Boy Shattered

By: Eli Easton

Narrated by: Tristan Josiah, GraceWright Productions

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

Brian 

You’ll make it out of here, Brian. I swear. 

I had everything — school quarterback, popular with girls, and my dad was proud of me. I told myself it didn’t matter no one knew the real me.

And then I nearly died. Landon saved my life. He’s the bravest guy I know. He came out a few years ago, proud and fierce, and he ran into gunfire to help others. Me, I’m a mess. Can’t even stand to be in a room with the curtains open. But here’s the thing about losing it all: You get a chance to start over and be someone new. 

Only how can I move on when the two shooters who attacked our school were never caught? And why do I feel like I’m still in the crosshairs?  

Landon 

Will you kiss me? 

When I came across Brian Marshall, the hottest guy in school, dying on the cafeteria floor, I did what anyone would do. I tried to save him. His request surprised me, but I figured he needed comfort, so I kissed him on the forehead. 

When he survived and came back to school, he was broken in body and mind. He still needed me, and soon we were unlikely besties. But what I saw at school that day woke me up. I want to demand action on gun control, lead protests, raise my fist. I’ll tear the world down if I have to. And if I can get the man of my dreams and save the world at the same time? I’ll take it. Only I didn’t understand that the horror at Jefferson Waller High wasn’t over. 

©2018 Jane Holmes (P)2020 Jane Holmes

A heartbreaking hurt/comfort romantic suspense!

This book was heartfelt, moving and carried a bigger message.

This is a contemporary young adult, romantic suspense with hurt/comfort, opposites attract and is high on the angst.

This definitely wasn't an easy listen.
This book will break your heart ansd put it back together. I felt a whirlwind of emotions while listening to this.
The setting of the story was inspired by Parkland and the students that have protested against gun violence.

The characters were real, relatable and well fleshed out and the writing was engaging and gripping.

Tristan Josiah performed a flawless and raw audio delivery.

2020 Gold Medal winner for LGBT fiction

The narrator and his chocolaty voice sound super cool and thus make the main characters sound like people you just gotta make friends with. I don’t know what it is about the narrator’s voice, but it has an addicting quality to it, so the book was riveting from the very first syllable. It was so intoxicating I feared the author’s storytelling would prove unworthy. But I had no reason to worry. The book’s vocabulary and dialog turned out to be super-cool as well. And that makes the characters all the more lovable. Then quickly, while you’re still basking in the narrator’s charm, tragedy breaks out, and the book tightens its grip on you. Later, while enjoying the budding high school romance, a whodunnit develops, pulling you even further into this excellent adventure.

wonderful

Boy Shattered by Eli Easton is a wonderfully told story that had me emotional, and had me glued to the story.  I loved the connection that formed between Brian and Landon, the beauty that emerges from a tragedy.  I definitely had a lot of feelings listening to the audiobook.  Between the spectacular writing of Eli Easton and the Wonderful narration by Tristan Josiah, I felt like I could be part of the scenes, feeling the emotions - the fear, the anger, the sorrow, the peace and the love.

Absolutely Amazing

I loved this book, read it several times. And was so happy seeing it in audio.
The narrator was new to me but I was very impressed over the absolutely amazing job he did brining Brian and Landon to life in audio.

Very enjoyable and highly recommendable, a must listen!

Excellent

I couldn't stop listening to this book. The trauma Brian faces after being shot in school is so true to life that its almost hard to listen to but thats also what makes it so great. Landon saved his life but his trauma plays out in rage and wanting to petition for more gun control, for making changing that will have lasting change. Meanwhile Brian is scared to go back to school seeks out shooters when he is in public and has trouble sleeping due to the nightmares. But in the midst of all the chaos Brian also learns that life is short and sometimes you have to choose to hide or stand up. Although this book is full of hard stuff and reading about mass shooting is no easy task it is so well done that I couldn't stop reading. Yes it is horrific but like the news I couldn't turn it off. Excellent reading. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Unexpected subject matter, really solid story.

