Bang

Written by Lisa McMann

Narrated by Joy Osmanski

What Sawyer’s seeing might mean murder. The second “dramatic, quick-paced thriller (Kirkus Reviews)” in a series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.

Jules should be happy. She saved a lot of people’s lives and she’s finally with Sawyer, pretty much the guy of her dreams. But the nightmare’s not over, because she somehow managed to pass the psycho vision stuff to Sawyer. Excellent.

Feeling responsible for what he’s going through and knowing that people’s lives are at stake, Jules is determined to help him figure it all out. But Sawyer’s vision is so awful he can barely describe it, much less make sense of it. All he can tell her is there’s a gun, and eleven ear-splitting shots. Bang.

Jules and Sawyer have to work out the details fast, because the visions are getting worse and that means only one thing: time is running out. But every clue they see takes them down the wrong path. If they can’t prevent the vision from happening, lives will be lost. And they may be among the casualties…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Oct 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781442364325

Lisa McMann

Lisa McMann lives in Arizona. She is married to fellow writer and musician, Matt McMann, and they have two adult children. Her son is an artist named Kilian McMann and her daughter is an actor, Kennedy McMann. Lisa is the New York Times bestselling author of over two dozen books for young adults and children. So far she has written in genres including paranormal, realistic, dystopian, and fantasy. Some of her most well-known books are The Unwanteds series for middle grade readers and the Wake trilogy for young adults. Check out Lisa's website at LisaMcMann.com, learn more about The Unwanteds Series at UnwantedsSeries.com, and be sure to say hi on Instagram or Twitter (@Lisa_McMann), or Facebook (Facebook.com/McMannFan).

Reviews for Bang

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a great fan of Lisa McMann and while I was a little underwhelmed with the first in this series, "bang" more than met my expectations. I found the story much more believable this time around and had another page-turner in my hands. Not as good as her "Wake" trilogy but certainly for the YA audience also as the content is very mature. The teen characters make for good reading even though the adults are a little less than believable. The ending is finite but it sets up the next book and I'm pleased with where it leaves us dangling. I had worried the plot was going to go in a predictable direction for the third book but this ending has us pointed in a completely different direction. Also, while I had thought it would be cool for the 3rd book to be titled "Boom", I now know that the final book in the trilogy will be out next month and is called "Gasp".

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Bang" continues where "Crash" ended only this time, although Jules is still the narrator, it is Sawyer who is having the visions. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first book as the wonderful sibling banter wasn't as prolific and there was a greater emphasis on the romance between Jules and Sawyer. However, still a worthy sequel and I'm interested in discovering who has the visions in the third book.

[nycke137 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is the reason Lisa McMann is one of my favorite authors and I will recommend her to everyone. Gasp cannot get here fast enough.

[brandileigh2003 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bang has been on my TBR since I finished Crash and I cannot believe that its taken me so long to get around to it. I love Lisa's writing style and have since her first series. She makes relatable characters that are flawed but live life hard. She has a snarky voice and a dry humor that I adore. Both of these things carried into Bang, and I was so glad to be reunited with the characters. Being back in Jules head is like sitting down on a favorite comfy couch. I got lost in her world and narration and time flew as I laughed with her and felt the tension and suspense of finding an answer and really hoping that no one ends up dead. Especially the guy she's falling in love with. Sawyer is so darn cute, and I love their romance. It goes up a bit on the hot scale, and I love how Jules thinks about it like normal girls do and Lisa isn't afraid to candidly write about their first encounters with heavy making out. It was unique and added an extra layer of plot twistiness that the visions were coming from Sawyer now, and while Jules has been in his shoes, their situations are pretty different. She can empathize and bring good ideas to the table, but she isn't the one who is seeing gruesome and scary things and making the accompanying hard decisions about what to do and how to figure out how that works. It picks up right where Crash left off and I liked that. The relationships and dynamics haven't really changed that much except Jules and Sawyer are together and some people are none too happy about that.In this one, we get more of Rowan and of Trey (Jules sister and brother) and I thoroughly enjoyed the aspect and theme of family that it brought to the story. Jules dad is still pretty unstable mentally and emotionally and they never know what they are going to get. The italian restaurants are still a part of the story and the feud between the two families certainly complicates things from the adults' perspective between Jules and Sawyer. I liked how the twists came together, and how Jules and Sawyer ended up figuring out what to do and the courage they showed in stepping up for others. I ended well and tied up all of the plot lines of this book while still leaving me excited for the third. Bottom Line: Fast paced and snarky, flew through it.

[teamdewey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book 2 in Visions series. Thrilling mystery romance that continues story from "Crash". Series must be read in order!

