Reviews with content warning for Death - All the Bright Places

This emotional book is about a boy named Theodore who has a fixation with death and a girl named Violet who has a fixation on living long enough to graduate high school and leave the small, Indiana town where her sister died the year prior. Violet is extremely depressed since the death of her sister and the rest of the book is spent with Theodore using his joie de vive and quirky humor to show Violet all the amazing, beautiful places surrounding them in their seemingly UNspecial state of Indiana.

TW: death, depression, suicide, bullying

This book is labeled YA and takes a very hard, honest look at the topics of depression, mental illness, death, and suicide. I think it would be a great addition to any high school library. I'm even considering whether it should go in my middle school library.

This book is hard to review without giving away major plot points and the ending so I'm warning now that the rest of this review will contain major spoilers.

***SPOILER WARNING***
The book starts with Theodore's POV meeting Violet at the top of a tower on their school campus, and realizes they're both contemplating suicide. He's able to convince her not to jump using humor and quick thinking. Throughout the story and Theodore's POV chapters, we see that his bright personality is juxtaposed with a deep-seated depression from years of being bullied by his classmates and also by his father, labeled a freak, and being ignored and overlooked by his family. As we see Violet start to live again in her POV chapters, we also see Theodore sink deeper into his suicidal thoughts, halfhearted suicide attempts, and signs of mental illness. He describes various famous people who committed suicide, despite seeming to be at the peak of their careers.

When Theodore disappears for a month with hardly any word, I was truly hoping he would be found safe and sound. But when Violet finds his body, I realized that not every story has a happy ending because depression and suicide are very real things; topics we shouldn't shy away from. People who suffer from suicidal thoughts and depression aren't always caught in time and don't always reach out for help before it's too late. To their loved ones and strangers, they may act upbeat and normal but actually be suffering silently.

The author's note gives statistics about depression, mental illness, and suicide. It also provides resources for anyone suffering from suicidal thoughts, needing support. To anyone suffering silently, please now YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Reach out to someone today.

Content Warnings

nahal3's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

haileyybugg's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

em_hippie's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. From the beginning, the characters were lovable and easy to understand. Despite being very different people, Violet and Finch connected. The connection was not immediate. The ending of the book was devastating but made sense. The world is not all flowers and rainbows.

Content Warnings