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A review by popthebutterfly
Accidental by Alex Richards
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Accidental
Author: Alex Richards
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: gun violence, contemporary, part trauma
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (gun violence TW, blame, death, gore)
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Pages: 368
Synopsis: Johanna has had more than enough trauma in her life. She lost her mom in a car accident, and her father went AWOL when Johanna was just a baby. At sixteen, life is steady, boring . . . maybe even stifling, since she's being raised by her grandparents who never talk about their daughter, her mother Mandy.
Then he comes back: Robert Newsome, Johanna's father, bringing memories and pictures of Mandy. But that's not all he shares. A tragic car accident didn't kill Mandy--it was Johanna, who at two years old, accidentally shot her own mother with an unsecured gun.
Now Johanna has to sort through it all--the return of her absentee father, her grandparents' lies, her part in her mother's death. But no one, neither her loyal best friends nor her sweet new boyfriend, can help her forgive them. Most of all, can she ever find a way to forgive herself?
Review: Overall, the book was amazing! The book had some great writing and the characters were compelling. The world building was also done well and I think the author, for the most part, handled the issue of gun violence very well in her book.
However, I felt really weird about the second half of the book. It felt like the author was taking a political stance and using this book to vent about the issue than to let the story develop naturally. It book was great and I loved the message about gun safety, but it just felt like a political debate at the end of the book. Of course, there are no easy answers when it comes to gun violence, but for the sake of the book and putting aside my own beliefs it didn’t feel natural.
Verdict: It’s a great read!
Book: Accidental
Author: Alex Richards
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: gun violence, contemporary, part trauma
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (gun violence TW, blame, death, gore)
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Pages: 368
Synopsis: Johanna has had more than enough trauma in her life. She lost her mom in a car accident, and her father went AWOL when Johanna was just a baby. At sixteen, life is steady, boring . . . maybe even stifling, since she's being raised by her grandparents who never talk about their daughter, her mother Mandy.
Then he comes back: Robert Newsome, Johanna's father, bringing memories and pictures of Mandy. But that's not all he shares. A tragic car accident didn't kill Mandy--it was Johanna, who at two years old, accidentally shot her own mother with an unsecured gun.
Now Johanna has to sort through it all--the return of her absentee father, her grandparents' lies, her part in her mother's death. But no one, neither her loyal best friends nor her sweet new boyfriend, can help her forgive them. Most of all, can she ever find a way to forgive herself?
Review: Overall, the book was amazing! The book had some great writing and the characters were compelling. The world building was also done well and I think the author, for the most part, handled the issue of gun violence very well in her book.
However, I felt really weird about the second half of the book. It felt like the author was taking a political stance and using this book to vent about the issue than to let the story develop naturally. It book was great and I loved the message about gun safety, but it just felt like a political debate at the end of the book. Of course, there are no easy answers when it comes to gun violence, but for the sake of the book and putting aside my own beliefs it didn’t feel natural.
Verdict: It’s a great read!