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    All the Bright Places: A Novel
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    All the Bright Places: A Novel
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    All the Bright Places: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    All the Bright Places: A Novel

    Written by Jennifer Niven

    Narrated by Kirby Heyborne and Ariadne Meyers

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

    Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

    Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

    When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the "natural wonders" of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

    This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

    Editor's Note

    Breakout hit...

    Jennifer Niven makes the jump from adult to YA fiction with a breakout hit that goes straight for the heart. It mixes the darkness of suicide, like in “Thirteen Reasons Why,” with the humor and quirkiness of “The Fault in Our Stars.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 6, 2015
    ISBN9780553552201
    Unavailable
    All the Bright Places: A Novel
    Author

    Jennifer Niven

    Jennifer Niven divides her time between Atlanta (where she was named one of Jezebel Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People) and Los Angeles (where her film Velva Jean Learns to Drive won an Emmy Award and she once played the part of Shania Twain in a music video). She has written nine books. When she isn't writing, Jennifer studies belly dancing, yoga, and electric guitar; and explores her inner bombshell. Find out more JenniferNiven.com.

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    Reviews for All the Bright Places

    4/5

    760 ratings94 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I was disappointed by Jennifer Niven's "All the Bright Places" -- especially since I liked most of the young adult books I've seen it compared to in reviews. I had a hard time because the two star-crossed teens, Violet and Theodore, who struggle with mental health issues seemed so inauthentic and written just as a means to get to the tragic and obvious ending. Both characters suffer from Dawson's Creek syndrome -- they don't sound like any teen I've encountered -- and their pairing at the outset didn't make a lot of sense.
    • 4/5
      There are a lot of teen issues in this book; a good YA read. Great characters and strong storyline. The ending is powerful. It makes the book unforgettable.
    • 5/5
      This writing in this book is so matter-of-fact that you don’t think you’ll get emotionally involved, but you will. It’s not fluffy and beautiful; it’s real. Niven brings attention to mental disorders, abuse, depression, the lack of need of labels and the vast need for compassion — all without hitting you over the head with the message. Finch and Violet seem like real high school seniors, meaning you don’t love them all the time and you don’t understand them most of the time. But it works. This is an amazing book, highly recommended. It will inspire you to get out and wander your state to learn more about it — and yourself.
    • 5/5
      Violet' Markey's sister was killed in a car accident a year ago. She was in the car, but survived with minor injuries. Since then, she has cowered through life, refusing to get in a car, or do much of anything.Theodore Finch is a troubled boy. He is a talented musician, does well enough in school, and has a few friends. But he suffers from an un-diagnosed mental illness. He tries to live life not just to the fullest, but well beyond that - for a while. Then he curls up and vanishes for a while.Finch falls for Violet the moment she smiles at him. She is cautious at first, but eventually, they are inevitably in love with each other. Finch helps Violet (both intentionally and accidentally) to begin recovering from the loss of her sister. But Violet doesn't really understand that her new boyfriend is sick - probably bipolar disorder - until things begin to go awry.The first two thirds of "All the Bright Places" are fun, entertaining, and mostly somewhat light. The last third becomes much darker and heavier. I picked this up expecting a fun tale of teens in love. It is that for a while... but it grows into something much more profound.
    • 5/5
      This was an amazing book. I felt I knew the characters and wanted to help them. As violet and Finch work in the geography project, I googled all the places they visited. Most of them came up in a Roadside America site. My favorite was the backyard roller coasters. That was one of the places they actually visited together. I thought about the quirky places in North Carolina, the Cup House in Colletsvilke, the big chair in Thomasville and other offbeat places.
      The book left me with an incredibly sad feeling. Then I read that the author experienced first hand what she wrote about Violet.
    • 3/5
      I really wanted to love this book having read so many wonderful reviews about it but, alas, it didn't do it for me. The first half of the book was great. I loved the front cover and the post-it note motif throughout. I also enjoyed the dual narrative, especially Finch's voice with his quirky personality and weird obsessions, and the way he tried to help Violet overcome her grief. However, he was also flawed and broken. I hated that he didn't have a strong support group and it saddened me how he finally decided to solve his problems. In comparison, I found Violet a weaker character who never really appealed to me although I did feel sorry for her near the end. This is not a happy, feel-good story as it deals with some heavy issues including teenage suicide and mental illness, but I can see it being very popular with teenage fans of "The Fault in our Stars" especially as a movie is already in the making.
    • 5/5
      Some say falling in love can save your life. Once Theo Finch meets Violet Markey in their high school’s bell tower, they share a secret and he immediately wants to save her. Finch and Violet’s story advances at a pleasant pace around a senior year’s Geography project – to visit, record, and write about places in their home state of Indiana. All the while during their wanderings, Finch tries his best to be normal – and not the “freak” as he is called by classmates – as Violet struggles to overcome survival guilt after the recent auto-accident death of her sister, Eleanor. You can’t help but root for them, either separately or together. ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven brilliantly blends delightful humor, rock-solid realism, marvelous metaphors, plus a subtle pinch of spirituality. All the ingredients needed for one of the most memorable YA reads I’ve encountered.
    • 3/5
      Flawed and broken characters abound in this teen novel. Some try to help, others try to hurt. The author does a pretty good job of depicting the depressed Violet who is suffering from the loss of her sister and survivor’s guilt. She also does a credible job of portraying a bipolar and emotionally upset Finch. The reader sees Finch, who from a young age struggled with mental illness, trying to show that he doesn’t care that he is different. When he and Violet connect, these two misfits try to help each other. But this being a teen book, their love can’t conquer all. Factor in indifferent and abusive parents, struggling with their own issues, and over-protective and concerned parents, again coping with their own loss, and you have a perfect formula for tragedy. Too much teenage angst for my taste, but if that’s your thing, this author is for you.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book.

