Week 42 Review: We Can Be Heroes

From Goodreads:

Kyrie McCauley, author of If These Wings Could Fly, delivers a powerful contemporary YA novel about a trio of girls fighting for each other in the aftermath of a school shooting and the lasting bonds of friendship. Perfect for fans of Laura Ruby and Mindy McGinnis.

"Welcome to Bell, proud home of Bell Firearms for two hundred years, and where five months ago, the teen heir to the Bell fortune took his father's guns to school and killed his ex-girlfriend, Cassandra Queen." —WE CAN BE HEROES PODCAST

Beck and Vivian never could stand each other, but they always tried their best for their mutual friend, Cassie. After the town moves on from Cassie's murder too fast, Beck and Vivian finally find common ground: vengeance. They memorialize Cassie by secretly painting murals of her around town, a message to the world that Cassie won't be forgotten. But Beck and Vivian are keeping secrets, like the third passenger riding in Beck's VW bus with them—Cassie's ghost.

When their murals catch the attention of a podcaster covering Cassie's case, they become the catalyst for a debate that Bell Firearms can no longer ignore. With law enforcement closing in on them, Beck and Vivian hurry to give Cassie the closure she needs—by delivering justice to those responsible for her death.

My Review:
This book was so fantastic! I got so very worked up about the unfairness of the whole situation-this girl gets killed by her ex, and who was the heir to a gun company that the town has basically been built around. So her death was basically forgotten, and it was just infuriating! 

So the fact that her two best friends, brought back together because of Cassandra's ghost, team up to bring light to the situation was a really fantastic story! I loved getting to know Beck and Vivian, who were creating graffiti art. They'd changed since Cassie was killed, but watching them being brought together was so fantastic! This depiction of grief and dealing with their loss with vengeance was so well done!

This book really brought up violence against women, as well as gun violence. My opinion? The average person should not have access to automatic guns. Being able to use and store the gun properly, with random checks to make sure they're consistent in following the rules. People who use guns in crimes should not get them. Things that I think should be common sense, but it seems like the stereotype of gun owners is that the care more about them owning guns then they do about other people's lives, and that's not okay. 

That ending was pretty satisfying! Well, there were two parts that were sad, but on the whole, loved how things worked out for these characters, they did what they wanted to, and I think that they made a difference, one that I hope would continue to grow, and I loved the direction that their lives were going in! 

This was another fantastic read from Kyrie McCauley, and I can't wait for her next book!

Author: Kyrie McCauley
Read: October 16th, 2021
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really good and I enjoyed her first book, and it's a SAC 2021 Book, Sophomore Challenge Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Published: September 7th 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars