Reviews with content warning for Murder - Hate List

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

15 reviews

theamytivillelibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I went into this one thinking it was about a school shooting and it was, but it wasn’t really what the whole story was about.

In this story we follow Valerie who was the girlfriend of the perpetrator and kibdasortamaybe a co-conspirator in the crime as she was involved with the composing of the hate list. We follow her as she deals with the fallout of the incident and we hear from her POV the process of guilt and grief that she’s experiencing as she returns to the school to complete her senior year. We are also there as she spends time in therapy trying to come to terms with her role in the incident, her troubled family life and her grief over the loss of her boyfriend and fellow outcast, Nick.

I feel like this is a pretty accurate depiction of what a young person may go through in a situation such as this. Valerie isn’t always likable and at times her attitude is almost frustrating, but I found myself rooting for her. Her family life alone was a mess (her father was a real piece of work). What I found to be a bit far fetched was the unlikely and way too quick friendship between her and one of her classmates and her relationship with her therapist (don’t worry, it’s nothing inappropriate). I felt those things were possibly the most unbelievable things about the story.

This one is more of a character study that had me thinking about what I would do if I was in a similar situation as pretty much any of the characters and that added to my enjoyment of my time with this one.

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jess_thefacts's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Jennifer Brown's 'The Hate List' offers a compelling exploration of grief, guilt, and redemption in the aftermath of a school shooting. Through the perspective of protagonist Valerie Leftman, the novel delves into the complexities of human nature and the power of empathy and understanding. Brown skillfully portrays the raw emotions of survivors while shedding light on the underlying issues within high school communities. With its thought-provoking narrative and well-drawn characters, 'The Hate List' delivers a powerful message about compassion, forgiveness, and the capacity for redemption.

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add_a_little_spook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Please refer to my YT for full review: https://youtu.be/bk5vBzt5E6U?si=JQdVoSEFHp_PI7ca

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cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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emmacvetnich's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i didn’t expect to love this book and i definitely didn’t expect to cry so hard at the end, but both of those things happened. this was a beautiful story of recovery and valerie ended up becoming one of my favorite characters i’ve read about. to most of her world she appeared to be a hateful girl who got what she wanted. but at the core val was just a deeply hurt person seeking love and protection from her boyfriend, naively creating this list to actualize the pain she was feeling. revenge was a comforting thought, but she didn’t realize that her boyfriend was planning to seriously hurt these people, and the guilt she had to make sense of after the shooting was so complex and confusing, even to the reader. it was difficult not to feel for valerie and want to see her get better. i think part of me was crying at the ending because i can’t believe the story is over and these characters aren’t real people, especially valerie and jessica. their unlikely connection was striking to me and my heart felt so full during their speech. this was an easy 5 star, i really can’t wait to read more jennifer brown :)

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