Butterfly Suicide

I devoured this book in a few hours. The first book I've read entirely focusing on the long term aftermath of a school shooting, it absolutely blew me away.

Three months ago Stephen's older brother, Jude, shot seven people in the high school cafeteria on the last day of school. Now it's Stephen's first day as a freshman and he has to deal with the hatred of the students and faculty who believe he and his mother should bear the blame for those deaths in Jude's absence.
Three months ago Monica's sister, Simone, was shot by her ex boyfriend, Jude, for breaking up with him. Now Monica faces the attention and whispers of people who want to know what it's really like to lose someone so violently, and how she'll cope attending the school where her sister died.
Stephen and Monica are supposed to stay away from eachother, but there's one problem, they've both been attracted to the other since seventh grade, and their new theatre teacher didn't get the memo and partners them up for a project.
Neither believing the reason given for Jude's attack makes sense, they team up to look for answers, but some people really don't believe they should even look at eachother, and the real reason behind Jude's shooting might destroy their relationship, and rip apart both their families.

This book was brilliant, I can't say what I loved about it without spoiling it, but it's a fascinating look at what life might be like for the ones left behind after a school shooting. Reading about Jude growing up was enlightening, and when you find out the real reason he did what he did, you'll start to think that maybe Jude is the only one to blame for those deaths, but who helped make him so angry? And when you finally learn the meaning behind the title, it's absolutely chilling.

I was intrigued by this book just from the description alone. It's not everyday you get to read the book following the shooter's family and a victim's family in a school shooting. Stephen wants to be seen as more than just Jude's brother. The brother of the kid who shot 7 people. Monica wants to be seen as more than Simone's sister. The sister of one of the kids shot by Jude. Also going through this story is a love story between Stephen and Monica who want to be together even though it's near impossible for them. What I enjoyed most about this book is you kind of get why the shooting happened. Not a complete why, because there's no justifying what Jude did, but you get to see some of his reasons. There are some twisted secrets throughout this story that made you want to keep reading until the end. For me, the ending was perfect. This is a powerful novel that explores how you shouldn't judge someone unless you've walked a mile in their shoes. And not to judge a person based on what their family members did.

‪*I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ‬

‪4 solid stars! ‬
‪I'm really, really impressed with Butterfly Suicide. Overall, I preferred Stephen's character to Monica's—he was written particularly well and his chapters were much more interesting—but the constant drama made this one a page-turner, and the big reveal...oh man, I'm not gonna lie, I didn't see that one coming.‬
‪I do feel like a little more detail could have gone into some parts, the story wasn't as fleshened out as I wanted it to be, but the emotion was very raw with this read, and I think all the reactions—including treating Stephen and his family like outcasts—felt very real. And I love Stephen so much as a character because he honest-to-God feels like someone you could pick out at a local high school and say hey, that's him. He was at some parts funny, at some parts relatable, at some parts annoying, and at some parts had me going 'dude, seriously, you're like...14.' Just like an actual teenage boy you might encounter in real life.‬
‪I do sort of wish we had more interaction with Jude because the interaction we have with him is absolutely Golden. That sounds weird, considering he's the story's main villain, but there is SO. MUCH. complexity to his character that I just want to dig deeper. I literally wish he were a real person (which, again, sounds weird, but hear me out) so I could hop onto Google and do research about his motives and mental history myself—you could fall down a real internet hole with that one.‬
‪Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were a few typos throughout, but I felt it was really well written with, despite the tragedy, relatable characters. I definitely enjoyed the read and I wish the book, and its author, the best of luck~‬

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Backlit PR for allowing me to read and review this fabulous gem by Mary Ann Loesch. "Butterfly Suicide" is set in the aftermath of a school shooting, told from the perspective of two teens, the brother of the shooter, and the sister of one of the victims, which are great dual perspectives. What a fabulous job Loesch does of capturing the wide range of emotions festering in these two adolescents, in these two families, and in this small Texas town destroyed by what has happened. 

Monica's perspective and the deep look into the twisted familial problems driving her end of the story, is of course, fascinating. But the real voice in this is Steven's, and <spoiler> the rightful rage he feels after spending the first thirteen years of his life living in fear of an unstable family member, never protected, and then having everyone in town turn on him and subject him to further physical abuse, as if he is to blame for Jude's rampage. </spoiler> I loved the way the author kept the twists and turns coming all the way until the end. A great read! 4.5/5 stars.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

While I've marked Butterfly Suicide as 4 stars, I would probably say it's closer to a 3.5 for me, however in fairness to the author I will be rounding up to a 4 instead of rounding down to 3.

