This just wasn't for me. I was intrigued by the concept but unable to continue after about 25% of the book - I couldn't connect with the characters which was making it difficult to read. I'm sure others will love it though!

This book sounded amazing, but unfortunately fell a bit flat. This was an important story to tell, and hard hitting at times as it was about the aftermath of a school shooting. It was about six teenagers and their thoughts and feelings. Although it did centre more on Leanne who lost her best friend in the shooting. She was an annoying character as she kept going on at the other five to share their story. However I felt bad for her as she got called names and when she told the truth to Sarahs parents about what happened they didn’t take it well.

My favourite characters were Miles who is classed as a trouble maker but you start to see different to him as the story progresses. and Denny whose blind and comes out with some funny stuff even though he’s had a tough time. I just wanted to hug them.

Overall I liked parts of it, but how pushy Leanne was and the fact that the big revel was disappointing was the reason it got a 3.

I liked the writing so I’m looking forward to trying more from Kody.

Thanks goes to the author, publisher and net galley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

School shooting storylines are always hard to review. It is difficult to review such a harrowing real-life scenario. However, for the sake of a fictional story, this wasn't perfect but was emotionally devastating.

This was an okay read. The main plot here is a school shooting, although I understand how bad that is I couldn't feel any conection with the characters and I couldn't care less to what happened to them. I have read similar books before but maybe it wasn't the right time for me to read this one

I wanted to read this book mostly because I heard about the asexual rep, and as an aro ace reader, I really love that this identity is being explored more in YA! Honestly, whenever Leanne addressed her sexuality my heart was sining, it was truly the most well explained, and concise representation I've read so far. The best bit was it was so easy and free, making Leanne one of the most relatable characters I've ever read, and I'm pleased that among all the heavy and controversial plot lines, that the highlight on asexuality was as bright as it was.

Trigger Warnings: This book features a school shooting, blood, panic attacks, discussion of trauma, and alcoholism.

I've wanted to read That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger from the moment I first heard about it. But I should have picked it up much sooner, because it's absolutely bloody incredible.

It's been three years since the school shooting at Virgil County High School, and Leanne - known as Lee - is one of the six survivors. Lee's best friend Sarah died in the shooting, but shortly after the shooting, rumours started to spread about the final moments before Sarah died. That she died defending her faith, as the shooter mocked her over the ugly cross necklace and her faith. Except none of that happened. Lee was in the bathroom stall with Sarah, the both of them hiding. Sarah wasn't wearing a necklace. No words were exchanged with the shooter, he just killed her. But the rumours spread, and now everyone has this idea of who Sarah was, and they've painted her as a martyr. Her story means so much to so many people, but her story is wrong. Now Sarah's parents want to write a book about Sarah and how she defended her faith in her final moments, and Lee knows this isn't what Sarah would have wanted. It's time to put the story straight about what really happened that day. But Sarah isn't the only person the community have ideas about; they have impressions of who all six survivors are due to how they reacted that day. Lee wants them all to get together and put their stories out their, tell the truth of what really happened that day, and how no-one really understands what the survivors experienced.

That's Not What Happened is a long letter written by Lee several months after the third anniversary of the school shooting. This is her story; her story of what really happened, her story of coping with the trauma afterwards, and her story of how she tried to put things right. It's also the stories of all the other five survivors. After hearing about the McHales' - Sarah's parents - book, Lee knows she needs to put the record straight. She's tried so many times to tell people what really happened, but her own trauma and others' grief stopped her. But when the McHales, who are pretty much Lee's second family, respond with outrage to the "lies" Lee is telling them, she knows something more needs to be done. The camera crews will be pack. The shooting will be picked over. The pedestal Sarah has been put on will only get taller. And no matter what everyone thinks they know, they'll get everyone's stories wrong. Lee gets the idea that all the survivors - who, all but one, have formed a close bond of friendship because they're the only ones who really get it, the only ones who were really there - should write letters of their own experiences of that day, and how that day changed everything for them. These stories will counter-balance the story the McHales will write, and the truth will be out there.

