Reviews with content warning for Violence - We Are Not Like Them

i really disliked this. i can see what the authors were trying to do, but this just feels like a cheap caricature of police brutality. in the end, it feels like they are supporting it and trying to have us agree.

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cdoubet's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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christinabijou's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

This book feels a bit gimmicky to me.. It just seems so forced. The plot, the scenes, the characters, and the monologues all seem carefully curated. Because of that, it’s hard to get connected with the characters or the storyline.

The conclusions of Riley’s, Jen’s, and Tamara’s storylines really emphasize that “curated” feeling. Honestly, the endings wrapped up too seamlessly given the circumstances. And the book just didn’t feel authentic.

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colls's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

There are several things I liked about this book; the setting (Philly!), the alternating POV, the courage to tackle such a powerful topic.
There are several things I didn't like so much; the characters, the lack of any real resolution.

I think there are several good points made in this book about white privilege and the institutional racism present in our society. The center of the story is a tragedy, and yet I sense that the book wanted the center of the story to be the friendship between these two women. With competing priorities, I think it failed to live up to either.

Rating "Liked it" because I did generally like it and appreciated the point it was attempting to make. The writing was well done and the pacing was good.

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briana7's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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martachbc's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

We Are Not Like Them tells the story of Jen and Riley, lifelong BFFs from Philadelphia. Riley is a Black, up-and-coming TV journalist. Jen is white, married to police officer Kevin, and after years of struggling, finally pregnant with their first child. Lacking a present mom, Jen grew up around Riley’s close-knit family. When Kevin kills an innocent 14-year-old Black kid on the job, Jen’s life falls apart - but Riley has a chance to cover a story that could make her career.

I was drawn in by the timely concept of this book when it came out last year (and I love Jo Piazza’s books) - although now, doesn’t it feel beyond ”timely”? Aside from the fact that IRL I’d be pretty critical of Riley’s decision to cover the story in spite of being directly connected to it, I appreciated how this book didn’t shy away from exploring the uncomfortable, gritty and devastating nuances of its subject matter.

The writing overall was excellent. But some elements of the friendship rang a little hollow to me - exacerbated by Jen having just a few redeeming qualities - and other elements of the story (Riley’s brother Shaun’s own experience in the criminal justice system, and her interracial relationship) could have been fleshed out more earlier.

I would describe this as entry-level to the exploration of social justice - I am always happy to support books that get more people reading about important topics. But I’ll note, it was fairly easy for me, a white woman, to find some comfort with the outcome of this book, though no one was let off the hook. While things tie up somewhat neatly, the readers exist in a world where that’s not always the case - and we know that’s likely to be true for Jen and Riley eventually, even if we don’t see it.

This would be a great book club read because there’s a lot to discuss. I find I enjoy books more when they really give me something to chew on - and this certainly did. I guess in some ways I still am thinking on it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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desertmountainreads's review against another edition

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3.5

This book started out really strong and the narration was excellent. The last third of the book struggled a bit. There were parts that felt unrealistic and parts that just felt unnecessary to the story. The potential to be a really powerful read was there… it just wasn’t quite the 5 star stunner I expected.

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emilymay_reads's review

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challenging reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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