Thoughts and Prayers

by Lee Anne Post

Can thoughts & prayers really be enough?Straight-A student Lily Jeong, misunderstood by helicopter parents and ignored by thoughtless classmates, sneaks her manipulative boyfriend into Rockwell High, believing he’ll get revenge for her recent public humiliation.But he breaks his promise that no one will get hurt.Minutes later, fourteen people are dead.Plagued by guilt, Lily invents one lie after another to evade arrest. While devastated survivors grieve, investigators make slow progress identifying the accomplice, and class president Keisha Washington—Lily’s long-time nemesis who narrowly escaped death—resolves to hunt down the culprit herself. As Lily dodges detection, she bonds with Sofia Hernandez, who lost her best friend in the shooting.The parents in the community struggle to piece together their wrecked lives after the tragedy. But, when they come together in a support group, their mounting feelings of grief and anger drive them to protest and vengeance instead of finding solace. Will they ever find justice and peace? Would you?

Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2021

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book broke my heart…It will be difficult to review.
This is a very descriptive novel about a school shooting and its aftermath. The author writes from the viewpoints of some of the survivors, their family members, and even briefly, the shooter himself…
It is a book that will make the reader think, almost to the point of “brain whiplash”.
For example:
-Two of the grieving parents want justice for their children, and contemplate getting revenge on the shooter themselves…
-A young girl must deal with the fact that she gave access to the shooter, after he promised “just to scare, not hurt.”…
-A young nurse whose husband died in the shooting will later have to decide whether or not she can doctor the shooter when he is injured…
Your heart will weep along with Sophia’s, and Caitlyn’s, and all the other ones that are grieving…and regretting…
Trigger Warnings:
This book contains graphic details of a school shooting, and its aftermath.
Red Flags: Some vulgar language; references to sexual situations
*So sad that this is such a relevant book for our time…*😓

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having written about school violence and school shootings myself, I was very interested in reading this novel. It portrays, very realistically, the fear that so many young people have every day that they go to school, especially in the aftermath of when that violence walks into their classroom with a gun.

The different ways that the students reacted came across as real, with strong emotional impact. Lily is racked with guilt. Sofia is almost frozen with grief. And Keisha is angry and takes a proactive stance trying to get community leaders in local government to do something about the proliferation of guns in our society.

Students aren’t the only ones deeply affected by school shootings, and it was good to see how the parents and school personnel handled their emotions as they dealt with the tragedy and loss of life. The pain of their grief was real and palatable in the scenes that featured them, and the desire to “do” something, even kill the shooter, was believable. People channel their grief in many different ways, and those ways are all presented effectively in this story.

As I read along, I alternated between believing I was reading a novel and thinking it was a documentary – a very good one – but still a documentary. There’s nothing wrong with that, and what a person can learn from this story is very worthwhile. I certainly learned a lot. After reading Thoughts and Prayers, I have a better understanding of how this affects everybody, in the school and in the community; and I have a lot more empathy for students, parents, friends, relatives who have unfortunately had first-hand experience.

Also, and very importantly, the theme that sending thoughts and prayers is never enough, comes through loud and clear.
So, if you’re interested in finding out what it is like to live through this type of community tragedy, this is a good book to read. Heaven forbid we will ever have to experience another school shooting. But…

[Booksandcoffeemx · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 & 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩?

𝗔 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱!

I never imagined to read a book about a school shooting and heard the horrible news that happened this week in Texas, my heart is completely completely broken.
The authors did an amazing job with this story and how it affects all of them after, and yes it is gut-wrenching, but it touched me deeply and will stay with me for a long time. You need to read this.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 & 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 by Lee Ann Post released October 26, 2021.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...

[Maryel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult, of course. It should be difficult, shouldn't it? A book about a school shooting should rip and tear at our guts, force us to think about these horrific situations that just keep happening. It should make us so uncomfortable that we hurry to do something -- anything -- about it.

These characters, written by four different women, are ugly true. Their thoughts and emotions and terrible reactions don't turn them into caricatures, but real people trying to come to terms with life and death, lies and truth, guilt and grief.

A brave book. But, be prepared. When you open the cover, the world you'll find is not an escapist treat.

[Jane Dennish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fast read, but also a very hard read. Having experienced a school shooting in my district where I teach my first year of teaching brought back a lot of memories.

I like that this book shows a lot of perspectives and personalities when it comes to dealing with grief and the aftermath of a school shooting. There’s a lot to process and this book does a good job of that.

Thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours for a gifted copy!