A review by weatheringaddy
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I want to start my review off with that there will be spoilers (of course hidden) and are some big triggers for suicide, suicidal ideation and loss.

Violet is a senior whose sister passed away and Theodore Finch is a senior who has an undiagnosed mental illness. They found each other in the most unlikely of places and come together for a senior class project. 

This book delves into both of their pasts.
Spoiler Violet has survivors guilt and is grieving her sister which has affected her future and contemplating suicide. Finch has an undiagnosed mental illness (revealed later to be bipolar disorder) and been abused as a child by his father who is now divorced and he sees on a weekly basis.

As these two become closer, a romance forms. The author does a great job in writing both characters. You can understand Violet and how her grief has affected her. You can also see how mental illness has affected Finch in the sometimes subtle and unsubtle words and actions. 

The ending was not one that I expected when going into the story or even as I read the book.
Spoiler While the foreshadowing of Finch’s health are not spoken about overtly, the suicide itself was beautifully written. While I was not a huge fan of how the relationship ended, how his death was written, the characters response to it, and the aftermath were written well. I do think the ending was a bit rushed and could have given more details such as Finch’s family’s reactions and have given more of a sense of closure.

Overall, this book was good. It reminded me of Thirteen Reasons Why in some aspects and explained about the effects of  mental illness, abuse, and bullying can have on a person. I liked the themes of hopefulness and how that even if someone does love you, that it sometimes cannot overshadow the effects of mental illness or make it better/go away. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings