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sofstappen's review
5.0
this book made me sob uncontrollably at 3am. definitely worth reading for the first time if you haven’t already.
souljaleonn's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
ladyaylesworth's review
4.0
Upsetting and enlightening. Beautifully written. One of those books that needed to be written, must be read. It tackles divorce, child abuse, bipolar disorder, bullying, labels, and teen suicide. It is also a great road trip book, taking us to some great places all over Indiana. Highly recommended, especially if you need a good cry.
anxieteaisme's review
I have not given a rating for All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven because I believe I am too biased to do that. I do not mean in the sense that I know the author, or I have anything to do with the book itself. I am saying this because I am too emotionally invested in this book. Rating this book would be like me reviewing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: filled with exaggerated brilliance.
Jennifer Niven crafted Finch and Violet so carefully that it was almost like I was a part of them, instead of them being a part of me. It got to the point where I wasn’t able to judge if the plot was believable or not due to the characters themselves overshadowing everything.
I also love how the issues of labels and mental illnesses were dealt with in this book. It showed how mental illnesses are often labeled as something that is invisible and not as important. People are more sympathetic to those who suffer a physical, easily seen illness, than to those who suffer something such as depression.
If you do read this book it was take your heart, fill it with emotions that don’t belong to you, and then it will crush it until all that is left is hope and the future. So I have to recommend this book, no matter how biased I am.
Jennifer Niven crafted Finch and Violet so carefully that it was almost like I was a part of them, instead of them being a part of me. It got to the point where I wasn’t able to judge if the plot was believable or not due to the characters themselves overshadowing everything.
I also love how the issues of labels and mental illnesses were dealt with in this book. It showed how mental illnesses are often labeled as something that is invisible and not as important. People are more sympathetic to those who suffer a physical, easily seen illness, than to those who suffer something such as depression.
If you do read this book it was take your heart, fill it with emotions that don’t belong to you, and then it will crush it until all that is left is hope and the future. So I have to recommend this book, no matter how biased I am.
mxnidebz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love Finch, violet had gone through so much . I love them together😭
ashlyns_booknook's review
1.0
Originally, I almost gave this book four stars, and I gave it two because I found it to be triggering. I even claimed that for the most part is was a good read, but after some serious thought I've strongly changed my view on this novel. Two stars was generous, and my review barely touched on what was actually wrong with this book.
First of all, the portrayal of mental illness is not healthy. As someone who actually does live with clinical depression, I am sickened by how the author handled writing about this topic. Depression is not a personality trait. It is not "quirky" or "unique". It's not something that sets you apart and makes you special or enlightened. It. Is. An. Illness. If you are trying to be a mental health advocate, romanticizing serious conditions to your young audience is not, in any way, helpful. There was also some strong implications that receiving help or a diagnosis means labeling yourself and giving up your individuality... which, once again, brings us back to the fact that your mental illness is NOT your personality.
Finally, we have the ending. I've read a lot of books that feature mental illnesses, and many of those touch on suicide as well, but the way All the Bright Places handled the topic did not sit well with me. As someone who has lived with severe suicidal ideation for several years of their life, it spreads a very negative message. Depressed? Well, getting help means you aren't an individual, and clearly it doesn't get better, so why not do what they did? Not to mention the problem of actively romanticizing suicide, which is very apparent throughout the final chapters. Everyone suddenly cares so much about said character, everyone is learning lessons from said character's death, their death is talked about as if it's some sort of twisted, beautiful tragedy.
Seriously. How does that seem even remotely okay?
I'm not saying that she is a bad writer. I'm not saying people aren't allowed to like this book. My purpose for writing this review is to express concern for the people who have the potential to be very negatively impacted by this story. It is not an accurate depiction of depression, getting help is OKAY, and suicide is not some tragically beautiful thing that will make everybody talk about how great you were. Personally, this book put me in a scary headspace while I read it, which is a telling sign that maybe something isn't quite right. For being called "All the Bright Places", there aren't many bright things about this story.
First of all, the portrayal of mental illness is not healthy. As someone who actually does live with clinical depression, I am sickened by how the author handled writing about this topic. Depression is not a personality trait. It is not "quirky" or "unique". It's not something that sets you apart and makes you special or enlightened. It. Is. An. Illness. If you are trying to be a mental health advocate, romanticizing serious conditions to your young audience is not, in any way, helpful. There was also some strong implications that receiving help or a diagnosis means labeling yourself and giving up your individuality... which, once again, brings us back to the fact that your mental illness is NOT your personality.
Finally, we have the ending. I've read a lot of books that feature mental illnesses, and many of those touch on suicide as well, but the way All the Bright Places handled the topic did not sit well with me. As someone who has lived with severe suicidal ideation for several years of their life, it spreads a very negative message. Depressed? Well, getting help means you aren't an individual, and clearly it doesn't get better, so why not do what they did? Not to mention the problem of actively romanticizing suicide, which is very apparent throughout the final chapters. Everyone suddenly cares so much about said character, everyone is learning lessons from said character's death, their death is talked about as if it's some sort of twisted, beautiful tragedy.
Seriously. How does that seem even remotely okay?
I'm not saying that she is a bad writer. I'm not saying people aren't allowed to like this book. My purpose for writing this review is to express concern for the people who have the potential to be very negatively impacted by this story. It is not an accurate depiction of depression, getting help is OKAY, and suicide is not some tragically beautiful thing that will make everybody talk about how great you were. Personally, this book put me in a scary headspace while I read it, which is a telling sign that maybe something isn't quite right. For being called "All the Bright Places", there aren't many bright things about this story.