I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

How does one sum up such an intense, emotional, heart wrenching, book that hits readers and people in general in the feels? All I can think of is wow. Such a great debut novel by Liz Lawson!

Lawson does an amazing job of portraying her story, her ideas, and the touchy topics like school shooting, PTSD, depression with such ease and in a way where I didn't feel like it was being exploited or shoved down my throat.

Her main characters were well developed. May struggles with survivors guilt and is angry at the world. She tries to alienate the ones who love her and pushes everyone away. When she mets Zach and gets to know him better, her anger starts to slowly subside, because they are the lucky ones.

This was a YA, contemporary romance that hits hard at the topics that most readers don't want to read about. It's for the readers who liked 13 Reasons Why.
Overall, it was a good book. I will be recommending!

This book is so raw! Especially with everything that is going on in the world right now. Don’t go into this one lightly and beware of crying your eyes out.

This is one of those books that grips your heart in its talons and does not let go.
This book talks about the aftermath of a school shooting. While it does not go into the cause of the shooter it does follow the children who did survive. It follows the attorney who is a mother of one of those kids who ends up having to defend the shooter
It touches on survivors guilt, and ptsd and it is a beautifully written book that should be read in all classes.

Thank you net galley for the opportunity to read and review this book!! I had heard this book being compared to 13 reasons why which is what made me want to pick this up. I love that show and was hoping to get something similar and this book did not disappoint. This book was emotional and deep and I loved it!

DNF. Couldn't get into this book. The premise sounded great but I just couldnt get into it. Thank you for approving me and I'm sorry I didn't enjoy the book.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

This was not one that I was expecting, and in light of all of the mass shootings that have happened, this felt heavy. It was so well written, told in the perspective of a survivor of a school shooting where her twin brother dies. Filled with emotion, teenage angst, and friendships, this book highlights survivors guilt.

This book hit me hard, especially now. This is a topic that’s difficult to handle with tact, and Lawson walked the fine line well. I appreciated so much the message of hope, of moving on after such a significant grief to find a new life that is different but can still be happy. I was emotionally wrecked by May’s journey to start living again and find a way to feel her loss without being haunted by it.

My only qualm was that I didn’t feel it was necessary to have a reason May felt more personally responsible for this tragedy. It did not feel very realistic and edged too close to blaming a victim. As school shootings are such a real and significant problem teenagers and society as a whole deals with, I felt like this should have stuck closer to the real and far more structural and complex reasons they usually happen instead of tying it to May’s personal situation.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine if you twin was murdered right in front of you? Imagine your mother is the lawyer defending the murderer?

That is the story of The Lucky Ones.

May saw her twin brother Jordan get murdered right in front of her. For the past year May keeps getting letters the murderer, who also murdered other students and a teacher in the band room.

Zach has been dealing with someone writing disgusting words on his garage door since his brother is defending the school shooter.

Together May and Zach form an unlikely friendship and romance until they each discover something that changes everything.

This book was freaking addicting. I started and couldn't stop. These teenagers are dealing with something major and something that no one should have to deal with. The Lucky Ones is the story of the ones who survive and how they must move on with their lives. Such an amazing novel.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

"This book is emotional and raw. It will make you feel May and Zach’s pain."
-Books and Pens on Green Gables
BPonGreen thoughts-This book is emotional and raw. It will make you feel May and Zach’s pain. They are suffering! Author Liz Lawson wrote this book in a way that, I think, is very realistic. The after-effects of a school shooting are something I hope no one ever has to endure again. This book is 5-stars and highly recommended!

About The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson


May:
· angry
· acting out
· depressed
· alone
· scared
· sad

Zach:
· in disbelief
· angry
· alone
· shunned
· protective

May and Zach have never met, but they are both dealing with big emotions.

May’s twin brother and some of her band classmates were killed in a school shooting last year. May was there. She was in the band room closet getting a music stand. She froze in fear. She stayed there, she heard it all, every shot, every scream. May is still terrified of tight spaces. She should have saved her brother, her twin, she should have been able to save him! She should have ran out, she should have…but she didn't and now he’s dead. May’s anger got her kicked out of school last year. She’s now allowed to return, but she’s not looking forward to it. Everyone goes to a new school now.
She can’t believe what she sees when she arrives there.

Zach can’t believe it happened again. He and Gwen walk out the door to go to school, and there it is in dripping blood-red letters. “BITCH”
Zach tried top shield his little sister, but she saw it. It’s pretty hard to miss. When will this stop? It’s all Zach’s mom’s fault. How could she have taken this case? Defending a school shooter, a murderer! Zach is so angry with her. She spends more time with that kid than at home, his dad never gets out of bed and all of a sudden Zach is like a parent to Gwen. Not to mention he’s lost most of his friends because of his mom’s decision.

When Zach and May meet, they do not know who each other are. Zach doesn’t know about May’s anger, May doesn’t know who Zach’s mom is. They become friends. They like each other, they are GOOD for each other. Life is almost starting to feel a little more normal.

When they find out each other’s secrets, can they look past them to still be friends. Or has that been taken away from them, too?

