Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

An important look at mental health, especially through the lens of such a timely topic that's unfortunately necessary for teenagers to think about. A unique premise and well done.

Be forewarned when you pick up this book that Gardner does not shy away from the realities that traumatic events inflict on us. Gardner presented a heartbreaking yet realistic story describing the responses to a traumatic even that even though it did not physically injure any of this particular family, had profound life-changing effects. However, I never truly connected with a lot of the secondary characters which kept me from rating this higher than a 3.5 stars (4 on goodreads).

I got 35% of the way through this book when the shooting at Robb Elementary occurred. The portion of the book that I did read was pretty decent, but unfortunately, I had to DNF following this event. I may return to properly read and review this book when I am in a better headspace later on.

Disclaimer: I can see students enjoying this. That’s why it’s a solid 3 stars. I did not care for this book as an adult reader and that’s okay because I am not the intended audience.

This is a story of Betty, a high school graduate living with her older sister and single mother. Her mother and sister are victims in a store shooting (they survive). The story is all about how each individual handles the after effects of a shooting. Personally? I did not like Betty at all. I found her ignorant and self absorbed. I found her relationship with her father to be the only authentic experience. I appreciate the obtuseness of her as a new adult, but I don’t know. She rubbed me the wrong way. Michael was the only character I truly loved in this story. I do love the way the novel worked itself, and I will absolutely recommend it to my students.

I find the plot of this book interesting as it shows how secondary victims of a tragedy deal with the trauma it has left.
However, this book is slow paced and is introspective which is something i'm not a fan of. I also have a hard time connecting with the character that's why I did not enjoy the book much.

The quick hitters:
💜 Family coping in the aftermath of a mass shooting
💜 Mental health, grief, survivor's guilt, substance abuse
💜 Diverse cast of characters (pan main character, nonbinary characters)

The theme of this book is sadly as relevant as ever. When 18-year-old Betty stops by the mall for a quick shopping trip with her mother and older sister, they encounter a random act of violence. As Betty is sitting in a cupcake shop, a mass shooter opens fire in the store where Betty’s mother and sister are shopping for work clothes.

What follows a glimpse into the aftermath and impact of mass shootings on the victims. Betty is trying to find her place amongst the survivors, feeling guilt not only because she survived but because she’s so affected despite not being physically present in the store where the shooting took place. She doesn’t feel as though she’s earned the right to grieve with the people who actually witnessed the shooting spree.

As she stumbles through the consequences of the shooter’s actions, she’s lead to someone else who is experiencing those consequences - the younger brother of the mass shooter. Is it wrong that she wants to understand why the shooter did what he did? Is it wrong that she’s hiding that her family are among the victims?

Everyone around Betty is changing as Betty watches and looks for answers. But if life can change in the matter of seconds once, can’t it happen again?

I thought this was a really interesting and realistic look at the effects mass shootings can have on their victims. I felt for Betty as she yearned to understand what would drive someone to do this and while she struggled through worrying about her family as they coped in their individual ways. Through all of this, Betty blossoms in her own way because she understands that life must march on despite what they’ve all been through.

This story has a little bit of everything in it. I loved that the characters were diverse without that being the focal point of the story, but yay for a pan main character! This story had breakdowns, lives uprooted, political revolutions, marching on in the face of adversity, learning to allow yourself to grieve, and picking up the pieces and marching on in the end.

While the story is good, it’s also very slow and introspective. Depending on how much you like that type of story, this could be a good or bad thing for you. I personally found the story to be dragging on in the middle and it felt like a lot of repetitive scenes where basically the same conversations were happening over and over. I get that in the aftermath of a tragedy, time might seem to stand still for a while, but for a reader’s experience, I didn’t find that aspect of the book to be particularly enjoyable. I do think more could have happened to propel the story forward while maintaining the integrity of what they had all been through and what they were all coping with in the aftermath.

