Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Nineteen Minutes

Not them trying to get me to sympathize with a school shooter…

I read this for my book club, and did not like it very much. I found it a bit triggering at times and boring at others - pretty hard to get through. Honestly, it also felt like it was way longer than it needed to be.

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sarahannmac21's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

I’m not really sure I want to rate this book. How do you put a rating on enjoyment on a book about a school shooting?

I will say I think this book should be read by every student, teacher, principal, and parent of a child in high school. There is absolutely no reason this book should be banned. It’s crucial our students and adults in the public education world read and understand this book.

This book made me cry and sick to my stomach.

Side note: I didn’t not enjoy the little romantic sub plot that occurred at the 70% mark, and felt like a good 100 pages could have been edited out (they felt like filler that distracted from the story).

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kiwichill's review

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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shyleek's review

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dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was my second time reading the book but is my first time rating and reviewing.

Jodi Picoult has never let me down. She isn't afraid of the tough stuff. You always know there is a twist coming but can rarely figure out what that twist will be. Even though being a second read through I knew the Ending was coming it still Blows my mind how she built the story to that point.

In today's society this book is a heavy hitter. It is emotional and controversial but so worth the read.

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nadia_luq's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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sandysmith's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I find the authors books very compelling, and this is no exception. She has an easy to read writing style and is never afraid to tackle contentious issues. The characters are well developed but centre around Peter the shooter, and Josie is his on-off friend who craves to be popular. Told from various points of view that enhance your understanding of the various characters, their feelings, and motivations. The book makes you question and empathise the basic scenario of a high school shooting. You go from feeling sorry for Peter, the sensitive bullied boy, to being completely outraged that he went into school with guns shooting, killing, and horrifically injuring students and adults and a twist at the end, which again gives food for thought. This was read as a book club read and picked as a banned book in some US states. Do I think this book deserves to be banned? Absolutely not. In fact, I would recommend that others read it and make up their own minds. A book that leaves you questioning what can be done, gun control, the quest to be popular, and more effective bulling procedures in school is not a bad thing. A brilliant book that is still on my mind, questioning and thinking about what I've read. Excellent.

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phantomgecko's review

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

There's a lot in this novel. Because it tackles the issue from multiple perspectives, the nuance is appreciated. I could write an essay about bullying here, but suffice it to say that bullying is a problem without an easy solution, and the book really really explores that. An exchange between a lawyer and the principal really nailed it with these back-to-back (paraphrased) sentences.

Bullying is not tolerated at this school / Disciplining the bullies makes things worse

Moving on, the characters felt real. Peter was neither a monster nor a simple victim but a fleshed out teenager. His mother wasn't a perfect mother nor a failure but someone trying her best and making a lot of mistakes. Tbh, these are the only characters that I really empathized with. But that's not to say that the many other characters weren't also three dimensional.

idk, I won't read this book again, but I wouldn't deter anyone else from reading it. It's upsetting but the message is important, poignant and more realistic than other books I've read about school shootings.

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