Ginny's life stops on a dime when a shooter shows up to her high school one Monday morning. She is in lockdown with her crush and a substitute teacher along with many others; her crush is wounded. Ginny finds herself gearing up with Kayla, a popular girl, trying to keep the rest of their classmates alive regardless of the horrors they're facing. During this time Ginny begins to question her life choices. Has she been judging people too harshly? Will she make it to her prom? Will her last conversation with her mom be the fight that they had before school? One thing Ginny knows for sure is that regardless of the outcome her life will never be the same.

I am a sucker for young adult novels that are about school shootings. For some reason I am always drawn to them like a moth to light. I am very thankful that NetGalley and Common Deer Press gifted me with this advanced reader's copy. It was a very easy and short read (I finished it within 2 hours) even though it is about a very heavy topic and one that is becoming more and more prominent in today's society. This story follows Ginny's journey in staying alive and keeping her classmates as calm as possible in a situation that none of them have ever thought that they would have to face. It was a story that I found myself easily sucked into and I couldn't put it down until I knew what happened to the children trapped in that classroom.

On Goodreads I rated this book a 3/5 because although I really enjoyed the story I felt like there was something missing. There were no answers as to who was behind this tragedy and why they felt inclined to do it. There was a lot of character growth within Ginny during the story but readers are left wondering what became of her after that horrible day she spent locked in a classroom with people she barely knew. However, it was a quick read and had you hooked from the first page. I also really liked that I could envision what was happening like a movie in my head. The writing was very detailed and clear without getting bogged down on unnecessary details that have the ability to weigh a novel down.

This book will be released in October 2019 so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

I was not quite ready for this book. I think this book straddled the line between young adult fiction and fiction about young adults. I graduated high school before school shootings were the norm, when they still left us mourning for days and before we respond by simply saying, “another one?” Is this book an accurate description of what might happen to the victims of a school shooting? I don’t know but I do know it did help me think about the situation differently.

We're being told the events in a classroom during a school shooting told from the perspective of Ginny who learns she shouldn't judge a book by its cover and finds friendships with unlikely people.
I am not too sure about this one...it reads away quite easily and did keep my attention throughout. The various groups in class were rather stereotyped, the responses (none at all) to a teacher and class mate being shot a bit weird. Personally I think the book would have been better if it had been longer, you can hardly connect to any of the characters, outside of Ginny and Kayla. Everybody stayed in his own cocoon playing phone games, the writer even says that everyone has changed after that day, but that's not what you take with you after reading the book...the intensity is not there and the personality backgrounds are severely lacking. All in all...I don't think I would recommend it cause I feel there are books out there that do these types of horrible situations more justice.

This story is about a high school shooting that takes place in Canada. The story sets loose in the classroom, from the perspective of our main character Ginny, who when we meet her, is already in protective position under her desk; her favorite boy shot and bleeding & her teacher as well.
She flashes back and forth between her life, her morning, as she desperately tries to reach her mom by text.
It's such a relevant story, especially for us in the US, where school ONCE was a safe refuge for children no matter their home life, but not anymore. Now there are active shooter drills and the anxiety of my generation was the cold war (will we get nuked?) And is now is - will my classmate (teacher, janitor, etc) shoot me or blow up my school?????
The author did a great job of character development, including highlighting Ginny's narrow assumptive views of her fellow classmates. Ginny finds out that people are so much more than we assume they are on the outside - you never know what they've been through, or what they know, or where their heart lies. I think she was trying to show that part of our frustrations and hateful feelings towards one another in society stems from our biases and stereotypes. If we can learn to get to know one another and support one another, perhaps we would have less school shootings? Or at least we could get along better as a society. This book gave lots of food for thought along these lines... I highly recommend it.
This is out in October 2019 by @commondeer_press in Toronto.
Thanks to the publisher and #netgalley for providing an early reader's e-copy.

