Cole and Matt are recent high school grads who are still struggling with the aftermath of a school shooter who killed most of their first grade classroom and rocked their entire community.  Cole survived and became the literal posterboy, known nationwide after a photograph went viral. Matt was home sick that day and has struggled ever since that day with not being there and why he survived when his classmates didn’t.  Matt is a baseball player heading to college in the fall dealing with an injury that he’s been ignoring. Cole’s father recently passed away, and he delayed college to stay home and take care of his mother. Both boys struggle daily to keep moving forward with their lives.

The book focuses solely on the people and their lives now, and only discusses the shooting when they talk about the people involved and the shooter himself.  No details are discussed. The author is a clinical psychologist, and has used his insight to create flawed and honest characters. Unfortunately, the characters seem to travel on a linear path and don’t show much growth.  By the end, they’re in pretty much the same positions they are at the beginning. They’ve made small changes, but it would have been nice to see them experience a bit of true healing. Instead of a true story arc, we have a peak into a period of their lives.  Best for ages 14+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library, Augusta