Three years after losing her brother Luka in a school shooting, Skye Gilchrist is 
moving home. But there’s no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn’t a victim; he was a shooter.
Jesse Mandal knows all too well that the scars of the past don’t heal easily. The shooting cost Jesse his brother and his best friend–Skye.
Ripped apart by tragedy, Jesse and Skye can’t resist reopening the mysteries of their past. But old wounds hide darker secrets. And the closer Skye and Jesse get to the truth of what happened that day, the closer they get to a new killer.
With school shootings becoming all too heart-breakingly common, this novel may not be for everyone. I will say the content is more about the aftermath (hence, the title), and focuses more on the grieving loved ones left behind.
With hints that the details of the shooting may not be entirely truthful, this book kept me turning the pages – and also because of Jesse and Skye. Both are well-developed characters who struggle to reconnect and revive their friendship years after a horrendous tragedy. Their relationship depicts what a strong friendship should be built on – support, humor, common interests, shared experiences, and steadfast loyalty.
Although the author offers several suspects, I guessed who the ‘villain’ was before the halfway point, but never really bought into this person’s motives and actions. Things still seemed a little unclear when all was said and done. The behavior and actions, or lack of action, of a couple of adult characters also required me to suspend my disbelief a bit.
Aftermath deals with sensitive subject matter and handles it respectfully, but don’t look for commentary on the politics surrounding gun control. This is a straightforward YA thriller with an intriguing mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thanks for this mindful review, Teri.
It’s sad and astounding that school shootings have become such a common thing that now they’re in books…
Huge hugs.
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It certainly is, Teagan. This is probably the third book I’ve read that involves school shootings. Hugs!
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Nice to know there’s no political agenda. This is a tough subject. Kudos to the author for trying to tackle it.
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A very tough subject, Staci – no way would I attempt this. She did a superb job.
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I’ve noticed a few books lately tackling the subject of school or mass shootings. I don’t know…I’m not ready for that kind of read yet, even the aftermath of such tragedy. I do wish the author well. It’s not everyone who could take on such a sad and controversial subject.
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I wouldn’t even know where to begin, Mae.
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Very tempted by this, especially with you mentioning no political agenda.
Haven’t read a school shooting book yet.
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With the exception of the villain’s motives, this was an intriguing read, Lilyn. And I especially enjoyed the lack of political agenda – if there had been any, it would probably have been a DNF for me.
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Loved your review, Teri. The book is timely with everything that’s going on. It’s a difficult subject. Thanks for sharing this. ❤
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Thanks, Mischenko! An extremely difficult subject, but the author handled it very well. Have a great weekend!
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This sounds like it is worth a read, Teri. Great review.
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Thanks, Robbie – difficult subject matter, but handled really well.
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Thanks for the review! I’ve been debating over picking this one up (I love Kelley Armstrong’s work, but I’m a little uneasy on her YA), and I think I’m going to give it a chance. A straightforward thriller sounds good right now 🙂
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This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but will probably look into her other works also. Hope you enjoy it, Nancy!
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