Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Gripping and fast-moving, with realistic characters. The author's acknowledgements at the end list list lots of people she consulted with and I think they're all to be commended - I didn't find anything cringey or eyerolly. I was kind of wary of the topic because I tend not to read 'real-world-problem' types of books - I like my drama to be thoroughly fantastical and hypothetical - but it's intense and serious without being overly heavy. Really well done.
Strong read, great points of view, short chapters carry the story forward well
Liked the characters and their points of view
Compelling and compassionate
Liked the characters and their points of view
Compelling and compassionate
SO GOOD. sucked me in from the first page!! big plot twist! shares a lot about dealing with autism in a family dynamic.
ARC provided by Penguin Random House and Goodreads First-Reads
I think that the promo as The Breakfast Club meets We Need To Talk About Kevin is a fairly accurate one, but I would throw in a tie to [b:Seven Ways We Lie|26240663|Seven Ways We Lie|Riley Redgate|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446761258s/26240663.jpg|45472548]. The multiple POV and different formats for different voices reminded me very much of that.
As I said in my review for the aforementioned Seven Ways We Lie, it can be really difficult to pull off multiple distinct voices, and to have them all be developed. I found that there were some chapters where I had to glance back to remind myself of who's POV we were in, but generally speaking this was well-achieved.
I liked that there wasn't an attempt to demonize the "Shooter" in the story as I feel like the better books that have tackled this subject have also managed to avoid this. We are reminded that the person committing this crime is still human, and has their own motivation/reasoning for their choices, as much as we may struggle to empathize with those reasons.
I could have read this in one sitting if I didn't start reading it so late yesterday. Overall, it was well-paced, well-written and an interesting read.
I think that the promo as The Breakfast Club meets We Need To Talk About Kevin is a fairly accurate one, but I would throw in a tie to [b:Seven Ways We Lie|26240663|Seven Ways We Lie|Riley Redgate|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446761258s/26240663.jpg|45472548]. The multiple POV and different formats for different voices reminded me very much of that.
As I said in my review for the aforementioned Seven Ways We Lie, it can be really difficult to pull off multiple distinct voices, and to have them all be developed. I found that there were some chapters where I had to glance back to remind myself of who's POV we were in, but generally speaking this was well-achieved.
I liked that there wasn't an attempt to demonize the "Shooter" in the story as I feel like the better books that have tackled this subject have also managed to avoid this. We are reminded that the person committing this crime is still human, and has their own motivation/reasoning for their choices, as much as we may struggle to empathize with those reasons.
I could have read this in one sitting if I didn't start reading it so late yesterday. Overall, it was well-paced, well-written and an interesting read.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really excited to read this book because of the 'The Breakfast Club meets We Need to Talk About Kevin' comparisons. The Breakfast Club is one of my favourite movies so any time there's a mention of it in the synopsis of a book, I know I'll be picking it up and reading it. Thankfully, this one didn't disappoint and I was able to see where The Breakfast Club comparisons came from.
The book was told in the POVs of the five teenagers and used different styles to tell the story. We saw prose, verse, text messages, homework assignments, diagrams and it was done it a way that was still easy to read and understand even with all the switching POVs and styles. The characters were all also unique to each other that it was easy to tell whose POV it was. What was hard was choosing a favourite. I still go back and forth on different ones each time I think of this book.
My favourite thing was how these characters who were stuck together interacted with each other. None of them were friends but knew of each other, or had had run-ins with each other, but nothing of significance except siblings Alice and Noah. The feel of the room could go from friendly to hostile to uncomfortable so much with just one interaction between two characters. I liked the way more information about each character was slowly revealed to the reader but also to the group and it started to change the way each person was viewed. It was also great to see growth in the characters even with the book being set in such a short span of time.
There was a lot of tension through the book as well. With the majority of it being set in one small room, it could have gotten repetitive after a while but Caroline Pignat did a great job of keeping things interesting and keeping the plot moving. It made me want to keep reading and I ended up finishing it in about a day and a half(and only then because I had to work).
The book was told in the POVs of the five teenagers and used different styles to tell the story. We saw prose, verse, text messages, homework assignments, diagrams and it was done it a way that was still easy to read and understand even with all the switching POVs and styles. The characters were all also unique to each other that it was easy to tell whose POV it was. What was hard was choosing a favourite. I still go back and forth on different ones each time I think of this book.
My favourite thing was how these characters who were stuck together interacted with each other. None of them were friends but knew of each other, or had had run-ins with each other, but nothing of significance except siblings Alice and Noah. The feel of the room could go from friendly to hostile to uncomfortable so much with just one interaction between two characters. I liked the way more information about each character was slowly revealed to the reader but also to the group and it started to change the way each person was viewed. It was also great to see growth in the characters even with the book being set in such a short span of time.
There was a lot of tension through the book as well. With the majority of it being set in one small room, it could have gotten repetitive after a while but Caroline Pignat did a great job of keeping things interesting and keeping the plot moving. It made me want to keep reading and I ended up finishing it in about a day and a half(and only then because I had to work).
adventurous
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:
Complicated
This is a book I did not want to read. It was mentioned as a favourite by the young stars of Canada’s Smartest Person Juniors and I am glad I selected this from the list. Fabulous character development, a plot that opened up gracefully, very well written. Highly recommended.