Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Hate List

By Jennifer Brown

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2009

405 pages, paperback

Date Finished: 24/5/2011

Genres: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Some Action

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.
Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "The scene in the Garvin High School cafeteria, known as the Commons, is being described as "grim" by investigators who are working to identify the victims of a shooting spree that erupted Friday morning."
~Last Line: "And I'd gone home and packed, leaving the suitcase open on my bed, next to the horses in the wallpaper, which were -- as they'd always been, of course -- completely motionless."


Review: The first time I heard of this book was when my bestie Leanne got it from the library and loved it. She recommended it to me and gave it to me as a birthday present. I'm very glad she did.

The main character, Valerie, wasn't exactly the most popular girl in school. She was far from it. Between being called "Sister Death" by her peers and having to listen to her parents' constant arguing, her only escape is her boyfriend Nick. Until Nick is the shooter in a shooting spree, and takes his life last.

The novel was just soo good. There were a lot of times where it was just too sad, and you couldn't help but feel sorry for Valerie. She definitely went through some tough times that school year. Some of the people she despised even became some of her best friends after the incident.

You're probably wondering exactly what the Hate List is. Well, whenever something happened that Valerie or Nick hated, they added it to the Hate List. They added people, things, anything. Some of the people that Nick killed and injured during the shooting were on the Hate List.

All in all, this novel was so real i nmy eyes. Valerie had so much to go through after the shooting. You really can't help but feel bad for her. A story that definitely touched my heart time and time again. I wish Jennifer Brown would write a prequel to it! :)