I received a review copy via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

TW: Grief, Death of a loved one, Depression, Alcoholism, PTSD, panic attacks, school shooting scenes, teen sobriety, talk of AA, underage drinking

I'm not crying, you are.

One year ago, May McGintee lost her twin brother in a school shooting and is living with guilt after being in the same room as her brother died. Those who survived that day are The Lucky Ones. This novel is a raw insight into the grieving process of a teenager who survived a school shooting and feels at fault. With no one to turn to but her closest friend, who just doesn't get it, May turns to anger and violence to cope with her mourning and mental health.

But, some light shines into her world when she meets Zach, a boy in her drama class at a band audition. However, little does May know, Zach is the son of the lawyer taking on the shooter's case and she's been vandalizing the woman's home for months.

May was such a complex character with a unique voice and I felt for her. I'm prone to reading books about grief because it's something everyone goes through at some point in their lives and everyone copes with grief differently. In May's experience, she goes through waves of survivor guilt leading to panic attacks and depressive and coping through aggressive episodes. Zach comes into May's life at the perfect moment and not just because he's the love interest. I appreciated that their romance wasn't forced insta-love as it was more of a love at first sight, but Zach doesn't cure May of any of her mental health disorders and she's still mourning and coping.

Zach was my favorite character because he was funny and didn't take sh*t from anyone.

I usually crave a story with good parents who communicate with their children, but in this story, I enjoyed the different angle Lawson took - it wasn't just teens being angsty and hating/resenting their parents, it was much deeper. For one, Zach resents his parents because he's not able to live a "normal teen life" because his father is clinically depressed and his mother is at the office day and night. Zach has had to provide for his fourteen-year-old sister, Gwen like going out to buy groceries. As well as being the victim of bullying at school since their mother took the shooter's case. Meanwhile, May's house is always silent, in between the rare occurrence that her father is home from work; directing a film.

This was a great book about the grieving process and the justice system.