Hate List

Valerie Leftman returns to Garvin High School for her senior year after her boyfriend, Nick Levil, opened fire in the cafeteria. Before the shooting, the couple maintained a notebook titled the Hate List, where they recorded the names of students and teachers who bullied or annoyed them. Nick used this list as his target map before killing himself at the scene. Valerie, who was shot while trying to stop him, faces intense hostility from classmates and teachers who view her as an accomplice. The story follows her internal struggle to reconcile her memory of the boy she loved with the mass murderer the world sees, while navigating a community fractured by trauma.

This book is for readers interested in the aftermath of school violence and the psychological burden of unintended consequences. It appeals to those who want a realistic look at the mechanics of forgiveness and social reentry after a tragedy. Readers walk away with an understanding of how grief affects the family of a perpetrator and how public perception differs from private reality. The narrative provides a perspective on the difficulties of reclaiming an identity when the person closest to you commits an unforgivable act.