      It did a good job of depicting a mental illness without it being a quirky trait (like: I'm sooo OCD). It showed how a person might feel and explain what is affecting them when they don't know the right words. Finch uses "Awake" and "Asleep" to depict the different states that affect him. Awake seems to be a Manic state. While Asleep is a depressed state. It's never fully confirmed in the book, but the author is certainly intending Finch to have Bipolar disorder (aka Manic Depressive disorder).

      The author draws from her own experiences to write this book. In the authors note, she states how she lost a loved one to suicide. And how she writes the characters seems like she spend at least some time reading and talking to people about their experiences, rather than making assumptions based on some "pop" psychology or misinformation.

      It was a little like John Green, but luckily the characters weren't too quirky. They still had a tendency to know a fair few "important authors" and had convenient quotes ready on a whim. But I don't think they quite crossed the quirky line into annoyingly unrealistic.

      I think Jennifer Niven did a good job of exploring aspects of suicide, loss, grief, self-blame, and mental illness. It's not an easy thing to do, and often it can go terribly wrong, but I think she's managed to create something that young audience can read and connect with. I imagine her own experiences help make this book more authentic; while she tries to make it an interesting story, it's not glorifying mental illness. Similar books have almost turned suicide and mental illnesses into fun quirky personality traits.

      I recommend it if you like reading books that explore mental illnesses.
    • 5/5
      This book was amazing and painful.
    • 5/5

      Violet struggles to live life to the fullest because she has the weight of guilt and loss on her shoulders. Finch thinks about death on a daily basis and struggles with mental illness. Together they embark on a unique journey of finding the beauty in their state and their connection to one another.

      The early chapters were a bit slow and at times I felt like I wouldn't make it to the end... However, I am so glad I continued on because as the story progressed, it grabbed onto my heart and squeezed tight. It was a beautiful, heart breaking story. The characters were intense and their romance was truly one of kind.

      All the Bright Places is one that sticks with you long after the last page. It is a raw and intense plot that will leave you feeling vulnerable and exposed. While it had the cutesy YA additions, it also had a deep set message behind it. I was consumed by the romance and mystery and in end ... my heart was shattered into a thousand little pieces.

