Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven. 

MY TAKE:
I read this book because I read so many good things about it.

In All the Bright Places, Finch saves Violet from falling of a ledge. After they are paired together for a project (thanks to Finch), they end up becoming friends, and eventually something more. However, they both have inner demons, and while Violet's starts to fade away, Finch's slowly starts to get stronger.

Because of the summary, I was expecting all sorts of feels from the start. That's why I was a little disappointed at first. I mean, it was pleasant and hopeful, and I initially thought that it might turn into a road trip story of sorts. It wasn't until the third part of the book that I started crying, and when I did, it was of the ugly, sobbing sort.

The book's description of depression and how it affects the person and the people around him/her is pretty accurate, in my experience. I especially loved how the friends left behind reacted to the outpouring of sympathy and sentiments from the bullies. Absolute hypocrites.

THE GOOD:

1. The portrayal of depression and its aftermath is accurate.
2. It will make you feel things.
3. It's a beautiful story. 

THE BAD:

1. I was expecting to feel more intense emotions during the first parts of the book. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The great thing about this life of ours is that you can be someone different to everybody.

READ IT IF:

1. You are looking for a good cry.
2. You have experienced depression or have ever thought about suicide.
3. You loved The Fault in Our Stars.

RATING:


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