All the Bright Places - Book Review

Title: All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven.
Genre: Young adult fiction.
​Series: No series. ATBP is a stand alone book.
Website: www.jenniferniven.com
Yay or Nay: Nay. (I'm sorry, Bright Places. I wasn't impressed.)
Movie adaptation: Not as yet. Although, it is in progress. A movie is set to release soon.
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5. (I had high expectations, Places. How could you let me down?)

Synopsis: All the Bright Places is about Theodore Finch, a boy who has an urge to die. He goes about his day to day life wondering if his life is good enough. He stumbles across one of his school mates, Violet Markey, a popular girl who has worries of her own. They have an awkward meeting which results in a hesitant friendship. Violet not wanting to associate herself with the boy who is called 'Theodore Freak' by their whole school, tries to avoid him. Instead she finds that she gets along well with her fellow classmate and finds happiness only in his company. Finch finds himself with a reason to carry on with his life, but can Violet Markey's friendship be enough to keep Finch going?

Review: All the Bright Places was a book that deeply disappointed me. With plenty of recommendations, positive reviews and praise, it made me question my own judgement. Places is a book with a plot that's hard to follow and sappy. Of course, if you're the sentimental type then this book will probably turn on the waterworks. I too, am an emotional person, yet I didn't feel my usual attachment to the characters. ATBP had an ending that was as predictable as Antarctica's weather. The plot had various loopholes. Other than that, the events in the book unfolded haphazardly, making no sense at all. One second a character is jumping around wildly and the next second they're slumped in a chair, leaving your mind spinning and in a blurry mess. 'What just happened?', was a thought that frequently popped in my head, not in an, 'Oh! That was so unpredictable, who would've thought?!', kind of way, but more like an, 'Oh. This again. What happened to her now?', way.

On the upside, the book had beautiful quotes that made me want to scrawl them on my wall. Lovely words that triggered the person in me that loves luscious meadows and starry skies. The story of how two very different people can make an impact on each other's lives is also beautiful.

However, I found myself wondering how much farther the ending is as I felt the book dragged on for far too long. When the ending finally arrived I was disappointed.

​Well, All the Bright Places didn't give me any precious feelings for such a highly recommended book.
​I guess it just wasn't my type of book.
2.5/5 stars.
Happy reading!