12 must-read new YA book releases to get us through April

The Lucky Ones – Liz Lawson

Liz Lawson’s moving YA debut The Lucky Ones is a story of surviving – and the grief, trauma and pain that so often comes along with it.

Every says that May McGintee is “one of the lucky ones”. After all, she survived the horrific school shooting that killed her twin brother, and many of her classmates. But she certainly doesn’t feel that way. Eleven months later, she’s still consumed by survivor’s guilt over the fact that she hid in a closet while her brother, favorite teacher and five other classmates were all shot and killed. And she doesn’t know what to do next.

Her classmate Zach Teller feels equally lost – after his mother’s decision to defend the shooter in court, he’s become a social pariah with little to do but watch his father spiral deeper into depression. But when the two meet at a local band audition, they find that they may each be able to help the other find their way back to life.

The official synopsis has some more details about the story.

"May is a survivor. But she doesn’t feel like one. She feels ang ry. And lost. And alone. Eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin brother, May still doesn’t know why she was the only one to walk out of the band room that day. No one gets what she went through–no one saw and heard what she did. No one can possibly understand how it feels to be her. Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends bailed, and now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister…and the one faithful friend who stuck around. His best friend is needy and demanding, but he won’t let Zach disappear into himself. Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night. The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band. Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how both might figure out that surviving could be an option after all."

The Lucky Ones is available on April 7.