For fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you’ve lost it all?May is a survivor. But she doesn’t feel like one. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. Eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin brother, May still doesn’t know why she was the only one … still doesn’t know why she was the only one to walk out of the band room that day. No one gets what she went through–no one saw and heard what she did. No one can possibly understand how it feels to be her.
Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends bailed, and now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister…and the one faithful friend who stuck around. His best friend is needy and demanding, but he won’t let Zach disappear into himself. Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night. The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band.
Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how both might figure out that surviving could be an option after all.
A Chicago Public Library Systems selection for Best Teen Fiction
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020
A Texas Library Association 2021 Reading List selection
”A must-read for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and This Is How It Ends.”–Paste Magazine
“A gripping, emotional, suspenseful, and ultimately hopeful story about loss, survivor’s guilt, and learning to find love and trust again. Put The Lucky Ones on your 2020 TBR list–you do NOT want to miss it!” –Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
“A harrowing and beautifully told story about how far the tentacles of tragedy can reach. May’s story of grief, survival, and reckoning is tenderly and honestly explored. A simply stunning debut.” –Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
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A gripping, emotional, suspenseful, and ultimately hopeful story about loss, survivor’s guilt, and learning to find love and trust again. Put The Lucky Ones on your TBR list — you do NOT want to miss it!
Rating:
The aftermath!
Extremely good and emotional book. It was a bit of a tearjerker, but not quite as bad as I expected. It deals with what happens in the aftermath of a school shooting, not so much the shooting itself. It doesn’t go in depth into the why it happened or what the shooter was going through, but focuses on a girl that survived while her twin brother didn’t. Especially concentrating on her PTSD and survival guilt.
The book takes place nearly a year after the shooting occurred and May McGintee is returning to public school after being homeschooled for six months. After the shooting she had returned to school but was eventually kicked out due to the fact that she got in too many fights. Her anger was out of control and it still is growing inside her and she struggles to keep it in.
Only a few days after she was kicked out of school, the school board decided that having the students attend the same school where the shooting occurred was toxic, so they closed it. Now the kids from Carter High School were moved to another school in the valley called Quincy Adams High School. It is overcrowded and the halls are packed solid in between classes. The Carter Kids all hang together and the QA kids hang with their own so the kids are a bit segregated in that way.
May is angry at just about everything, but one thing her anger is really focused on is the lawyer who is defending the shooter. Most of the kids from QA have either ignored or have been outright hostile to Zach Teller since his Mom decided to defend the shooter. Zach is just as mad at his Mom’s decision as everyone else, but that doesn’t seem to matter to anyone besides his best friend Connor who won’t give up on him.
Conner is still popular, he has the kind of personality that everyone is drawn to and he is also in a band that is gaining popularity around town. The band just lost their drummer and is holding tryouts for a new drummer, and Conner forces Zach to come along with him and though Zach usually backs out, Conner won’t let him this time.
May’s best friend Lucy has been a drummer since she was very young and has been in different bands over the years, but is sick of her current band so is planning to go to the tryouts. She bribes May into coming along with with her and that is how May and Zach meet each other. They get along and like each other, though May doesn’t yet know that Zach’s last name is Teller and he is he son of the lawyer she hates so much.
The book is awesome, the world building is spectacular, characters are deep and we see into their minds and their struggles. Both Zack and May are dealing with so much, not only within themselves but within their families. Their friends struggle to help them as well though they also have their own issues, and many other people at the school have issues as well. The author, Liz Lawson, does a terrific job of showing how this incident has affected so many different people.
Though of course May’s story is the most poignant since she not only lost her twin, but was in the band room where the other kids were shot and was the only one to make it out alive. She suffers from recurring nightmares, she is getting strange mail, she feels so much guilt and you just can’t help but put yourself in her shoes when she is missing her brother.
It is hard to believe that the massacre at Columbine High School happened over 20 years ago now and there are still school shootings happening all the time. In a CNN article, by Michelle Lou and Christina Walker, on July 27, 2019, it was reported that so far in 2019 there have been 22 shootings at US schools in which someone was hurt or killed. A scary time to send your kids to school.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
i have never read anything like this
This was an intense, and extremely emotional read. The Lucky Ones is Liz Lawsons debut novel, but I never would have guessed it if I hadn’t known.
The Lucky Ones follows the story of May, who is dealing with the aftermath of a school shooting that took her twin brothers life along with five other students and a teacher. And Zach, who’s mother who has taken on the case, and defense, of the person responsible for the shooting.
This story is not an easy one, but it is most definitely an important one. I think that Liz Lawson has done an amazing job of portraying the aftermath of something this horrendous, and what May is going through. And even Zach, with having to deal with his own mother taking on the defense of someone who has committed such an atrocious act, and the repercussions that that has brought to Zach and his family’s life.
