Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

1 review

legalplanner's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

In a world of lockdown drills, post columbine, and more school shootings in recent years this is an important take on the narrative of survivors. 

We meet Lee and the “six” on the third anniversary of the school shooting, when the youngest members are heading closer toward graduation. We follow Lee and her struggles to reconcile what happened that day and how the current narrative has been harmful. 

Trigger warnings for this novel:
Gun violence, death, school shootings, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, PTSD, and mild trauma. 

I went into this knowing that it would be a heavy read and it was every bit of heavy that I anticipated. In my small town in Indiana a school shooting happened and watching those survivors grapple with the same things Lee was sometimes got hard because I understood how her mother was feeling when trying to understand Lee. 

The diversity in the characters both on a sexuality spectrum, “disability”, and class structure was amazing and very much amplified that schools are diverse areas students spend most of their time in and that not every victim is the same. 

The writing style as a letter to be published to tell their side of the story was brilliant and the individual characters stories allowed you to see deeper into their personalities without having to switch points of view which I feel would have been hard in this novel. 

The way guilt both as a survivor and as a bystander was very well done. You understand why Lee, Eden, Denny, and Miles all have guilt regarding the narratives of that day. While none of them are necessarily as heavy as Lee’s there’s is equally as important.

I urge you as a reader (if you’re looking for reviews to encourage you) don’t take my 5 star review as overhype. This was well done. Focusing on survivors, guilt, and how the issues surrounding mass shootings/school shootings are important but many. I also implore you to read this as there is zero shooter glorification which I think is important. 
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