All the Bright Places
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Rating: 5/5
The synopsis says it’s the new TFiOS and I can see why people could say that but let me go ahead and say that while TFiOS in my opinion was extremely overhyped, this book deserves all the hype and all the attention. I read this book only knowing what it said on the front (“A girl who learns to live from a boy who wants to die”) and that basically all of bookstagram (which btw totally random, if you don’t follow me on insta: @stars.brite) has read this. So I decided to jump on the bandwagon, and I AM SO GLAD I DID.
The short sentence blurb above honestly does a great job of raising interest, but if you want to know more, the book is about a boy named Theodore Finch. He is standing on the top of the school’s bell tower, wondering what it would be like to jump, when he sees Violet Markey also about to do the same deed. By helping her out of the near-death situation, Violet and Finch become somewhat friends (okay, not really. But Finch makes it a goal to be her friend). And together, they go on Wanderings. I mean, there’s a lot more to it than that, but I think for this specific book, it was really nice going in blind.
I’m a medical student and just recently did my rotation in the Psychology ward, and it was so interesting to see all the textbook details of mental illnesses brought to life with these characters. I can’t comment on relatability but from other reviews, I’ve heard a lot of readers praise its realism and accuracy. Though I usually don’t like alternate POV chapters, Niven does a great job of weaving the story through the two characters’ lives. Each narrator had a unique voice and I grew quickly attached to both of them.
The story itself was beautifully told. I went from laughing to crying in a matter of seconds! Finch was so smooth and hilarious and seeing Violet’s strength and transformation was heart-warming. I’ve been recommending this book to everyone (especially my classmates) because it was just SO GOOD.
This review isn’t as good as I usually write them because there aren’t enough words to show how much I loved this book. I finished the second half of the book in just a few hours. I couldn’t fall back asleep early in the morning and ended up crying before 8 in the morning (multiple times). I’m definitely interested in seeing the movie adaptation, especially because such a serious topic is discussed in the book and I’m praying that the movie does it justice. Are you excited for the movie?
Star is All Booked Up 