Hate List is an extremely powerful and compelling story, one which I would recommend to all ages.
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.
Although Valerie herself was injured defending another student, she is still somewhat implicated because of the list. The list she and Nick made of people they hated. The list Nick used to pick his targets.
I honestly felt for Valerie throughout the whole book. 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.
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. 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'.
Hate List reminded me a lot of my own high school experience. 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. 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.
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.
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