"This book will make you cry, think, and then cry some more." —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything
From the New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not comes an explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past.
When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.
To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.
If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.
I kind of made it a goal to read all of Adam Silvera's stuff because I'd much rather read LGBT stuff by actual LGBT authors. But wading through the first half of such a dreary book was SO difficult and made me incredibly miserable.
Book content warnings: suicide
Overall, the book was an okay read, with a lot of beautiful moments throughout the rest of what was largely a melancholy story. Griffin's first love (and sort-of-but-not-really-ex-boyfriend) dies, and everything falls apart around him. His future, his universe (even his hundreds of alternate universes), and many of his other relationships, too.
The story is is about him repairing his life and going about his own personal recovery - also overcoming his OCD. It's slow and often painful, as life often is, but also makes for painful reading. :S Like I mentioned at the beginning, the first half was particularly a struggle, especially if you're also going through something similar or have depression. The second half at last lets up, and has more of a positive attitude. It's still tough, and considering the subject matter of this book, that's not too much of a surprise.
I think this might be fit for its age group, but I just couldn't find it something enjoyable.
