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    That's Not What Happened
    That's Not What Happened
    That's Not What Happened
    Audiobook8 hours

    That's Not What Happened

    Written by Kody Keplinger

    Narrated by Whitney Dykhouse, Megan Tusing, Almarie Guerra and

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    It’s been three years since the Virgil County High School Massacre. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall during the mass shooting. Everyone knows Sarah’s story—that she died proclaiming her faith.

    But it’s not true.

    I know because I was with her when she died. I didn’t say anything then, and people got hurt because of it. Now Sarah’s parents are publishing a book about her, so this might be my last chance to set the record straight…but I’m not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did—and didn’t—happen that day.

    Except Sarah’s martyrdom is important to a lot of people, people who don’t take kindly to what I’m trying to do. And the more I learn, the less certain I am about what’s right. I don’t know what will be worse: the guilt of staying silent or the consequences of speaking up….

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateAug 28, 2018
    ISBN9781978632714
    That's Not What Happened
    Author

    Kody Keplinger

    Kody Keplinger grew up in a small Kentucky town. During her senior year of high school she wrote her debut novel, The DUFF, which is a New York Times bestseller, a USA Today bestseller, a YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a Romantic Times Top Pick. It has since been adapted into a major motion picture. Kody is also the author of Lying Out Loud, a companion to The DUFF; Run; Shut Out; and A Midsummer's Nightmare, as well as the middle-grade novel The Swift Boys & Me. Kody currently lives in New York City and writes full-time. You can visit her online at www.kodykeplinger.com.

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    Reviews for That's Not What Happened

    4/5

    256 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Siempre hay más de una versión en toda historia. Es una historia de esas que me gustaría que no fueran tan reales, pero qué son más comunes de lo que deberían ser. Llegué a este libro después le leer The Duff, no leí ninguna reseña por lo que llegue pensando que sería totalmente diferente, pero me sorprendió para bien. Definitivamente la autora tiene la capacidad de hablar de temas importantes de una forma natural.
    • 5/5
      This book is HEAVY and one you should take your time with.
    • 5/5
      Really heavy, but a great book. Heart wrenching for sure but I think that’s because it’s something that truly could have happened.
    • 5/5
      @kidlitexchange #partner Thank you to #kidlitexchange for sharing the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ????? That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger. 3 years after a mass school shooting 6 survivors are still trying to pick up the pieces of a heart wrenching day. Six, well five, because in a small town hate is too much when people want to believe things happened one way when in reality, that isn't how it happened at all. The struggles that each one of these survivors feel, the anxiety, the panic, and the strain of knowing becomes very real. Looking back through media and police reports one survivor realizes none of what was said is the truth. Setting in motion to tell the truth now, she realizes maybe the world just needed a story to hold onto. A lie set in motion to create a martyr, because the real world needs a reason, not the truth. Or do they? Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Go Read, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com
    • 5/5
      Was a wonderful book really loved the pov of the characters and all the perspective it can put out there
    • 5/5
      I've had this book on my TBR for a while and finally decided to read/listen it. This isn't a story of a school shooting, this is the story of the survivors. And simple tale can effect a lot of people. I really liked his this book was written and look forward to reading more of this authors books.
    • 4/5

      At the heart of this book, it all comes back to the fact that not only do we all have a voice, but that we all should be heard. The best intentions that Lee had going in to the letter writing, or a better term is victim accounts, not every is always ready to face the experience again. It can be amazing when the truth is out, but it also has to be when you're ready, when it's your choice.
    • 4/5
      I started this book mainly cause I needed something to listen to while I’d work. I had already read another book based on a school shooting a couple weeks ago which I rated 3 stars but this book was so much better. Although the main character ‘Lee’ annoyed me sometimes throughout the book, I couldn’t stop admiring about how much she wanted to get the truth out there, even if it was a bit too late. I really liked the ending, I won’t give it away. Honestly, I don’t blame Lee for not speaking up earlier but if I were her, I probably would of just kept everything to myself considering what she didn’t want, happened anyway so her saying anything really was pointless but I completely understood why. Anyway, I loved reading about the stories of all the victims and survivors. And I absolutely loved how the author decided to not give the shooter a name as he wasn’t the victim. I just really loved this novel. Not enough to give it a 5 star rating but 4 or 4.5 is probably what i’m gonna give it.
    • 3/5
      My feelings on this book are a bit mixed. I found it compelling and I finished it fairly quickly. The portrayals of PTSD and consequences of surviving an active shooter seemed insightful and the descriptions were powerful but not overwhelming. Where it fell short for me was in the pacing, the time jumps, and vague foreshadowing. The story moved from present to past to later present to hints of the future without clarity and seemed unnecessary. Additionally, the "truth" seemed so not important enough for the narrator to write a whole novel to "correct." The analysis of the consequences of a school shooting and the effects on the survivors and mourners is fascinating and powerful but the slow pacing, the vague hints, and the rather pointless "truth" really damaged my overall impression.
    • 3/5
      I was keen to give this book a go when I read the premise as it dealt with the aftermath of a school shooting. However, even though I liked how the author gave the survivors a voice through their letters, the book lacked emotion. I felt sorry for the way the survivors had to battle with their guilt, grief and fear, but I never really connected with any of them.My favourite character was Denny and his guide dog, Glitter. He made me smile on more than one occasion, but some of the 'holier-than-thou' attitude shown by many of the secondary characters towards Lee and Kellie was irritating, especially when they refused to believe the truth when Lee and Kellie tried to tell their stories. Instead they glorified Sarah's death, seeing her as a martyr when really she was just a scared, young girl hiding in a toilet cubicle with her best friend.Overall, an okay read but not a great one.
    • 5/5
      This is a young adult book that deals with a school shooting in a unique way. Lee was in the girl's bathroom with her best friend Sarah who was shot and killed. Somehow a story was made public where Sarah had a verbal exchange with the shooter during which she declared that God was watching over her. However, Lee knows the truth and finds it more and more difficult to go on, letting people believe what is a lie. Making the situation more difficult was the fact that there was another girl in the bathroom who was also shot, but did not die. She claimed to have made the statements which made her and her family the subjects of abuse. This was an interesting look at a school shooting and its ramifications to all involved.
    • 5/5
      A very smart and mature young adult novel about truth. There is a mass shooting at a high school and several students are killed. As the story develops one of the victims was portrayed as confronting the shooter and dying as a martyr. She is a Christian and a cross found near her body was presumed to be hers. However there was a surviving witness who knows that the accepted story is not true. The crux of the novel is about how people want to believe what they want and not necessarily what reality is.
    • 2/5
      I really like the concept for this book. I do agree that the victim's stories do get lost in translation from the media coverage. The media does not cover the whole story. In fact, the media only really focuses on the carnage. There is not a lot known about the survivors or really what they experienced in those moments. So sad when you think about it that survivors are turned into heroes who we may never have known their names if no mass shooting had never happened. Kellie and her friends are survivors. Her friend, Sarah was not so lucky. Yet, Kellie knows the truth about those last moments before Sarah was killed as she was in the bathroom with her. Sarah's parents are writing a book about their daughter. Kellie is about to graduate and she feels she might get the truth off her chest. Even, if it means that Sarah is not known as a martyr. Again, I liked the concept for this book. What didn't work for me was the most important factor...characters. I could not grow any emotional attachment to any of the characters. I kind of felt like Kellie was trying to turn the truth into her moment. A part of me after learning the truth was like what was the point, it did not change anything. If I could have experienced that character attachment, then, I would have felt stronger about this book.