As a representation of how it feels to be depressed, All the Bright Places does a great job. It’s poignant, slice-of-life stuff and the John Green comparisons are sure to pop up. It’s interesting to see them evolve and to understand more of their personal histories. Violet and Finch are both very well-written and developed characters. They learn about themselves and each other while exploring the hidden wonders of Indiana. From there the story becomes about their budding romance as well as their personal growth. At the start of the book both teens have suicidal thoughts, but Finch manages to talk Violet off of a ledge and Violet becomes Finch’s new reason for living.

It is heavily implied that he is also bi-polar. Finch has a long history of acting out and having sudden extreme mood swings. Violet’s sister died in a car accident the previous year and Violet blames herself for it. I’d like to warn the reader up front that this review will have some pretty big spoilers.Īll the Bright Places is about two teens with depression. All the Bright Places is a beautifully written book that is, at times, very difficult to read.

No matter how good or bad the book was, I knew a story about depression was likely to trigger my own. I went into All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven with my guard up.

To all the bright places book