Very solid narration enhances the story, kudos to Tristan.

Then there is the plot. I will preface this review by saying it isn't perfect, but Easton does an amazing job with the story as a whole. While everything revolves around the school shooting and the hunt for the shooters, the heart of the story is about coming out. Main character Brian begins his journey of being his true self when nearly dying in the shooting. Easton writes Brian beautifully, allowing him to be angry, scared, depressed, but also having him begin taking the steps needed to overcome his fears surrounding his sexuality. His family struggle rings true in a very polarized America. Landon is also well crafted as the kid secure enough to be himself at school and be that lifeline Brian needs. Supporting characters are generally well written, although Brian's oafish friends from football are a bit out of central casting. I am sure there might be some who find the story a bit preachy, but I say hats off to Easton for fearlessly tackling this storyline so well. Highly recommended.

Amazing book

This book has joined the ranks of some of my favorite books of all time. The story is well wrote and is so real and raw in portions, not to mention who dosent love a good twist when it's well done.

OMG

where is book 2 ? you should so do a follow up an the lives of the two boys Brian an Landon an their college an professional lives ect.... loved this book.

Puts you right where you don’t want to be!

Although I have no personal experience in a shooting, I couldn’t help to believe and feel that the emotions and fear brought out in this book were accurate and real. The there were certain points in the story that had me feeling like I could have a panic attack. Definitely should come with trigger warnings.

My only problem was that I live about 30 or 40 minutes south of St. Louis and wish the author had made it feel more that way too me. I don’t know if she knows the area but it just didn’t feel that way to me. It felt more like 40 minutes south of St.louis on the Illinois side of the river.

Over all I strongly recommend this book. I plan to read much more from Eli Easton.

Relatable and Riveting

A great stort.of self discovery and losing your fear of being who you are aftering experience life changing tragedy.

A goo read for both the timely storynif school violence and the amazing acceptance of your true self.

Outstanding!!!

Boy Shattered is a thoughtful and beautiful portrayal of surviving a tragedy and falling in love.

This book was stunning in its portrayal of a school shooting and its devastating aftershocks. You don't just read/listen to this book; you experience it.

I loved this book! It was so riveting I listened to it all in a single sitting! I loved these characters! I was tipped off to Easton's excellent writing when I enjoyed 'Merry Christmas, Mr Miggles' a couple of days ago, and as soon as I finished listening to it, I was cueing up the next Easton title.

Easton does an exceptional job of showing us every nuance of survivor's guilt / PTSD. It's raw and honest, and Easton doesn't sugarcoat the shooting and its aftermath. And as Brian and Landon fall in love, watching Brian slowly rebuild - still broken but recovering - their love story is so tender and life-affirming. Brian and Landon's romance has more of a YA feel as there are no extended graphic sex scenes which I was pleased about as the story didn't need to be anchored with the extended erotic sex scenes.

Engaging

Engaging story. Suspenseful and entertaining. Happy ending. Characters read true emotions and character traits different. Good talent in story telling.

Beautifully Poignant

This story tore me apart and then put me back together again,

Boy Shattered takes place in the aftermath of a high school shooting which has shattered the lives of everyone involved. Brian is helped from the fog of his despair by Landon and romance soon blossoms between the pair as they help each other to heal both physically and psychologically.

The story had a very satisfying happy ending for both characters and although it dealt with very serious and heavy issues, there was always a feeling of hope as the story unfolded.

The narration was brilliant and really gave both of the protagonists their own voice.

a Tragic event brings them together

Absolutely fabulous and enthralling story of Brian and Landon and how the mass shooting at their high school brings them together.
The narrator did a great job of telling this emotional and powerful story. I honestly don't believe it could of been done any better. I cannot fault anything about this story or the narration.

I'm Broken

This book made me a sobbing mess. If you've read the blurb then you know the subject matter and the author doesn't shy away from the subject. It's emotional and harrowing but it's also a beautiful love story, eloquently written.

