Reviews with content warning for Mass/school shootings - That's Not What Happened

All of the characters are well-rounded and behave like real people, and for that I call the characters loveable; I feel like a lot of YA novels I've read often misfire when they attempt this degree of realism, but I think Keplinger pulls it off. There are no special quirks to make the characters particularly memorable, but I think that's fine given the serious subject the novel covers, so I won't be harshly judging that here.

The novel focuses on the survivors' present-day timeline, three to four years after the school shooting that changed their lives. Lee decides to collect letters from the five other survivors to combat the narrative that will be published by her deceased best friend's parents, which martyrizes her death by way of her defending her faith. The plot offers a snapshot into the post-shooting lives of each survivor while adding their perspective to the horrific event.

There aren't any surprising twists, and Keplinger chooses to handle the traumatic event tastefully rather than to dramatize, so if you're looking for a dark, thrilling read, this isn't going to be your novel. However, if you like a simple plot with mellow pacing that examines the impact a school shooting has on its survivors and its town, this will be more your tea.

There is a lot of thought and care put into the novel's pages and how the story would be presented. The sentence flow is solid with enough description to paint the scene and get the themes across, without becoming long-winded. Overall, this is one of the better YA novels I've read that have come out within the past decade.

Content Warnings

confusedteach33's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense 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

3.25

Lots of great ideas but the book was just okay. I enjoyed the narrative ark of the story but felt as if the added romance was unnecessary where other ideas could have been explored more.

Content Warnings