The intensity and escalation of Medina’s book makes for strong read alike to This Is Where It Ends. More, the exploration of a contemporary teen issue—bullying—will resonate as well. Medina’s thoughtful writing about race and culture should also work well for Nijkamp’s fans. Grief is one big, gaping hole, isn’t it?“ I say quietly I don’t even know if he hears me, but my words are as much for myself as for him. "It’s everywhere and all consuming. Some days you think you can’t go on because the only thing waiting for you is more despair. Some days you don’t want to go on because it’s easier to give up than to get hurt again.” Three minutes after the bells ring for the beginning of third period, one of the auditorium doors finally opens. What meets the crowd of students and administration is a boy with a gun. And as Nijkamp states: “Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun.” Tyler falters, though only for a moment. “I should have known. Come to protect your sister? What are you going to do—hit me again?”Again, this is just speculation, but to me, this is nothing that dramatic bullshit to make the book read better.

Documentaries and articles on the subject of school shootings often reveal that the shooters were bullied, victimized or simply unloved and ignored. They are usually consumed by sadness and anger that eventually explodes. This is quite a simplistic explanation and yet Tyler isn't even offered that. He is simply an evil shooter. It makes me feel very sad that he isn't given more humanity. This book is like a shallow action movie where there are people with guns and others running around trying to survive. That's it. No depth. Whatever. I'm sure I have a legal right to see my own permanent record, so I can always use that as my excuse. The fact that these folders just happened to be "Last Names, A–C" instead of "Last Names, M–N" is nothing more than a coincidence. No one knows whose file I'm looking for, except Far. And even he doesn't know the whole reason. The book is sensationalistic. Like come on, when the bad guy is about to kill you, would this moment really have happened? Like, REALLY? “You know, sweaty chic doesn’t suit you,” I muse.

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What I think would have really made this book great is if it had not only focused on the 4 MCs, but also the shooter. There is some musing on the nature of his evil, but I felt like it was underdeveloped. There was a great opportunity there to consider how a teenager could turn into this evil monster that comes to murder his peers in cold blood. I love when books explore that uncomfortable notion that the division between good and evil is not so stark, and here was an opportunity to do so in a realistic, and unfortunately plausible, setting. You can’t always keep your loved ones with you. You can’t always settle your life in one place. The world was made to change. But as long as you cherish the memories and make new ones along on the way, no matter where you are, you’ll always be at home.” This book is so delicate. I fear if I keep talking I’ll blurt out random spoilers. Trust me, this is the kind of story you should start with a blindfold. So instead, ill bullet proof the selling points.

While plot based novels are my niche, I think the fact that this story is focused on the victims and survivors of such a tragedy was the better direction for this story. It was heartbreaking to see what these characters experienced, what they lost, and what they cannot regain. This story shows school shootings for what they are; a horrific, traumatizing experience. No character leaves this story unscathed and the images/messages that will be received from this story are the ones that deserve the spotlight. Though I was hoping for a loaded plot, I feel it would have overshadowed the real meaning of the story and shifted the focus in a negative way. But I can say with sincerity that all the decisions the author made regarding this novel were the right ones, even if it wasn't what I wanted from the book at first. Merry, Stephanie (January 20, 2022). "On TikTok, crying is encouraged. Colleen Hoover's books get the job done". The Washington Post . Retrieved February 11, 2022. So he tries to stop me—every day. And with Mom gone, there's no one to stop him. Not from drinking. Not from hitting me. There's no one to keep our family from falling apart. One night, Lily laughs when Ryle accidentally drops a casserole, and he angrily pushes her to the ground before frantically apologizing. Lily is reminded of her father's treatment of her mother; while horrified, she decides they are different from her parents and accepts his apologies, but warns him that she will leave if he hurts her again. School shootings are horrific things that open up so many questions. What does it take for someone to snap in such a way? What can possibly make someone turn a gun on their classmates and teachers? What is it about these people that makes them different from everyone else? Are they that different? In other circumstances, could that be me?Want more titles to read? Give Violent Endsedited by Shaun David Hutchinson a try, as well as How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. This fall, readers will also want to have That’s Not What Happenedby Kody Keplinger on their radar, as well as Sadieby Courtney Summers.