REVIEW: ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES BY JENNIFER NIVEN.

Title: All the Bright Places
Series: Standalone
Author: Jennifer Niven
Edition: Paperback (International Edition)
Publication: January 6, 2015 by Knopf (Random House)
Source: Bought from National Bookstore
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary (Mental Illness), Romance

Synopsis:

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

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All the Bright Places left me emotionally dead.

I honestly don't know how to write this review because I am so unstable right now. That little piece of my heart I've been trying to save all this time has been taken from me. It was crushed over and over again that not even a surgery can fix. I need a new heart. I absolutely do. And this is All the Bright Places' fault.

I don't want to talk about anything else except THEODORE FINCH. Because if I do talk about how romantic their project turned out to be or if I do talk about how lovely their relationship molded, I just can't promise this review won't be a novel-length review. And I just really wanna talk a lot about THEODORE FINCH. Thinking about Finch right now brings tears to my eyes and THAT painful flutter in the chest begins. There is no way I'll forget Finch. No way. I know he's got those labels he hated but man, I've never seen a love expressed this way. His labels or depression didn't stop him from expressing his feelings with such intensity. He loved Violet in his own little ways and it makes it so painful because his love wasn't enough. All those things he did for himself and for Violet captivated me in so many unforgettable ways. He didn't make it too hard to fall in love with him. He's an amazing character. Broken indeed but mesmerizing.

Who would have thought that a character who is too fascinated with death is so full of life? He just didn't see it. He didn't know how much he is loved. He sank so deep in his "black moods" and overlooked Violet -- his the only person who made him so damn happy. I wish for so many things for Finch and Violet but alas, I wasn't the author. Niven made the journey so excruciating but wonderful.

Driven with passion, All the Bright Places reaches the deepest parts of the heart. Riveting and gripping, All the Bright Places is a magnificent and moving story -- that can melt the toughest hearts and maybe a thousand more.

"It's not your fault. And sorry wastes time. You have to live your life like you'll never be sorry. It's easier just to do the right thing from the start so there's nothing to apologize for."

"You are all the colors in one, at full brightness."

"We do not remember days, we remember moments."

"The thing I realize is that it it's not what you take, it's what you leave."

REVIEW: WE WERE LIARS BY EMILY LOCKHART.

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Edition: Paperback
Published: May 13, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 240
Source: Bought from Fullybooked, Fort
Category: Contemporary
Trailer: Not applicable.

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Synopsis:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Less is definitely more.

Truth be told, I never heard much about We Were Liars. Yes, I've seen ARCs around but I didn't give much fuss about it. Until THAT day. That perfect day when 3 of my bookish friends (aka my #WWLSupportGroup Kai, Jesselle and Leslie) couldn't stop gushing about how much We Were Liars ruined their minds. That was also the day I found early copies from our local bookstore that I just had to grab my own copy. I devoured it like I didn't eat words for 5 lifetimes. That was the day I was torn apart, piece by piece, beyond repair.

We Were Liars is a story like no other. Unique, thrilling, magnificent, absolutely mind blowing and it is one billion sadness compressed into 240 pages. The confusion and questions I encountered the entire time were overwhelming. I saw Cadence's character as a very broken protagonist within a very greedy family that I hated the composition and combination of the Sinclair family. Their differences somehow collided with their motive which was their old man's wealth. I couldn't understand how Cadence was just so fragile that everyone seemed to be shutting her out. The mere fact that she met a terrible accident no one wanted to talk to her about, even her cousins and Gat, drove me insane. Like, what is wrong with these people? She deserves to know. I would have never understood it if I stopped reading and finding out the truth myself. It felt like I was sitting with Cadence the entire time, patiently waiting for the truth for reveal itself. And when it did, hell, I was a goner.

My bookish friends really did try to warn me about the last 50 pages. How those glorious pages will be the cause of my bleeding heart. How those fantastic pages with cut my breath short. And how those crazy pages will push my soul into oblivion. Their warnings weren't enough for me to be  prepared BECAUSE THERE IS JUST NO FREAKING WAY YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO. THE LAST 50 PAGES RUINED ME, ROBBED ME OF MY SANITY, SHOCKED ME, TORE ME APART AND COMPLETELY TOOK MY SENSE OF LIVING FOR 5 HOURS. IT WAS SO PHENOMENALLY SAD THAT I COULDN'T THINK STRAIGHT, I COULDN'T FOCUS ON ANYTHING AND LOOKING AT THE BOOK MADE ME WANT TO GRAB CADENCE AND HUG HER FOREVER. THERE IS JUST NO WAY, NO NO WAY FOR ME TO MOVE PAST THAT. THAT PART WHEN THEY LEFT. IT JUST WRECKED EVERY EMOTION I HAVE, EVEN THE TINIEST ONE BECAUSE IT WAS THAT PAINFUL. THE ENDING WAS TRULY, TRULY PAINFUL. I COULDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT GAT WITHOUT SOBBING, LIKE SERIOUSLY. OMG.

*breathes slowly*

As I have shared on Facebook, I couldn't recommend this book enough. It isn't only mysterious but highly intriguing and it plays so good with the mind. Lockhart sure enough nailed this one, the characters are so lovely, the plot is one of a kind, the romance is ugh, to die for and that tingling sensation on each chapter gives an out of the body goosebumps. This book is surely one of the amazing novels I've read this year. And be warned: prepare for a support group. You wouldn't survive longer after you're done with this.

"Be a little kinder than you have to."

"I want to know everything, understand everything; I want to hold [him] close and run my hands over him and never let him go. But perhaps this is the only way we can start."