fantine's review against another edition
5.0
Read this book if you enjoy such things as: crying yourself to sleep, moisturizing your face with your own salty tears, sobbing so much it gives you the hiccups, drowning in your tears like some sort of weird tear drinking fetishist, informing you friends that no you cannot go out tonight as you are in mourning, arguing with your friend that yes it is possible to be in mourning over a fictional character, waking up with weird red lines on your face because you fell asleep hugging a book, etc.
You may have gathered that I cried during this book. a lot. But it wasn't just sad tears, it was tears of delight, of heartbreak, of realization, and ultimately of understanding. A kind of crying journey. An adventure of tears.
[b:History Is All You Left Me|30626556|History is All You Left Me|Adam Silvera|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477495120s/30626556.jpg|44686341] follows Griffin as he navigates through his anxiety, OCD and relationship with first love/best friend Theo. The story is told by alternating between chapters of 'History' and 'Today'. Through the History chapters we learn how Griffin and Theo's relationship blossomed from friendship to romantic love, and witness all the firsts; first hand hold, first kiss, first time having sex, first breakup, first heart break. As the characters fall in love with each other we fall for them just as hard. These naive hormonal teenage boys don't always make the best decisions, to be honest at times they are straight up messes of human beings but not in a frustrated yelling of "NO" whilst throwing the book at a wall way more of soft whisper of "...noo" followed by "it's ok I understand you are a flawed human being. I forgive you".
However the fact that these chapters are INCREDIBLY SWEET is actually a cruel (borderline evil) trick on [a:Adam Silvera|7577278|Adam Silvera|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1414725025p2/7577278.jpg]'s part. Silvera makes us open our hearts completely to these lovable naive characters weakening our emotional walls so he can inflict the most amount of pain. and that he does, because every second chapter follows Griffin dealing with his epic love Theos death.
Yep that's right. One chapter Griffin is stressing about he and Theos first kiss being perfect and the next chapter he is watching Theos body being lowered into the ground and considering jumping in after him.
It's...just.... a lil bit soul crushing.
This might sound like one big sad waste of tissues, and it could have been if not for the beautiful balance of warmth and lightness that the characters personalities provide. A highlight was Griffin and Theo's ongoing imagined alternate universe, in which they're the only two people left alive to fight zombie pirates that gave us this adorable snippet- “Every universe I’ve created lately, your face keeps popping up in it.” Also notable mention is Griffins love of Cedric Diggory (relatable).
Silvera's portrayal of teenagers was just sooo goooood- refreshingly honest. They are well written multi dimensional human beings capable of every emotion (sort of like in real life!!!?)
Commendably not once is a characters sexuality used as an obstacle or even a defining character trait. This may not sound that impressive but in a world where lgbt+ teenagers are constantly being told it's just a phase, or that they're not old enough to make these decisions this is especially... special.
This was not my train/bus book. It wasn't my living room, toilet, or garden book. This was my alone late at night in bed book. Not just because of all the snotty crying or the fact that it was about grief and I felt I owed it to the characters. But because this book not only captured, but deserved my full attention. Books like these are why I love Young Adult Fiction so much and will defend it to the death.
You may have gathered that I cried during this book. a lot. But it wasn't just sad tears, it was tears of delight, of heartbreak, of realization, and ultimately of understanding. A kind of crying journey. An adventure of tears.
[b:History Is All You Left Me|30626556|History is All You Left Me|Adam Silvera|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477495120s/30626556.jpg|44686341] follows Griffin as he navigates through his anxiety, OCD and relationship with first love/best friend Theo. The story is told by alternating between chapters of 'History' and 'Today'. Through the History chapters we learn how Griffin and Theo's relationship blossomed from friendship to romantic love, and witness all the firsts; first hand hold, first kiss, first time having sex, first breakup, first heart break. As the characters fall in love with each other we fall for them just as hard. These naive hormonal teenage boys don't always make the best decisions, to be honest at times they are straight up messes of human beings but not in a frustrated yelling of "NO" whilst throwing the book at a wall way more of soft whisper of "...noo" followed by "it's ok I understand you are a flawed human being. I forgive you".
However the fact that these chapters are INCREDIBLY SWEET is actually a cruel (borderline evil) trick on [a:Adam Silvera|7577278|Adam Silvera|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1414725025p2/7577278.jpg]'s part. Silvera makes us open our hearts completely to these lovable naive characters weakening our emotional walls so he can inflict the most amount of pain. and that he does, because every second chapter follows Griffin dealing with his epic love Theos death.
