So I generally reserve 5 star reviews for a both that was both excellent *and* I'm likely to want to reread. In this case, it's not necessarily that I'm likely to pull this down off the shelf over and over again, but that it was a truly remarkable book.

Told in 17 points of view, this is the story of - or maybe it's more accurate to say "around" - a high school shooting. Each segment was written by a different YA author and is from a different character or object POV. Remarkably, it still feels like a consistent, singular work. I would have thought the tonal shifts would be too jarring, or the way it doesn't come back around in a classic narrative structure would be more like reading a series of news accounts or a short story anthology. But - and this feels like a super weird comment to make - it reads really well. It's fast, engaging, even entertaining or enjoyable, at some level. The characters are well fleshed out, though it's hard to keep track of them and their relationships to one another, especially at first. There's insight, but not explanations.

The book as a whole doesn't answer much. The shooter was a boy with some problems. He might have been a good friend. He might have been destructive from a young age. He might have been bullied. He might have been suicidal. He might have had psychological issues. It might have been the system, or isolation; other kids, or school or genetics. There's complexity and confusion and bad choices and too much unexplored desire and it pretty much captures adolescence and the terrors and triumphs of high school. It's a mess and it's brilliant and remarkable.

The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


4,5 Stars!
In the past, I had only watched a few documentaries regarding school shootings and I even remember vaguely, as an 8year-old the Columbine massacre making headlines all over the world. But, The Ones Who Got Away doesn't deal with a shooting, no, it dives right into the aftermath of such a tragedy.


The pain, the fear, the regrets. The hero, the victims, the survivors. What happens when in an interview about a documentary recounting the worst day of your life, you meet again The One Who Got Away from you? Literally, Finn left Liv alone at the worst possible moment but it wasn't because he wanted to nor with any malice. It just happened and that could have cost her life.
Now 12 years later, after that fateful event, they meet again.


A letter in a time capsule Liv opens with her other three friends, all survivors, will make her reevaluate her choices and what her life turned into. Throw Finn to the mix, the boy-she-loved-turned-torment-man, and nothing can stay the same anymore. Liv masked her pain and dealt with it in many ways, in her college years by throwing caution to the wind and later on by leading a mundane n0-name life.


None of those tactics worked though and didn't help her move on until she found Finn... Finn who feels guilty towards Liv about so many things. Who devoted his life to finding and destroying people who made that school shooting possible. Finn who when it's all said and done will have to leave again by the end of the summer.


But by the end of the summer, nothing will be the same. This book is a romance at heart, it delts with a vicious crime right away but it's still funny, flirty, sexy and playful. I enjoyed it immensely and couldn't put it down and the few things that bothered me can be easily fixed because the book has six until its release date and that's plenty of time to make small adjustments.


All in all, I really loved this book, yes I wanted it to be a little darker but that's not its theme and I totally respect that. Although the pain lingers and it's evident throughout the narration, in the end, the hopeful message it's loud and clear. The characters are where they should be and there is even a silent promise for more.



THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- I adored the past scenes, and actually wanted a little more of their initial story.
- The epilogue is great.
- I wanted more scenes with them as a couple.
- Dual POV.
- The writing for the biggest part flowed with ease.
- I was heartbroken with their story. And I couldn't deal with how he left her.
- I wanted some more
- The author proposes shelter-adoption when a character expresses the want for a dog and I always appreciate that.
- I liked all the main characters.
- Her family, on the other hand, was in the wrong. Plain and simple. After such a tragedy they still guilt-trip her on doing their bidding.
- There is also a continuity thing there with her mother's reaction towards her before and after, but let's just say that's what Liv needed to believe in the end.
- I loved Liv's exhibition.
- The banter between them was great, it gave depth to their relationship and really funny.
- The scene where Liv caught Finn having fun with himself was awesome...
- And now I have to praise those three other women.
- Kincaid is incredible, I want her as my best friend.
- Rebecca, surprised me so much!!! She is also amazing. The author did a great job with her because it could easily turn ugly there.
- Taryn, was very cute but I need much more time with her. The epilogue though gives her character so much more depth.
- Those four girls bonded at the same time Liv and Finn were torn apart, by the same disaster.
- I have a feeling this will turn into a series. Rebecca has a secret I want to know..



ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!



View all my reviews

This was a quick read and it has a lot of potential. But overall its an exhausting book and gets a bit tiring. As school shootings are a big topic in today's society I was looking forward to reading this one. But, its lacked depth and ended up being one action scene after another without much thought. 

Several students arrive at school ready for a typical day. But then they soon realize they are locked in the auditorium with a boy named, Tyler, a boy they all once knew. And he has a gun and isn't afraid to use it. 

I liked some of the characters. Everyone seemed a bit too heroic for me by the end, and some a bit too victimized as well. Autumn's and Tyler's brotherly sisterly relationship could have been done much better. 

In other words, an okay book that isn't terrible but has so much more potential to be better. 

By Bryan Reardon
ISBN: 0062339486
Publisher: William & Morrow
Publication Date: 2/24/2015
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars

FINDING JAKE by Bryan Reardon is a compelling and heartfelt parent’s tragedy; a psychological intense suspense, keeping you page-turning to learn the fate of a teenage son.

Simon Connelly is a freelance writer, and a devoted upper middle class suburban stay at home dad to his son, Jake and his daughter Laney, while his wife, Rachel is busy with her legal career.

Presently, the kids are teens, Laney is more outgoing and Jake more introverted. They have weathered the storms of typical teenagers, until one day a text comes – A school shooting, which changes this family’s entire world.

A high school shooting, leaving thirteen people dead, and a gunman, Doug taking his own life, and a second student, Jake who happened to be friends with the gunman. Jake has disappeared so the question is where is, Jake; did he have anything to do with the shooting?

Flashing back and forth from the present, the six days aftermath of the shooting, and the past bringing insights into the raw emotions and intimate feelings of this frantic family. Do we really know our children and their friends and can a parent control their every move?

Typical after a school shooting or tragedy, the media and community begins pointing blame, the victims – they must find Jake. A nightmare, and a parent second guessing his abilities as a parent. What really happened the day of the shooting and what led up to this event?

Told from an insecure and second guessing father Simon, he continues to agonize and search for answers; he fears for his son and his choice of friends. His wife is more of a colder personality and somewhat removed and not a likable character. The daughter on the other hand was a softer personality, and Jake more removed and introverted.

FINDING JAKE a short, thought-provoking and absorbing book about parenting and a nice book club choice to explore different perspectives. An intense and suspenseful read; an up close and personal look into the world of parenting—of love, fear, pain, courage, and healing. A surprising shattering conclusion.  

For me, the best part was in the storytelling about the child rearing and the earlier days, a time when there is innocence before our children are subjected to the peer pressure and evils of this world. Of course, and the most pressing issues facing parents today.

Look forward to reading more from this author.

Huffington Post Article 

Finding Jake:  A Talk with Bryan Reardon 

Nine months after she talked a madman down and prevented him from hurting the children she was supposed to protect, Zoe is still having flashbacks and anxiety attacks. Leaving Chicago, Zoe moves to a small lakefront town in Michigan to start her life over. What she wanted was to become a librarian and provide a fun reading camp for the local and visiting children. What she didn't expect to find was love.

This is the story of Zoe and Miles. Both of them have been through hardship of varying levels and both find it difficult to trust people. When Zoe's past is brought to light, can their relationship survive?

This is the first book in the Point series, a series of connected characters with their own stories to tell. And if the rest of the books in this series are as great as this first one, I look forward to reading them. In New Point, Olivia Luck makes the characters come alive, and you feel their happiness and pain, their hopes and dreams. I will admit it... I cried. I became an emotional wreck at times while reading this book. I cried in sadness, empathizing with the characters. I cried in happiness as well. This is a great book, however I do suggest keeping a box of tissues next to you while reading it.

NOTE: I read this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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If you're interested in reading this book yourself, the kindle edition of New Point is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NF89XI4/?tag=shasworofboo-20.

If you enjoyed my review, I would appreciate if you could mark it as being helpful on Amazon as well, as this is useful to both the reviewer and the author. I have included the link to the Amazon review in the Source section at the bottom of this review.