Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - History Is All You Left Me

good book but it fell short especially after reading they both die at the end. i do enjoy griffin's perspective considering his character and situation, but his overall inner voice wasn't as amazing in my opinion.

did like the kind of plot twist at the end, wish we saw a bit more of wade.

the story did move a bit slow and it felt like it took me longer to read than it did - i got kinda sick of it at the beginning and wanted to put it down. it still was a very moving piece.

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miscellaneous's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

At the beginning, it carried a constant sense of misery and watching the characters grow out of that was amazing

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nancatto's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

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oliviabrcka's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.75

History Is All You Left Me follows 17-year-old Griffin Jennings, whose first love has tragically passed away. Through a dual-time lense, we watch Griffin as he processes his past with Theo as he mourns in the present. Griffin experiences all of the sadness, guilt, and fear associated with loss, as well as the complications that form in relationships during the mourning period. I picked up this book after hearing the rave reviews offered by many a booktuber, and I have to say that it is one of the better recommendations I have read.
Silvera's writing style really spoke to me throughout this book. He has this way of bringing the characters to life using these small details that develop the intimacy and relationships between every character, romantic or not. Although this was a very slow-paced book, I feel like that matches the story, as grief is not something that can be quickly swept under the rug.
History Is All You Left Me is written from the perspective of Griffin Jennings. Griffin is a charming, quirky character, and gives of a vibe of innocence that only adds to the heartbreak felt throughout this book. The whole story revolves around him as he deals with his grief and learns about himself. There is loads of character development, specifically from Griffin, over the course of this story, and this really helps it stand out from the majority of YA contemporaries. I liked that each character had their own imperfections, but that they balance one another out in a way that helps their relationships and sense of self become stronger.
History Is All You Left Me explores SO MANY THEMES. Coming out, break ups, first times, last times, friendships, family, but most notably, grief and loss. I think it is so important for YA novels to explore these ideas because, as a young reader myself, it brings to life the idea that grief is normal and hard and difficult for everyone. You don't have to shove it under the rug and you don't have to let it control your life. It is OK to move forward knowing that you have a life to live for yourself. As someone who has dealt with quite a bit of loss already, I felt like this book would be really great for anyone who is dealing with a really personal loss for the first time. I think it might help them feel seen.
I think that this book definitely carries an impact no matter who you are. Although I can't say for certain that it's one of my favorite books of all time, I enjoyed reading it and I feel like it is such an important topic for young readers and one that isn't explored or discussed all that often. I am certainly interested in reading another novel by Adam Silvera.

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serena08's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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lisens's review

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sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I think at this point I just need to accept that something about Adam Silvera's writing just doesn't work for me, and that makes me sad because I want to be in on the love, but I've read three books by him and just haven't really liked any of them

I will say, this was by far my favorite of the ones I've read, especially the first half. It wasn't as much sad as it just settled itself like a rock in my chest and it honestly hit me really hard which I wasn't expecting
But despite all that, I'm still feeling very luke-warm about it and I just wish I wasn't but.... oh well

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cbarteau's review

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reflective sad fast-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

4.0

I loved these characters from the moment they were introduced. All of them were three-dimensional, which is impressive given that it is a relatively short novel. I loved the pop-culture and nerd-culture references as well as the incredibly accurate and forthright way it talks about and portrays sex, and yes, there are sex scenes. The plot was surprisingly well constructed and builds satisfyingly as the past comes closer and closer to an inevitable conclusion and as the present gets tangled up in the messy process of grief. The conclusion was extremely well-crafted, it gave the story the ending it needed without feeling dishonest, rushed, or over-moralized. This is definitely Silvera’s best out of his first 3 novels, which is even more of a compliment in-it-of-itself.

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