All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven Review

"It's my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in my life I wish for measles or smallpox or some other easily understood disease just to make it easier on me and also on them"

I have just finished reading All the Bright Places and now I have no idea what to do with myself. If you have read my blog you know I usually do short reviews and about 5 books on a post. But because I enjoyed this book so much I just felt like it needed a post to itself. I read the book so carefully because I didn't want to ruin the cover. I only happened to find this book in a charity shop and so glad I picked this one up. I think this may be one of my favourite books to date.

We follow the lives of Finch who is suicidal and Violet who isn't coping with the death of her sister after they were both in a car accident and she blames herself. Although they both go to the same school they only properly met when they were both on the tower bell at school preparing to jump to their death. Finch manages to convince Violet to step away from the edge. Now he feels the need to protect her and get her back on track.

I have never been suicidal however I have struggled with my own demons and this book fucked with my head on many occasions. Maybe that is another reason why I like All the Bright Places so much because no other book has been able to really get into my head and make me feel. A defo 'hits home' kinda book. However, by the end I did see things in a more positive way. 

“I feel the way his hand,warm and firm,fits around mine.He may keep changing,but that never does.” 

I fell in love with Finch. I loved his personality, I loved the way he saw/said things, I just loved him. From the first chapter I was hooked on him. I felt Jenniifer Niven describe the way he felt on his bad days perfectly. It made me really open my eyes to the way people with these thoughts must feel. Violet was also lovely. I loved watching their friendship and love grow. I felt so emotionally attached to them both.

Fuck, I'm finding it so hard to tell you about All the Bright Places without giving anything away. How do people do detailed book reviews?! 

I felt the story line was gripping the whole way through. Was it predictable? Not at all. Every chapter I was gripped into wanting to know more, know more about what happens to them, more about who they are, more about how they feel. Each chapter is either from the point of view of Finch or Violet which I loved because it made you really understand the characters. 

“A string of thoughts run through my head like a song I can't get rid of, over and over in the same order: I am broken. I am a fraud. I am impossible to love.” 

The fact that All the Bright Places spoke about mental illness and depression is what made me really love this book. The author I feel got it spot on in the way people treat mental illness. Honestly, All the Bright Places was such a heart warming, eye opening, inspiring book.

They are making All the Bright Places into a film in 2017. Who know, I may love the film as much as the book (yeah right) but PLEASE read this book beforehand. If you are going to read any book this year make it this one. I have already recommend this book to so many people. 

The boyfriend has read this book since and he was just as obsessed with it. He didn't want to finish the book. It's been a few days since he finished and he still can't get the book out of his head haha. He's tried to read other books since but he can't get into them now. He has said All the Bright Places is a book killer because it's that good no other book can compare. His words.

(The version of the book I read was actually a copy for the editor. That's what the women in the shop said. Do you think I should buy the one in the shops? Would the story line of changed at all?)

“I’m still here, and I’m grateful, because otherwise I would be missing this. Sometimes it’s good to be awake.”