Highly recommended but only if you're prepared to be put through an emotional wringer.

Trigger warnings: sxhool shooting, gun violence, death of children, homophobia, PTSD.

Brian and Landon

Brian and Landon go to the same high school. Brian is a jock and Landon a little nerdy, but out and proud. When a shooting at school brings them together, they become best friends. Unlikely and kind of unbelievable to Landon. This is a nice young adult romance, after an awful tragedy. There’s suspense also, and a bit of politics. The MCs have depth with hot chemistry and the secondary characters are great. The narration is right in point.

amazing!!!!!!

OMG! OMG This book was amazing! Brilliant! Fantastic! I couldn't stop listening. I finished a ten hour audiobook in a day. The story took my breath away. And broke my heart. It managed to combine discussions about serious topics, suspense, and the sweetest love story. It’s the type of book that stays with you for days and leaves you hangover. I know I’m going to reread it, possibly many times.
And I just want to hug Brian and Landon and keep them safe forever.
The narrator did a spectacular job bringing the characters and the story to life. I highly highly recommend the audiobook.

5 Emotionally Charged Stars!

What can I say about Boy Shattered that hasn't been said before? Probably not much. What I can say is that it's a poignant, heart wrenching, emotional story that realistically deals with the painful reality of what kids go through in schools in the US. The fear, the stress, knowing that surviving something like this will leave you forever changed.

This is not a romance, although there's one. The connection between Landon and Brian is palpable, especially after the shooting, and it makes sense (as do they), all things considered.

This is not an easy book to read or listen to, but it's so worth it. Eli Easton's writing is amazing. It's easy to get fully invested in Landon and Brian's lives, and how they deal with the aftermath of surviving a tragic event like this one, especially Brian, who was left with deep physical and emotional wounds.

Tristan Josiah is a new narrator to me, but you can bet I'll be checking other books he's done with Eli Easton asap. He did a superb job bringing these kids to life, all the characters had a distinctive voice, and he conveyed all the emotions a story like this one elicits with his voice.

I can't recommend this audiobook enough. Just go buy it if you haven't already.

Simply fantastic

I loved this book when I read it some time ago and I remember thinking it would make an awesome audio book - well I was right! Absolutely brilliant!
Eli Easton has knocked it so far out of the park with this story. It strikes the perfect balance when taking the listener/reader through the fear & horror of the shooting without any hint of sensationalism.
My heart totally broke for Bryan, and Landon was so strong for him. This is an incredibly powerful read which highlights very important issues without any element of preachiness.
Tristan Josiah is a new narrator for me and I thought he did a great job, really clear narration which was well performed - not just read. Good distinction between the characters, no problems at all telling who was who. Would definitely listen to more of his work.
Highly recommend this one, I came away with an overall feeling of having my spirit uplifted 😊 Awesome Job Eli and Tristan!

Heartbreakingly realistic and ultimately uplifting

I read Boy Shattered when it was first released as an ebook back in 2018 and I absolutely loved it. Getting to listen to the great performance of the audiobook by Tristan Josiah brought it all back to me and I loved it all over again. It's the first audiobook that I've listened to by Tristan and I think he did a great job.

Two years after reading the ebook I still don't know how to put into words how this story made me feel. So, the only thing I can really do is to say again what I said when I reviewed the e-book. Excerpts from my original review are below.

I don't even know how to start to review such a moving story. I knew from the minute I read the blurb for the book that I had to read it – and, I knew it would tear me up. While the events that happened are horrifying the story ultimately ended up being uplifting to me. They survived, they fell in love and they eventually got on with their lives although they were changed forever.

I don't really see how I can say any more without giving too much away. I'll just say that Boy Shattered was a very compelling story. I applaud Eli Easton for taking on what had to be a very emotional task; I doubt that telling this story was easy. The poetry she wrote for Brian's character was also very moving and wonderful. Bravo! Five well deserved stars.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author or narrator.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***