Reviews tagging 'Grief'

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

16 reviews

lakinlindsey's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book made me sob dealing with its themes of trauma, grief, guilt, and taking control of your own narrative. This book has some cool stuff to say of how important is the truth in the end. Is it better to give people that lost loved ones a sense of comfort? Or to be true to who people actually were? I Fall somewhere between where I think it’s fine to let people believe what they want but not at the cost of hurting someone else like in this book with Kellie. However, a favorite theme of mine from this book is Lee discussing how she hates that once people are dead they’re put on a pedestal and people refuse to be truthful about their flaws. This dehumanizes them and is unfair to their memory and to people still alive. That’s always been something I dislike as well. Last but not least I thought the book was building to a dark turn with Miles and I’m very glad that wasn’t the case in the end. This was a good, but triggering read so beware.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Blood and Addiction

daringreader13's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Murder, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Blood, and Alcohol

ammr8973's review

slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction

stardustdreamer's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Death, Bullying, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Gore

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Medical content

brookey8888's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-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? Yes

3.75

First of all we love an asexual queen!! So that being said there is a ton of different representation in this and I can’t speak for most of them, but I didn’t find anything wrong with it. As for the story it doesn’t really focus on the shooting but the aftermath of it. Which I thought was important. Also it never gives the killer a name or the spotlight which I also thought was good. I thought it was interesting how religion played apart in this. I don’t think this is like the greatest book or the greatest book about a school shooting but I think it is well done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Death, Grief, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Violence, and Murder

goodnightngo's review

3.0

This book is very engaging and took me out of my reading slump. Definitely dark but the author approached the heavy topics in a thoughtful way.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Bullying, and Grief

bobisthecoolest's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.5

Being from Europa, I have no idea what these characters went through and wether this book and the character’s stories are accurate, so I will just be speaking from a reader’s perspective. The story was interesting, the diversity was great, but half of the characters were just unlikeable; Lee shouldn’t have pushed people as much and Ashley was just a straight up bitch imo. 

I did love the ace rep in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Gun violence, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Addiction

casber's review

emotional 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Gore, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Gun violence, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Drug use, and Drug abuse

caitlin033's review

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Drug abuse

wintermomof4's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, and Gun violence