      It's not a light read and it's not for those who like a perfect happily ever after, but I definitely recommend it to readers of all ages!
    • 5/5
      This book was really good but I wish I hadn't read it.
    • 5/5
      "All the Bright Places" was written by the same Jennifer Niven who wrote "The Aqua Net Diaries", which I read years ago and enjoyed. I loved the heck out of "All the Bright Places", even though Finch struck me as unrealistic. Violet is mourning the death of her older sister, Eleanor, when she gets to know Theodore Finch, the school freak. Finch is larger than life (literally, Niven describes him as being tall and lanky with huge feet, he hit a growth spurt and just kept going), does crazy things, lives and loves hard, but also feels the dark times hard, too. I guessed he was bipolar right away. I did like him, and Violet, too, and it made me cry at the end even though I was determined not to. Why are all the best YA books the sad ones? At any rate, it was a really great book and I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      What to say about this book... I enjoyed this one quite a bit, despite the sadness. It hit a bit close to home for me for certain reasons though. In the beginning, I was fine. Everything was good. But then as I came around the corner without really even realizing it, reality set in and it was just hard to read. I loved the main character in it and unfortunately, I think that's how most people who commit suicide are when you get to know them. They're real and have all kinds of characteristics everyone who gets to know them see. But somehow, they miss them themselves or are simply unable to hold on to them when they need them the most. So yeah, it's a sad book. But it's a good one that pulls on the heartstrings. I may or may not have actually cried multiple times.
    • 3/5
      A book that was highly recommended to me by Librarything, which is usually reliable, but in this case was off. I found myself not really caring or being able to relate to either one of the two narrators. Both the boy and the girl were too much of everything--both nerds and geeks, normal and enigmas, naive and smart, self-confident and self-conscious. They were both also poets, something that high school kids never are. It was easy to see where the story was going, but still I predicted that it would eventually stray from its romantic story line, but it really didn't. The only derivations it had were into bi-polar disorder and suicide which I thought were a little cheap, poorly covered, and unconvincing. Really wanted to like this book. Just didn't. Would recommend it to certain teen readers. Suicide in storyline might be a trigger.
    • 4/5
      This review is going to be tricky because I don't want to give away spoilers. The book is described as a what-to-read next if you're a fan of 'The Fault in Our Stars' and/or 'Eleanor and Park'. I haven't read either of those titles, but I thought the concept of 'All the Bright Places' sounded fairly unique. Only slightly reminiscent of manga from the 90s, where upset characters jump from high places.

      Violet is your typical girl who had a normal life until tragedy hit her family. Because of her grief, she doesn't know where she fits in anymore. She struggles with depression and a major phobia.

      Finch is a misfit with a dysfunctional family. He marches to the beat of his own drummer, and most the time, enjoys being different. His zest for life comes with equal bouts of depression and fascination with death.

      The two characters are thrown together by chance, forcing Finch to keep a secret for Violet. Suddenly, Finch seems to be the boy that won't go away when the two are assigned a class project together.

      Overall, I feel that Niven did a really good job on Finch's character. He was a little like an unpopular Ferris Bueller with depression. Up for anything, but with a very real struggle. His character will probably stick with me for years to come.

