A review by heathercottledillon
Hate List by Jennifer Brown

4.0

This book is pretty intense and somewhat depressing, but I think it's well-done and I like that it shows a different side of the school shooting issue. Everything is complicated and nothing is black-and-white, which I think is realistic. The narrator feels guilty because she didn't realize what her boyfriend was going to do and she was part of the hate list in the first place, but she's also considered by some to be a hero because she took a bullet for another student and ended the shooting. She can't reconcile the sweet, fun boy she knew with the one who killed other students, a teacher, and himself. The author shows that all of the students involved (the bullies, the shooter, the narrator) share some of the blame, but they all have good in them as well--even the shooter. It all adds up to an interesting story that makes you think.