bibliofiendlm's review against another edition
5.0
An emotional read especially since it brought back memories of high school fears since the Colombine shooting occurred my senior year. This is a story about the realities of high school. The bullies. The insecurity. The anger some feel and the way that vocalizing the frustration can turn into a tragedy. But its also a story of survival and forgiveness.
erinkayata's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book because I found the premise interesting, but was incredibly frustrated with it at times. It seemed to operate, at moments, in flat cliches for one. As a journalist myself, the portrayal of the media and Angela Dash was especially annoying. I’m not blind to the fact media can be problematic, but in a time where honest journalists are vilified for doing their jobs, it was frustrating to see a flat, one-sided portrayal of a reporter as the slimy “bad guy.” The whole point of the book, I thought, was to show that there’s more than one side to people and yet it really relied on these easy stereotypes. The dad was terrible and absent, the therapist patient and perfect, etc. It seemed like some characters got to be multifaceted while the rest weren’t.
lauralansing12's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
exhaleartist's review against another edition
4.0
Reread: 3/14/12
Original Review: 2011
I had seen this book before, but never really picked it up to see what it was about. I stumbled across a review for it recently and immediately decided to check it out. What really attracted me to it was the point-of-view the author chose to write it in. Many fictionalized accounts of school shootings tell it from the point-of-view of a character who will inherently view the shooter as evil. Here, however, the main character was the shooter’s girlfriend, which causes an excruciating amount of conflict for the story.
Val is a character that was hard not to sympathize with. She had, had a lot of struggles in her family, and when someone came along to take her ‘away’ from all of it she fell in love. Like many girls are apt to do, she found herself to be going along with her boyfriends thoughts and interests. In this case though, this would end up getting her in a lot of trouble. I really liked the way the author wrote Val’s family. Each of her parents and her brother handled and processed what had happened in different ways. They all felt like very real people. Other standout characters were Jessica and Ginny. I loved Jessica, because of the way she changed and grew as person because of what happened. I admired her tenacity and the guts it took to stand-up for Val. Ginny was a character that my heart completely broke for, and I thought she was an interesting mirror to Jessica. They both were hurt and survived the same traumatic experience, but they came out of it with completely different outlooks. Nick is a character that is easy to dislike, but the scary thing is I have known people who are like him. I am not saying that I think they would go out on a shooting spree, but I think the way the author portrayed him is very accurate. Many times the people closest to a shooter would never believe that said person was really capable of such violence.
The way the story is written is nicely balanced. It begins after the shooting has taken place, but what actually happened that day is told in flashbacks during alternating chapters. Also at the beginning of the present-day chapters, there is a newspaper article discussing the shooting or its victims. It was very creatively put together and much more interesting than if the events had simply been told in sequence. The entire story is heartbreaking, and it all feels eerily real.
I was completely blown away by this book. I thought it was excellent and realistic. The characters were all so flawed and each of them felt as if they could simply step off of the page into real life. I am in awe of the writing and storytelling skills of Jennifer Brown. She weaves a breathtaking tale of heartache, betrayal, grief, and family. This book is definitely one to add to the favorites shelf. I highly, highly recommend it.
Original Review: 2011
I had seen this book before, but never really picked it up to see what it was about. I stumbled across a review for it recently and immediately decided to check it out. What really attracted me to it was the point-of-view the author chose to write it in. Many fictionalized accounts of school shootings tell it from the point-of-view of a character who will inherently view the shooter as evil. Here, however, the main character was the shooter’s girlfriend, which causes an excruciating amount of conflict for the story.
