"The thing I realize is that it's not what you take it's what you leave." 
 *1,5 stars 
 This book could have been amazing. This book could have been as heartbreaking as educative. It could have been a moving story about a boy's struggle with mental illness, but unfortunately it's nothing more than a cliche romance; Boy meets girl- drama and tears ensue. I had so many issues with it, and the hype just makes me resent it even more. 
 Violet Markey meets Theodore Finch on the ledge of a bell tower. Both are considering jumping to their deaths, each for a different reason- Violet is haunted by her sister's fatal accident and Finch is struggling with suicidal thoughts as long as he can remember. Of course they don't jump and of course they immediately fall in love. I was already rolling my eyes at this point, because- and excuse me for crushing your so romantic fantasies- when you're seriously considering taking your own life, the last thing that comes to your mind is fluffy relationships. 
 The characters were so unrealistic and one dimensional, that they sounded almost ridiculous. First of all, Niven tries so hard to make them clever and witty- the John Green way. I usually love Green's characters, but Niven's just come across as pretentious. I mean, do you even know ONE teenager who endlessly quotes Virginia Woolf to his/her crush? Or one who goes to school painted red or even wearing a cape? OK, you want to make your characters unique and eccentric, I get it. The thing is, there are ways of doing so without making them sound absurd. 
 Finch is so worried that people can't see past his mental illness. He is afraid that they'll label him as ''just another crazy person'', if he's diagnosed. The irony is that Niven doesn't manage to make Finch anything more than his mental illness. What were his interests, his passions, all the little things that make a person who he is? All he talks about is his condition and Violet. People who suffer from mental illnesses are so much more than that, even if sometimes they can't see it themselves. Unfortunately, Finch was nothing more. But even when he was describing his feelings and his struggles, it was poorly done. Many people have the misconception that he suffers from depression, when most likely he is struggling with bipolar disorder- which is briefly mentioned at some point, but never really analysed in depth. I understand that it is hard to write about mental illness,when you have never experienced it firsthand- you might do some research, or talk to people who suffer from it, but it is not enough. Niven should never have added any chapters from Finch's POV, if she couldn't really grasp what was going on inside his mind- because that's how it felt to me; like she never fully understood him. 
 Violet, on the other hand, has a little more depth, maybe because the author shares some of her experiences. She has a life, a passion for writing and her struggle to overcome pain and guilt felt real. But even she fell quite flat. Violet was that beautiful, popular girl who was dating that handsome, shallow guy, while hanging with the school's bullies. But then she meets a new guy and he transforms her; She starts caring about other people, she doesn't want to hung out with her old friends anymore because she finally understands that they are mean, she even manages to overcome her sister's loss; and all this thanks to Finch- whom she dated for 3-4 months. 
 Also what is wrong with everyone in their school? I am familiar to bullying. Unfortunately it happens in every school across the world; but making fun of someone who almost committed suicide and go completely unpunished or unchallenged? Is that such a common thing in America? Am I the only one who finds that weird? 
 The ending was really predictable, since this book tries so hard to be the next TFIOS. This is just all of Green's books in one, but really poorly done. (view spoiler)[ The ending and the star-crossed-lovers theme give a strong Hazel-and- Augustus vibe, the wanderings reminded me of Paper Towns, and Finch's character, as well as his search for the Great Manifesto, brought into my mind Alaska and the Great Perhaps. (hide spoiler)] There are even more similarities, for example the way the main protagonists recite facts about poets, writers and their deaths, as well as quoting some of their works. But love him or hate him, John Green did it first and did it better, when Niven is just trying to write like him- and fails. 
 I could go on and on for hours, bringing up every little thing that bothered me, but I'm going to stop here. The only thing that this book does right, in my opinion, is send an important message: TALK. Talk to a friend, a parent, a doctor. It's not easy. But you can get better. There are people out there who care, people who will miss you. Try to get better for them, for you. Ask for help. You can be helped. You deserve to be helped.