Before I get into the plot, I have to say that I'm not a fan of the cover. I find that the cover art is more reminiscent of an inexpensive ebook as opposed to a serious release. Which of course may just say more about my personal preferences and bias when picking books... who knows?

Regardless of my opinions on the cover art, this book was well written and I'm very glad I was given the opportunity to review it. (Thanks again to the publisher!) The story focuses on the growing relationship between two teens in the months following a high school shooting. Monica Monroe's sister was gunned down. Jude Valley's brother was the gunman.

As it's a fairly new release (July 2017), I'm not going to spoil anything, and I'm not going to go in depth regarding the characters and plot. However, I will say for such a short, quick read there is satisfying character development, and we can clearly see characters motivations and distinct personalities. The singular issue I had with the overall story was the ending. I found the ending wrapped up things an little too nicely, as opposed to leaving the characters direct futures more ambiguous.

All in all, I genuinely liked this book. If you're looking for a quick emotional read, give it a read.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Backlit PR for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*
 
Stephen Valley is the younger brother of Jude Valley, a local teen who went to school armed with a gun and killed 7 students.  The crime has ripped apart the small-town community and Stephen and his mother are trying to survive the cruel judgement and abuse in the aftermath of Jude’s actions.  Monica Monroe is the younger sister of one of the victims, Jude’s ex-girlfriend Simone.   An unexpected attraction develops between the Stephen and Monica which further ostracises Stephen in the community as the people of Rockingham refuse to see him as separate from the atrocity committed by his brother. Monica’s home life is unravelling faster than she ever thought possible, the actions of Jude tearing open the very foundation of her family.  With Stephen is the only place she can find solace and someone who knows what she is going through.
When Stephen and Monica discover the truth behind the shooting and the lies that have shaped their families they face an uncertain future.  
I liked this book but there were some aspects that I was disappointed with.  I thought that telling the story from the perspectives of both Stephen & Monica was clever because of the parallels in their situations.  Whilst not immediately evident, their experiences as younger siblings of Simone and Jude had a shared commonality.  I found the prose quite simplistic and I wasn’t sure if that was intentional, as indicative of the voices of Monica and Stephen or because this is a YA novel.  It felt to me that the whole book lacked some depth that would have taken this story to another level.  I felt the topic of mental illness wasn’t explored enough in terms of what Jude did and his other behaviour that Stephen talked about. 
I think that to bring up such complex topics and themes in a YA novel comes with great responsibility.  Mental illness, bullying, suicide, incest and mass shootings are not light-hearted subject matter and should be explored and addressed with attention to detail and depth. I feel that the book could have been 100 pages longer and really been outstanding.  
The fallibility of the adults in the book was an interesting concept.  The parents in this book have no redeeming qualities, are self-centred and truly awful parents.  Their complicity in the events of the book have a raw authenticity to them that evokes empathy for both Stephen and Monica.
Overall, I liked this book however it felt almost rushed in a lot of ways.  I think perhaps it was the lack of detail, particularly toward the beginning of the book. Some of the topics and concepts central to the book deserved more attention and exploration.

Wow! This was such a powerful read on many levels. The author did a great job of conveying the characters and their point-of-views. This book pulled me in from the very start and did not disappoint. Definitely plan on adding a physical copy to my home bookcase!

Stephen Valley is starting high school in Rockingham, Texas, which wouldn’t be a big deal if his older brother Jude hadn’t shot seven students in the cafeteria just three months earlier. Stephen has no idea why his brother did what he did, other than the fact that he was seriously twisted. Everyone blames Stephen and his mother for Jude’s crime. 

Monica Monroe is also dreading starting school at Rockingham High School after the incident in the cafeteria, after Jude killed her sister Simone and Simone’s friends. Monica has has a crush on Stephen since seventh grade and little does she know that he too has had a crush on her. Together they figure out the twisted secrets of their families and Jude’s reason for killing those seven people.

Butterfly Suicide by Mary Ann Loesch is a serious page turner. The story is told by both Stephen and Monica as they figure out the reason behind Jude’s shooting spree. This book is full of surprising secrets that will keep you flipping the pages. This story is full of drama and romance that will keep your on your feet.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loesch did a wonderful job of laying out hints and details leading up to why Jude did what he did. This book is not what I expected from the title but I was not disappointed at any point. I was continuously surprised by the plot while reading this, each plot-twist perfectly placed. I would love to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Backlit PR for a copy of this book in return for a honest review.

