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romanaromana 's review for:
That's Not What Happened
by Kody Keplinger
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars.
(https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/849572 = some content warnings. To add: a school shooting; bullying and harassment; implications of PTSD. Nothing in this review except some discussion of a school shooting (and thus murder)).
Not Kody Keplinger's finest, but by no means a bad read.
Three years ago, Lee lost her best friend in Virgil County High School's biggest tragedy. She wasn't the only person to lose a friend of course, but she is one of only six who remember that day differently. One of only six who had their lives changed forever when they encountered their classmate wielding a gun that was so close to claiming them. But the truth is still unclear when the six of them can't get their stories to align, and some refuse to speak about that day all together. When lies resurface about her best friend's final moments, Lee knows she has to do something. She can't let people go on believing in a farce, even if it makes for a better story. What she doesn't realise, however, is that not all the survivors feel as passionately about the truth as she does, and not all agree that the truth will set them free.
I'll start with Lee, who I think was a very solid protagonist for this story. Keplinger establishes her character quickly, and stays true to it throughout. I never felt as though Lee's actions or thoughts were out of character or unexpected in that sense. I also thought her character was consistent with the things she has been through and what she experiences over the course of the novel, so all in all she felt believable and true.
Equally, I liked the range of characters I met in the small collection of 'survivors'. They were diverse in both character and experience, which I thought was a great display of how trauma can impact people differently and be processed in very different ways.
Whilst we're on good things, I will say I surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?) enjoyed the romance in That's Not What Happened. It doesn't dominate the novel, which I was glad to see, but it also felt natural and unforced. I think Keplinger chose her pair well for the circumstance, so I really enjoyed the way their relationship developed as the novel went on.
Unfortunately I couldn't fall for this novel completely because it felt somewhat anti-climatic. I appreciated Keplinger's dedication to her theme of truth and its meaning and importance to different people, but I struggled to get behind it so much when the truth itself wasn't all the exciting. She held the details away from me for quite a while, and when they were revealed I was underwhelmed. In some ways maybe that's kind of the point, but it meant that the novel lacked the weight and drama it had set itself up for.
I think this novel will be a little forgettable for me, but hey, I still had a decent time with it. I remain a big Keplinger fan...however I'm a little hesitant to go for her remaining works which don't seem to have been as well-received as those I've picked up so far.
(https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/849572 = some content warnings. To add: a school shooting; bullying and harassment; implications of PTSD. Nothing in this review except some discussion of a school shooting (and thus murder)).
Not Kody Keplinger's finest, but by no means a bad read.
Three years ago, Lee lost her best friend in Virgil County High School's biggest tragedy. She wasn't the only person to lose a friend of course, but she is one of only six who remember that day differently. One of only six who had their lives changed forever when they encountered their classmate wielding a gun that was so close to claiming them. But the truth is still unclear when the six of them can't get their stories to align, and some refuse to speak about that day all together. When lies resurface about her best friend's final moments, Lee knows she has to do something. She can't let people go on believing in a farce, even if it makes for a better story. What she doesn't realise, however, is that not all the survivors feel as passionately about the truth as she does, and not all agree that the truth will set them free.
I'll start with Lee, who I think was a very solid protagonist for this story. Keplinger establishes her character quickly, and stays true to it throughout. I never felt as though Lee's actions or thoughts were out of character or unexpected in that sense. I also thought her character was consistent with the things she has been through and what she experiences over the course of the novel, so all in all she felt believable and true.
Equally, I liked the range of characters I met in the small collection of 'survivors'. They were diverse in both character and experience, which I thought was a great display of how trauma can impact people differently and be processed in very different ways.
Whilst we're on good things, I will say I surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?) enjoyed the romance in That's Not What Happened. It doesn't dominate the novel, which I was glad to see, but it also felt natural and unforced. I think Keplinger chose her pair well for the circumstance, so I really enjoyed the way their relationship developed as the novel went on.
Unfortunately I couldn't fall for this novel completely because it felt somewhat anti-climatic. I appreciated Keplinger's dedication to her theme of truth and its meaning and importance to different people, but I struggled to get behind it so much when the truth itself wasn't all the exciting. She held the details away from me for quite a while, and when they were revealed I was underwhelmed. In some ways maybe that's kind of the point, but it meant that the novel lacked the weight and drama it had set itself up for.
I think this novel will be a little forgettable for me, but hey, I still had a decent time with it. I remain a big Keplinger fan...however I'm a little hesitant to go for her remaining works which don't seem to have been as well-received as those I've picked up so far.