This is the first Jodi Picoult book that I read and I just loved it! I remember crying throughout most of the book, because it is so sad and you can feel the character's pain through her writing. The story line was a little predictable, but it was still amazing nevertheless. I loved this book so much because when I read it, I was in high school, and it made me realize that my life could be a lot worse and a lot harder than it really was. Feeling the immense pain of a character who sees no light at the end of the tunnel, made the stress and the hardships of my life seem a lot less significant. This is a great book because it raises awareness to friends, parents, and anyone else about suicide. It's sad to think that there are kids out there who would not only consider committing suicide, but helping a friend to the same thing. I'm not yet a parent, but I know that it is hard for any parent to admit that their child is having problems, and with novels such as The Pact, it could help parents (or anyone, for that matter) to realize that kids do have problems, and that they see no other way out of them other than suicide, but there is always a chance of helping them and preventing it. I like Jodi Picoult because most of her novels (at least, the ones that I've read) have to deal with real world, very tough, issues. They are good novels to read that can bring someone like me, who reads mostly fantasy, back to reality.