This book is so, so powerful. It is highly emotional, and very thought provoking. It really emphasises that no-one knows what really happened that day to the individuals who survived it except those individuals. Even though they have a shared experience, not even fellow survivors really know what happened that day, and not just in regard to the actual events, but also in regard to how what happened affected them. Everyone knows there was the hero, the terrified blind boy, the girl who took what happened to campaign against gun crime, and so on. But this isn't the truth - or, at least, not the whole truth. Wires are crossed, or people misunderstand things, and then truth is "built" on top of that. But it's not real.

What's really interesting is how this book isn't about the shooting itself, it's about the people. Those who survived and those who didn't. Throughout Lee's letter, she shares the letters of the other survivors, but she also takes time to talk about each individual person who was killed. And if she didn't know them well enough, she'd ask one of the survivors who did know them to share who each person was. Because, again, people have ideas about those who were killed, but they're not always true. But also, it's about giving these people some respect; they're more than just a face, a name, a victim. They were people, people who lived and had lives and personalities. Who had flaws and made mistakes, or weren't necessarily the nicest of people - because who talks about someone's bad points when they've been murdered? But you can't hide who they really were - but who absolutely did not deserve to die. Every survivor and every victim is a real, fully formed person in this book. You get to know them all.

While we do get flashbacks of the shooting, as I said, it's not about the shooting. And because of this, the shooter is never named in this book. Not once. When the other survivors mention his name in a letter, Lee has removed it. Instead of, "When Bob appeared," it will say "when appeared". At first it felt like a mistake in the text, even though Lee had already said she wasn't going to name him, because he didn't deserve it, it felt like a word had accidentally been missed out. But I realised what was missed out was the name. Not "he", but his actual name. Lee has absolutely no interest in discuss the shooter, or his possible motivations or excuses. He doesn't deserve to be discussed, and there is absolutely no excuse. He doesn't matter anywhere near as much as those he killed and attempted to kill. I found this really interesting, and actually really powerful, the complete refusal to give him any kind of page-time.

I loved the characters, and the strong friendships that were formed between them, despite age gaps. They have all been changed by what happened, and while others may try so hard to understand and to be there for them, it's only other survivors who truly get it, and can truly help. They form such a tight nit group, and continue to be so even after some of them graduate and move away. Even three years on, they still need each other. And these friendships, some of which seem so unlikely, are just the most beautiful portrayals of friendship I have ever seen. I adored them all.

That's Not What Happened is absolutely incredible when it comes to the effects of surviving a school shooting. When we hear about them on the news, it's about about for a few days, and then everything moves on. These are the people who died, here's some interviews with those who survived, but now there is other news, and we no longer hear about them. But they're all deeply affected by what happened that day. Miles can't and won't talk about the shooting. Ashley was disabled by the shooting and is now in a wheelchair. Lee has anxiety, and possibly PTSD, and an unhealthy obsession with death; she really struggles not to think about how doing anything could get you killed, and she's terrified of dying. She can't handle being startled, or having people touch (i.e. hug) her without warning. She sees a therapist and takes medication, and she's a lot better than she was, but she's not ok. There is survivor's guilt, those who blame themselves, those who feel pressure to be someone they're not. They're all people - real, human people, and they're been affected, and have responded, in a very human way. It's something you just don't get from the news stories. This story is heartbreaking and emotional, and completely and utterly wonderful.

It's also an incredibly diverse story. Denny is Black, and has been blind since birth, and uses a guide dog. Eden is Latina and a lesbian. As mentioned, Ashley ends up in wheelchair after the shooting. Lee is asexual. Keplinger is herself legally blind, and also on the ace-spectrum, so this novel is #OwnVoices.

That's Not What Happened is such an incredibly important and unbelievably powerful story, and one I won't forget in a long time. It's a stark reminder that there are real people behind those school shooting survivor interviews, and that while we might think we know who they are, we don't. And we're never going to know what really happened to them, nor how it's truly affected them. They're not just survivors, but people - we need to remember they're people.

