From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

All the Bright Places

Jennifer Niven

Start date: March 1, 2015

Finish date: March 31, 2015

Discussion: Stand Alone

Why we're reading this: It won the poll for the stand alone BOTM
[close] It won the poll for the stand alone BOTM

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Stand Alone

* Stand Alone- Maybe Meant to Be
By Bailey · 3 posts · 29 views

last updated Aug 18, 2025 12:04PM

* Stand Alone- The Summer of Broken Rules
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What Members Thought

Dec 28, 2015 Julie Wann rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club, ya

3.5

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2017 Liz rated it it was ok

I feel a little guilty giving this book only 2 stars. I think if I had read it BEFORE I read Holding Up the Universe, I would have rated it higher.

Theodore Finch is obsessed with death, although he has never officially tried to kill himself. Violet has recently lost her sister in an accident from which Violet survived. They meet up in the bell tower at school. Everyone knows that Finch has always been a little different, so even though Finch talks Violet off the ledge, everyone assumes she was ...more

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Apr 09, 2015 alana rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance, audiobook, young-adult, teachers-and-pupils, depression, mental-health, addicted-to-ya-2015

Agh! Too many heavy reads all at the same time! I finished Hausfrau just before this *on the same day.* Yiiiikes. First up, All the Bright Places might be my first encounter with a manic pixie dream boy. True, you get some of the story from Finch’s perspective, but his role is really to pull Violet out of her unhappy funk and make her happy with all his whimsy, charm, vigor, and – of course – his crooked smile. *smalleyeroll*

I think YA lit does need books that raise awareness of mental illness Agh! Too many heavy reads all at the same time! I finished Hausfrau just before this *on the same day.* Yiiiikes. First up, All the Bright Places might be my first encounter with a manic pixie dream boy. True, you get some of the story from Finch’s perspective, but his role is really to pull Violet out of her unhappy funk and make her happy with all his whimsy, charm, vigor, and – of course – his crooked smile. *smalleyeroll*

I think YA lit does need books that raise awareness of mental illness and the challenges and feasibility of maintaining mental health. It’s a bit disconcerting then that All the Bright Places is more a cautionary tale than a success story. The book is a call to parents, friends, and teachers to be accountable for helping those who show warning signs of depression, self-harm, suicide, and violent tendencies….while at the same time showing the deception, shame, and denial that many go through in response to their suffering. (view spoiler)

I’m starting to understand why I love genre YA rather than realistic fiction. The real stuff is just so painful. I happily picked up A Thousand Pieces of You last night and sighed over time-travel amulets and shiny jackets with built-in keyboards.
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Jan 21, 2015 Kate H rated it it was amazing

Shelves: goodreads-yajuvenile

Loved it.

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Mar 25, 2015 Lauren added it

Shelves: i-give-up

I might be heartless... But I couldn't bring myself to care right now, and I wasted too much time before giving up on the last book so I was all too ready to quit when the voices didn't grab me right away. Maybe another time. ...more

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