All of the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
AOTBP is a book that's been on my radar for at least six months now and I've seen others rave about it on various social media platforms. Mental illness in young people is a serious issue and I like how this book tackles it in a realistic manner. Having read the author's note at the end, I can understand why Niven was able to write such a heart-rending book that doesn't distort the (potentially ugly) truth of mental illness at its worst.
Honestly, this book had me in tears towards the end - mental illness in the young is something I feel very passionate about and this is probably the joint best young adult book I've read with it as a theme. I know I raved about My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga and to me, this book is on a par. Some might find this book a bit dark but the world isn't necessarily as bright as we'd like to believe and hope it is.
I gave this book 8.5/10 because in some parts, it was a bit slower than I would've liked and I managed to guess the ending. Both of the main characters (Violet and Finch) are relatable and likeable and the plot is super sweet in some places but also super sad in others. If parts of it don't make your heart wrench, then you're a stronger person than me.
Geek Girl by Holly Smale
The second book I read in April was Geek Girl and I wasn't very impressed with it. I found all of the characters annoying (particularly the dad) but it may be that the book is aimed at someone in their mid-teens as opposed to someone in their early twenties! (I still fit into the early twenties category, right?!) However, thinking back to my teens, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book at any stage so I would wager that the target audience are 10-13 year olds. 5/10 from me.
Lucy In The Sky by Paige Toon
This is the first book I've read by Paige Toon and I wasn't overly impressed but not completely put off either. Lucy is a twenty-something year old living in London with a seemingly 'perfect' boyfriend, James, but then goes off to Australia for a few weeks where she is tempted by a younger and hunkier man.
I did wonder why she was with James when parts of his character came to light (she spent how many years with him?!) and well, to put it mildly, I found her character a bit wet. Plot was decent but the book could have been half the length it was and still be the same. I found a number of the chapters to be a bit waffly (like some of my blog posts maybe? :p ) but I'm still intrigued by Paige Toon as an author all the same. Maybe it's my hidden desire of wanting to move to Australia at some point in my life? I gave this book 6/10.
After these offerings, I decided to read the Harry Potter series all over again. I do this about once every two years so this is about the right time!
Do you have any book recommendations based on these reviews? :)
I loved All the Bright Places, such a fab book.
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