Thank you to Hodder Children's Book via NetGalley for the eProof.

I always find books about school shootings and this was a fascinating read. The novel's focus was different to other books on the topic and I found the whole book really interesting to read.

That’s Not What Happened opens up with Leanne (Lee) three years after a school shooting, discussing how the story people know, wasn’t actually what happened. It is a book that discusses how the truth gets lost in all the commotion, through all the media attention. It gets‘twisted, tweaked, filtered through a dozen different lenses’. I appreciated the approach to how we view massacres like the one featured in this book. In That’s Not What Happened, Lee is determined to get the truth out there, and to correct the rumours that circulated after the shooting that turned into a massive story about a girl with a cross, and faith and bravery and how she was turned into a martyr, especially by the local community. However, the story is about the wrong girl, and Lee is trying to get the truth out. That’s Not What Happened is a complex and nuanced book that attempts to deal with a sensitive topic.

The characters were a highlight of this book. They were layered and complex. Lee – who is also asexual – is a great character. Her determination for the truth and her desire to set the record straight is admirable, and yet, sometimes the truth does do more harm than good. It also focuses on the trauma that events like school shootings cause and how people cope with that trauma differently. I appreciated the bond that the survivors had with each other – they had a really great dynamic. It also features a side lesbian character (Eden), and a black blind character (Denny) too.

That’s Not What Happened is a good book that shows that in the aftermath of a shooting, sometimes a victims voice is stripped away-their story is told for them. It is a book about having a voice. It is a fast-paced, engaging, and a powerful book.

I would definitely recommend for fans of This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp.

I enjoyed this book, but it was shallower than I was expecting. I thought it would be a hard-hitting account of a school shooting but it was written with more of a lighthearted tone, and I found the protagonist to be incredibly annoying and selfish. All she cared about was pestering fellow survivors for their letters about the shooting, totally insensitive to their experiences.

That's Not What Happened is a story that centres around the survivors of a school shooting a few years down the line. It explores the currently very relevant idea of who gets to share their story, who's listened to and how the narrative surrounding a tragedy develops. It does not glamorise the shooting. Instead, the focus is on the characters; their friendships and the different ways in which they've coped. The cast is full of interesting, diverse young people. I found myself invested in and wanting to know more about them all.

This was an intense, thought-provoking, but altogether enjoyable read. Recommended for contemporary fans.

I really liked this, I thought it was an interesting look at the lives of survivors of a traumatic event. I liked Leeann and her close friends; I would have liked more stuff about each of them but I thought this was a great book. I liked how Leeann's mental health traumas were portrayed

The story takes places three years after a shooting, on the anniversary where three of our survivors are coming to graduation and Lee realises that they will be the final people who truly know what happened that day before it is passed off into legend.

Lee wants to tell the truth about what happened in the bathroom but that truth is not something that the town wants to hear. We pick up the story as Lee tries to get her fellow survivors to tell the stories of those who were shot and what actually happened that day.

It’s a fascinating tale, twisted and honest as we get to know the survivors from the letters and the eyes of the people around them.

I do have to admit that you kind of guessed what the secrets were as you were going along and it wasn’t all that revelatory but the way the steps were laid out, each letter felt like someone confessing their darkest secrets. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style as each character felt different and you could hear their individual voices.

I also really appreciated the diversity of characters.

The book also had some great scenes about PTSD and the survivor’s guilt which isn’t something usually handled in YA books. It was quite emotional to read and I could see how some of those scenes could trigger people who have had a similar experience.

The topic of school shootings is always going to be a difficult subject to read about because they are such a terrifying and tragic event for the people involved. So I knew this book would most likely be an emotional read, which it was. I don’t think it’s perfect by any stretch but what I really liked about That’s Not What Happened is that it’s focus was 100% on the victims and survivors and not on the perpetrator. He is not who the story is about – in fact his name is blacked out on the few occasions he is mentioned. I thought that was an excellent decision from Keplinger because it takes some of the power away from the shooter and gives a voice to the people who are most affected by the massacre.