When Zach and Mays lives collide, it starts a journey of self discovery, pain, healing, friendship, and love. Even in the midst of so much heartbreak and pain. It’s not an easy path for either of them. They both have so much to work through. But they find a little light in the darkness with each other.
This book made me cry, a lot. It had me feeling it all. This story is so important, especially in todays times. What May, and even Zach, are left to deal with in the aftermath of the shooting is nothing less than tragic. It’s a story of so much fear and pain, but also one of hope.
I really appreciated the very real portrayal of teenagers in this book. A lot of Young Adult books try to make teens in books seem way more innocent than reality. Liz Lawson did a great job of showing what teenagers are really like. It’s hard enough being a teen, all the hormones, trying to figure yourself out, let alone trying to deal with a tragedy like this on top of it all. It’s rough. And she showed the reality of that. And that makes this story so much more real while reading, along with everything else.
Absolutely fantastic debut. I really loved The Lucky Ones. I loved Liz Lawsons writing. This book was heart wrenching, and painful. But it was also full of love, friendship, and hope.
*ARC kindly provided through NetGalley by Delacorte Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
One of the finest examples of voice I’ve read and a gripping, heart-wrenching look at the aftermath of trauma, THE LUCKY ONES takes us inside a community struggling to rebuild after a school shooting. Lawson tackles issues of grief and healing as she introduces us to a staggeringly human protagonist floundering in her own guilt and rage after losing her twin brother to a shooting she survived. Our other protagonist, the stunningly kind and lost Zach, is playing parent to his younger sister and muddling his way through the aftermath in a different context: his mother is the shooter’s lawyer. Debilitatingly poignant and piercing, THE LUCKY ONES is at once a love letter to all those who have been “lucky” enough to survive and an embrace to families suffering with loss
I went into this book completely blind, which is to say I didn’t read the back cover copy at all. The only thing I knew about the book was that it is YA, which is typically hit-or-miss for me, but intriguing all the same. I’d stumbled across the author on twitter, liked her authentic “tell it like it is” style, and decided I wanted to read her book based on her personality alone–I appreciate her voice.
Well, let me tell you… Liz Lawson’s writing is as authentic as her social media persona. The way she captured the aftermath of a school shooting through the eyes of a teenager with raging survivor’s guilt was raw, realistic, and captivating.
The hook involved a perspective I had never considered, when thinking about mass shootings. And that is the lawyer/family of the lawyer who represents the guilty shooter. It just so happens that in The Lucky Ones, this lawyer’s son (Zach) is the love interest of our heroine (May), a survivor & twin sister of one of the victims. Throughout the book, Zach’s mom is portrayed (thru May’s POV) as this evil character…and why wouldn’t she be? Only a horrible person could represent a school shooter–or so May thinks. After all, as long as May can focus her pain on someone else, she’ll survive the otherwise daunting day-to-day life in her post-traumatic world.
But what’s beautiful about this book is how May’s perspective shifts through all these different phases and stages of grief as her experiences with close friends, her parents, her teachers, etc. mold that recovery process, forcing her to reevaluate and/or validate some of what she’s feeling. And what this book reveals is the pain, confusion & questioning, and never-ending ripple effect of what experiencing something like this does to a person–especially our youth.
So yeah… the book was totally YA. Lawson nailed the attitudes, behaviors and language/lingo of a significant portion of today’s youth…but she wrapped it in a package meaningful to teenagers and adults alike. Because if you don’t take away something from this book that either inspires you to try to do better, be better/more aware of the force(s) driving these events, or to wrap arms filled with love, compassion and kindness toward “the lucky ones” struggling to process what’s happened to them either directly (sister of victim) or indirectly (lawyer defending the guilty party)… you’ve missed the point.
The Lucky Ones takes a subject that has become tragically familiar and manages to tell the untold story. Liz Lawson deftly explores grief and trauma, but she always threads it through with hope and love. This is a beautiful and necessary book.
Exploding with raw anger, and underneath it all, a deep, driving ache, this debut is a reminder to hug those we love, and not take a single second we have with them for granted. Highly, highly recommend.
Heartbreaking!!
Be warned because this book is very intense and is a heartbreaking read centered on a school shooting. May hid in a closet in the band room when it all started leaving her teacher, her band mates and her brother to be gunned down. Now she is dealing with the aftermath and how it’s affecting her.
Zach’s mother is defending the shooter and has now lost his girlfriend and all the others he thought of as friends except for Connor. His family has fallen apart because of his mom’s choice.
May is angry and lashing out. With her friend Lucy by her side May is struggling with being one of the “lucky ones” who survived. With being on totally different ends of the spectrum Zach is the only one that May has confided in. Their struggles are real and will rip your heart out.
This is not for everyone but if you are willing to put yourself out there this is a fantastically heart wrenching book that you can’t put down.
