History Is All You Left Me

By Adam Silvera

5/5

“Griffin has lost his first love in a drowning accident. Theo was his best friend, his ex-boyfriend and the one he believed he would end up with. Now, reeling from grief and worsening OCD, Griffin turns to an unexpected person for help. Theo’s new boyfriend. But as their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, dangerous truths begin to surface Griffin must make a choice: confront the past, or miss out on his future.”

This book is absolutely beautiful from start to finish. It made me cry a lot and it is a story that will stick with me for a very long time. The story is written in alternating chapters of ‘History’, which explores Theo and Griffin’s relationship from start to finish, and ‘Today’, which explores the friendship between Jackson and Griffin.

I think grief is portrayed excellently in this book. No character is being judged for grieving differently than others and Griffin’s parents really understand and support what he is going through. His grief was unique to him which is an important message – no one grieves the same and this is ok! Griffin and Jackson’s (Theo’s ex-boyfriend) friendship was really special and I liked how it developed throughout the book as they started off really disliking each other. I liked Jackson’s character a lot despite disliking him at the start of the book as I was purely ‘Team Griffin.’ Wade is definitely my favourite character, as although we didn’t see too much of him, he was a really integral part to the story. I did also like Griffin’s character but he acted very selfishly at times. Theo was a character that I grew to really hate – I loved him at the start of his and Griffin’s relationship but he grew to be incredibly selfish and manipulative. I think what was the most upsetting was Griffin losing his best friend rather than him losing the love of his life.

Mental health is also a key component to this book but it is not the main focus. I myself don’t suffer from OCD so I can’t comment on how well it is represented but Griffin did see therapy in a positive light which I thought was brilliant. The other characters took Griffin’s illness really seriously and tried to make life as easy as possible for him in regards to his compulsions which was excellent to see.

I highly recommend this book to everyone – it will definitely make you cry but I think it’s a really important story in regards to grief, mental illness and also healthy relationships.

How to Fall in Love

By Cecelia Ahern

4.5/5

I have been a big fan of Cecelia Ahern’s for a while; I read Where Rainbows End around 6 years ago on holiday and it has remained one of my favourite books to this day. I had been debating buying How to Fall in Love for some time but every time I was in a bookshop, there was always a YA book that caught my eye instead. After receiving a Waterstones voucher for my birthday I was finally able to purchase this book and I am so glad that I did.

The story follows Christine and Adam, a man she saved from jumping off a bridge, and their two weeks together as Christine tries to make him fall back in love with life before his 35^th birthday. Just from reading the blurb I knew I would like this book as it was guaranteed to make me cry and if you have read my reviews before, you will know that I love books that make me cry. Of course, this book did not disappoint. It was romantic and heart-breaking, a real roller-coaster book to read. I thought the characters were brilliant, especially Adam and Christine’s sisters. They were vibrant and alive and I feel that I really connected with them. There were humorous parts which broke up the heartbreak and added to the beauty of this book. The gorgeous Irish setting completed this book and made me crave a visit to Ireland even more.

I will most definitely be reading this book again and I highly recommend it to everyone. I can’t wait to read more of Cecelia Ahern’s work.

I’ll Give You The Sun

By Jandy Nelson

4.5/5

This book. Wow. I finished this book about 20 minutes ago and I am still speechless. I can’t stop thinking about it and I don’t think I’ll be able to stop for a very long time.

I was a bit unsure of this book when I first began reading and for a good 100 pages I wasn’t sure if I was going to like which is the reason I gave it 4.5/5. There’s lots of imagery and flowery language and if you’ve read some of my other reviews you will know this isn’t really my thing. However, when the story got going I could not put this book down. This story is breath-taking and relatable and so incredibly wonderful. Jude and Noah are so gorgeous and though I hated them both at different times, I still love them both wholeheartedly. I really liked how Noah’s chapters are from his younger perspective and Jude’s from their present age because it really enables you to see how they have grown and developed. Their relationship is so heart-breaking but is what makes the book so special. Noah and Jude will forever be in my heart.

The romance in this book is incredible. Noah and Brian made me laugh and cry and I felt every emotion they went through. Jude and Oscar are so perfect and their relationship is so special. I adore all of the characters in this book and it was wonderful to see how they all intertwine.

I could go on about this book forever but I don’t want to spoil its magic. You really must go and pick up this book – it’s one of a kind and a story that will stay with me for a very long time.