Accidental by Alex Richards

The Quick Cut: A teen girl grapples with the truth of her mother's death when her dad suddenly reappears in her life. 

A Real Review:

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 It's an indisputable fact: parents often lie to their kids. Whether they are biologically yours or just your adoptive ones, parents feel the need to bend the truth in order to protect their kids from an inconvenient truth. For Johanna, a truth comes to light and shatters her world when her biological father comes back. 

 Johanna has been raised by her grandparents with the knowledge that her mom died in an accident while her dad ran from responsibility. However, when he reappears in her life and starts to get to know her, he reveals the true reason he's come back. Johanna's mom did not die in a car accident... as a baby, Johanna got a hold of her dad's gun and shot her. How will she deal with this revelation in her life?

 As frightening a concept at this is, it's not all that unusual. It's horrifying how often guns get in the hands of kids and unexpected pain occurs. This story surrounding Johanna is one that reads as realistic and painful in all the right ways. The view of her father's excuses versus her grandparents is one that over time shows how actions make clear who cares about her most.

  Johanna is someone you can easily relate to, even in this dark revelation. She struggles to accept it and quickly blames herself. The curiosity is one that causes her to get to know her dad (and see a new side of her grandparents). She runs the gamut of feelings during these events and brings you with her. 

 A powerful story about gun violence that packs a punch. 

My rating: 5 out of 5