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adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ts made me cry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This emotional book is about a boy named Theodore who has a fixation with death and a girl named Violet who has a fixation on living long enough to graduate high school and leave the small, Indiana town where her sister died the year prior. Violet is extremely depressed since the death of her sister and the rest of the book is spent with Theodore using his joie de vive and quirky humor to show Violet all the amazing, beautiful places surrounding them in their seemingly UNspecial state of Indiana.
TW: death, depression, suicide, bullying
This book is labeled YA and takes a very hard, honest look at the topics of depression, mental illness, death, and suicide. I think it would be a great addition to any high school library. I'm even considering whether it should go in my middle school library.
This book is hard to review without giving away major plot points and the ending so I'm warning now that the rest of this review will contain major spoilers.
***SPOILER WARNING***
The book starts with Theodore's POV meeting Violet at the top of a tower on their school campus, and realizes they're both contemplating suicide. He's able to convince her not to jump using humor and quick thinking. Throughout the story and Theodore's POV chapters, we see that his bright personality is juxtaposed with a deep-seated depression from years of being bullied by his classmates and also by his father, labeled a freak, and being ignored and overlooked by his family. As we see Violet start to live again in her POV chapters, we also see Theodore sink deeper into his suicidal thoughts, halfhearted suicide attempts, and signs of mental illness. He describes various famous people who committed suicide, despite seeming to be at the peak of their careers.
When Theodore disappears for a month with hardly any word, I was truly hoping he would be found safe and sound. But when Violet finds his body, I realized that not every story has a happy ending because depression and suicide are very real things; topics we shouldn't shy away from. People who suffer from suicidal thoughts and depression aren't always caught in time and don't always reach out for help before it's too late. To their loved ones and strangers, they may act upbeat and normal but actually be suffering silently.
The author's note gives statistics about depression, mental illness, and suicide. It also provides resources for anyone suffering from suicidal thoughts, needing support. To anyone suffering silently, please now YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Reach out to someone today.
TW: death, depression, suicide, bullying
This book is labeled YA and takes a very hard, honest look at the topics of depression, mental illness, death, and suicide. I think it would be a great addition to any high school library. I'm even considering whether it should go in my middle school library.
This book is hard to review without giving away major plot points and the ending so I'm warning now that the rest of this review will contain major spoilers.
***SPOILER WARNING***
The book starts with Theodore's POV meeting Violet at the top of a tower on their school campus, and realizes they're both contemplating suicide. He's able to convince her not to jump using humor and quick thinking. Throughout the story and Theodore's POV chapters, we see that his bright personality is juxtaposed with a deep-seated depression from years of being bullied by his classmates and also by his father, labeled a freak, and being ignored and overlooked by his family. As we see Violet start to live again in her POV chapters, we also see Theodore sink deeper into his suicidal thoughts, halfhearted suicide attempts, and signs of mental illness. He describes various famous people who committed suicide, despite seeming to be at the peak of their careers.
When Theodore disappears for a month with hardly any word, I was truly hoping he would be found safe and sound. But when Violet finds his body, I realized that not every story has a happy ending because depression and suicide are very real things; topics we shouldn't shy away from. People who suffer from suicidal thoughts and depression aren't always caught in time and don't always reach out for help before it's too late. To their loved ones and strangers, they may act upbeat and normal but actually be suffering silently.
The author's note gives statistics about depression, mental illness, and suicide. It also provides resources for anyone suffering from suicidal thoughts, needing support. To anyone suffering silently, please now YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Reach out to someone today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Suicide
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book. From the beginning, the characters were lovable and easy to understand. Despite being very different people, Violet and Finch connected. The connection was not immediate. The ending of the book was devastating but made sense. The world is not all flowers and rainbows.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt
I would say l this is like the fault in our stars but about mental health. The characters are written in a John green style so especially the female characters seem a bit underdeveloped and unrealistic.
I picked this up randomly and at points felt I was forcing myself to get through it.
Saying that it’s an interesting read to be from the perspective of someone suicidal
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide