Lucky Ones

by Liz Lawson

For fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you've lost it all?

May is a survivor. But she doesn't feel like one. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. Eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin brother, May still doesn't know why she was the only one to walk out of the band room that day. No one gets what she went through--no one saw and heard what she did. No one can possibly understand how it feels to be her.

Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends bailed, and now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister...and the one faithful friend who stuck around. His best friend is needy and demanding, but he won't let Zach disappear into himself. Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night. The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band.

Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how both might figure out that surviving could be an option after all.

A Chicago Public Library Systems selection for Best Teen Fiction 
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020
A Texas Library Association 2021 Reading List selection

"A must-read for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and This Is How It Ends."--Paste Magazine

"A gripping, emotional, suspenseful, and ultimately hopeful story about loss, survivor's guilt, and learning to find love and trust again. Put The Lucky Ones on your 2020 TBR list--you do NOT want to miss it!" --Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

"A harrowing and beautifully told story about how far the tentacles of tragedy can reach. May's story of grief, survival, and reckoning is tenderly and honestly explored. A simply stunning debut." --Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

• ISBN10: 0593118499
• ISBN13: 9780593118498
• Publish Date: 7 April 2020
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 27 September 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House USA Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593118498

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

This story takes a look at the aftermath of a school shooting. Obviously, I had to prepare for something intense and emotional, and Lawson gave me all that and more. May was dealing with a lot more than simple survivor's guilt, and it was eating her alive. Her pain and anger radiated from the page, and she was struggling to accepting any sort of comfort from people, because she didn't think she deserved it. But, she makes an unexpected connection with Zack. Maybe it was the hurt they both carried inside them, or the profound loneliness they were feeling. Whatever it was, they found some solace in each other. It was a tough, bumpy, and super emotional, but in the end, there was hope for everyone, who had been affected by the shooting.

Overall: Be prepared for an emotional gut punch.

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[writehollydavis]

Poignant, powerful, and purposeful. The Lucky Ones pulled me in from page one and held my attention til the very end-- so much that I read it in a little over a day! I felt for May and Zach and their struggles with home life and mental health. I appreciated the resources included at the end of the book as well. With believable dialogue, character motivations, and an engrossing plot, I'll be sure to pick up the next Liz Lawson book that hits the shelves!

[Pigpen.Reads]

This may seem like a simple "what happens after a school shooting" story, but I didn't expect to catch any feelings like this. May is a survivor of a school shooting, after her school shuts down due to the shooting,she is transferred to another high school. There she meets Zach, the son of the attorney defending the shooter.

This story goes through events that happened the day of, days before, and a year after. It goes through how many people are affected by such a tragic event. Including some most people dont think about.

This was a good read, if you can handle this type of story, please read it.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

The Lucky Ones is a book that is so heartbreaking, yet so hopeful. And look, if you're going to pick this one up, you should know by the synopsis that it isn't going to be a lighthearted sort. Sure, there are moments! But it's definitely a book that is going to pull at your heartstrings, in many ways, and it succeeds at doing so. Which is great, because that is what I signed up for.

May is a disaster of a person. A shell of her former self, and that's saying a lot because she had lost her way even before the shooting that took her brother. She's rightfully angry, she's achingly sad, and so very alone. Because not only did May lose her brother, but her parents have also become hollowed out versions of themselves since their son's death. Which makes sense. That's the great thing about how the author handles May and her family: they're portrayed as people who have gone through this unthinkable tragedy, and who are struggling to come out the other side. Another great thing is that May has some really quality friends who are willing to stand by her no matter how much she tries to push them away. I'll let those stories unravel for you, but trust that they're worth it.

Zach, on the other hand, has been downright vilified by many of his classmates. Why? Because his mother is defending the shooter. Hell, May herself vandalized their home (not knowing- or frankly, caring- that his mother had a family). And wow did I feel for Zach. Because look- he is not his mother's choices, first of all. Second, and I know that this is a real moral gray area that you'll probably have to answer for yourself as the book goes on, but... doesn't everyone deserve a fair trial? And by being a criminal attorney, it's par for the course? Anyway, that's another element of the book that I loved- how thought provoking it was.

May and Zach find each other, but first they need to find themselves. Figure out who they are, what they want, how to heal. And I like that they do so, not within the confines of a relationship, but with all of their supports- including each other- and ultimately, for themselves. It's rocky and messy and not always forward progress. But it's also incredibly honest, and makes for a lovely, lovely story.

Bottom Line: If you like a grittier sort of contemporary, one that will break your heart and then help it heal again, this is undoubtedly the book for you.