REVIEW
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#NotReadyToDie by Cate Carlyle
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Thank you to Netgalley for the ebook to review
Release date 10/07/2019
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A quick read that pulls you into the world of chaos and realistic horror immediately. Just when you think your life is safe, going to school is safe, sitting at your desk is safe, the worst thing happens. What do you do when your world shifts? How do you handle panic? The main character Ginny narrates her thoughts and feelings and the situation around here. It seems as time ticks by so slowly as she tried to help those in need. A terrible tragedy that forces old pains to come up.
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This story line is a very interesting and unfortunately common idea. Unfortunately only because things like this happen more often than we realize or want to realize. We like to believe that our world is safe for us and our children. We can’t control what happens around us or those we love. You never know how much you can take and what you can do ima crisis, until you are in one. Normally a quiet and kept to herself girl, Ginny gets up and helps those around her. Whether it be comforting words and gestures or reinforcement.
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The book read quickly and powerfully but I think it could have had a little more build up. I was invested enough to finish in one sitting and wanting to know what happens next.

This book wasn’t what I was hoping for. It is very short and for me personally, a little too short to dive in to such an important topic. I wish it had more development, however I did like the writing very much.

Not an awful read, but I feel like it went quite fast and didn't really go into depth on the characters. It opened mid-disaster, so we didn't really have time to get to know anyone in 'normal' situations. I didn't feel much peril, either. However, it was an interesting read and I think readers will enjoy it very much.


I received an ARC and chose to write an honest review.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Being fairly short I read it all in an afternoon.

The plot moved at a good pace and I liked the social media elements within each chapter. It makes it feel like it is happening in real time. The characters worked well together and showed that you shouldn't stereotype people. It explores relationships with family, friends, mental health and experiences around death. The story is both heartbreaking and endearing.

From reading other reviews and comments I see there is a lot of criticsm for not going further in depth into gun culture or the complexity of the situation, however, it needs to be remembered that this book is marketed for teens and YA. It is a fictional story to pique interest and for the enjoyment of reading, on this basis I don't feel it needs to go into specificities within the story.

4/5.

Trapped in a classroom on lockdown while a gunman roams the corridors, highschooler Ginny finds herself reevaluating her classmates as they struggle to survive.

Tough one to think about, this one. Obviously and thankfully, I have never been in this situation. However, I've seen news reports and read other accounts, and the fact that this one took hours seems very odd to me. People are moving around, talking to each other, having prayer services and singing, and every so often they seem to remember that, oh yeah, there's a shooter out there. One character's sexuality is very abruptly flipped, as well; she is depicted as having a crush on a guy during most of the novel, then at the end is dating a girl. Maybe she was bi all along but it's not brought up or even hinted at, as far as I could see.

I don't want it to seem like this was awful. It's compelling and a very quick read. Maybe because of the speed, I never quite got emotionally invested, but I did very much want to see what happened in the end, and I read it all in basically one go. I'll happily recommend this to other readers.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

The cover of #NotReadyToDie caught my attention and the description of this story had me hooked already. This amazing story by Cate Carlyle really hit money because it;s dealing with real life issues. I think everyone should read this emotionally charged book.

#NotReadyToDie by Cate Carlyle is a quick, heart-stopping read from the view of a student in lock-down during a school shooting in Canada. Ginny, often quick to judge her classmates, learns that in a life or death situation, you might be surprised at what some of your peers are really like (and some just confirm your thoughts.) Read in one day, but will probably stick with me for a while. While this book isn't as in depth as This Is Where It Ends, #NotReadyToDie could definitely be used to open the dialogue on what to do if ever faced with a school shooter. #CateCarlyle #NetGalley

This book was okay. There are quite a few books about school shootings, and #notreadytodie didn't have a unique perspective or anything new to say about the issue. There was no introspection involving gun culture or violence in schools. It seemed like gratuitous school shooting for the sake of entertainment.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters felt like friends by the time I had finished it. Not my usual genre but really liked it.

