Review: All the Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Published by Random House Children's Books ISBN: 9780385755900
on January 6th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Social Issues, Depression & Mental Illness, Death & Dying, Love & Romance
Pages: 400
My rating:
Check it out in Goodreads
Synopsis

"A do not miss for fans of Eleanor and Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe."--Justine MagazineA New York Times bestsellerSoon 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 Gayle Forman, Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.“At the heart—a big one—of “All the Bright Places” lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers.”  — New York Times Book Review “…this heartbreaking love story about two funny, fragile, and wildly damaged high school kids named Violet and Finch is worth reading. Niven is a skillful storyteller who never patronizes her characters—or her audience.”— Entertainment Weekly From the Hardcover edition.

All the Bright Places was a unique story! From the beginning I was hooked because of the main characters. Both Theodore and Violet won my heart many times over. It was awesome seeing how their relationship developed and, even more how Theodore, who now I’ll refer just as Finch, interacted with the rest of the world.

It’s awesome because when I read the blurb and learned that this kicked off with two people wanted to die, I got this feeling that it’d be a very sad and depressing book, although with the expectation of it being beautiful nonetheless. And it was sad, but the characters were not that depressing at all! They were normal people who just… had a lot of issues and that I enjoyed being with.

Especially Finch, because he had just this very particular way about him that was very original.

“Man, why do you do that?”
“Because we all have to die someday. I just want to be prepared”

I like the way he seems to think I have many, many people depending on me, including not just one, but multiple girlfriends.

Even though I’m not much into eating, dinner is one of the most enjoyable parts of my day because I get to turn my brain off.

And, I would go on, and on with the quotes but these ones will do. I loved his character so much, and also hated it, but that’s another matter entirely.

My favorite thing about this book was how everybody in it was portrayed as flawed. No one was perfect, even the ones who appeared to be so.

Definitely recommended for everyone. But just a heads-up: READ A SUPER HAPPY FLUFFY BOOK BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THIS THING.

Just sayin’

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