A Novel Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Writer: Jennifer Niven

Pages: 392 pages

Published: January 2015

Synopsis:

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might die, but every day he also searches for-and manages to find-something to keep him here, and alive, and awake.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school-six stories above the ground-it's unclear who saves whom. And when the unlikely pair teams up on a class project to discover the "natural wonders" of their state, they go, as Finch says, where the road takes them: the grand, the small, the bizarre, the beautiful, the ugly, the surprising-just like life.

Soon, it's only with Violet that Finch can be himself- a bold, funny, live-out-loud guy, who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet forgets to count away the days and starts living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

This is a heart-wrenching, unflinching story of love shared, life lived, and two teens who find one another while standing on the edge.

---

Based on the synopsis, the story revolves around Theodore and Violet. For some reasons, the two met under circumstances that make the readers, like me for instance, is sure that they're meant for each other. The story of how Markley saved Finch which in reality is the opposite spreads like wildfire in her school and soon people started to call Markley 'hero' and Theodore a 'freak'. Finch then becomes interested in Violet and decided to do a project with her. And voila, it's the start of their love story.

I was tempted to read this book by the short description it gives at the back. So I thought to myself, why not try reading it? Let me be honest for a second, I thought that this book is progressing really slow and I guess that's not my cup of tea, but when I reach page 50 and above, I started to see the magic of this book. I was blind at first not to see how great this book is and I'm not even exaggerating.

The plot is not your average romance because it contains deeper meanings about life and how to deal with your past. It's not about two teenagers who kind of save each other by instantly fell in love with each other, but how these two deal with their own matters by helping each other. Besides that, this book subconciously tells your brain to start on your adventure on anything. The book simply tells you not to be afraid on taking risks, and most importantly on how to deal with your past.

This book is definitely recommended for those who like romance/adventure/life novel. A really great book to read and spend your afternoon because it doesn't require that much time. More importantly, this book is also about concerning matters revolving around teens now: suicidal attempts, (possible) mental illness(es), abusive environment, etc.

Moreover, this book has definitely opened my eyes as a teenager to stop being ignorant to these matters and try to do something to prevent the number of victims from increasing.

SHOUT OUT TO JENNIFER NIVEN FOR THIS AMAZING BOOK.

Ratings: 4.5/5
🔥🔥🔥🔥