All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Standalone. Knopf (Jan. 2015) Own

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

It's been a while since I've read All the Bright Places so I'll try my best to communicate how incredible this book is.

I always know I'm in trouble when a book's main theme has to do with suicide. I mean looking back at what happened to me with 13 Reasons Why... it wasn't a pretty sight. I was devastated. But, I just couldn't help myself. All the Bright Places was enticing me with expectations of quirky characters who save each other from killing themselves. I had to read this. I wanted to know where their relationship would go and how that day at the bell tower would change their lives forever.

So I'm already tearing up and dying inside writing this review and it's been over four months since I've read it. This is a problem and it isn't. It's a problem because I can't focus on what I want to write. It isn't a problem because it shows really how much this book impacted me. It's one of those books that, I wouldn't say all the way but, comes close to completely devasting you. And it's all because of Finch and Violet.

Violet lost her sister and that's why she's up in the bell tower. She can't handle the loss of her sister and no one really understands how to deal with her. Violet learns so much from Finch. Finch has been bullied for his antics. He's the "weird" kid who is still very charismatic about everything. His charisma and humor are just what make it so that books are worth spending hours reading. He also crushes hard easily. A guy who cares easily? Thank you. I'm sure you can guess who he starts crushing on.

I feel like most of the story focuses on Finch, but that may be his big personality and the scary you-know-something-is-wrong-with-him-so-you-are-watching-him-closely. There's something amiss with Finch and you don't really know what until the last chapters of the story. Other than that Finch has brought it upon himself to take a classroom project and go big with it with school partner Violet. Violet is not too receptive to Finch's attention. She wants to just blend in and leave after graduation as soon as she can. Leave the place that killed her sister. However, Finch's influence starts rubbing off on her. She starts enjoying her adventure with Finch and caring about him. The project had to with discovering the wonders of Indiana. I have never explored my state like these two have. I feel like I know more about Indiana than my home state now. Their adventures were fun to read about and the added bonus of them getting closer was a plus.

This was a really wonderful read. The emotion that stirred up within me while reading it was just what I want out of every book I read. I want to feel something genuine when I read a book. A feeling that will always last when I think about that particular book. All the Bright Places really got to me. It's heart provokingly sad and hopeful at the same time. I didn't know what to do with myself afterward. I do know that if you are considering reading it in the slightest then go for it. Trust me. Just read it already. It's fantastic.

What do you think of All the Bright Places becoming a movie? Are you going to watch it?