The story is narrated in the form of a long letter from one of the survivors, Leanne. Her best friend, who died in the shooting, has been lauded as a religious martyr because of a story of her death that the media jumped on in the wake of the massacre. The problem is that the story is not true and only a couple of people know the real story. That’s Not What Happened follows Leanne as she tries to bring together all of the survivors personal stories and show who they really are, rather than who the media and community want them to be. Obviously due to the plot this book does contain a lot about religion which can often be controversial and difficult to talk about. I though that the author was pretty even-handed in her approach to religion. She neither denigrates or promotes it but rather shows how it can be a force of both good and bad.

I found That’s Not What Happened a really interesting read. The characters are full of shades of grey which feels authentic. I liked Leanne but also disagreed with some of her actions and I think that is kind of the point of the book: That we can never really know exactly why people think and do the things they do and that everyone has the right to tell their own story.

Overall I think this book is very much worth reading. Occasionally I found it slightly hard to relate to some of the characters as much as I wanted to but I do think the story is hugely important and that it will appeal to young adults as a timely and provocative read.

I'm not sure what to say about this book really. It wasn't bad, but it was a little disappointing. I wanted to read it because it sounded like it was inspired by the stories of two of the Columbine victims* and I thought it would be interesting...and it was to an extent, but I had some issues with the book.

On one hand, I loved how diverse the book was. I particularly loved that it was representation for people that often don't get representation in YA (i.e. people who are blind, people who are on the ace spectrum). I mostly loved the characters and how complex they were. And there were definitely other parts of the story I loved too.

The story -- it was one of those gut wrenching ones. Especially given how real it is, how frequently school shootings in the US do happen. I think it did a really good job of representing that. By making it about the victims and not the shooter, by not glorifying what happened, by putting more focus on the After part and by showing how caught up the world can get in tragic stories to the point where it's like we let the truth get lost and forget that there are real people who lived it and are still living with it.

But the execution of the story felt lacking (and normally I love Kody's books) and that was where it fell flat for me.

It felt really slow and dragged out and repetitive, and it felt quite disjointed. And something about the narration was off. For Lee's parts, it tried to just narrate the story like it was any other novel but then at other parts it would remind us that it isn't, it's a letter to set the record straight. Except that doesn't work because there are details and huge chunks of her narration that wouldn't be included for that purpose.

I feel like I'd maybe have liked it more if the story didn't try to pull Dear Reader thing and was just narrated normally, with the letters interspersed throughout and with us going along on Lee's journey of revealing the truth with her rather than it trying to juggle making it feel like we're doing that with the "if you're reading this then you already know..." vibe. I just found it hard to buy that.

And the ending, while realistic (at least in regards to which things had closure/were wrapped up), was really unsatisfying so the book just left me feeling quite hollow whereas books I love would leave me filled with happiness or pain or sadness or hope or a mix of all of those things. But again, I think that's partly to do with the way the narration was done.

I guess what I'm getting at is that it wasn't a bad book and it did a lot of things so well, but it just wasn't for me. I was quite disappointed by it considering how much I'd been wanting to read it and how much I've loved Kody's previous books.

I'd rate the book 2.5 stars out of 5.

*Note: I don't know if the book actually was inspired by Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott. It's not really mentioned in the acknowledgements or anything, but it just reminded me of the stories surrounding those two.

I'm struggling to review this book..

It's not that I didn't like it, I suppose it's more that I didn't like it enough.

The storyline had me more than intrigued. A school shooting, a reality for many these days, and books that have a more realistic feel generally capture my imagination.

However with That's Not What Happened, actually there wasn't a great deal happening.

Told mainly from one girl's point of view, we gradually get to know about 6 survivors from this shooting but from the way it begins, it didn't end up a lot further from that.

