Book Review: That's Not What Happened

That's Not What Happened

By: Kody Keplinger

Published By: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: August 28, 2018

Page Count: 329

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC from Amazon Vine 

Young Adult - Contemporary

I think I need to stand up and admit that I am a Kody Keplinger fangirl. She might be barely out of college, but this girl knows how to write relatable characters with real problems that just hook me in. That’s Not What Happened is her new book which I think is her best yet. It follows the story of 6 high school shooting victims, and it is so thought provoking. I loved it. 

 The basic premise is that the characters are all struggling with the events of the day and how it and they have been portrayed by the media since. You can’t fail to draw parallels with what is happening now in the real world and I really hope that all the survivors out there gain something from this. Everyone in the story is affected so differently; they each write their own letter revealing some very different thoughts and reactions, and a little mystery unfolds as you move through the pages too which is really interesting. I suppose what I found most compelling was how drawn into this I was by the honesty of each character and given that you virtually know what happens at the beginning it is surprisingly addicting. There’s a special magic within that kept me reading along compulsively and I think this is going to be a best seller. It certainly deserves to be. I’ve not read a book as good as this in quite a while.

Summary:

It's been three years since the Virgil County High School Massacre. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall during the mass shooting. Everyone knows Sarah's story--that she died proclaiming her faith. 

 But it's not true. 

 I know because I was with her when she died. I didn't say anything then, and people got hurt because of it. Now Sarah's parents are publishing a book about her, so this might be my last chance to set the record straight . . . but I'm not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did--and didn't--happen that day. 

 Except Sarah's martyrdom is important to a lot of people, people who don't take kindly to what I'm trying to do. And the more I learn, the less certain I am about what's right. I don't know what will be worse: the guilt of staying silent or the consequences of speaking up . . .