Review: Hate List

Hiya!

This will be a review of Hate List by Jennifer Brown (★★★★☆). I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this book! It was definitely an impulse buy for me. I saw the cover, decided to check the synopsis, was semi-intrigued, and then realized it was over 500 pages, so I grabbed it (always on the lookout for Tome Topple books!) It took me a long time to get started with it, because I assumed it was going to be a tough read (I have school-age children), but while there were parts that were tough in that regard obviously, most of the book just wasn't about that. It was definitely about what happens afterward, and the people that are left behind. Being the significant other of the shooter is not a perspective we get to hear from often, either in novels or in real life. We also heard from parents, friends, classmates, teachers, and everybody else in the community where this tragedy occurred, but most of the story was about the shooter's girlfriend (our narrator). There was also the unique twist of the narrator being involved with each and every one of the victims, which is why they all got shot. That definitely adds a layer of intrigue to the story that made it much more interesting. 

I liked the way most of the characters were described. I liked the description of events, even when they got graphic, because it still made me feel like I was seeing it after the fact. I also liked the way that the ending wrapped up, and the fact that the "moral" of the story was a positive one (as cheesy as that may be). I will look to check out some more of Jennifer Brown's work, as I believe this is one of, if not her first novel.

Currently reading:
The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Her Body and Other Parties
The Sun and Her Flowers

Keep reading!
Katy