I write this review just a day after I finished reading, and I was so excited to read this when it came out but my local bookshop sold out! The horror! The internet is a very useful tool when panicking about whether that book is going to be yours though, and I finished it around 2-3 days after going to collect it. I loved it and was hooked on every word.
Violet Markey encounters Theodore Finch on top of the school bell tower and he's on the other side of the fence. She manages to persuade him to get to the right side of the fence and whilst he denies it, everyone has decided that 'Theodore Freak' attempted to commit suicide. Finch asks to go with Violet on a Humanities project where they wander their town and look at all the attractions. And whilst Violet is slowly recovering from her sister's death and her life is going up, Finch's life is only going down.
The book, in the time preceding its release, was billed as 'The Fault In Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park.' The site released the first chapter of the book as well, and it was billed as perfect for fans of Jay Asher. I second that on the whole! If you like any of the following, then this book is perfect: Paper Towns and/or The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I think, anyway.
The book is cleverly written and Finch has the same air about him that Augustus Waters did, where he's got that philosophical edge and that literate side to him where actually, you see beyond the death. Maybe it's time to fill in your blank space on your people to fangirl about obsessively on Tumblr.
The ending is such a breath-taker as well, it's incredible. This book also deals with the issue of mental health and suicide in a sensitive way. The story is actually inspired by one that Jennifer knows herself in life, and I was lucky enough to have my question answered by her during #Gdnbluemonday.
So, I think this should be on your to read list. This book has a way of tugging at your heartstrings in a way that no other book could for me.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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