Yep that's right. One chapter Griffin is stressing about he and Theos first kiss being perfect and the next chapter he is watching Theos body being lowered into the ground and considering jumping in after him.
It's...just.... a lil bit soul crushing.
This might sound like one big sad waste of tissues, and it could have been if not for the beautiful balance of warmth and lightness that the characters personalities provide. A highlight was Griffin and Theo's ongoing imagined alternate universe, in which they're the only two people left alive to fight zombie pirates that gave us this adorable snippet- “Every universe I’ve created lately, your face keeps popping up in it.” Also notable mention is Griffins love of Cedric Diggory (relatable).
Silvera's portrayal of teenagers was just sooo goooood- refreshingly honest. They are well written multi dimensional human beings capable of every emotion (sort of like in real life!!!?)
Commendably not once is a characters sexuality used as an obstacle or even a defining character trait. This may not sound that impressive but in a world where lgbt+ teenagers are constantly being told it's just a phase, or that they're not old enough to make these decisions this is especially... special.
This was not my train/bus book. It wasn't my living room, toilet, or garden book. This was my alone late at night in bed book. Not just because of all the snotty crying or the fact that it was about grief and I felt I owed it to the characters. But because this book not only captured, but deserved my full attention. Books like these are why I love Young Adult Fiction so much and will defend it to the death.
vikidilihihi's review against another edition
5.0
it was great. the ending made me really happy and Griffin being with Wade is the cutest thing ever
rebecca_1899's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
ajsterkel's review against another edition
3.0
Well, that was depressing. I guess you can say that about all of Adam Silvera’s books. Just look at the titles. They’ll tell you exactly what you’re getting into.
In History Is All You Left Me, Griffin’s ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident. At the funeral, Griffin meets Jackson, who had been dating Theo at the time of his death. The boys develop an unhealthy obsession with all things Theo. They want to walk where he walked, see what he saw, feel what he felt. But, if they want a future, they’ll have to learn how to leave the past behind.
I loved Silvera’s first book, More Happy Than Not. It’s beautifully written, unique, relatable. I had massive expectations for History Is All You Left Me. Did it live up to my expectations? Not really. It’s a good book, but I expected more.
The characters are realistic. They’re awkward, nerdy, and very messed up. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but they invent some terrible ways of coping with Theo’s death. Still, you can’t help but love them. They’re sweet and (somewhat) honest. (In messed-up ways.) I was rooting for them, but I also wanted to punch them in their faces. Hard. It’s an odd situation.
For me, the most interesting part of the story is what it says about relationships. We never completely leave old relationships behind. They always change us in some way. We bring those changes with us into our new relationships. That seems super obvious, but I had never really thought about it before. It’s hard to fully “get over” somebody because that person changed us. We can’t undo our history, but if we want a future, we can’t live in the past. Take the best parts of your history with you and keep moving forward.
As much as I love the characters, I got bored with the plot. I’ve said before that I’m not a romance fan. I couldn’t get interested in the never-ending Theo obsession. I understand that Griffin has an obsessive personality. I also understand that when people die, you obsess about them for a while. Still, the Theo drama grated on my nerves.
Theo is a nice kid (mostly). There’s nothing wrong with him (mostly). He’s (mostly) a good boyfriend to Griffon and Jackson. As a reader, I like Theo, but I don’t love him. Since I didn’t share the characters’ Theo obsession, I got bored reading about it. I badly wanted this book to have a subplot so I could get some time away from Theo.
I also think the writing got a little heavy-handed at times. For the most part, the writing is fabulous, but sometimes I felt like the author was trying really, really hard to make me sad. I don’t have emotions, so it didn’t work. That might just be my dysfunction. I know that other people found the book sad.
Griffin isn’t a reliable narrator, which is something I always appreciate in novels. The ending caught me off-guard (in a good way). I didn’t see that coming. All of my boredom vanished when Griffin started confessing his secrets. They’re very scandalous secrets.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It didn’t live up to the high expectations I had from More Happy Than Not. However, I liked it enough that I’m excited to read They Both Die At The End.
In History Is All You Left Me, Griffin’s ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident. At the funeral, Griffin meets Jackson, who had been dating Theo at the time of his death. The boys develop an unhealthy obsession with all things Theo. They want to walk where he walked, see what he saw, feel what he felt. But, if they want a future, they’ll have to learn how to leave the past behind.
