Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - I Was Here

The only reason I even found out about this book was because a friend was reading it so I thought I'd try it out. overall it was pretty decent and I liked all of the characters mostly. Really, the only things that drag this book down to a three star is that the romance felt a little forced (not too bad though) and the suicide itself. See, when Cody's friend kills herself, everyone is so confused about why even though she goes into so much detail about how she would do it when asked. I think that in real life most people wouldn't be surprised that she killed herself (they would probably still be sad though). I also think that the fact that Cody was so dumbfounded when she

finds out her friend had depression and that was a main reason she killed herself by getting told by the friend's parents who weren't surprised about the suicide club on the internet Like, if you are best friends you should be able to tell something like that because it is so obvious. It doesn't help that the book basically tells you exactly why she did it through foreshadowing.

I'm not saying that things like this don't happen, it's just this one felt way too on the nose.

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rileyking38's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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nostarsleftinthesky's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This probably wasn’t the best choice of book right now but I’m very glad I did read it. This is quite a heavy book in my opinion but that’s probably because I read a lot of lighthearted contemporary stories in comparison. The writing and the story were really just good, I don’t know how else to explain it, but sometimes put me on edge in a way I don’t know how to feel about. I think this is still a really good book though and I recommend it :)

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ging090803's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The beginning is good. Then i sort of got detached from Cody and her "quest". I didnt really understand her motive. But then... BAM! The end. The end killed me. I did shed a tear. I really liked how it was write. We can follow Cody through the stages of grief. It's beautiful yet sad.

Please, dont let people live what the characters lived. They do care.

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notreallyregan's review

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Yeah, I don’t know. I appreciated most of the commentary on mental health and suicide, but this book had so many random elements I don’t get. Harry Kang was the best character lol.

Why was there so much random vegan slander?? How did the MC end up sleeping with the same boy as her dead best friend and crying through the entire thing? That romance was weird, forced, and had no chemistry. Call me crazy, but I just don’t think a guy who truly is in love with you would get screwing you while you were CRYING. It would’ve been so much better if they were friends, had a slower burning romance, or just didn’t have the weird sex scene.

Still enjoyed the book, though.

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