Val is a character that was hard not to sympathize with. She had, had a lot of struggles in her family, and when someone came along to take her ‘away’ from all of it she fell in love. Like many girls are apt to do, she found herself to be going along with her boyfriends thoughts and interests. In this case though, this would end up getting her in a lot of trouble. I really liked the way the author wrote Val’s family. Each of her parents and her brother handled and processed what had happened in different ways. They all felt like very real people. Other standout characters were Jessica and Ginny. I loved Jessica, because of the way she changed and grew as person because of what happened. I admired her tenacity and the guts it took to stand-up for Val. Ginny was a character that my heart completely broke for, and I thought she was an interesting mirror to Jessica. They both were hurt and survived the same traumatic experience, but they came out of it with completely different outlooks. Nick is a character that is easy to dislike, but the scary thing is I have known people who are like him. I am not saying that I think they would go out on a shooting spree, but I think the way the author portrayed him is very accurate. Many times the people closest to a shooter would never believe that said person was really capable of such violence.
The way the story is written is nicely balanced. It begins after the shooting has taken place, but what actually happened that day is told in flashbacks during alternating chapters. Also at the beginning of the present-day chapters, there is a newspaper article discussing the shooting or its victims. It was very creatively put together and much more interesting than if the events had simply been told in sequence. The entire story is heartbreaking, and it all feels eerily real.
I was completely blown away by this book. I thought it was excellent and realistic. The characters were all so flawed and each of them felt as if they could simply step off of the page into real life. I am in awe of the writing and storytelling skills of Jennifer Brown. She weaves a breathtaking tale of heartache, betrayal, grief, and family. This book is definitely one to add to the favorites shelf. I highly, highly recommend it.
pollyroth's review against another edition
4.0
A worthwhile read. It feels totally real, and the emotions you experience along with Valerie are complex and raw. For the most part, caricatures are avoided which could easily not be the case in a book like this. The book is heavy though. I frequently had to take breaks because these character’s reality weighs on you.
chrissireads's review against another edition
4.0
I thought Hate List was a powerful, important read. The story is told through flashbacks, present day and the newspaper reports.
Our main protagonist is Valerie, the girlfriend of the shooter. It felt very raw to read it from her point of view. Jennifer Brown really portrayed Valerie’s emotions beautifully. It was so easy to connect to Valerie. She had such conflicting emotions about Nick. She was struggling with her feelings towards Nick. On the one hand, she knew that he was a good guy but on the other hand she had to deal with the reality of what he had done. I thought Jennifer Brown handled Valerie’s feelings of guilt incredibly well as well.
The secondary characters are also so well developed. The anger, fear and hate are portrayed brilliantly, as are the feelings of needing someone to blame and ultimately beginning to forgive. I particularly liked Valerie’s little brother. I would’ve liked to read more about how he was handling what had happened. I absolutely loved Valerie’s doctor, Dr Hieler. He was such a strength to Valerie and I loved how he dealt with her feelings and gradually led her to accept what had happened.
I was really impressed with Jennifer Brown’s writing style. It was so easy to read and descriptive enough to imagine what horrible things had happened to the students. I’d definitely read another of Jennifer Brown’s books.
Our main protagonist is Valerie, the girlfriend of the shooter. It felt very raw to read it from her point of view. Jennifer Brown really portrayed Valerie’s emotions beautifully. It was so easy to connect to Valerie. She had such conflicting emotions about Nick. She was struggling with her feelings towards Nick. On the one hand, she knew that he was a good guy but on the other hand she had to deal with the reality of what he had done. I thought Jennifer Brown handled Valerie’s feelings of guilt incredibly well as well.
The secondary characters are also so well developed. The anger, fear and hate are portrayed brilliantly, as are the feelings of needing someone to blame and ultimately beginning to forgive. I particularly liked Valerie’s little brother. I would’ve liked to read more about how he was handling what had happened. I absolutely loved Valerie’s doctor, Dr Hieler. He was such a strength to Valerie and I loved how he dealt with her feelings and gradually led her to accept what had happened.
I was really impressed with Jennifer Brown’s writing style. It was so easy to read and descriptive enough to imagine what horrible things had happened to the students. I’d definitely read another of Jennifer Brown’s books.
i_dont_read_blurbs's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
Good audio! It’s was quick paced listen. I really enjoyed it. The storyline is a hard one and it was done with grace.
