All the Bright Places author Jennifer Niven completely smashed records as her first ever Young Audience (YA) book released in 2015 became the #1 best seller in teen and young adult depression and mental illness fiction, and rightfully so. All the Bright Places has to be one of the most interesting fictional books I’ve ever read. It beautifully ties bipolar disorder and depression in teens into an amazing story about love.

When polar opposites Theodre Finch, the school outcast, and Violet Markey meet, it’s love at first sight. The two teens meet at the top of a bell tower where Violet is contemplating jumping off when Theodore sees her and talks her down, the school thinks that violet saved him and not the other way around. Finch is bipolar and suicidal; he thinks of how and when he’ll kill himself everyday. Violet’s sister Eleanor passed away earlier on in the year, and she has been depressed ever since.

Violet and Finch go on many outings where they express feelings that they wouldn’t express with anyone else. Finch does help Violet overcome her depression while he becomes worse than he was before and acting out, which cause him to get expelled from school and trying to kill himself (and failing.) Finch then sent everyone he knew suicide notes before drowning himself.

All the Bright Places really highlights teen mental health issues. I think that Niven’s usage of both characters’ point of views gives us a look into both of their minds and accentuates the contrast in their lives. The reader can clearly see that Finch is suffering from a mental disorder.

Niven uses the lives of average teenagers to brilliantly bring awareness to teenage mental, and many people find it intriguing, which is why the book (rightfully so) earned great ratings.

In 2017, there is a movie version of the book expected to be coming out which I am very excited to see. All in all, I think that it is an excellent book and I definitely recommend reading it.