Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Summary: Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the lfie of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose lfie she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it. in order to make aments and move on with her life.

Review: This is a book I have heard many great things about. I don't usually read a lot of contemporary novels, but I had to check this one out. I'm glad I did. Valerie annoyed me quite a bit at the beginning of Hate List, but towards the end she had grown on me. Val's parents annoyed me, but I liked her little brother very much. The other characters were more meh to me than anything, but the story was fantastic. I loved how it switched between memories from before the shooting to after the shooting. I think it does a great job of showing Old Nick versus New Nick. I loved the concept of this book. It isn't about a guy getting pissed and shooting up a school. It's about the survivors of a horrible incident and how they have been managing. I think graduation was my favorite part. This is a book everyone should read. Some parts of this book were similar to things I had to deal with and some things I had actually thought about. People need to know what little words/actions can do. This book does a great job of showing that.

4.5 howls

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