Good audio! It’s was quick paced listen. I really enjoyed it. The storyline is a hard one and it was done with grace.
neenor's review against another edition
4.0
I came across this novel when I was randomly browsing in Waterstone's, and the blurb immediately drew me in. I'd never seen another book quite like this one, and I still haven't to date. Although the storyline is a lot about different kinds of relationships and love, I definitely wouldn't call this a romance novel. For me, this book was about a certain coming of age, and that realization of adult responsibility and how fragile seemingly strong relationships can be. I found it all incredibly intriguing, and when I was finishing it up last night, I was just sat there crying my eyes out. Brown is an author to watch.
The whole story is basically about this girl named Valerie, who is just your average teenager - until her boyfriend comes into school one day and guns down several people; people who she wrote down in the Hate List, a notebook full of things and people her and her boyfriend hated. So essentially, when her boyfriend suicides and she is left alive, people look at her to blame the whole thing on. This has ruined her relationship with her family, her friend's, her school, and she's left pretty much on her own to face the stark reality of what's happened. Everything in her life has drastically changed, and this book is about her trying to adapt to it.
Firstly, I just loved the way Brown wrote. It was easy to read and to follow, didn't have any stupidly long and complicated words, and she didn't spend too long on the descriptions; it was just enough for us to form a vague picture in our head of the surrounding, but it didn't take up half the novel. Secondly, I loved the whole initial plot. You hear about stuff like this that can happen around the world, but you never think you'll ever experience something like that. This novel gives us just a small insight into how horrible events like this are, and how they can change people's lives forever. It was eye-opening for me, and I found myself being in fits of tears practically the whole way through - and that's from someone who can only understand a minuscule of the reality.
I also loved the characters - even Nick, although he killed all those people. Each of them were very individually different, and I found myself being able to sympathize with each and every one of them, whether they were the bully, the bullied or just another student. Admittedly, sometimes I got really frustrated with Val - everyone blamed her unfairly, and in the beginning she just hid away and didn't seem to defend herself they way I felt she should. But as the book grew on, she became more confident, and I felt that was much more realistic than any other way. I have to say, I hated her Dad. I absolutely loathed him. Personally, I found him to be in personification of what a stereotypical bad parent is. He had no faith in Val, treated her and her mother awfully, was unfair and unjust and I honestly just wanted to punch him. But his difficult characteristics did add a certain quality to the novel, and showed another side of Valerie's life before the shooting.
Overall, I loved this novel. It drew out emotions with me, and in some ways it was written so realistically that I almost felt I was living alongside the student's pain - maybe as a sibling, like Valerie's younger brother, Frankie. But despite everything, I think what I loved the most was the message this book sends out. It isn't necessarily just about a school shooting - it is also about growing as a person, and seeing things for what they really are, rather than what they first seem. It's also about the evolution of individual people - how some event could alter a person permanently, both in the physical and mental sense of the word. It was honestly such a moving novel, and it didn't sugarcoat anything, which I liked. It was hard-hitting, and completely perfect.
The whole story is basically about this girl named Valerie, who is just your average teenager - until her boyfriend comes into school one day and guns down several people; people who she wrote down in the Hate List, a notebook full of things and people her and her boyfriend hated. So essentially, when her boyfriend suicides and she is left alive, people look at her to blame the whole thing on. This has ruined her relationship with her family, her friend's, her school, and she's left pretty much on her own to face the stark reality of what's happened. Everything in her life has drastically changed, and this book is about her trying to adapt to it.
Firstly, I just loved the way Brown wrote. It was easy to read and to follow, didn't have any stupidly long and complicated words, and she didn't spend too long on the descriptions; it was just enough for us to form a vague picture in our head of the surrounding, but it didn't take up half the novel. Secondly, I loved the whole initial plot. You hear about stuff like this that can happen around the world, but you never think you'll ever experience something like that. This novel gives us just a small insight into how horrible events like this are, and how they can change people's lives forever. It was eye-opening for me, and I found myself being in fits of tears practically the whole way through - and that's from someone who can only understand a minuscule of the reality.
