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Book 127

Told from an on-the-mark perspective of a six-year-old, Only Child is the story of a school shooting. The novel starts out as a page-turner, loses focus in the middle, and improves in the end. It could have been better. ⭐⭐⭐

This book made me cry a lot and stay up all night because I couldn't put it down until I knew the kid was going to be alright! A six year old child survives a school shooting and his family deals with the aftermath. A beautiful story of finding hope and happiness in the darkest time, but God, it breaks your heart on the way there!

The way Zach paints his feelings to help him understand and cope with “feeling more than one feeling inside of you at the same time. Especially feelings that are opposites” is a great reminder of how art, any kind, is a special kind of therapy.

The more I read, the more I dislike Zach‘s dad. He‘s impatient, invalidates his child‘s feelings, and an adulterer? And this was all true before the shooting. Looking forward to seeing if his character develops at all

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Navin gives her six-year-old protoganist Zach a unique and utterly believable voice as he navigates his way through his complex feelings about a family tragedy. Beautifully written, and unforgettable.

Welp. My heart is now broken. 😭😭

Two loads of laundry: ✔️
Grocery shopping for the week: ✔️
Painted trim in the hallway: ✔️
Cleaned the bathrooms: ✔️

Now it‘s “Me Time.” Ahhhh....

THANK YOU for the lovely care package @Cinfhen! I wish I had gotten a picture of everything together, but my kids ran off with the toys the second I opened the package.

@Mdargusch just happened to be on my doorstep when I opened it, and was so jealous of the Penelope Lively book, so you made her day when we read the card and saw that you sent it for her. 🥰🥰

I should have loved this book but for some reason I just couldn‘t connect with the parents. It‘s a ripped from the front page story about a school shooting and the aftermath. #StarTrekSummerMay #TheChild @Megabooks

Book club yesterday to discuss this book. The overall opinion was that it was just ok. Didn't love it. But the food was delicious!

I almost removed it from my TBR a few times thinking that I would not like it. When I saw that my library had the audio version available with no wait I decided to give it a try and found myself tearing up within the first few minutes. Hearing the book read by a child narrator as he describes being in lock down during a school shooting and his confusion and loneliness in the aftermath as his family grieves really tore at my heart.

In all the excitement yesterday I forgot to thank you for your gift @squirrelbrain! I may not read it over Christmas, as you say it's not really a festive choice! But I look forward to reading it in the new year x

Not a really #bujo since it has lines, but it is a Hufflepuff notebook, so that's something. Here's my 2018 reading log so far.

Only finished because it was for book club.

Very emotional read. I was able to relate with Zach so much especially because I had a bad childhood with my parents being engaged in their work and they had rarely given much attention to spend time with me. But the story is not about this part, it is about losing someone and dealing with separation.

After the horrific event that occurred on Saturday, this book about a shooting in a “safe place” was extra painful to process. Using the voice and eyes of a 6 yr old was strongly effective, but at times tiresome. I found parts of the story dragged and I was unprepared to “dislike” the parents when I should have felt only sympathy & compassion. I‘ve seen mostly 5 star reviews but this was only 3 from me. #PlaneRead

Listening to a little boy read this audiobook made it all the more difficult to get through a story about a school shooting. That being said, this was a great book. Sad subject, but great storytelling.

Well, get your tissues and your hold-me-I‘m-so-sad blanket because this will tug at your heart and squeeze out all your tears. If you loved Room by Emma Donoghue then you‘ll love this heartbreaking story about a 1st grader that survives a school shooting. The story of how his family deals with the aftermath of this destruction is just terrifying to read because, sad to say, we all know it can happen at any school these days.

I am listening to this one and the narrator is a child! Hearing a child's voice read a book about a school shooting is heart wrenching. Buuuut...as hard as it is to listen to, it is really good and I find myself looking forward to my audio walks. A thumbs up so far.

I have read a good number of great books this year but only child has to be my favorite hands down!!! #fivestarreads #readingresolutions @Jess7

Thanks for this awesome giveaway! Tagged book was a favorite but also Children of Blood and Bone! @callielafleur
#clearingtheShelves3

This how my book club rolls... looking forward to a great conversation about a great book!!

This book was both heartbreaking and uplifting all wrapped into one beautiful package! I started the book crying and I ended the book crying... a five star read for sure!!

