Will I love All the Bright Places?

This is a story told from dual perspectives. Our male protagonist is Theodore Finch. He’s a rebel type, funny, and spontaneous. He goes after Violet Markey—our female first-person perspective—after discovering that she, too, is grappling with demons from her past. What I love about this book is how alive Theodore is as he walks the tightrope of death. While tragedy abounds in this story, you can sense a shaky joy in Theodore. His punk, fun-chasing exterior hides a vulnerable soul in search of love. 

I knew a lot of teen boys like him when I was… show more.

I think people understand and sympathize with physical illness, but mental struggles are often unseen and misunderstood. I hope that readers think more about those who are different and try to reach out more.

I think this quote by Theodore Fitch, one of the main characters explains the agony well. “I was sick, but not in an easily explains flu kind of way. 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 recognizable disease just to… show more.

I’ve always loved stories that explore the themes of love and loss and how they entwine as one. All The Bright Places is no exception to this. Be warned; you may shed some tears!

The emotional connection you create with this book is something I tried to tap into with my own writing, and I hope that the authenticity of All The Bright Places is something that can be found in my own work. I love this book with my whole heart. I often write characters with past trauma, which becomes apparent as they begin working on themselves through the… show more.

For me, All the Bright Places accurately represents the joys and sorrows of life. This book is so full of depth, heart, and incredible characters, when I read it, I forgot it was a book. I was excited for every chapter when Finch and Violet would take me on their adventure. These characters are relatable and true to life. Even if you’ve never been through the situations they have, you can imagine them as kids in your neighborhood, workplace, or school. It is a beautiful and heartbreaking book that I will reread every year and always experience the excitement.

Sticky notes!

I use a digital sticky note Kanban system to organize everything I do. I have a day job and I write novels, plus I have chores and something that resembles a social life (most of us authors keep to ourselves though). I write almost everything into a note because I am terrified I am going to forget something.

After decades, my system is refined, but even as a teenager I was always writing future-me notes and leaving them on my desk. All the Bright Places takes sticky notes to the next level and it connected with me because… show more.

Jennifer Niven’s writing mesmerizes in this groundbreaking tale about the mental complexities that can bog down the daily lives of teen readers. Her writing handles love, death, and suicide with grace, humor, and heart. If you read this book without ultimately falling in love with the character Theodore Finch, a young man who consistently plots his own suicide and just as consistently has his attempts derailed by the random acts of kindness that seem to spring up all around him, then I’d be as surprised as the millions of viewers on Netflix who made the feature film version of this… show more.

Two teens find each other through the darkness of their depressive states. While Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, Violet tries to keep her eye on the future, after her sister’s death. Together they work to create new meaning in life. Niven has written a heartbreaking love story that is complex and moving. I love the braveness of Niven not caving to the desire to give her story a bright and happy conclusion. Often authors want to end their books with a "happily ever after” ending. Niven has the courage to break our hearts. 

All The Bright Places is about a girl who learns she wants to live from a boy who wants to die. I love this book because it digs deeply into the reality of mental illness and how hard one must work when dealing with it. As someone who has depression, I could see myself in the main characters. I could relate to their struggles. And on top of that, it’s a powerful love story. There is a lot to feel with this book, and you will be shattered. But also put back together.