I still think this topic is important to talk and write about. I appreciate the author’s inclusiveness with characters as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Betty, her sister Joy and her mom are at the mall together when there is a mass shooting. Betty had stepped away for a minute to get ice cream so she was next door, but her mom and sister were in the thick of the shooting, thankfully unharmed. The three of them all deal with the situation in very different ways. Betty's mom Beverly, literally goes on a crusade for better gun control and becomes a viral activist for the public. Joy refuses to leave her room fearing going out into public again and also develops and abuse problem. Betty continues on with her life while also trying to figure out what motivated shooter to act. The aftermath of this situation is honestly portrayed by characters who are very realistic. I feel like there was something missing in the plot but I am not sure what. Regardless, I enjoyed the realness of the story of survival from a trauma and the sometime difficult healing paths the characters are experiencing. Well done! Thanks for the ARC!!!

Everything changes in a single moment for Betty and her family when someone starts shooting at a women’s clothing store. How We Ricochet by Faith Gardner explores the aftermath of an active shooting event, showing the different ways people are affected by this type of trauma.

Betty’s mom needs new dress pants for work, and that is how Betty and her family end up at the mall that fateful afternoon. Betty’s mom and sister head to I Glam, while Betty goes to the cupcake shop next door. The last thing she expects to hear while enjoying a cupcake is gunshots, but the popping sound is unmistakable. Worse still, when Betty tries to locate her mom and sister, she discovers that the shooter is at I Glam. The few minutes of not knowing if her family is alive or dead are terrifying, and the relief that both of them are okay is massive, but the shooting is only the beginning. In the aftermath of the shooting, Betty’s mother becomes involved in an anti-gun group and begins to spend all her time speaking on the news, leading protests, and giving interviews about the dangers of guns. Betty’s sister, Joy, becomes agoraphobic, unwillingly to leave the safety of their apartment despite her frequent use of anti-anxiety medication. And Betty becomes obsessed with the deceased shooter, searching for a reason why he attacked the store, a way to recognize a killer when she sees one, which leads her to the shooter’s brother, Michael.

The ways that Betty, Joy, and their mom change after the shooting, feel so authentic. They all find different ways to cope and struggle to overcome their fears. Betty has an especially interesting struggle with her feelings of guilt for not being in the store when it happens, and not being allowed to feel in the same way her mother and Joy do. So, in telling this story through Betty’s point of view, it allows us to see the wide reach an active shooting event can have and just how much it can affect people. We even get to see the way the shooter’s family has been affected and struggles in the wake of the shooting. It made for a very powerful story that is less about the guns and the event, and more about the people.

I also appreciated that How We Ricochet told a story about a shooting that didn’t take place at a school. While school shootings are often the most devastating of active shooter events, they are also one of the least common. It is important for us to remember that these events can happen anywhere and anytime. The setting also helped show how quickly we move on from these types of event (something we don’t see with school shooting books). We see in the novel that for the general population, things go back to normal almost immediately, they forget about the shooting, while Betty’s family struggles for months to find even a semblance of normalcy. It reminds us that while for those of us on the outside, this is a one-day news story, but for those involved, a shooting lasts a lifetime.

Faith Gardner has given us a book that is not to be missed. It may not be the most enjoyable read, but it is powerful and necessary. How We Ricochet is essential for readers in the USA, considering the world we live in. It’s a bit scary how easy it is to just accept that shootings are a part of life and move on (I’m pretty guilty of this myself, especially in the aftermath of yet another active shooter training), but this book snaps you out of it, reminding you of the people, that will never be the same.

How We Ricochet
by Faith Gardner
Pub Date 24 May 2022
HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen
Children's Fiction | Teens & YA



I am reviewing a copy of How We Ricochet through HarperCollins Children’s Book and Netgalley:


Sometimes it seems that there is a charade we continue to celebrate even in the face of tragedy. But how dare we do that? And what else are we supposed to be do?


Betty’s mom needed new pants for her job.


That was why Betty was at the mall with her mom and sister when the shooting started.


Afterward, nothing is the same.



But there are no easy answers to be found, and Betty’s search for them leads her to Michael, the brother of the shooter. But this path only shows Betty one thing: that everything she thought she knew about herself, about the world around her can change in a heartbeat.




I give How We Ricochet five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Betty’s life changes overnight when she and family are at the mall during a shooting. While Betty is shaken but moving on with her life, Betty’s older sister isn’t dealing as well. While trying to help her sister, Betty meets Michael, the brother of the man who shot up the mall. Betty starts befriending Michael, mostly out of morbid curiosity but eventually develops real feelings for him as she learns they have more in common than she would have imagined.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this book for its pensive, contemplative, and introspective narration. The characters and the ways in which they handled trauma were believable, well developed, and interesting. For a young adult novel, this was entirely original and unflinching. I loved the wide range of characters included; it allowed the reader to see how wide-reaching mass shooting violence can be--it's not just those that were there that are affected.