I loved Silvera’s first book, More Happy Than Not. It’s beautifully written, unique, relatable. I had massive expectations for History Is All You Left Me. Did it live up to my expectations? Not really. It’s a good book, but I expected more.
The characters are realistic. They’re awkward, nerdy, and very messed up. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but they invent some terrible ways of coping with Theo’s death. Still, you can’t help but love them. They’re sweet and (somewhat) honest. (In messed-up ways.) I was rooting for them, but I also wanted to punch them in their faces. Hard. It’s an odd situation.
For me, the most interesting part of the story is what it says about relationships. We never completely leave old relationships behind. They always change us in some way. We bring those changes with us into our new relationships. That seems super obvious, but I had never really thought about it before. It’s hard to fully “get over” somebody because that person changed us. We can’t undo our history, but if we want a future, we can’t live in the past. Take the best parts of your history with you and keep moving forward.
“History is nothing. It can be recycled or thrown away completely. It isn’t this sacred treasure chest I mistook it to be. We were something, but history isn’t enough to keep something alive forever.” – History Is All You Left Me
“Time doesn’t heal all wounds. We both know that’s bullshit; it comes from people who have nothing comforting or original to say.” – History Is All You Left Me
As much as I love the characters, I got bored with the plot. I’ve said before that I’m not a romance fan. I couldn’t get interested in the never-ending Theo obsession. I understand that Griffin has an obsessive personality. I also understand that when people die, you obsess about them for a while. Still, the Theo drama grated on my nerves.
Theo is a nice kid (mostly). There’s nothing wrong with him (mostly). He’s (mostly) a good boyfriend to Griffon and Jackson. As a reader, I like Theo, but I don’t love him. Since I didn’t share the characters’ Theo obsession, I got bored reading about it. I badly wanted this book to have a subplot so I could get some time away from Theo.
I also think the writing got a little heavy-handed at times. For the most part, the writing is fabulous, but sometimes I felt like the author was trying really, really hard to make me sad. I don’t have emotions, so it didn’t work. That might just be my dysfunction. I know that other people found the book sad.
Griffin isn’t a reliable narrator, which is something I always appreciate in novels. The ending caught me off-guard (in a good way). I didn’t see that coming. All of my boredom vanished when Griffin started confessing his secrets. They’re very scandalous secrets.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It didn’t live up to the high expectations I had from More Happy Than Not. However, I liked it enough that I’m excited to read They Both Die At The End.
“One night we argued for a solid hour over who would win in a duel between Lord Voldemort and Darth Vader. I'm surprised we're still friends.” – History Is All You Left Me
blueregard's review against another edition
4.0
Adam Silvera consistently writes real people in sad situations and I'm here for it.
rachminj's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
itslogan_'s review against another edition
5.0
Ugh I can’t get over this book.
The ending really surprised me and I loved the way the story unfolded. It had amazing character development and a great plot. I really understood the characters and got to know them really well, especially Griffin - of course. Everything wrapped up so well together. I felt complete after reading this book and definitely took lessons away.
If you are grieving the loss of a loved one or going through a breakup, or have a first love that you just can’t let loose from your head, definitely pick this book up. The book hit home for me and in so many ways.
The ending really surprised me and I loved the way the story unfolded. It had amazing character development and a great plot. I really understood the characters and got to know them really well, especially Griffin - of course. Everything wrapped up so well together. I felt complete after reading this book and definitely took lessons away.
If you are grieving the loss of a loved one or going through a breakup, or have a first love that you just can’t let loose from your head, definitely pick this book up. The book hit home for me and in so many ways.
bookwormdela's review against another edition
3.0
Imagine having a pilot dad and getting free flights though...
People get over grief, heartbreak, and relationships as time goes by. They even forget memories. We let go, we remember, we forget, we make mistakes, we apologize, we cry, we go crazy, and it all happens and there's no way to stop life going in all directions leaving us confused and exhausted. This book had it all: love, death, and stupid mistakes.
I probably picked this book at the wrong time. It was beautifully written but I found it boring at some point. I might have felt a lot closer to it if I had read it two years ago.
People get over grief, heartbreak, and relationships as time goes by. They even forget memories. We let go, we remember, we forget, we make mistakes, we apologize, we cry, we go crazy, and it all happens and there's no way to stop life going in all directions leaving us confused and exhausted. This book had it all: love, death, and stupid mistakes.
I probably picked this book at the wrong time. It was beautifully written but I found it boring at some point. I might have felt a lot closer to it if I had read it two years ago.