Tuesday 30 October 2018

Mini Review | That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

I've been majorly slacking recently and haven't had a chance to review any of the amazing books I have been lucky enough to receive eARCs of over the last few months. In fact, I've been slacking so much that I have now forgotten so much about these books that I can't even write a full review. I will try to do better, but for now you'll have to make do with this half-assed, two month late, attempt at a review.

Image and video hosting by TinyPicThat's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger
Published On: August 28, 2018
Published By: Hodder Children's Books
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
Rating: ★★★★
Amazon | BD | Goodreads

It's been three years since the Virgil County High School Massacre. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall during the mass shooting. Everyone knows Sarah's story--that she died proclaiming her faith. 
But it's not true. 
I know because I was with her when she died. I didn't say anything then, and people got hurt because of it. Now Sarah's parents are publishing a book about her, so this might be my last chance to set the record straight . . . but I'm not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did--and didn't--happen that day. 
Except Sarah's martyrdom is important to a lot of people, people who don't take kindly to what I'm trying to do. And the more I learn, the less certain I am about what's right. I don't know what will be worse: the guilt of staying silent or the consequences of speaking up . . .


*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

As someone who has a strange interest in books about school shootings, this immediately interested me. It's a very different perspective of a school shooting as it revolves mostly around the aftermath and how the survivors deal with what happened to them. I found it particularly interesting that the main story focused less on the shooting itself, but instead on the situation surrounding Sarah. This story was inspired by a true story from the Columbine shooting, yet it was still such a unique take on the topic and a very interesting read.

This book is not action packed and full of drama, but it is incredibly important. It focuses very much on the survivors and the victims, and the importance of remembering them rather than the perpetrators. It is explicitly stated that the shooters name will not be mentioned in the book, and the idea of fans that support shooters in these situations explored, which is a very real concept. This book does a great job of highlighting the genuine issues surrounding press coverage and the way society discusses these situations in a way that makes the reader think about their own actions in similar real life situations.

Overall, the characters in this book were nothing particularly special, in fact I can't really remember them all that much, and the plot was not the most thrilling or exciting you will ever read. However, it is an incredibly important story highlighting some of the very real issues in today's society and how this kind of tragedy can impact the lives of those involved.

Monday 1 October 2018

Wrap Up | September 2018

I started off this year so well! For the first few months I was reading at least 6 books a month, but now I can't seem to get past 4. In previous years I would be over the moon with that number of books in a month but now it's a bit disappointing for me, I wanted to read more! Despite the number not being as high as I would have liked, the quality was there. I, who rarely gives out five star ratings, gave two books that honour in September. I guess I can't complain too much.



PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han -
This is the second book in the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. After reading the first book in August, I immediately watched the movie and then, of course, just had to keep on reading the series. I didn't like this book quite as much as the first but I did still really enjoy it. I wasn't too happy about going from one love triangle in the first book to yet another one in the second, it was a bit too much for me. However, I really love the characters in this series and it was great to read more about them. The relationship between Lara Jean and her sisters is the best so I was glad to have more of that in the second book as well. Despite not completely loving the plot of this second book, I still loved reading it and can't wait to see how the series ends.
Rating: 4/5

It Ends With You by SK Wright -
This is a YA mystery/thriller about a girl who is murdered and her bad boy boyfriend is the main suspect. This was an interesting take on the generic mystery/thriller. The story itself was nothing new, popular girl gets murdered and everyone assumes the boyfriend with the poor family background is to blame, but the way the story is told is quite unique. I found it interesting to hear the story from six different perspectives and a couple of different timelines. It was a little confusing at first and took some time to get used to who everyone was but it made things more intriguing and added to the mystery. Unfortunately, there was just too much about the book that I didn't like. Some relationships were too strange, some of the characters really annoyed me and none of the plot twists or reveals were surprising. 
Rating: 2.5/5 | Review To Come

Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan -
This was a reread for me. It follows three teenagers in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and how their lives are changed. I loved this book when I first read it but since that first read I knew I wanted to reread it around the anniversary, as I felt I didn't fully appreciate it the first time around. It's hard to explain but rereading it when I did was a completely different experience. I have a full review that gives my more detailed thoughts but there were a couple of minor things I highlighted negatively in that review that I disagree with now. So basically, check out that review for my full thoughts but ignore any of the negative comments, I absolutely adore this book and you should definitely read it!
Rating: 5/5 | Review

This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay -
I have mentioned my love for medical memoirs several times on here but I have never loved one as much as I loved this one. This is Adam's stories of being a junior doctor in the NHS. The book is packed full of hilarious stories that those who work in healthcare can most likely relate to in some way, and those who don't can get an idea of some of the things healthcare workers deal with on a daily basis. I was laughing out loud constantly, which doesn't happen often when reading, and just adored the way the stories were told. However, it wasn't all lighthearted and laugh out loud funny, the realities of life as a junior doctor in the current NHS were apparent. The struggles and horrendous expectations were well documented and this book does a great job of quashing some of the inaccurate statements made about junior doctors in the press. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, but most importantly it made me proud to do the job I do and proud of all the selfless staff giving up so much of themselves to work within the NHS.
Rating: 5/5

Hopefully I can get back to reading more than four books in October! If not, I'll be more than happy with the quality of my book picks being just as good as those great books I read in September.

Did you read any 5 star reads in September? What was your favourite book of the month?

Sophie :)