A thought-provoking story covering important topics, it was well written though I didn’t fully connect with the characters. Overall a good read,

a powerful book about race, friendship and loyalty. Riley and Jen have been best friends for their whole lives, spending childhood and teenage years in and out of each others' lives and worlds, blind to each other's skin colour differences. As they've grown up, they may have seen less of each other but that unswerving love and loyalty remains. Until Jen's husband, a police cop, is involved in shooting a Black teenager and Riley, a rising news reporter, is involved in reporting the breaking news, very aware that it could have been her own family or friend in the same situation.
Well written and addressing a lot of major topics including police violence and family ties as well as Black and White, its well worth a read

his book is simply beautiful.

We Are Not Like Them is the story of two friends, Riley and Jen. Riley is Black and Jen is White, and their friendship collides over a tragic event that takes place at the start of the book.

Through alternating viewpoints of these two main characters, we learn how this one truly tragic event, challenges and changes their friendship as well as their own beliefs and perceptions of each other and the world in which they live in.

This story was very thought provoking and has made me stop and reflect in so many ways. Apart from friendship, race and prejudice, the story tackles other themes such as family, loyalty, justice… I could go on!

For me, it was the theme of motherhood that I really connected with. Going on a journey where a mother loses her son, to another journey where motherhood begins.

A breathtaking journey of a book and a must read.

This novel is powerful and poignant. It is a split perspective that follows Riley and Jen as they navigate a difficult time in their friendship when Jen's police officer husband shoots and kills an innocent, young black man due to a mix up. With Riley being a black woman who ends up being the lead reporter on the case, it really ramps up the tragedy.

I found it moving and thought provoking, and I'm really glad it was done from both ladies points of view. It was very well done and you can feel the tone change between the chapters.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review</i>

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC HQ and NetGalley.

This is an incredibly powerful book and one I feel it is important for everyone to read. It is about race and friendship and love and the strength of bonds.

One I will definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this book. It was well written but did go on about past stuff that I felt I didn't need to know about.

One of my favourite kinds of novel is one that makes me consider different perspectives. I love going into a novel with complete conviction of one point of view but then slowly as the story unfolds admitting to myself that I can actually see the other person's perspective too. Jodi Picoult and Dani Atkins do this brilliantly and now I can add Christine Pride and Jo Piazza to this list because with their co-written novel We Are Not Like Them they have tackled a contentious issue and made you look at different perspectives.

We Are Not Like Them is the story of Riley and Jen - best friends since they were little, nothing not even distance has managed to break their friendship however when an incident happens in their neighbourhood that affects each of them in very different ways we begin to see how strong their relationship really is.

We Are Not Like Them looks at racism, police brutality, white privilege, family, and identity. It shows us the impact of crime upon the family of the victim and the family of the perpetrators. Pride and Piazza ask you to go with them on this journey of discovery and allow yourself to see things through other eyes.

I was worried when I read this novel that I would be disappointed in the ending. I didn't know how I wanted it to end because I allowed myself to be guided by both characters' stories but I had that lovely satisfied feeling that you can often get when you turn the final page of a really good book.

A must read!

We Are Not Like Them by Christina Pride and Jo Piazza is available now.

For more information regarding HQ (@HQStories) please visit www.hqstories.co.uk.

This story, told from two perspectives was a great insight into the conflict and misunderstandings of race, perceived by both a black and a white women. I adored how the author used own voices of the two authors to portray the story in first person. I will never fully understand the plight of the black community and this powerful piece of fiction helped me to understand the hurt and injustices that black people battle with every day. Every one should read this book.

Ryle and Jenny have grown up together but have never actually seen themselves as two different colours. Until a black teenager gets shot by a policeman, who turns up to be Jenny's husband. While Ryle has to fulfill her professional duty and report everything openly as a journalist, she also cares deeply about the relationship with Jenny. Is it possible to continue the friendship after obvious racial division in society?
It is unbelievable that in the 21st century we still have this division. Everyone should read this novel and raise awareness of tolerance and important things. Looking forward to reading more from #christineprine and #jopiazza. Thanks #netgalley.

This is a thought provoking book even though the two main characters -Jen and Riley- were annoying at times. Well worth a read .
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC

It feels wrong to say I loved this book because it is about such a challenging issue but I liked it for all the reasons people seemed to dislike it because it looked at the subtle micro aggressions of racism rather than the obvious overt ones. Yes there is the shooting of the black boy but really the story is about all the little minor aspects of racism that black people encounter in their lives and how white people, even white people who have close friends or even family that are black, still carry an inherent element of their own racism in them due to the society they were raised in. I think the book captures that so well with the dual voices and I can imagine that this was a real challenge for the two authors to write such honest accounts of the different women's experiences.

I think this is a really important book. it is about friendship and love and how racism infiltrates every part of society and effects all of our lives negatively.

