The decision to write a novel in multiple of poems caught me by surprise. However, I enjoyed reading a story that was presented in a different way than you would expect. The poems added a depth of soul to the characters, in a way I am not able to describe. As if you were reading a book with pictures and suddenly the 2 dimensional picture became 3 dimensional with vibrate colors.

Even though I knew going into the story that there was a murder/suicide, it still hit me pretty hard. Within the first few pages, I fell in love with the friendship between Grace and Daniel. When that was ripped away, I felt Daniel's sadness and grief. I am happy that his character agreed to go to therapy and that he was able to help someone else, just as his therapist had helped him. A wonderful HI/LO book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and Katy Grant for the opportunity to read Three Shots in exchange for an honest review.

Daniel loves nothing more than to hang out with his best friend, Gracie. It's no spoiler, as it is in the description and the leading aspect of the novel:  Gracie's mother kills her two children and then herself.

Daniel should have known something was amiss when Gracie never answered her texts, but when the news comes at school, there is no way it can be real. After losing someone he so cares for, Daniel works his way through the stages of grief.

Counselors come to the school, but so do news reporters. People who didn't even ever talk to Gracie take their fifteen minutes of fame, which makes Daniel livid, but what can be done? His family is supportive and he soon finds the comforts that therapy offers.

This novel portrays the grief teenagers go through when they lose someone, and it accomplishes this in a brilliant way. I love novels in poetic verse because they reach their target audience in a more accessible way while maintaining the topic interest and engagement for teen readers. This is a novel I highly recommend for a young adult audience seeking a book that will make an impact and resonate with them for years to come.

***I received a free E-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
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This was so beautifully written and truly heartbreaking. What a stunning novel. I usually blaze through these Hi-Lo stories in a single night, but this took me a few days as I felt I had to read it in chunks to allow myself time to really process the story (and to not cry in the school carpark while waiting to pick up my own little one)
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A powerful story of loss, grief, but also hope and recovery. This story will stick with me for a long time.

I normally don't read novels in verse but I was intrigued by the synopsis. I'm glad I picked it up. It is an emotional read, but definitely worth it!