A review by sheborrowsbooks
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I was bit unsure what to rate this book because on one hand I did enjoy reading it and I found it dealt with challenging issues which I appreciate. On the other hand I'm not sure it always hit the level of depth it needed to with the heavier issues of mental illness and bullying. The book focuses on a teen with OCD and I felt that it was well portrayed, especially for an oft misrepresented illness. In saying that, I will acknowledge it will not represent everyone's experiences with the illness as like most mental illnesse  it is not identical for all. 

I did feel like I gained a greater understanding of OCD but even as Sam faces big challenges things seem to always work out very smoothly for her. I don't feel like this is true to most people's experiences. That is why I dropped it to 3.5 but I still very much recommend this book especially for teenagers or just for those looking for insight about OCD.