A harrowing and beautifully told story about how far the tentacles of tragedy can reach. May’s story of grief, survival, and reckoning is tenderly and honestly explored. A simply stunning debut.
School shootings have been an all too common occurrence for us here in America, where in 2019 there had been 25 incidents in schools and mass shootings totaling 419 – more incidents than we have days in the year.
In this book, ‘The Lucky Ones’, Lawson wrote with utmost sensitivity that resonates about the psychological aftermath of those that have survived these horrific incidents.
This story was centered around May McGintee who survived a school shooting when she hid in the closet during the attack while her twin brother was murdered along with her classmates and close friends. May felt lost and alone, surrounded only by PTSD, anger and the guilt she feels every day.
Zach was also lost and angry because her mother decided to take on the case as the attorney defending the school shooter. Their home was vandalized, their community in disapproval, and with a mother constantly working with a father who is psychologically broken and absent, Zach was left to raise himself and his little sister on his own.
With friends who were in a band together, May and Zach met each other. This was not a simple love story and I loved the complexities of the situation and characters.
This was an amazing debut novel that was both heartbreaking and gentle, raw and full of emotions, that was also both tragic and relevant. I loved this book very much and I highly recommend it.
If you enjoyed Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places this book is for you.
This is a very raw and emotional read, but also a very timely and needed one. It took me a few days to finish because of those emotions. The story shows a perspective we never hear about, the aftermath of a tragedy and the impact on the survivors. I think thus is an important book for readers. I liked the psychology, and healing aspects of the characters and found myself deeply caring for them.
This book is about a topic, school shootings, that is very difficult to write and yet a story we should all read. There is insight into what happens when the cameras have gone on to the next story and the families have to try and pick up the pieces of their lives.
This is well written and it highlights how hard it is for students to return to school even if it is one across town. You can feel the pain of trying to keep moving forward. The sadness of losing someone you loved so much. The guilt of being one of the Lucky ones because they survived the shooting. Anxiety and fear keep you isolated because crowds can be overwhelming.
May is a twin. Her brother Jordan was her best friend and her parents pride and joy. He was an advanced student with many opportunities to choose from that ended all too quickly. May was in the music room that day but when the shooter found her in the closet, he did not kill her. Instead he managed to kill her favorite teacher, her twin brother, and several other students. May struggles daily with why she is still here.
Zach was a popular kid in school until his mom decides to defend the school shooter. Overnight his life changes and the kids in school want nothing to do with him. He is a senior and he can get through this but his sister Gwen is not handling it very well. Zach tries to care for his sister since his mom is never home and his dad while he is physically there is just not engaged.
Mays best friend convinces her to go to her band audition the same night Zach one true friend brings him along as well. This is the night they meet and start to know each other.
How will May handle it when she finds out Zach’s mom is defending the person who killed her brother? Do Zach and May even have a chance at a friendship at all?
I highly recommend reading this book. Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary copy. The thoughts and opinions are my own!
The Lucky Ones was such a heart-breaking read, but it was also an eye-opening one. I’m glad I had the chance to read it.
This story had moments that brought tears to my eyes as well as moments where I smiled and even laughed.
May and Zach are both going through tremendously challenging times in their lives, and I love how the author brought these two together. They seem to be the exact opposite of what the other person needs, but actually they each end up being very needed in the other’s life.
Again, The Lucky Ones was very well done.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***
The Lucky Ones is told in the wake of a school shooting. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, starting with May, who survived by hiding in the music room closet. She lost her twin brother Jordan amongst the others and she carries so much guilt for not going out there to rescue him, to stop the shooter. Jordan was her parent’s favorite, they pinned all their hopes and dreams for his future on him, while she got pushed into the background. In fact, she wasn’t really getting along with Jordan the last year of her life, and she carries a lot of guilt over that.
The other point of view is Zack, whose mother is defending the shooter. Life has been miserable since his mother made that decision because teenagers are unable to separate Zack from his mother. Someone has destroyed their lawn and has repeatedly spraypainted their garage. His mother is gone all the time and his father has checked out, so it’s up to him to take care of his sister, to hide the paint, and he’s feeling desperately alone.
This isn’t easy subject material at all. May has PTSD and even though she’s in therapy, it isn’t enough because it rules her every action and decision. I find myself really angry with her parents for being too lost in their own grief and problems to get her the proper help she needs because seeing a therapist once a month clearly isn’t enough. It’s because of the unlikeliest of heroes, Zack, that she even starts to make a turnaround in her recovery. He’s a really good guy who is stuck in a bad situation that is out of his control.
This is well-written, there are many layers to the story, and it can be incredibly heartbreaking to read. The characters are complex, all going through their own version of grief. I could completely relate to a lot of what May said and her journey was so incredibly hard, even having a best friend like Lucy, who was incredible and a rare gem. I think Lawson took on a heavy subject and she did it very well.