Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places

by Jennifer Niven

January 6, 2015

378 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

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.

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.
 

Review

Even though I am an emotional person not many books can make me cry. I can count them on one hand and now I'm one more finger down. All the Bright Places is not an easy book to read but it makes you feel everything.

Because this was a highly talked about book when it was first published I had a faint idea of how the story plays out. No matter how prepared I told myself I was All the Bright Places was still a tough read. The closer I got to the ending the harder it became to bring myself to keep reading. That inevitable end. It hurts. A lot.

I can't comment too much on the mental illness aspect of the book but from a reader's perspective I do feel like it's realistic. Finch struggled within himself while Violet outwardly dealt with grief. The two couldn't have been more different (in every way) but that didn't stop them from finding solace in each other.

Even with troubled minds Finch and Violet were sweet together. I love how hard Finch tried to fight (himself) for Violet and how she sought out help for him when alarm bells went off in her head. It was difficult but Violet did the right thing. Regardless of the end result she fought for him. I was literally a sobbing mess following Violet on the last few wanderings she had.

Finch was a boy with such random but complex thoughts. At first I didn't like his POV but he grew on me. His voice was raw and realistic. There was an immense amount of pain hidden behind his different façades. Eccentric, depressing yet hopeful at times. "And sorry wastes time. You have to live your life like you'll never be sorry." (p. 129). And that's exactly how Finch lived. He struggled big time but he also lived the way he wanted to and that's really the best anyone could have hoped for for him.

 

The parental figures in this book were either absent, too understanding, controlling or didn't care enough and I disliked them all. That's all I want to say about them.

All the Bright Places is a forever kind of book- one that shoots straight into your heart. It's packed with so much emotions, with tough but important realities. It's a story that I will never forget.