In our crazy, upside down world this book gives you new perspective on teenage shootings, and horrible acts committed by evil people. We follow Stephen and Monica, two kids who are related to the shooter, and the sister of one of the kids who died in that school shooting. I felt this was a very powerful, and heartbreaking book. The story line is amazing, where you see the after effects of something like a school shooting. You see the evil that Jude is, and how his family are victims too. When we hear of school shooting's we automatically say how come the family didn't do something to stop this? Why didn't they see the signs? Well this novel will show you how someone that evil, hides things. How the family left behind is as much a victim as the kids who died. A truly amazing read!

'Butterfly Suicide' is another fictional take on the subject of school shootings, coming quickly after my reading of 'Only Child' by Rhiannon Navin and the autobiographical 'A Mother's Reckoning,' by Sue Klebold. The fascination is of course the many different stories that can be told - of perpetrators, of victims, of extended family friends, and even onlookers. These tragedies affect everyone they touch in some way.
In this story we are briefly introduced to Jude, in a couple of short paragraphs - before we are told he shot seven fellow students on the last day of school year, before being taken into police custody. Of course, the effects echo through time long after the event itself is over. Jude leaves behind him the shattered families of his murdered victims to pick up the pieces and try and live the rest of their lives without their loved one, including the parents and sister, Monica, of Jude's girlfriend, Simone Monroe, who he was uniformly believed to have argued with shortly before he killed her. He also leaves behind his mother and his brother Stephen, who are persecuted and bullied for Jude's actions.
Stephen and Monica are unexpectedly thrown together in a drama class at school, and through the fragile beginnings of friendship, an unlikely relationship begins to blossom between them.
Gradually, as they delve deeper into Jude's motives for his terrible actions, a long hidden secret is revealed; one that Jude couldn't bear to live with and the result of which was the loss of so many young lives.
This story initially took a while for me to get into as I found the perspective changes a little confusing but once I had sorted it all out, I was hooked and give 'Butterfly Suicide' 4 stars.

i enjoyed this book i was hooked frim the very first page and i couldn't put my kindle down while reading this book nd when i was not reading this book i was thinking about what was going to happen next. This book makes you feel all the feels while reading this book
.

This isn't your run-of-the-mill YA romance.
This is the raw, touching and, at times, painful story of two kids struggling to find their way back to normalcy in the aftermath of a school shooting.
Stephen Valley, the shooter's little brother, and Monica, one of his victims' little sister, find solace in one another when no one else seems to understand what they're going through. Little do they know that their budding romance will eventually set in motion the unveiling of a bunch of mind-boggling, deeply hidden family secrets...

I seriously couldn't put this book down. What an addicting page turner!
Loesch made it impossible not to suffer right along with the two protagonists. Stephen's bitterness and desperation at receiving the blame for something he didn't do and being shunned by basically his entire home town. Monica's sadness and loneliness after losing not only her sister but her parents too, in some way, when they aren't able to deal with their daughter's death. Their beautiful friendship that is the only thing keeping them afloat when everything else around them seems to be breaking down.

I'm in awe of how the author managed to tackle a subject so sensitive, handling it with so much tact and respect without drifting off into a sea of clichés. So much could've gone wrong. Yet it didn't.
And still, considering all the tragedy, angst and drama, this wasn't a depressing read. There was so much hope and beauty in Loesch's writing, taking away a fair bit of the glumness.

Withdrawing half a star for the characters not behaving and speaking according to their age, which was probably supposed to be around 15 years or so. Yet they seemed quite a few years older which just didn't match.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy of this novel.

I don’t even know where to start, generally after reading a good book I never do.... 
I don’t like to write synopsis’, knowing me I’d give away all the good stuff and spoil the story line. 
This was a great story and I enjoyed it and was super intrigued to know more; however, I found the ‘shocking’ parts were kinda predictable and I would want to speed read just to find out if what I thought was right.... and I was .......
 The ending. Ugh..... can’t say I liked the entire ending. Certain parts made me want to punch the author lol
I would recommend this novel to anyone, young or old....

Was good. Parts of the book dragged and I almost walked away from it a couple times but, glad I finished it. Had a few really good moments but, nothing phenomenal.

Absolutely loved it!!!!
Emotionally raw and touching. A school shooting has occurred and this book tells both sides of the story, from the victim's sister, Monica, and the shooter's brother, Steven. Not going to lie, I was not expecting
to read about the effect it had on the shooter's family.
The book alternates between Monica and Steven's characters, and is full of emotions
I recommend that everyone who loves books should read it, it gives a new insight into the effects of mass/school shootings.

This book had me hooked from the first paragraph. The book had so many different dynamics, from family to romantic. I thought there was a great amount of twists and turns, and I didn’t see any of them coming. I loved the last twist I feel like it made the whole book complete.

