4.0
We Still Live
ByPublisher Description
Running from a scandal that ruined his life, Isaac Twain accepts a teaching position at Hambden University where, three months prior, Professor John Conlon stopped a campus nightmare by stepping in front of an active shooter.
When John and Isaac become faculty advisors for the school's literary magazine, their professional relationship evolves. Despite the strict code of conduct forbidding faculty fraternization, they delve into a secret affair—until Simon arrives.
Isaac's violent ex threatens not only their careers, but also John's life. His PTSD triggered, John must come to terms with that bloody day on College Green while Isaac must accept the heartbreak his secrets have wrought.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesWe Still Live Reviews
4.0
“Wow. Okay first off TRIGGER WARNING: mass shootings; suicide.
So this was so unlike anything I’ve read in the genre. It was a romance, yes, but it was so much more than that. It was about surviving after a tragedy, both personal and on a grander scale. The romance was well done, while there was some at least partial Insta love, their story was still growing and interwoven throughout the entire thing. It dealt so well with survivor guilt and mental health and I just don’t know. It’s hard to describe, but if it won’t be damaging to your mental health I think you should read it. It’s amazing.”
“I would rate this 4.5 stars.
Isaac, a new professor at a college that just had a mass shooting, moved from South Carolina to Ohio for a fresh start. He is surrounded by people with PTSD, an outsider among those who have not only known each other for years, but who have bonded over a painful event that he doesn't know a lot about. Running from his own demons, Isaac has to forgive his own secret past, before he came be truly present for his future. Meeting his colleague John is a complication, a fresh start, and a powerful emotional journey he wasn't expecting.
Be warned: besides some wonderfully explicit sex scenes, this also contains violence, suicide, and copious amounts of alcohol. The nonfraternization policy at the university creates a taboo nature that is fun at first, with the flirting and kissing. Right away this becomes serious as both men are dealing with trauma and have a lot to lose moving forward with a relationship. Them working on the literary magazine in the English department was a great plot point--I wish I could read it. The side characters like John's best friend Tommy, a student John works with named Janelle, and a departmental employee named Cleo all add so much to this story, I can't imagine it without them. I even got attached to Sonya, who is not shown in the best light. I loved how the book shows that grief and trauma affect people in a myriad of ways. Sometimes people don't realize the impact they have on those around them. Sometimes, doing the right thing can hurt. Sometimes, what you think is best is not what's best for everyone involved.
The point of view is Isaac's, but the reader is not privy to everything since there are things he just doesn't want to think about. Information is layered in throughout the book. By the time I realized it was all sliding slowly down a dark road, I was completely hooked. They both have mental health issues from trauma: whereas John seems to be dealing with his (therapy and medication), Isaac is ignoring his. I wondered if Isaac had given himself the job of rescuing John so he could avoid fixing his own mess. When Isaac's ex Simon shows up, I felt genuinely frightened by this seemingly obsessed angry man's actions, but then this plot point just fizzles out as Simon realizes this is a battle he can't really win. Simon brings everything to a head, but I do wish it was a bit more nuanced since everything else here is so wonderfully well written. There is a time period where Isaac and John are separated during which I would have loved to see John work through his own issues. I don't understand why there isn't more shown about his Catholic guilt, or any guilt about his treatment of his wife and Simon. I feel like it would have strengthened the book since several months go by. While John is working hard to get better, Isaac seems like all his issues go away when Simon does.
In some ways this has a happy ending, yet trauma changes people forever. Even though it was hopeful, I was left with such a lingering sadness since we all know this is an ongoing societal issue with no end in sight. The author handled the gut-wrenching topics of mass shootings and mental health issues brilliantly. All I can say is that I cared about everyone--I cared what happens to each character--and isn't that what we all want from a good book?”
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