The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson

The 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

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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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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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 May, 2020: Finished reading
  • 27 May, 2020: Reviewed