A very relevant thought provoking book about friendship & loss & I enjoyed the basics of the storyline

However both Jen & Riley annoyed me at times, both so absorbed in their own self importance & I felt the ending just kind of left things hanging

A novel which looks into issues of racism, police brutality and state of the nation issues. It was very well written, with neatly drawn characters. A perfect choice for a book club as there is so much to discuss.

A book that is sure to initiaite difficult conversations is how We Are Not Like Them has been described. Addressing issues of race, violence, and police brutality, it is bound to provoke discussion. Which can only be a good thing. Conversations need to be had, respectfully and openly.

The story centres around Riley and Jen, best friends since childhood, but divided by a devastating incident involving Jen's police officer husband, Kev. A young black teen is shot and killed. Another victim needlessly slaughtered. The black community is united in grief and outrage, and as a local news reporter, Riley is at the front line. She is also black.

Jen is devastated by what's happened, but her loyalty is with her husband, who she knows to be a good man.

As long simmering resentments are aired, Riley and Jen find their friendship fractured. But can honesty and loyalty overcome this divide?

Written by two female authors, one black, one white, this lends an authenticity to the issues raised, and I thought it was written with great compassion and integrity.

Two best friends, one black one white. When Jenny’s cop husband kills an innocent black boy on duty divides appear. Obviously the topic of this book is very apt, and it’s important for us to recognise the pressures and challenges different minorities face. As important as the book is, I didn’t quite connect with either character. Readable but not my fav.

“We Are Not Like Them” is a story of Riley and Jen, two friends since childhood, one black and other one white. Their friendship is tested while Jen’s husband is involved in a fatal shooting of a Black teenager. Jen is shocked and distraught when herself and her husband are called racists and are hunted by the press and locals, while Riley, as one of the few Black reporters in a local TV station, is given a job of reporting on the case.
I thought it was a very timely book, that explored racism, friendship and America's lack of gun control. As I live in UK I find it very hard to understand the way in which the police system works in US, but the statistics are shocking - the rate of fatal police shootings between 2015 and November 2021 stood at 37 per million of the population for Black Americans, the highest of any ethnicity. The friendship between Riley and Jen seemed to me a bit stretched, as the racism was never discussed by them, and Jen was woefully unaware and naive of racism and microaggressions that Riley was dealing with throughout her life. The most moving part of the book was the story of a victim and the way in which the community was forced to deal with it, and Riley’s voice was coming across as powerful and touching. Although I sympathised with Jen, I could not really see myself siding with her, despite herself being innocent.
Overall, it was a thought-provoking story, thankfully not too sugar coated. It was full of anger at the police brutality and racial injustices, and it did not shrink from showing ugly truths of everyday’s microagressions. It is a timely book which reminded me of earlier works by Jodi Picoult and would appeal to readers who like novels about moral dilemmas and procedural dramas.

Jen and Riley have been friends since they were little, never worrying about their different coloured skins. But when Jen’s policeman husband Kevin is involved in the shooting of an unarmed young black boy, the pair find themselves on opposing sides. Can their friendship survive?

We Are Not Like Them is a very powerful story, reflecting life in America. It is written from both Jen and Riley’s viewpoints, which diverge widely as the events unfold. As a white woman, Jen finds it difficult to understand why Riley might see things differently and it is an interesting journey for both her and the reader to come to terms with the racial implications of her actions.

A truly moving read.

This was such a powerful and strong read. I absolutely loved the themes the book talked about and the importance of these themes. The plot of this book is very similar to what happens in real life so it was easy to imagine and it was easy to get to know the characters.

This book talks about some deep themes and in such a raw way. I liked this because it makes the book haw an impact on its readers. The themes discussed in this book is racism, police brutality, white privileges and prejudices. These themes can make readers uncomfortable but it is so important to talk about and have these conversations with people. There were also themes of friendships, family ties, grieve, loss and love. These are also quite difficult to read at points but also are beautiful themes to read about. I could speak about the themes for ages but I want other readers to experience these emotions like I had while reading the book, it was so moving and heartbreaking at times.

I thought the two main characters, Riley and Jen to be amazing. I loved how Riley stood up to what she believes in and tried her best to educate those around her. I found Jen to be very naive to the events which happened in the books and this was portrayed very well. I love how the authors of this book brought their own friendship into this book. It is amazing to have both sides of the friendship involved with writing this book because it made the book feel very real.

I was sad when this book ended because I loved it so much. It will definitely stick with me for a long time. There is a lot to think about after reading this book. I highly recommend this read!

Riley and Jen have been best friends since they were children. Now as adults, Riley is a single Black woman and successful broadcaster on a national TV network while Jen is finally pregnant after years of trying. When Jen’s husband Kevin, a white police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black boy, their friendship is thrown into turmoil. This immersive novel about race and how it affects everyone completely gripped me in its clutches and refused to let go. With themes of systemic racism, white privilege and motherhood, it’s a story of a very strong and loving but flawed friendship. It’s both highly emotional and fantastically hopeful. A must-read for our time!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. A thought-provoking story covering important topics, it was well written though I didn’t fully connect with the characters. Overall a good read,