      The author's note was heartbreaking. I almost wish I'd known that Niven was inspired by true-life events before reading the book. It makes it all the more touching and tragic, and drives home the fact that kindness, awareness, and outreach are key to saving lives.
    • 4/5
      Brb ugly crying.
    • 4/5
      Jennifer Niven writes beautifully. Her words flow and she makes some exquisite word choices. The story itself was good and definitely engaging and I can see why this would be a hit among teens. Perhaps because I am not in the target age group of this YA book, I found parts of it a little bland and, at times, annoying. I really liked Finch but his take-control, bossy approach with Violet was irksome, even though it was clear he cared about her. Violet's eventual acquiescence to this treatment was maddening. As a plot device, to keep things moving, I get it; as yet another female character who bows to the whims of a boy she barely knows, I'm sick of it. For heaven's sake, let us have a strong girl who doesn't give in, who sets the pace, who coexists and doesn't need to be rescued or directed, even while suffering. I know, in the end it's Finch who needed rescuing, and Violet IS a strong girl, but still.The other characters weren't developed enough, I felt. I would have liked to know more about the mom, and found the explanation of Finch's parents to be oversimplistic and flat, not to mention cliche. But overall I enjoyed this book and would probably recommend it to teens.
    • 5/5
      This is yet another example of Young Adult fiction at it's best! Violet and Finch meet high in the air on the ledge of their school bell tower. Both suffering severe depression, it is Finch (known as "the Freak", who talks Violet off the ledge. Violet is content in letting the school population believe that she saved Finch.Finch, who is severely troubled by life and the way in which he is treated by most people including his father and mother. Finch simply gains more reputation as a freak when he allows his school mates to believe he was saved by Violet. When Violet and Finch are given a project to find some unique places in their state, slowly, they trust each other and Violet comes to know Finch as a wonderful, intelligent, funny boy who understands her.She lost hope of wanting to live when a year before the bell tower incident, her sister and she were driving over an icy bridge. Her sister died; she survived. As Finch and Violet travel throughout their state, time spent together becomes unique and wonderful.To say more would spoil the book. I highly recommend that you read this one! It is an incredible insight into teen depression and suicide. Five Stars
    • 1/5
      WARNING - I have a real concern with this book. I feel strongly that it may be harmful for certain YAs, especially the younger, more impressionable who may come away with a message from this book that is not intended. I believe that many of the one-sentence blurbs on Amazon's Product page are giving a mis-impression of the story line. I suggest that readers considering this book should particularly note the Amazon blurbs from Buzz Feed and from the bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and that they read the 2 star reader reviews from Amazon. I also feel that the author's afterword is inadequate and that its subject matter should have preceded the story.This is a story ostensibly about two Indiana high school seniors who have an unusual shared moment, fall in love, separate, and .......
    • 3/5
      This probably deserves 4 stars but I'm being harsh cause I'm having a stressful week and I needed a happier ending than that. Also books about suicide bug me. I might seek out some of Niven's other books in the future.
    • 5/5
      I cried a lot. Beautiful story.
    • 2/5
      teen fiction. Boy contemplating suicide meets girl contemplating suicide, then they go on a road trip. Mundane lives of depressed teens punctuated by clever repartee and occasional levity. I liked it ok, but wasn't totally hooked by page 60, so I'm gonna pass this on to another reader. It's received good reviews though.
    • 5/5
      I will try to write between the tears. All the Bright Places will stick with me for a long time. Beautifully written story of struggling with loss, mental illness, and a broken home life. #middleschoolela #yareads #ya #marchbookmadness
    • 5/5
      Tears. A heartbreaking and hopeful book all rolled into one. This is another important book with a very real story that so many people face.
    • 3/5
      For a YA love story, this one is not bad. It certainly fits on the shelves along with John Green novels. Two likable teens who are deep thinkers and dramatic emotions but come from very different home situations. They're into good literature and have the deep feelings typical of teens in novels like this. They make their readers wish that life did have such passion and intensity. And yet thankfully it is usually just teens in novels who can feel so deeply. For its genre, and its handling of suicide and death, it does a good job. I liked it despite myself.
    • 3/5
      I liked this book...until the ending. It tore my heart out. Don't get me wrong, it was a great book with great writing and detail...it was just so sad that I can't give it five stars. I cried on the school bus because of this book, and when I came into class, I was still crying and the teacher had to ask me what was wrong. Very few books make me cry, but this one...wow. The portrayal of mental illness in this story was disturbing, and I do not recommend this book to the depressed and faint of heart.
    • 5/5
      Not a light read. Deals with difficulties of being an adolescent, suicide and mental illness. It is excellent.
    • 4/5
      What to say about this book... I enjoyed this one quite a bit, despite the sadness. It hit a bit close to home for me for certain reasons though. In the beginning, I was fine. Everything was good. But then as I came around the corner without really even realizing it, reality set in and it was just hard to read. I loved the main character in it and unfortunately, I think that's how most people who commit suicide are when you get to know them. They're real and have all kinds of characteristics everyone who gets to know them see. But somehow, they miss them themselves or are simply unable to hold on to them when they need them the most. So yeah, it's a sad book. But it's a good one that pulls on the heartstrings. I may or may not have actually cried multiple times.
    • 5/5
      This book, although a YA novel, was so incredibly profound. Please note that if you have any depressed thoughts or are disturbed by issues related to death or suicide, this book might be upsetting. However, the messages portrayed in this novel are real, moving, and thought-provoking. I wish I could say the ending was positive, happy, but life is not always a fairy-tale. I rarely allot five stars to books, and this novel earned every one, despite the cloud it left on my heart.