I don't want to ruin the novel for others who choose to read it so I'll just say that it sort of fell flat. I didn't feel like there were any big revelations and instead of a mix of emotions and directions, the story trailed along at a steady pace.

A good concept, just not executed in as much detail as I felt the story required.

An interesting read with Keplinger exploring a whole new side of the school shooting narrative, showing the survivors three years on, all with different versions and secrets about what happened that day in their school.

To start with, I don't think anyone has done a narrative about the survivors so long after the shooting. I found it really interesting to see how they'd got on with their lives and the coping strategies they had taken to help them get through the trauma of it all. It showed how long these things linger around, but also how the survivors have gotten on with their lives, finishing school and going to university. In a lot of stories, the narrative stops before this can really be shown, so you don't see much of the survivors going back to their lives and moving on.

I also really liked the fact that the name of the shooter was never stated. It was a powerful move and a powerful comment about how in this sort of situation, the shooter ends up getting talked about more than anyone else. How the victims are overshadowed by people trying to explain away the motives with stories of bullying. This is a story that puts the story into the survivors hands. It's told by them and either though they each have different truths, different recollections of the events, it is clear that it's their story.

It was a sad story in many ways, showing the trauma, the effect on the community and the grieving of the families, but it also is incredibly interesting and political, going deep into issues that I haven't ever seen addressed in fiction before. The way they've gone into the way the media can change what happens when it tells the story for various reasons and the effect that can have on the survivors who's voices have been taken away.

This is definitely a story that will give you a lot to think about.

I hadn’t read anything by this author but I have heard of her, and watched The DUFF recently, so was intrigued to see what her style was like.
That’s Not What Happened is an interesting read. It’s got good characters that you learn a lot about as you read further into the book, and of course, it’s got a highly emotive and distressing theme with the school shooting aspect.
I read this one in a couple of sittings. It was definitely a good read, and I liked how the characters were portrayed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with access to this prior to publication. A story that deserves to be heard, though it’s not without issues in its current state.
There have, sadly, been too many high school shootings. You can’t help but be affected by TV footage of children outside a supposedly safe place crying as they try to understand why someone would want to do this. You can’t unsee the images of bodies being stretchered out, though nothing could help you understand what it would be like to witness such an event first hand. But what happens later?
In Kapplinger’s novel it’s three years since a shooter killed students in their high school. Our focus is on those who survived, and them trying to make sense of what happened. Leanne knows that the popular story about her best friend, Sarah, isn’t exactly true. But in their religious town, nobody thanks her for telling the truth. However, she’s determined that people need to understand what happened.
Through a series of letters from the survivors, and the story years on, we piece together the events. Due to it being an ARC there were some formatting issues, and sections appeared to be out of sync. This did make me feel that I might have missed some of the details. Kellie’s final comments strongly suggest Miles was the shooter, yet nobody makes any mention of this anywhere else in the book. His own letter hints at involvement, but surely this would not have gone unnoticed at the time? I may have to read this again once it’s published to be sure.

Leanne lost her friend Sarah at school during a massacre when a male sixteen year old opened fire killing nine students. Only now Leanne is setting the record straight and has discovered the truth about what happened by getting the survivors and her now friends to write their account of the day's events in letter form.



Eden a gay girl, Miles a troublemaker and Denny, a blind student with a guide dog Labrador called Glitter also witnessed the attack as well as Kellie a goth girl, from in the bathroom where Sarah the so called religious girl was killed too with Leanne her best friend witnessing it all happen.



I liked the book featuring a mix of disabled and asexual characters as it's against the normal seen in young adult never too often. The aspect of a shooter as a sixteen year old in a place of legal gun use too was interesting and showed a further element of mystery about the shooter into the mix though I was disappointed in how little we see his story and whether he was known to all the group. It felt truly authentic and horrific alike when a real American shooting has taken place sadly and I'm glad it was fiction and not fact for once. It was a greatly emotional and moving story especially in a time where acts like this can be committed at any time it seems.