All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, 388 pages

First, read Krista's review for a better plot synopsis than I could give.

Shortly into this book, I thought to myself: maybe I'm getting sick (no pun intended) of this genre (YA misfit romance involving some degree of tragedy). Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But at very least I didn't love this book. It's not without its redeeming qualities, but there are massive peaks and valleys. Sometimes there are chapters, moments, characters, etc. that stand out as touching, interesting, and more complex than expected. Other times, a scene that's clearly meant to be emotionally powerful just... flops.

As evidenced by the "Author's Note" at the end of the book, the author clearly has her heart in the right place - she's not only trying to deliver a powerful story, but also an important message - but more often than not, only the latter succeeds.