I thought it was great that the story was written in the points of view of the shooter’s brother, and the sister or the shooter’s girlfriend and victim. It made the story much more interesting the the two have had unknown crushes on each other for years. I found that Monica was an extremely empathetic person and liked her immediately, and Stephen I felt bad for right from the get go to be honest. Monica was in a confusing situation and really wanted to know why Jude did what he did, just like Stephen wanted to know.

Overall, I feel like people who are not triggered by school shootings, suicide, etc. would really enjoy this book. I feel like it went a lot deeper than I expected, and I liked that. I loved the main characters in the book, and found the secondary character great additions (to love or hate). If you are looking for a down to earth mysterious read, you can find it here.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It took me a long time to finish it, not because I couldn't get into the story but because it's a tough read. I think I might have enjoyed it more if the romance wasn't so forced on us. Monica and Stephen could have just been friends - love is what saves them but it comes in many forms. I did however absolutely loved that the book is told from both of their perspectives, both victims, eaten alive by their own guilts. Butterfly Suicide is a powerful book about a theme that has sadly become too common nowadays and that will make you rethink guilt and hatred.

I am between a 3.5 and 4-star rating for this book so decided to round up to 4. Butterfly Suicide is a fairly heavy YA contemporary dealing with topical issues such as violence at school, bullying, marital discord, adultery and sibling abuse. The story takes place in a rural town in Texas and follows the perspective of two characters in the aftermath of a school shooting. The first is Stephen, the brother of the shooter. The second is Monica, the sister of one of the victims, the shooters ex-girlfriend. The story picks up a few months after the actual shooting and deals mostly with how the family members of such tragic events deal with the consequences after the fact - picking the pieces of their lives up and trying to put them back together. Stephen and Monica develop a relationship and obviously there are a lot of problems that arise due to that. There were some issues with the plot, some details I didn't find that believable and that they were put in more for convenience to move the story along. It was fairly well written though - especially the character of Stephen - I felt the chapters from his perspective were particularly strong. Monica fell a little flat for me - she didn't have the depth of character that Stephen had. Overall, it was a compelling read and the ideas behind the story are important to explore - although not perfect, a very solid piece of YA fiction. I want to thank the publisher for providing me with an opportunity to read this book and share my opinions - I would definitely read other books by this author.

An amazing tale of survival after a school shooting. The perspectives of a member of the shooter's family and a victim's family are impressive and touching. loved this book.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I’m lucky to live in a country where school shootings happen infrequently, however I’m close enough that I’ve always heard the stories. I grew up never worrying about this kind of thing, and it makes me sad that just to the south, kids worry about someone bringing a gun to school and ending up another tragic headline. 

I’m not going to get political (as I’m glad the book didn’t, it would’ve taken away from the story). I am going to say that this was a well-written story, and though a little “rose-coloured” and possibly naive, and a work of fiction , it gives an idea of the aftermath of a school shooting from both those close to the victim and those close to the perpetrator. I also like the theme of perception throughout the book. 

Worth a read.

This was a brilliant idea, to get behind the characters in the aftermath of a shooting. School shootings are happening more and more these days, so it wasn't long until we saw media coming out about it. Such is the way of our generation. People do always turn on the families of the shooters, and define people by their losses. It was amazing to see a story focusing on the struggles and growth of these other characters, and though the writing was pitchy at best and young, I found that the heart of it struck true.

Thanks for writing this.

The blood on the cafeteria floor has been washed away and the bullet holes plastered over, but those words carved deeply into the back of the worn auditorium chair will always be a reminder for the students of Rockingham High School of what happened there last May. For Stephen Valley, the brother of infamous school shooter Jude Valley, that day is one he will never be allowed to forget—especially since the small town blames him for the loss of the seven students killed in Jude’s rampage. Unfortunately, poverty has a firm grip on his mother’s finances, imprisoning him in the bigoted town with no options to leave. Monica Monroe, a self proclaimed Theatre Nerd, hates being known only as the sister of Jude Valley’s murdered girlfriend, Simone. Even though she’s never believed Jude killed her sister over a lover’s quarrel, she does blames herself for not seeing what a monster he was. When she is partnered with Stephen for an acting scene in Theatre class, Monica views this as an opportunity to finally get some answers. Being paired with Stephen proves to be dangerous for her emotional well being and her heart. When he is beaten up for being on her street, Monica realizes his life after the actions of Jude has been as traumatic as her own. Drawn together by tragedy, the two stumble across a shattering secret which threatens to ruin their blossoming romance and destroy their families.
The book was really good. I loved both main characters as they went through the story. Both characters were well written. I really enjoyed the plot. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book