Book Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

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All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: January 6th 2015
Review Source: Knopf

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful 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.

I honestly was impressed with All The Bright Places. It drew me in within few pages. Finch’s character was emotional and at times I felt like it was a duty to hug him. Both Finch and Violet were real to me, which what I enjoyed the most. A dark story with a twist of hope and awareness.

All The Bright Places is a complex novel dealing with mental issues and depression. We meet two interesting characters with completely opposite characteristics. Finch, the boy everyone thinks is a freak. Yet no one knows he’s quite a bright young boy. He’s creative and very thoughtful. Then we meet Violet. The girl everyone wants to be. The cheerleader, the popular and the beautiful. None of this matters anymore. With the loss of her sister, Violet is suffering from grief and believes she doesn’t deserve to continue life.

They meet on the bell tower of their school. This scene reminded me so much of Titanic. You know the part when Rose tries to fall in the depth of the ocean while Jack talks her out of it? Yes, this is pretty much what Finch does with Violet. This is where their story begins. The start of an unlikely friendship unfolds to a rare relationship.

A novel about grief, hope and awareness. All The Bright Places was intriguing and informative. A good book to read but with a tough topic. I honestly had to put down the book a couple of times because my heart couldn't deal with all the pain. Even then, I kept thinking about it. Seriously, this is a book everyone should read but recommended to mature young adults.