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. - excerpt from Goodreads.
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is a standalone book in the contemporary young adult. There were many good reviews about the book and many have loved it and cried over it. I went in with quite high expectations and honestly I've read very good books on grieving. Unfortunately, it was an okay book for me. I think the problem I had with the book is I couldn't connect with the characters nor could I relate to them.
The main characters consist of the girl and guy with dual point of views written. I didn't feel that Violet's grief was strong enough nor did it impact me till it reminded me of my own grief. I felt she was a character that had not enough depth. Fortunately she did had much growth in the book and that was good to read about. As for Theo he was someone that I had a hard time understanding. He is a character that seemed to have too much thoughts and also there seems to be too much happening for him or nothing at all. I felt that their interaction in the book was okay, realistic enough but not deep enough.
As for the plot of the book, it was just mediocre and not enough twist and turns happening. I took some time to complete the book. I do appreciate the dual perspective in the story because it was interesting to know what both parties think and do. I don't think I can comment more about the plot because there was nothing to applaud nor was there anything to complain about. I do think that the last parts of the book is the best part.
In summary, it was an okay book about grieving and a person who was suicidal. I like the intention of the author for writing this book because it does pass an important message to the readers. Because I've read quite a few books related to grieving written by Jandy Nelson, I compared it. Obviously, Jandy Nelson is more superior and I cried reading both her books. For this book, I did not cry and it was not a page turner for me. I could easily put down the book. I'm kinda sad that I did not enjoy this book like the others but I wanted to write an honest review. My suggestion is to read this book before Jandy Nelson's so you wouldn't compare it like I did. PS: I heard there will be a movie made based on this book, so I'm looking forward to the actor's portray of the characters.