[themadhatters_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Bang" starts off where "Crash" left off—Sawyer, Jules’s long-time crush and brand-new boyfriend, is now having a horrific vision of a school shooting—twelve gunshots, twelve bodies. With Jules’s help, Sawyer tries to fit together the pieces of the vision to figure out where and when this shooting will happen so that they can, hopefully, save twelve lives. "Bang" is a fast-paced, emotional read that left me breathless until the very end.

[angelina0justice · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good follow up to the strong start in crash. I love the characters in this story. They ring true and are sometimes very raw. Although the supernatural "curse" of sight that plagues Sawyer in this book is at the forefront; but it doesn't overwhelm the underlayment of people and the relationships that connect them.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: A sequel much better than the first!Opening Sentence: It’s been over a week since Sawyer kissed me and told me he was seeing a vision now, and it’s all I can think about.The Review:Lisa McMann did it again. In the sequel to the amazing Crash, Bang is the sequel of all sequels. Not only does the story evolve, but it further catapults my love for these characters. There’s a lot of talent to complete a story in two books. While Crash could have been a stand-a-lone (minus the ending), Bang compliments the story, never changing the integrity of story’s goal. Now before I begin, a warning that I will be talking about spoilers that happened in Crash. It’s inevitable, and I apologize if I ruin anything for you.Bang begins immediately after Crash. Sawyer is experiencing visions, and Jules believes she must have transferred something from a single, first kiss. Sawyer doesn’t understand how it happened, nor can he comprehend the meaning of the vision. What he does know is that there are many dead people from a deadly shooting. Fortunately, Jules has experience and will do anything to help Sawyer in any way that she can.I cannot begin to express how much more involved Bang was. As a reader, I was fully immersed into the vivid imagery and details. I paid more attention to each clue for the vision, and I firmly credit McMann’s descriptive writing that allowed me to paint a clear picture.I must admit that at first I couldn’t wrap my head around the transfer of visions from one character to another. But, I was interested in how McMann would tell the tale from a different point of view; how she would bring the experience to a new light. And let me tell you, it was much different, but amazingly so.Bang is told in an alternating point-of-view style. I found this method more engaging and perfect for how the story played out. The details, thoughts, and emotions from each Sawyer and Jules added to the excitement and anticipation of the varying moments. Observing Sawyer’s experience of severe de-realization versus Jules thoughts of organized chaos served as a good balance. In their situation, where time is ticking against a catastrophic event, the calm before the chaos was terrifying.While I usually individually discuss the characters in my reviews, I chose not to this time. Each character has their own pros and cons, but I’ll leave their growth for you to discover. I enjoyed them both and fell in love with who they became. Their voices were realistic, and not once did I question what was going on.Lisa McMann is one of my favorite authors, and Bang has solidified that as fact. I highly urge you to read Bang, because it is a wonderful and an engaging read.Notable Scene:I close my eyes, feeling defeat. “We’ll get it. I just need to figure out how to get out of here. I’m suffocating.”“We both are.”We’re quiet for a minute.“Stay on the phone with me,” he says. “Please?”“I will.” I climb back into bed and pull the blankets over me, keeping the phone to my ear. I’ve never slept with a boy before,” I say.He laughs a little and it makes me feel better for him. We whisper a little bit, and soon we’re quiet. My eyelids droop.In an instant, it’s morning.FTC Advisory: Simon Pulse provided me with a copy of Bang. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[pnh002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*MY THOUGHTS* After I finished Crash, I wasn't sure I would read this one. It sounded as if it had the same premise, just with someone else with a different vision. I took a chance and requested it on Edelweiss just to see if I would be approved, and if so, I would read it. In short, obviously I was approved. So I gave it a shot. (That was a really, really bad pun....) In this installment to the Visions series, Jules is still healing from the events that happened at the end of Crash and Sawyer has just revealed that he is now getting the visions. Jules feels responsible for it, so her and Trey help him figure it out. And a good thing too, because this situation is alot more dangerous than in Crash. What I loved most about this book though was the romance. That one kiss between Sawyer and Jules in the pool area (if you read it, you know what I mean...) In this book we get a better glimpse into their relationship. And trust me, it sizzles. I think what I liked most about it was they cared more about themselves and the vision versus trying to make their parents happy. Everyone grew up a ton. The writing in this installment is drastically better than the last one as well. This one was infinitely easier to stomach and it called for a much easier read. And because of this, I enjoyed it more. I just wished that it had been a little different than the previous one. Granted this one had a much more dangerous situation, but the execution on trying to find out what it was about was mostly the same. But it was still better than the last. This series is getting better as it goes on. I can only imagine what is to come in the next one. Especially with the connection that they made at the end of the book. The visions make a lot more sense and everything is coming together. All from that one connection at the end.