Well the first few chapters of this book will rip your heart out... #uglycry

Vacation reads and eats.

Of course I pick the most depressing book ever written. 🙄

Wow. Heartbreaking and so well done. The author created a compelling and believable narrator in this 6-year-old boy who survived a school shooting. I agree with the comparisons to Room; this one also takes an impossibly hard story and tells it through the more innocent lens of a child. This is Navin‘s first novel, and I will absolutely read whatever she writes next. This is a special book, and I recommend it highly.

I enjoyed the story however at times it bogged down due to the story being told in a 6 years old voice. It would have been nice to switch to the Mom's voice.

This book is making me tear-up every few pages. Heartbreaking

Do not read this book in public unless you're okay choke sobbing in front of strangers. I would recommend for fans of The Room as it deals with a serious current event through the lens of a child.

Day 21: #readingresolutions

I ordered Only #child from the new book section of the library and, after seeing the review by @trishb, I‘m looking forward to, what I‘m sure will be, a heart-wrenching read about Zach, a school shooting survivor. ❣️

@Jess7

Not sure how to review this. It was wonderfully written and heart breaking. Cried quite a few times. Maybe it‘s a bit much to believe that a 6 year old could be this perceptive, but the lessons are heartfelt.
Tugs at every heart string. Probably not a good one to read if you are grieving.

I‘ve cried once on the train already with this book and can‘t get rid of the lump in my throat 😢 it‘s heart breaking.....

“The thing I later remembered the most about the day the gunman came was my teacher Miss Russell‘s breath.”

An endearing story. A 6yr old is struggling with grief after a traumatic shooting in his school causes the loss of his brother.
Rhiannon Navin wrote an amazing first novel on experiencing grief and that dislocated feeling as only a child would feel, and as a parent struggling with loss.
This had me in tears. Recommend with caution.
5 ☆

💥 KINDLE DEAL ALERT 💥The #ebook of #OnlyChild is on sale today for $2.99! This one has gotten pretty good reviews. See summary in picture above. #TBR

#kindledeal #kindledeals #ebookdeal #ebookdeals #onsale #ebooksale

SUPER SALE ALERT!

#2018CheckIn
1. 30 and 2 halves
2. 100 is my goal
3. Tagged
4. I really want to read the one Bill Clinton wrote with James Patterson, and John McCain‘s book.

This book was so gut wrenching. I hate hearing about school shootings on the news but reading it from the perspective of a 6 year old almost destroyed me. It needs to stop! 5 stars!!

I can‘t believe I‘m getting flashbacks of being ignored and acting out like Zach just to get some attention but there it is, another book, another set of triggers.

Giving up books is not an option but more emotional triggers and painful memories is not a good thing.

To my litsy friends who live in New York City. Rhiannon Navin will be in the Forest Hill library branch tomorrow. #queenslibrary #authorevents

This child is a brilliant self-taught art therapist.

This book really hits home with how the surviving child(ren) get so overlooked when a sibling dies. I‘ll have to see how the book ends because i can just imagine Zach as an overlooked teenager.

Time for another fictional book, insofar as much as it is fiction.

Heartbreaking novel about a school shooting, told from the perspective of Zack, a 6 year old that survived the shooting. The perspective/voice was really interesting (if you liked the narration of Room, you will like), although at times it came across as a bit overdone.

Such a good read. Emotional, thought provoking, and unique. 5 stars!!

Told in a style reminiscent of the child narrator of Room, a 6YO boy deals with processing a school shooting. This skips the entire gun control debate to focus on the emotional turmoil a school shooting can bring to a family. Gripping.

You guys. This was a punch in the gut, ugly cry book. It‘s raw and realistic from the perspective of a 6-year-old who survived a school shooting with fatalities. The writing is beautifully written considering the age of the narrator, random thoughts of a 6-year-old and all. I do think some of the actions and thoughts of the boy are slightly unbelievable but most were true to the narrator‘s development. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Only Child is a punch in the gut reality of our nation. It‘s real and raw experiences from a 6-year-old narrator who is affected by a school shooting.

When 5 of your library holds come in all at once. Looks like I‘ve got some reading to do 📚🤯

Current read. So far I‘m really liking this one!

Got some book mail today... looking forward to both of these! Also thinking of choosing Only Child for book when I host in August!