Add this to your TBR list!

I was given a copy of The Lucky Ones to read and review. Thank you.

A beautiful story told in two perspectives. The story dives deep into the lives of two teenagers that are intertwined amongst a life changing event. The way these two characters are explored and how they dealt with the events was astonishing and heart wrenching yet beautiful. Excellent work Liz Lawson

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Liz Lawson took on quite the endeavor in writing a book like The Lucky Ones, and I'm glad to have read it. While I wouldn't describe it as a new favorite, I do think it covers an incredibly important topic that deserves to be talked about in YA fiction. I especially loved the author's note at the end!

It never felt like a good time to read this one. I have read many novels about school shootings and teenage suicide and mental health issues in high school. Each one cause panic and nightmares for me. My biggest triggers in the education world: mental health care in the classroom and school shooter drills. Even writing this, my blood is boiling, my eyes are watery and my heart is beating faster.
Back to the novel, all those feelings happened during the course of this novel as well. Although, I did have major crying sessions over the survivor's guilt felt and by the compassion Zach's mom extends to others. This book made me feel the agony May has suffered since the day she was spared in the band closet while those she went to school with and loved died outside the door. It has to be even worse to lose a twin - someone you've been SO close to.
I thought this novel was unique in how it showed how the children of the defendant lawyer felt and what they went through during the trial. Having a mom of is representing a murderer of people in your age bracket has to be the worse feeling too. I am glad it highlighted their struggle as well.
I do love that Zach has Conner and May has Lucy through it all. The strong theme of friendship means being there for each other 110% no matter what was a great juxtaposition to everything else that was falling apart in the novel. Their loyalty was inspiring.
No character had it easy in this novel. Some were suffering more than others, but they all had issues in and out of school and that made me love them even more.
I did like that this novel ended at the beginning of closure. That was powerful.

This book definitely has a trigger warning for a school shooting. I haven't ever been affected by a school shooting, but it definitely hit me with emotions.

Deeply affecting. Lawson has a gift with bringing the reader into each character’s unique emotional journey. Although the language usage was not my favourite it suited the characters and helped to build their authenticity. I’m excited for what this talented author will write next!

This was a very emotional story. Not often do you hear what the victim is continuously going through after the media coverage has ended and they are expected to return to their "normal" lives.

May lost everything in a matter of minutes. The other half of her was taken tragically and she was allowed to survive though many others did not. No only is she being forced to live without her twin, but she's also lost what was left of the relationship that she had with her parents.

Trying to navigate through this new existence, May unexpectedly makes a friend in Zach. A friendship that makes the dark days somewhat lighter. The hard times somewhat more bearable and her nasty attitude just a bit easier to endure.

May however isn't perfect. She's made mistakes without thinking through how they would effect others. Mistakes that could threaten her new lighter reality and thrust her back into the darkness she now desperately wants to get away from.

An emotional journey through one teen's grief and journey to find a light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Liz Lawson's The Lucky Ones is an emotional, timely story that packs such a powerful punch.

When a deadly shooting occurred at her school, May survived by hiding in a closet. But her brother and her friends were among those killed. She knows she should feel lucky but she doesn’t. No one understands the guilt, the hurt, the anguish she feels as her life is falling apart around her. All she wants to do is lash out, but one friend tries to keep her close.

After the shooting, Zach’s life changed in a different way. When his mother decides to become the shooter’s defense attorney, he loses everything. His girlfriend dumps him, his friends ostracize him, and he spends most of his time with only his little sister and the one friend who still cares about him.

Neither May nor Zach feels like they are really living anymore, and both wonder if it’s worth going on with life. But when the two meet, it’s the first time in a long while they’ve felt something other than grief or anger or guilt or pain. Can two people barely surviving help each other live again?

I thought The Lucky Ones provided a really interesting perspective on the survivors of a school shooting. Sadly, there are far too many of these shootings occurring these days, so this story is really relevant.

At times, as you’d imagine, this book got a bit heavier than I could handle, but it was a really well-told and moving story that definitely made me think.

NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press provided me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson.

May is starting school again after an unsuccessful attempt at homeschooling. But May isn't quite ready to enter the halls of another school after the trauma of the school shooting that took her twin brother the previous year. Understandably, May is angry, easily triggered, and out for vengeance anywhere she can find it.

Zach is also dreading this school year. His dad has retreated into his bedroom, leaving Zach to care for his younger sister. His mother chose to defend the school shooter in court, leaving her kids vulnerable to cruelty and attacks.

During a rock band rehearsal, Zach and May find themselves drawn to each other, neither knowing who the other is. But despite the attraction and affection they feel toward each other, can they get past the horrible chasm between them? And will either of them be able to heal and one day feel like themselves again?

Ah, the plight of the beautiful, broken, teen. John Green would be proud. But in seriousness, I didn't mind it. I think it was full of enough meaty content, and horrifying issues that modern teens HAVE had to deal with, that the beautiful, broken teen trope was almost more of a stage setter. It was written well, and showed respect for not only a serious social problem we're facing, but also for the teens it's written for.