I would recommend this book to mature high school students with the trigger warnings of PTSD and mass shooting violence. However, I think students would really enjoy the takeaways of this book. I believe this may not be the book for reluctant readers as the "action" in the book is in the introspection.

I'm excited to bring this book into my classroom/school library as the discussions this book could create would be insightful and engaging.

After a mass shooting at a mall Betty, her mom and her sister are all leave reeling.

Her mom, Beverly, goes on a crusade against gun violence becoming a prominent activities.

Her sister, Joy, retreats within herself and her room too afraid to leave their home.

Betty starts trying to figure out what led the shooter to this course of action.

There's politics, struggles with mental illness and substance abuse, changed perspective on public spaces, a smidge of romance, and the desire to find forgiveness and peace.

This story examines a scenario all too common in the US and the various ways those who experience the situations try to find healing in the aftermath.

How We Ricochet
by Faith Gardner
HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen
Pub Date: May 24

This explosive novel with its spectacular cover reveals the impact of a mass shooting event on survivors.

Betty, her Mom, and her sister head to the mall for pants for the Mom's new job. Betty, who goes next door for a cupcake, hears gunfire and runs to find her family. She encounters the gunman, who shoots himself right in front of her. She and her family survive, but not without profound consequences to their lives.

Her Mom copes by getting involved in gun control. Her sister becomes agoraphobic and develops a substance abuse disorder. Betty tries to keep everybody together, and reaches out to the shooter's brother for answers.

How do people survive such trauma and move toward healing? This sensitive tale shows each character's difficult path to recovery from an event that could happen to any of us. Written for readers 13 and older, and highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#HowWeRicochet #FaithGardner#HarperTeen #NetGalley #TeenYAFiction #impactmassshootingonsurvivorsfiction #SanFranFictionNovel #tragedyinfiction #howtoovercometragedyfiction #PTSD #agoraphobia #substanceusedisorder
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After Betty, her sister and her mom survive a mass shooting their life is forced in a new direction. Her sister becomes agoraphobic, her mom a viral activism star, and Betty just tries to keep her family a float. To try to help her sister and make sense of why the shooting happened Betty seeks out the only person who may know the answer… the shooter’s brother.

I loved that this book focused on the trauma that even people who weren’t directly in the shooting go through. We never get to see from the perspective of the secondary victims and I thought it was so interesting! This story is told in such a different way than most books on this subject are and it was very refreshing.

I enjoyed most of the characters and their relationships were very interesting and believable. I had trouble connecting with Betty though, which made it hard to really get into the book. I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t vibe with her though.

I also wish a little more would have happened as well. A lot of the book is very introspective, which makes sense, but since I didn’t connect with Betty I had trouble being interested in her inner thoughts.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy this genre. It wasn’t the most amazing book ever, but I did enjoy it.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of HOW WE RICOCHET by Faith Gardner in exchange for my honest review.***

After Betty, her sister and mom survive a mass shooting, the trajectory of their lives change. Her sister Joy refuses to leave the house. Their mom becomes an instant viral anti-gun activist while Betty is just trying to deal with her PTSD and hold her family together. She seeks out a former classmate, the brother of the shooter, though keeps her identity secret.

From the blurb, I had assumed the protagonist in HOW WE RICOCHET would have been shot of lost someone in the shooting which wasn’t the case. Faith Gardner’s choice to show the secondary victims of the shooting, including the killer’s brother and mom, and how their lives changed was a great approach to addressing the trauma of mass shootings. HOW WE RICOCHET is not a Message Book or preachy, but a story that shows different responses to tragedy which made me think of the number of victims we never hear about who carry the aftermath of those shooting sprees.

Gardner doesn’t takes the road less traveled with the story and avoids predictability and tropes.

I enjoyed the story, though wished I had more of an emotional connection to Betty, Joy, their mom or even Michael. I wanted to feel something and for the story to stay in my head after I finished. For those reasons I rated four rather than five stars.