and risks of being involved in a gang, and does so from the unique perspective of a pair of Sikh teenagers in Canada. It also never makes a helpless female out of Simran, a nerdy girl according to her friends and classmates. I think just about anyone in her circumstances would be spiraling under that much pressure at her age. And yet she’s the one that may just find a way for her and Rajan to break free of the Lions for good.

This book does deal with issues that could have trigger warnings, mostly with critical illness in a parent. Despite the storyline centered around gangs the actual violence in the story is pretty minimal and shouldn’t keep readers away.

Don’t forget to read the author’s note at the end of the book!

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In Jesmeen Kaur Deo's second novel, Reasons We Break, Simran Aujla is sucked into a world of crime and violence, love and hate, all under a layer of secrecy she keeps from her Indian community. Simran has always been the golden girl; she volunteers, joins clubs, and sings at her gurdwara. Can she break past her golden girl image in order to do what she knows is right in her heart? Readers will be on the dge of their seats with this captivating novel from the author of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove.

I loved it, of course. It's a different vibe from what we got from TJ, but once I got used to the mood, I was able to delve deep into the story. I remembered Rajan from the first book, and I love how he has more layers to him in this story. He isn't just a troublemaker for the fun of it. Simran also has a few more layers than what we've seen. Although I can't relate to her completely, she's still a perfect example of what immigrant children face. We face a lot of pressure from our parents and our community. There are so many people surrounding us, but there's still an inherent loneliness that comes with the struggle of fitting in. This book captures it perfectly.
I didn't like the tense/POV (third person present), but it says a lot about the book that it's still going to be one of my favorites. The first kiss scene also felt a little out of character for Simran, but that could also be because I'm focused on the image of her we got from the first book. In my opinion, she acted a bit like TJ in that first kiss scene; however, it did not detract from the overall story.
I think this is a book that all Desi children should read; and even if you're not Desi, you should still read it, because it's heartbreaking and sad and hopeful and encouraging, in all the ways that matters. Happy reading ^.^

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

‘Angry. Lonely. Lost. But so much more, too.’

This line sums up Rajan perfectly. Sometimes we forget that people, teens, even kids, who do something bad or messed up are still people. Human beings who need love and to be cared for. After reading this powerful story about a gang war, I fell in love with Rajan.

‘What’s sad is only experiencing happiness in hindsight.’

Simran is a people-pleaser who wants to be in control. Not just of her own life, but also of the lives of those around her. At times, her character hit almost too close to home.

Reasons We Break is a powerful, gritty story, and I urge you to read it if you love books about flawed teens and raw emotions. It’s not a kind story, even though Rajan is such a sweet guy, and Simran is a rule-follower. My heart broke several times, and got pieced back together through the way Simran saw Rajan and Rajan’s care for his younger brother.

I read this breathlessly, always on the edge of my seat. The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because it felt a bit too telling at times. But the story itself, and the emotions it stirred, easily deserve a million stars.

It’s giving Peaky Blinders, callbacks to Bollywood films (the good ones not the new stuff), and mafia movies. This is my vibe, but I wished this book was aged it up! Sometimes the material needs full exploration, and in the case of YA it felt a bit limited and stifled. There’s a well of inspiration from the 90’s in Canada to pull from and that’s what instantly drew me to this book. It’s fascinating. There's a dichotomy that Jesmeen quietly probes which is how first generation young adults from diaspora communities acclimate in North America while still retaining cultural preservation in a generation divide. Throw in criminal enterprise and you have alluring characters and stories that are ripe with exploration. If Jesmeen wanted to write a full out series focusing on different characters established in this novel (or even some we haven't met yet) I would one hundred percent be on board.

I admit, I struggle with YA (I read it sparingly now). But books like ‘Reasons We Break’ make me hopeful for young readers and have my rapt attention.

Thank you Disney Hyperion for the digital arc!

I really really enjoyed this book! The characters were very interesting and I loved the journey that the author took them on. Sometimes I can get bored if the plot is to slow but the author did a great job with the pacing and keeping it interesting. I was able to finish this book in one sitting because I could not put it down! I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.