I recieved a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I see some comments on goodreads really criticizing the book but honestly I feel like this was a pretty good book. Great for starting a conversation about school shootings, without making it into a huge cry-fest. One thing I think it did great was showing the reader what you should or shouldn't do. Like it mentioned NOT tweeting out your current location, not opening the door just because they tell you it's the police. To some that's just common sense but not everyone knows those things. And granted not everyone has the mental clarity to react as the main characters did but that makes this a great book for teaching what you should do in case you're involved in a shooting. Sad as that is to say, its something that everyone has to talk about these days and it's something that might just help save some lives. I really enjoyed the book. It was a nice quick read. Would definitely reccomend to read as a group so you can discuss situation and what you should do in a situation like that. There a few grammatical things that seem to have been missed by the editor. But that was in the first few chapters only. Cant recall the exact place since I read it on a tablet.

I had to put this book down after chapter 2, so I feel a little unfair rating it. This should be prefaced with a trigger warning for cutting. I personally could not get through it.

Not Ready to Die by Cate Carlyle is an excellent book. The characters and writing fulfilled my expectations of a good book, and the scenes had me laughing and crying. The story provides a glimpse into what it would be like to be involved or a victim of a school shooting. You never know how you will react during a crisis. The characters are tested, and some find their strength and courage while others fade into the background.

The book has a well-written and well-executed plotline. I will check out other books by this author. I highly recommend reading this book. Ten stars!

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

A short narrative of a school shooting in Canada told in first person perspective of a student.

A disappointment of a story. Actions and responses from the students in the class seem highly unrealistic given the situation.

Alarms going off, sounds of popping in distance, teacher barricading the door, and yelling to get under the desk and be quiet. Blood on the floor. YET, most of the students are acting as if its a drill and are chilling and taking naps?! Even the MC is more focused on getting comfortable under the desk and her internal thoughts seem like a disconnect from what’s going on and are self-centered.

Warning: MC is a self-harmer and there is a hint that a side character was raped by another student in the past

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Right. I'm disappointed in this book. Let's break it down.

Length7depth: this book is entirely too short. A school shooting is a complex matter and cannot be summed up in 200 pages - which brings me to depth: it is not extensive. You'd think a book about a school shooting, one of the most horrifying problems of our time would be explored in depth and with nuance. The issue with this book is that it doesn't do that. It doesn't go into the complexity of the shooting or how the victims in the locked classroom are feeling. Quite frankly, this reads like somebody is just recounting what has happened without any emotion.

Characters: So we've got our main characters, Kayla and Ginny. Ginny's character is two dimensional and there is no reasoning behind her actions. Kayla is a character with many positive aspects about her but again she is not given the space to be explored. No character is fully formed in this book and the friendship between Ginny and Kayla is far too quick. I mean, a cheerleader and the loner become friends within two seconds? Nah. I know that school shootings are complex and emotions run high but their friendship was unlikely and shouldn't have happened.

Tense: the book is written in past tense which completely removes the tension of the story. Because it's in the past, we know Ginny makes it out alive and thus aren't as invested as we could be. The book would do much better if it was written in present tense.

Overall: I think this book needed several rounds of revisions, at least another 200 pages, and more research.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of #NotReadyToDie by Cate Carlyle in exchange for my honest review.***



The only good part of #NotReadyToDie is that it’s short. Reviewing will be difficult because Cate Carlyle’s story isn’t just bad, it’s terrible. Ginny, hiding under her desk during a school shooting, her crush Owen is shot and blood is dripping toward her, has time to narrate her life, her romantic hopes, history of self injury while teaming up with Kayla, a popular girl to nurse the wounded.

I can guarantee, if we asked any of the Columbine or Parkland or other mass shooting survivors what they were thinking during a shooting, it wasn’t about the bleeding guy asking them to prom. #NotReadyToDie is an insult to teenagers and disrespectful to shooting survivors.

Aside from a terrible premise, #NotReadyToDie is filled with 1990s cultural references that Carlyle needs to explain to readers, rendering them meaningless. I’ve read a number of very good YA novels centered around school shootings. Avoid #NotReadyToDie.

5 stars.
This is a heartbreaking novel, about a school shooting through the eyes of a teenage student.

Most of the plot happens in a day, where the emotional agony the characters were going through was making me cry. I have no words for this novel, it was raw, beautiful and sad at the same time.