With all of the school shooting themed books out there, this one was surprisingly... nice. Lurlene McDaniel is a great option for girls who will eventually read Jodi Picoult. These days, with Ellen Hopkins amping up her street cred whenever she can other YA authors trying to one-up her in edginess, it is refreshing to know there is an author out there with just the right amount of edge as to not be uncomfortable. The conversations and situations are realistic, and young adults can definitely relate to them. I will definitely be purchasing more Lurlene McDaniel for my school library. ( )

3.75 stars

Morgan is the class president, and her boyfriend, Trent, is a football star at school. Morgan’s best friend, Kelli, is a cheerleader and her boyfriend is also a football star. Roth was orphaned young, and lived in foster homes until his uncle returned from military service and took him in. His Uncle Max is now married, so it feels like he has a real home with people who love him, even though Max doesn’t really know how to be a parent. Max runs a tattoo shop and Roth is on the edge of being in trouble, but never anything overly serious. Outsider Liza is Roth’s best friend. They are all seniors when someone sets off a bomb at their school. Some die, and some are injured.

I’d give this 4 stars for the story, but 3.5 stars for going through the story so quickly and leaving out a lot more detail. However, it is a YA book, so maybe the 4 stars is still justified. I really liked the story. I sympathized with most of the characters, but it helped that we see the events from many different characters’ viewpoints. Definitely good YA. ( )

This book follows the lives of a number of senior students before and after a bomb is detonated inside the school leaving death and destruction in its wake. Unfortunately, the grief didn't ring true for me and events happened far too quickly to be really believable.

Although there were a few main characters, Morgan was certainly the lead protagonist. She was okay, but my favourite was Roth, tough, a bit of a loner and a suspect in the bombing, but underneath the ink and piercings a caring, kind young man.

The ending was also disappointing. The book finished too quickly and without closure, so I was left with a number questions about some of the main characters. I think the author should have finished the book at the last chapter. The epilogue was unnecessary, it fast-forwarded a year but left the book incomplete. A so-so read. ( )

When someone sets off a bomb in school, nothing is normal anymore. Nine students are killed instantly, scores injured, and one blinded.

Read rest of review at: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/red-heart-tattoo-lurlene-mcda...
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Lurlene McDaniel was always one of my favorite authors when I was a teenager and to this day I still read everything she writes. As a teenager most of her books were about teenagers dying from one disease or another and how the family copes with it. In more recent years Lurlene McDaniel has taken on many topics that are in happening in society today. This one deals with a school bombing and how it effects so many people - students, teachers, parents, hospitals. ( )