lilli_punt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
taleah_ushendibaba's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book hit me hard. It is going to take me a long time to process it. That is really all I can say about it.💔
iksme's review against another edition
challenging
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Every time I read this book, it emotionally destroys me. It is similar to an out-of-body experience. You will cry if you read this, even if you usually don't. It is a deep and sickeningly realistic depiction of what it is like to experience trauma and its effects on the community, including the beginnings of collective community trauma. There is a main character who is a queer domestic violence survivor, and her story is so thought out, so real it is as though she is guiding you through this book. this read hurt my heart and helped me feel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment
amandaharkins99's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
gymjam_reads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
fast-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
3.25
A fast pace page-turner but unfortunately, I struggled to connect to the characters and I wasn't emotionally invested like I expected to be.Â
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Death, and Violence
tobyyy's review against another edition
3.0
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire, via NetGalley, for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
3.5
This is the first book of this nature that I've read - a YA novel that deals with a school shooting, told by 4 different POVs over the course of only 54 minutes. It was interesting, and I enjoyed it to a degree, but I never really felt a deep connection with any of the characters.
* Autumn - She was the character I felt the closest to. The dancer. She wanted to escape Opportunity, Alabama, and had been accepted to Juilliard for ballet. The sections of the book that involved her seemed to be the most emotionally laden, because of her abusive father and how he discouraged her dancing once her mother died...
* Sylv - Autumn's girlfriend (but this was kept a secret until the shooting occurred, due to worries about what people would think - including Sylv's family, who had very traditional values. And again, this takes place in Alabama, which is Bible Belt territory). I didn't really ever feel connected to Sylv - it was clear that she cared for Autumn, but aside from that I found her to be a fairly forgettable character.
* Tomas - Sylv's brother. Not forgettable at all, due to the fact that
* Claire - the only one of the four who was not in the school when the shooting began. The one who went to get help. Yet she also was not terribly memorable nor did I feel any sort of emotional connection from her.
Perhaps that was intentional - the lack of emotional connection to the characters. Because of the horrific nature of the shooting, the disengagement might serve a purpose... because if it were too real, too emotionally-laden, then the readers might... oh, I don't know. I'm really just bullshitting here.
And Ty. It was never really clear why he went on the rampage. He felt like no one was there for him... he was bullied and then dropped out of school, but it wasn't clear what he was bullied about, since he seemed to be fairly popular when he was at school. He and Claire had dated for a time. I... really don't understand. I mean, from what was shared in the book, the bullying had been fairly bad, but the point of it (him being awkward, a social outcast, a geek - any "reason" that kids bully other kids) was not really ever stated clearly. Then again, kids don't always need a reason for bullying others...
Also, Sylv stated near the end of the book that Ty had hurt her in some way. It was alluding - I think? maybe? - to sexual assault (I'm thinking this due to a few other passages earlier in the book) but I don't know and this was also never made clear.
Overall, it was the lack of emotional connection and lack of clarity about several key points that knocked this book down from a 4/5 or higher to a 3.5/5. It was interesting enough but the blurb pretty much tells the story... there wasn't really anything hidden or any surprises throughout the book.
3.5
This is the first book of this nature that I've read - a YA novel that deals with a school shooting, told by 4 different POVs over the course of only 54 minutes. It was interesting, and I enjoyed it to a degree, but I never really felt a deep connection with any of the characters.
* Autumn - She was the character I felt the closest to. The dancer. She wanted to escape Opportunity, Alabama, and had been accepted to Juilliard for ballet. The sections of the book that involved her seemed to be the most emotionally laden, because of her abusive father and how he discouraged her dancing once her mother died...
* Sylv - Autumn's girlfriend (but this was kept a secret until the shooting occurred, due to worries about what people would think - including Sylv's family, who had very traditional values. And again, this takes place in Alabama, which is Bible Belt territory). I didn't really ever feel connected to Sylv - it was clear that she cared for Autumn, but aside from that I found her to be a fairly forgettable character.
* Tomas - Sylv's brother. Not forgettable at all, due to the fact that
Spoiler
he pretty much sacrificed himself at the end to try and stop Ty from continuing his shooting rampage, in order to save Sylv, whom Ty was going after (for an unknown reason).* Claire - the only one of the four who was not in the school when the shooting began. The one who went to get help. Yet she also was not terribly memorable nor did I feel any sort of emotional connection from her.
Perhaps that was intentional - the lack of emotional connection to the characters. Because of the horrific nature of the shooting, the disengagement might serve a purpose... because if it were too real, too emotionally-laden, then the readers might... oh, I don't know. I'm really just bullshitting here.
And Ty. It was never really clear why he went on the rampage. He felt like no one was there for him... he was bullied and then dropped out of school, but it wasn't clear what he was bullied about, since he seemed to be fairly popular when he was at school. He and Claire had dated for a time. I... really don't understand. I mean, from what was shared in the book, the bullying had been fairly bad, but the point of it (him being awkward, a social outcast, a geek - any "reason" that kids bully other kids) was not really ever stated clearly. Then again, kids don't always need a reason for bullying others...
Also, Sylv stated near the end of the book that Ty had hurt her in some way. It was alluding - I think? maybe? - to sexual assault (I'm thinking this due to a few other passages earlier in the book) but I don't know and this was also never made clear.
Overall, it was the lack of emotional connection and lack of clarity about several key points that knocked this book down from a 4/5 or higher to a 3.5/5. It was interesting enough but the blurb pretty much tells the story... there wasn't really anything hidden or any surprises throughout the book.
luciemagne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
m00sereads's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who has long graduated as a student in America, this book hits close to home in a painful way. Knowing that while this book is fiction, it’s been a reality too many times during my lifetime.
The fear, the anger, the tears and raw emotions are so strongly felt in this book. Not many books have brought me to tears but this one did. I had to pause multiple times throughout the book to process it. But Nijkamp did a horrifyingly great job capturing all of the emotions.
The only portion of this book that made it hard to read was the flip between so many characters. It seemed like too many stories were trying to get thrown into there and it got a little muddled. Otherwise, even though it’s a heavy read, I kept reading on, feeling the fear of every character.
And for those who’ve experienced this firsthand, my heart goes out to you.
The fear, the anger, the tears and raw emotions are so strongly felt in this book. Not many books have brought me to tears but this one did. I had to pause multiple times throughout the book to process it. But Nijkamp did a horrifyingly great job capturing all of the emotions.
The only portion of this book that made it hard to read was the flip between so many characters. It seemed like too many stories were trying to get thrown into there and it got a little muddled. Otherwise, even though it’s a heavy read, I kept reading on, feeling the fear of every character.
And for those who’ve experienced this firsthand, my heart goes out to you.
erykah13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this was an amzing book i love it but it killed me a little on the inside like i hope that i won’t have to go through this but we live in the USA and this happens like every other day. this is officially the only book that actually made me sob my eyes out.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism