All the Bright Places: The intense, gripping YA romance from the bestselling author

Jenifer Niven’s 'All the Bright Places' starts off with its two main characters meeting, by chance, at the top of the bell tower of their school, from which each was contemplating jumping. They don’t, and that’s the mainspring of the story. Niven tells it powerfully, through the voice of each of the two in turn, not always in strict alternation, but always one or the other taking the narrative on or commenting on the same events from another point of view. They frequently use the present tense, giving the events they describe a powerful immediacy. It’s a tribute to Niven’s skill that she was able to create two distinct and believable voices in this way, and let them interplay so effectively. The first voice we hear is that of Theodore Finch, known as Finch, but by the many who dislike him in his high school as Theodore the Freak. There is a hint of why he’s viewed as freaky when he tells us ‘I don’t remember climbing up here. In fact, I don’t remember much of anything before Sunday, at least not anything so far this winter. This happens every time – the blanking out, the waking up… I can’t tell you what was different this time around, only that when I woke up, I felt deader than usual. Awake, yeah, but completely empty, like someone had been feasting on my blood.” Finding out just what he means by being asleep or awake is the main discovery we make about Finch as we work our way through the book. Violet Markey, on the other hand, is popular with everyone. She had, indeed, been a cheerleader until her life was blighted by a single, stark, shocking event for which she blames herself and with which she can’t come to terms. It is her pain that drives her, too, up to the top of the bell tower where she will find Finch, starting the relationship in which they learn so much about and from each other. At first, I was concerned about what kind of book I was going to read, not least because it was recommended to me by my thirteen-year old granddaughter. I wasn’t sure we had the same taste. Was this merely another of those cookie-cutter high-school kid stories? Young people at the end of their school days coming to terms with the urges that overtake adolescents, with the responsibilities of entering the adult world, with the hopes and disappointments around them? Were we going to get lots about makeup and baseball and love and sex in long conversations in coffee shops? But 'All the Bright Places' only shares its background with those boilerplate tales. It is something far deeper and far more compelling: an account of two young people trying to deal, in completely different ways, with two different types of suffering; of their finding joy and hope and disappointment and despair; of handling them with humour and wit and insight. It’s an immensely funny, deeply poignant and strongly inspiring book which tells us a great deal about much we need to understand, while both entertaining and moving us as it does so. Above all, it’s well worth reading. My granddaughter was right.

Where, oh where, do I begin with this beautifully written, think-about-it-for-days novel? I won't cover the plot, nor will I go into much detail. It's not necessary. What I can tell you, as someone who sometimes enjoys a light YA read (at 29yrs old), has a long and continued history with mental health problems and who - much to my regret - rarely find books which pull me in and take me down with them, this one took me by surprise and ended up drawing me into a world which felt familiar and yet so wonderfully created to seem new. The novel covers mental health, that much is obvious, and the intricacies some sufferers find themselves tangled within; it offers to the reader two young people with very different lives who connect and create a deep (and beautifully cultured by Ms. Niven) bond through difficult and sometimes dark circumstances, likeable characters who I came to love deeply by the end (particularly Finch, whom I could identify with on almost every level); it also brings a sense of hope amidst all of the gritty, complicated corners, even when you don't expect it to. I was charmed, to the point where I bought it yesterday, finished it last night and am going to read it again after I finish this review. What can I say? Ms. Niven's easy, flowing prose and the exquisite twisting of this story have me sold entirely. Take a risk if you're looking for an easy read with a lot of bite. Go into it with no expectations, and come out of it wishing for so much more, in so many ways. A final word: take care reading if you've experienced bereavement of a close family member, mental health issues or suicide ideation. It can cut a little close to the bone at times, even for a YA novel.

but ultimately frustrating, this is one of the better YA books I've read in some time. The characters are just the right side of quirky and there is no feeling through the book that a happy ending is guaranteed, in fact the young lovers always seem to be heading for disaster. If I genuinely was a YA I'd probably have considered this one of the best books I've ever read, as a much older person I felt it a little frustrating. I would have liked to have known more of Finch's backstory, in particular his abusive past and I would have also liked to have learned more about Eleanor, Violet's dead sister. The ending left me feeling quite crushed and sad, not totally moved by the poetical beauty of it all, but thinking what a waste and feeling frustrated that not one adult in Finch's life realised what was the matter with him. Would still recommend with the warning - it's a bit of downer ...

Omslaget till boken kom trasigt, som om någon klippt i det högst upp

My book came damaged and had a big rip from The side

It is very rare for a book to make me cry, but this one brought me to tears. It is a devastatingly beautiful story about two teenagers who suffer from depression who find each other and fall in love. As Violet and Finch fell in love with each other, I came to love the both of them, as I'm sure you will too. They are such real characters that you can't help but care about. They feel so real and alive on the page, and their story becomes your story as well. All The Bright Places is not a book to read if you want something happy. It is educational and hopeful and powerful, but it is also incredibly heart-breaking. Violet and Finch will stay with you long after you finish the book, and you will feel the loss. I am both grateful and regretful that I read this book. On one hand, it is an amazing story. On the other hand, I feel like I just lost a friend. Jennifer Niven is an incredibly talented author and I hope she pursues more YA books in the future. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more on depression and mental disabilities, or anyone who is suicidal and/or has lost someone to suicide.

Não tenho o costume de ler YA, então não sabia muito o que esperar desse livro. Comprei porque li a sinopse e me interessei. Acabei me surpreendendo muito com a escrita e o rumo da história. Gostei tanto que comprei a versão em inglês também. Acho que tem alguns problemas com o desenvolvimento de alguns personagens, até mesmo da Violet, que só passei a gostar do meio pro fim da história. Mas no geral, me emocionei e me identifiquei com o livro. Acho que por ser baseado na vida da autora, ela conseguiu ser bem realista ao tratar dos temas abordados no livro. Trigger warning: se você for sensível às temáticas de morte e suicídio, não leia essa livro, pois fala-se disso o tempo todo. Ps.: não percam tempo assistindo ao filme, é muito inferior ao livro.

Such an amazing and heart-touching book. I literally cried my heart out after reading this. The story beautifully shows love, pain, healing, and the silent suffering people carry inside. The characters feel so real that you emotionally connect with them from the very beginning. This book stays with you long after you finish it. Highly recommended for anyone who loves emotional, meaningful stories.