I also loved the characters - even Nick, although he killed all those people. Each of them were very individually different, and I found myself being able to sympathize with each and every one of them, whether they were the bully, the bullied or just another student. Admittedly, sometimes I got really frustrated with Val - everyone blamed her unfairly, and in the beginning she just hid away and didn't seem to defend herself they way I felt she should. But as the book grew on, she became more confident, and I felt that was much more realistic than any other way. I have to say, I hated her Dad. I absolutely loathed him. Personally, I found him to be in personification of what a stereotypical bad parent is. He had no faith in Val, treated her and her mother awfully, was unfair and unjust and I honestly just wanted to punch him. But his difficult characteristics did add a certain quality to the novel, and showed another side of Valerie's life before the shooting.
Overall, I loved this novel. It drew out emotions with me, and in some ways it was written so realistically that I almost felt I was living alongside the student's pain - maybe as a sibling, like Valerie's younger brother, Frankie. But despite everything, I think what I loved the most was the message this book sends out. It isn't necessarily just about a school shooting - it is also about growing as a person, and seeing things for what they really are, rather than what they first seem. It's also about the evolution of individual people - how some event could alter a person permanently, both in the physical and mental sense of the word. It was honestly such a moving novel, and it didn't sugarcoat anything, which I liked. It was hard-hitting, and completely perfect.
lazygal's review against another edition
5.0
Do you remember high school? Where you hated things, like the assignments you got in Alegbra or the teacher that gave you a hard time in class or the popular kids who made fun of you? Even your parents, your best friends could sometimes end up on your Hate List. Sometimes it was people you barely knew.
Thing is, I remember feeling that way, so I understood Valerie's Hate List. What happened next, however, is different. I didn't have a crazed boyfriend who opened fire on the people on my list - she did.
Brown writes a very compelling story about how it feels to be the one that possibly set everything in motion, how difficult it is to put one foot in front of the other when everyone thinks you're guilty of something. We get flashbacks to happier times for Valerie and Nick, to the day of the shooting, and spend time with her as she heals mentally and physically.
There is one moment, when her new friend Jessica uses That Voice, the one that used to call Val "Sister Death" on her friends, that felt very real to me. Rather than having that 'aha' moment of "wow. she does this to everyone, it wasn't just to me", Val just runs away because she sees Jessica bullying her friends into allowing her to bring Val to the lunch table. The fact that the author was confident enough to let that be, to not force understanding and compassion on Val at that moment speaks volumes.
Highly recommended.
(Free ARC received from publisher)
Thing is, I remember feeling that way, so I understood Valerie's Hate List. What happened next, however, is different. I didn't have a crazed boyfriend who opened fire on the people on my list - she did.
Brown writes a very compelling story about how it feels to be the one that possibly set everything in motion, how difficult it is to put one foot in front of the other when everyone thinks you're guilty of something. We get flashbacks to happier times for Valerie and Nick, to the day of the shooting, and spend time with her as she heals mentally and physically.
There is one moment, when her new friend Jessica uses That Voice, the one that used to call Val "Sister Death" on her friends, that felt very real to me. Rather than having that 'aha' moment of "wow. she does this to everyone, it wasn't just to me", Val just runs away because she sees Jessica bullying her friends into allowing her to bring Val to the lunch table. The fact that the author was confident enough to let that be, to not force understanding and compassion on Val at that moment speaks volumes.
Highly recommended.
(Free ARC received from publisher)
biteintobooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Arjen for reading this book with me.
What a beautiful book that I just wanted to keep reading and keep reading.
I do really think the ending could have been stronger and I HATED Valerie's parents, but overall the book was beautiful.
If you're ever looking for a YA book with a ton of character growth, this is the one to read.
What a beautiful book that I just wanted to keep reading and keep reading.
I do really think the ending could have been stronger and I HATED Valerie's parents, but overall the book was beautiful.
If you're ever looking for a YA book with a ton of character growth, this is the one to read.