All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Violet Markey is the popular girl in school. Although she has just lost her older sister, Eleanor, in a car accident. They were both in the car when it ran over a bridge, but Violet's the only one who survived. She feels both sad and guilty - as anyone would. 

Theodore Finch is called the freak of the school. He has two close friends, Charlie and Brenda. Finch, as he is called, is humorous and jokes around a lot. But he is still very serious and he reads a lot about suicide. Once in a while, Finch goes through some really dark times where he isn't able to do much. 

One day, Violet and Finch meet at their school's bell tower. One of them wants to jump off, but the other stops the person from doing it. Rumors start spreading around school about a hero. Soon a  new friendship starts.

This book was great. It was even amazing. I loved Finch's character although he was depressing and it made me sad to read the parts about him. The thing with Finch is.. that he is special. He jokes around too much at times. He isn't too serious, but then he is. He has this amazing view on everything. He sees things in a different way. Finch sees the beauty in everything. That's why I loved reading about the places Finch and Violet went to. How they both experienced it. Finch creates beauty although he can't see that himself. I love how he paints his room all of a sudden and how he has all of these post-its with different ideas and sayings. I both loved and hated being inside of Finch's head. When he was depressed, I felt bad, but when he was loving Finch, I liked him a lot.

Violet Markey feels guilty about her sister's death. I can't even imagine what that must be like. It's terrible to loose someone that was once so close to you. I don't ever want to know what that is like. Everyone feels that way, but it is important to remember that life isn't fair and that you never know what is going to happen next. You hear that a lot, but it is true. I believe that Violet was very lucky to become friends with Finch. They are both so different, but then they also seem alike. Both broken and sad. Violet does change from the second she meets Finch. She becomes an entirely different person. I mean this in a good way.

This novel deals with suicide and victims of suicide. Now how do I actually feel about suicide and has my view changed after reading All The Bright Places? My view hasn't changed all that much. It seems weird to say that I am against suicide, but I am. Even though I do kind of understand the ones who commit suicide. Because life can be absolutely terrible. It may seem like there is nothing left for you and that no one will care that you are gone, but that is not true at all. First off, there are always people who care. You can always get help. People will always be affected by suicide. That is the reality. I don't think that suicide is a selfish act, but in a way I feel like it is unfair. There is much more to life. We just have to stick through the bad stuff and get help. Honestly, everyone hates life at some point. Everyone goes through hardship and many have probably considered suicide. I have truly been taught that suicide isn't the right way. You have to open up to people. Even though that may be hard, but you will feel much better. Help yourself because everyone truly deserves to live. For there is a reason why we are all here. 

Jennifer Niven, 2015, Penguin Books