So I just finished Thoughts & Prayers by @brainbliss and I...loved it. I haven't done a thread about a book in a long, long time! So here's why I loved it:

A book about the aftermath of a school shooting may be a hard sell, but it's beautifully done. It’s set a year after the event, and it’s divided into 3 parts, each about one affected kid. Their stories don’t really intersect, and each story is told lovingly and with respect.

I love all of these characters and their coping mechanisms and their healing process and their families and I wanted the best for them. These are interesting, fully-fleshed out kids, trauma and all. And I can’t think of many other books where a character carries around a d20!!

This book is at times sad, triumphant, hard to read, and absolutely blistering. It doesn’t hold back. These kids have been just broken and that’s shown. The middle part, especially, is an indictment of our country’s obsession with firearms and the effect that has on our students.

But this doesn’t overpower Eleanor’s story. The disdain and anger come from her. She’s allowed to feel it; she has agency over her emotions, mostly, which is really powerful. The way the people react to her anger and how she handles that is what makes her story fascinating.

Also, hell yeah, let’s normalize therapy and getting help after trauma. Eleanor and Brezzen are already in therapy and Claire realizes she needs it as the story goes on. So great to see this.

Anyway, Thoughts & Prayers comes out next month, be sure to pick it up. You won’t regret it. This one will stay with you. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/thoughts-prayers-bryan-bliss?variant=32127280218146