All the Bright Places was written by Jennifer Niven. This book was released in January of 2015 and won a Goodreads Choice Award in 2015. This book has been placed on several banned book reading lists, which is a shame because this is a BEAUTIFUL story. I listened to the audio edition, a real treat. Kirby Heyborne is one of my favorite narrators.
The Non-Spoiler Review:
This book is at LEAST five stars and a BIG box of Kleenex. I loved the characters, Violet and Finch so much. There are sooooo many feels. I would definitely recommend this book, but know there will be tears. Lots and LOTS of tears.
Also…the author created GERM Magzine, inspired by fictional character Violet’s e-magazine. So if you’re reading Violet’s story and thinking, “Yes, the world needs this!” Violet might be fictional, but her magazine is very real.
Spoilers:
This book is a love story, but it’s also a story about mental illness, suicide, and the aftermath. This is NOT a pro-suicide story. At the end of this novel, the author shared a very personal story of her own experience with a loved one’s suicide. There’s a great deal of survivor guilt that isn’t really addressed in most stories. Jennifer Niven wrote this book with the hope that it would help others who have been in her shoes. I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. The truth resonates throughout this book. It deals with some sad issues, but it’s also incredibly uplifting. I left this story with the desire to change my life for the better.
There’s some occasional adult language peppered through this book, but I would certainly recommend this book for teens and older. It’s one of my favorite books of all time. I look forward to enjoying more books by Jennifer Niven.
xo Juli
JULI HOFFMAN 
Why was it banned?
LikeLike
One of the characters commits suicide and it’s a YA novel. The story is well done, and DOESN’T promote suicide as a good thing, but there are lots of groups that don’t feel like this is an appropriate thing for teens to read. I disagree. I think a book like this might actually PREVENT teen suicide. Also, it’s amazing how many people will climb aboard with banning books, who’ve never read the book in question.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Goodness yes, I so agree Juli. Why hide reality. It’s there and we need knowledge and education not myths and whispers.
LikeLiked by 1 person