Showing posts with label school shooting. Show all posts

Monday, 6 May 2019

#ownvoices, anxiety, asexual, contemporary, kody keplinger, lgbtq, lgbtq ya, mental illness, review, school shooting, that's not what happened, YA

Review: That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger (#Ad)

07:00 Jo No comments

I received this eProof for free from Hodder Children's Book via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

Published: 28th August 2019 | Publisher: Hodder Children's Books | Source: Publisher.
Kody Keplinger's Website

It's been three years since the Virgil County High School shooting. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall. Everyone knows Sarah's story.

But it's not true.

I know because I was there when she died. This might be my last chance to set the record straight... but I'm not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did - and didn't - happen that day.

And the fake Sarah story is important to a lot of people, people who don't take kindly to what I'm trying to do. The more I learn, the less certain I am about what's worse: the guilt of staying silent or the consequences of speaking up... From Goodreads.

Trigger Warnings: This book features a school shooting, blood, panic attacks, discussion of trauma, and alcoholism.

Wednesday, 18 July 2018

agoraphobia, anxiety, contemporary, marisa reichardt, mental illness, mental illness in YA month, review, school shooting, underwater, YA

Mental Illness in YA Month Review: Underwater by Marisa Reichardt

07:00 Jo No comments

Underwater by Marisa Reichardt (proof) - “Forgiving you will allow me to forgive myself.”

Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then herself.

But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school.

When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside. From Goodreads.

I was sent this proof for free by Macmillan Children's Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Trigger Warning: This book features a school shooting.

Sunday, 12 November 2017

close your eyes, contemporary, nicci cloke, poc, poc - south asian, review, school shooting, ukya, YA

Review: Close Your Eyes by Nicci Cloke

13:53 Jo No comments

Close Your Eyes by Nicci Cloke (eProof) - Southfield High School is oh so normal, with its good teachers, its bad, and its cliques. But despite the cliques, there's a particular group of friends who have known each other forever and know that they can rely on each other for anything.

There's the twins: Aisha, rebellious, kind, and just a tiny bit worried about what the hell she's going to do once this year is over, and Ash, smart, quiet and observant. Then there's Remy, the loudmouth, and Gemma, who's more interested in college boys and getting into the crap club in town. And then there's Elise: the pretty one.

But at the start of Year 11, when the group befriend the new boy, Elijah, things start to change. The group find themselves not as close as they used to be.

Until one Tuesday, when the students are trapped inside the school building. And one of them has a gun.

Close Your Eyes is the story of a school shooting which, through interviews, messages and questionable actions, asks: Who is truly responsible? From Goodreads.

Trigger Warning: This book features suicide.

Wednesday, 24 August 2016

anna seidl, contemporary, no heroes, review, school shooting, translated YA, YA

Review: No Heroes by Anna Seidl

11:29 Jo No comments

No Heroes by Anna Seidl (reading copy) - An ordinary schoolgirl with a carefree bunch of friends, Miriam's just embarked on her first relationship with her loving boyfriend Toby. She lives with her dad and she has a good relationship with her grandparents. All this ordinary happiness is shattered when one of Miriam’s schoolmates goes berserk one day at school with a handgun and kills several pupils and teachers. Toby is shot right in front of her. Shock, grief, bereavement, terror—Miriam and her friends run the gamut of emotions in the days, weeks and months following the shooting. But the worst emotion of all is guilt. "Is it our fault?" is the haunting question that tortures Miriam as she tries to piece her life together again. From Goodreads.

Thursday, 7 January 2016

#ownvoices, contemporary, diverse book, f/f, lesbian, lgbtq, lgbtq ya, marieke nijkamp, poc, review, school shooting, this is where it ends, YA

Review: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

09:00 Jo 3 comments

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp (eProof) - 10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival. From Goodreads.