You’ll make it out of here, Brian. I swear.
I had everything—school quarterback, popular with girls, and my dad was proud of me. I told myself it didn’t matter no one knew the real me. And then I nearly died. Landon saved my life. He’s the bravest guy I know. He came out a few years ago, proud and fierce, and he ran into gunfire to help others. Me, I’m a mess. Can’t even stand to be in a room with the curtains open. But here’s the thing about losing it all: You get a chance to start over and be someone new. Only how can I move on when the two shooters who attacked our school were never caught? And why do I feel like I’m still in the crosshairs?
Landon
Will you kiss me?
When I came across Brian Marshall,the hottest guy in school, dying on the cafeteria floor, I did what anyone would do. I tried to save him. His request surprised me, but I figured he needed comfort, so I kissed him on the forehead. When he survived and came back to school, he was broken in body and mind. He still needed me, and soon we were unlikely besties. But what I saw at school that day woke me up. I want to demand action on gun control, lead protests, raise my fist. I’ll tear the world down if I have to. And if I can get the man of my dreams and save the world at the same time? I’ll take it. Only I didn’t understand that the horror at Jefferson Waller High wasn’t over.
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| 4.125 average |
Wow... This book left a mark! I couldn't stop thinking about it for days afterwards, the complete immersion into this horrific event and Brian's emotions, both grieving and healing was...for me…. Intense. Obviously if you have an experience with school shootings proceed with so much caution. The fear in those moments pour of the page. But before you give up on this book as being to heavy, it's predominantly about healing, learning to live life to its fullest and falling in love.
I am lucky enough to live in Australia where I've always known gun control and we have zero school shootings. So reading this was so foreign yet so incredibly real, as I know how often this occurs in other countries.
This story starts like that happy scene before a horror movie where you know this happy go lucky family is about to get it, the tragedy is just looming around the corner.
I remember the last normal day of school so perfectly. It’s like it happened yesterday. Like it’s still happening somewhere, in another place where we were all innocent forever. Before the blood. Before I became afraid to open my own damn curtains.
The actual shooting was described in so much more detail than I was expecting, which I really appreciated as we could go on Brian and Landon's healing journeys together.
My gaze skimmed over kids huddling behind tables.
It was like watching a car wreck in slow-mo. A breath later the tat-tat-tat-tat-tat was there, loud and horrible. I couldn’t see the hallway or the shooter. I didn’t want to look, only pressed myself back against the wall as hard as I could. But I saw what the guns did.
Ok let's move on past the horror to the healing which is about 70% of this book. Brian was severely injured and while not life debilitating it was most definitely life threatening. He struggled a lot with ongoing fear of public places, survivor's guilt, paranoia that the shooters were coming for him and his physical wounds but Landon was there, a surprising and much needed rock for him.
These two formed a connection due to the extreme circumstances (but had 'noticed’ each other before), their friendship grew and everything turned into something that felt more necessary and stronger than love.
Sometimes, lying in bed with him in the afternoons, looking into each other’s eyes, it felt like we were two people alone on a life raft in the middle of the ocean. Only our ocean was grief— grief and pain and anger and hopelessness. A damn turbulent sea. And maybe that’s why we clung so hard.
I loved it!!! There's a lot more to this book including coming out, family issues and the mystery behind the shooter. It's pretty well jammed packed but Landon and Brian together made everything easier to read!
All the desperate need I had for him to be okay, the pleasure and love I wished for him then and still. It was all right there waiting for me, waiting for him.
For Brian Marshall.
I gave him everything I had inside me to give....
Everyone should read this book!!!!
Lost in a Book - 3.25 Hearts
Wow.
I think I need a
Before I start discussing the book, I want to provide insight on the rating. My rating has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It has a lot to do with personal preferences and an immense dislike for politics. If I had access to the foreword prior to requesting the ARC I would have known that politics play a huge role in not only the main crisis, but also in the lives of one of the MCs. Politics make me ragey and I get enough of it in RL that I can't fully enjoy my escape with books when it's there too. Politics definitely have a place in this book and I knew going in that there would be some politics around gun control but this went beyond that and anything MAGA makes me want to poke my eyes out. It’s more of a personal preference and not a knock on the content.
My first reaction when I saw that Eli went there...
You know… the place that has so much sadness, anger, hopelessness, and bloodshed. These tragedies have brilliant students rising to fight for their lives when their fallen classmates can’t. The shooting in the story happens within the first few chapters with the POVs switching between Brian and Landon. We get a window into the soul crushing panic each boy feels as they try to make a decision on which hiding place will hopefully keep them alive and then the direct aftermath when they realize what monsters are capable of.
Landon (out and proud senior) closely resembles the brave students we see on the news fighting for gun control. Brian (closeted junior and quarterback) has many hurdles beyond the shooting that make day to day life a struggle, especially his asshole dad. However, he becomes obsessed with finding out who was responsible for the shooting. Both boys find comfort in each other while the storm rages around them. The relationship isn’t the main focus, has low heat/off page interactions, and thankfully included very minor angst on their way to a HEA. The story dynamic worked with the tragedy taking center stage.
This is a very angsty read. When the administrator came over the speaker to announce an active shooter, it took me back to my days in the classroom when we had non-drill “code reds.” I felt like I was right back in my classroom trying to find places for my students to hide. I like angsty stories but I don’t think this is a book written for enjoyment?.?. IMO it’s more of a thought provoking experience on a topic that has been hitting the nightly news on the regular. It’s hard to digest at some points but Easton does a commendable job touching on this topic. Boy Shattered really drives home that the tragedy isn’t over when the students are buried and the school reopens.
Besides the politics not working for me, the wrap up of all the storylines is a little too pretty. There was so much build up and then it’s all solved quickly with the nitty gritty details happening off page. Trigger Warnings: School shooting, death, PTSD, and homophobia If you like angst and politics don’t send you running for the hills, this may be your cuppa. Recommended.
Review copies were provided in exchange for honest reviews.
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