BEST! BOOK! EVER!!!

The balance between serious topics and humorous, well-liked characters is exquisite! I admit that I truly love books about serious topics, like depression or death (weird, I know), but the way Ava Dellaira tells the story of Laurel is high above what is expected, even for her genre.

After I read this book, I immediately looked at reviews of what others thought, expecting to find an assortment of everyone's applause and gratification that an author wrote this brilliant book. However, instead I found many upset reviews that this 14-year-old female would act and write like an 11-year-old. Perhaps this might be true, but what the writers of these reviews failed to mention is that Laurel experienced many tragedies in her short life so far that most people could not even imagine. To name even one of these unfortunate instances, to put it lightly, would be an enormous spoiler, so I will not specify the types of hardships she had to go through. I will say, though, that these difficulties generally stunt a child's mental and emotional growth, and therefore, Laurel was unable to act or write at an internal age of older than 11 (as the aforementioned struggles first started when she was approximately 11.

I will conclude this review by saying that everyone I have physically talked to have loved - LOVED - this book. I talk to my friend almost daily about how this book is phenomenal to the point of rambling on and on and ON. I also talked to a close family member of mine, who read this upon my request, who said that this is an absolutely amazing book. Absolutely. Amazing.

Words do not begin to describe how fantastic this is.

When I read this book for the first time, I liked it and would have given it 4 stars, but then I read "The perks of being a wallflower" and realized it is basically the same story. So I couldn't rate it that high anymore. Nevertheless, it is a nice read, I liked the letters and the lesbian side story. Laurel seemed an okay main character although it was a bit unrealistic that she'd spent her whole life wanting to be her sister, so much that she doesn't have any own personality in the beginning. But maybe I just don't know that feeling because I'm the oldest sister myself and never experienced having an older sibling as your role model. And Laurel seemed to me a bit too much like a child and her thoughts and writing are a bit too naive and childish for a girl her age.
Nevertheless I enjoyed reading it and it's quite good for a debut novel.

4.5
really beautiful book, it was full of love and it showed the side to death that many forget; grief. I loved everything about it however i have an issue with books that are only narrated through letters, hence the 4.5 stars. nevertheless a stunning debut

I nearly didn't read this as it doesn't seem to have many good reviews. But I really enjoyed it!

It was slow starting but once I was about 40% through, I couldn't put it down. Lots of likeable characters!

the epilogue made me cry

This book was much like the Perks of Being a Wallflower and has the same power and feel as the book, plus the cover is freaking beautiful

At first I was not crazy about the book. But then I really started to get into it. I really wanted to know what happened and what each character was dealing with.

The book is a story about living with secrets and pain. I showed multiple hurt teenagers and the way that they dealt with the pain of what they were each dealing with.

I enjoyed the book and some of it will stay with me. I wish I had read it earlier in my life.

Utterly beautiful and filled with such raw emotions

3,25/5 sterren

Ik weet niet zo goed wat het was met dit boek. De verhaallijn was duidelijk en de personages waren super goed uitgewerkt. Toch voelde het voor mij soms wat langdradig. Ik kan niet zeggen dat ik het niet leuk vond maar het was gewoon niet helemaal mijn ding.