Even the police thought Valerie responsible until an unnamed girl went to the police and insisted that Valerie never shot anyone.

Many of the kids and most of the adults think Valerie knew of Nick's plot to kill the kids on the list despite the fact that Valerie saved the life of one girl and was shot herself. In this novel, Valerie Leftman must return to school five months after her boyfriend, Nick, took a gun and shot their classmates, many of whom Valerie placed on a list she dubbed the hate list. I thought that Hate List was an extremely well written story and an obvious 5*, as it touches upon real issues that at some point I think everyone can relate to.Hate List is the debut novel by award-winning writer Jennifer Brown. I was bullied in high school, and looking back I realise that it was always 'acceptable' for those who were popular to belittle someone that wasn't in the same social group… almost as if it was the norm. No, we didn't have a killer at my school, but isn't every school the same? The kids who walk around thinking they are better than everyone else even though others have done nothing to deserve the way they are treated. Hate List reminded me a lot of my own high school experience. Although Nick's actions cannot be justified, I feel as though he was an extremely vulnerable individual that cracked after suffering years of abuse at the hands of those in the 'inner circle'. It almost seems expected by those around her that she should hate Nick, but no one takes a second to realise that they were in love, and that is something that doesn't die within a few months. She was always prone to second guessing herself, never certain if she somehow indirectly coerced Nick into doing what he did, but at the same time battling with her feelings for him. I honestly felt for Valerie throughout the whole book. The list she and Nick made of people they hated. The novel follows the character of Valerie as she returns to school, five months after her boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria, killing and injuring many of their fellow students.Īlthough Valerie herself was injured defending another student, she is still somewhat implicated because of the list.

Hate list by jennifer brown