A review by lexarobinson
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

4.75

An absolute gut-punch of a young adult romance novel. Just as you think things are starting to improve for Violet and Finch, Niven places a carefully woven twist that serves to simply obliterate hope. I'm not usually a fan of books which flit between the perspectives of both of the protagonists, as it can seem like lazy writing, but Niven works it so effortlessly that I found myself not minding in the slightest. Violet is lovely, but it is Finch who is Niven's masterpiece: she depicts his struggles with mental health issues excellently, but doesn't stray into tacky or appropriative. The scene with the rollercoaster sums him up perfectly: when he's with Violet, he's on top of the world, and the second she's gone, he's in freefall. It's just a series of sucker punches, and I'm not even sure the ending is happy.
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