Book Review: Last Lesson by James Goodhand

Title: Last Lesson

Author: James GoodhandPublisher: PenguinRelease date: April 2nd 2020

Synopsis: Last year, Ollie Morcombe was a star pupil, popular and a gifted musician.
Then, after the accident, everything changed. Now he's an outcast, a prime target of the school bullies who have made his life a living hell.
Today - the last day of the school year - he's brought those bullies a gift. A homemade pipe bomb.
What has driven a model student to plan an unspeakable revenge? And with the clock ticking down to home time, what can anybody do to stop him?

Review: This review is very late so apologies! 

Thisssssss book! It takes you in and trips you up again and again and again until you really don't know what is real anymore. I'd also read this book after reading another intense book, so it's very possible that I was just feeling a lot of emotions, which both did and didn't help! There were definitely tears. 

Bullying is a difficult topic at the best of times. I was bullied in school, verbally and physically so when you go back and read about it it definitely triggers memories. Ollie I then almost assimilated with myself, and through the book you ask yourself what would I do in that situation. I had goosebumps from the feelings and like I said it was emotional. 

It is apparent very early what the build up is, and that sets you on edge so when you're switching between narratives your mind is clinched between the two and piecing things together. I was on EDGE! I read this book over two days so I never felt far from this story and the action. What was going to happen! I had to keep going even when it was hard!

This book also really delves into mental health and the role it plays in our development. Its something you don't realise is happening until you get to a point and there's question after question and you really have to reevaluate what you've read. But it was important to think about. I don't think we talk about mental health enough at that age. We've all got better about talking about our own MH but would you have at that age? I remember explicitly how I felt and how I wanted to act but would never talk about it and bottling never works, it becomes an inferno. 

Ollie as a character had a grit to him (a word I like to use a lot apparently) but this added levels to him. You went on the journey with him and experienced his dark side, which was a lot of his side for this book, and that at times made it uncomfortable. But it was an uncomfortable read and it all added up to build his narrative. This voice was portrayed very well.

The end of this book! It was obviously, from the first chapter, building up to this very specific situation and when it happens and the aftermath had me gooped! You know when you read a book and you're just :o the whole time and I actually really appreciated the turn it took! It was very much a hold breath for a few pages moment. 

This won't be a book for everyone, it deals with uncomfortable issues and there are some graphic moments but more than that it opens up a lot of conversation! 

Have you read last lesson, what did you think?!