I don't read contemporaries. Odd as it is, they have to have a pretty good hook to bring me in and read them. Every Last Word did in the form of taking us along the road of Samantha's journey to discover who she is. 
 I was in the Army for three years and my job was behavioral health and working in an inpatient ward helping soldiers who either suffered from mental illness or where going through rough patches in their lives. I would talk, laugh, and sometimes have to use tough love with these soldiers who some suffered from some serious disorders. One thing that I realized from my experience on the ward and my own personal experiences with severe anxiety and depression is that no ones story is the same . This is true even with people who have the same disorder. It's judgmental and counter-productive to believe that everyone with a certain mental illness, just like any kind of illness, will be affected the same way. 
 I will say that this book is a lighter affair, but I did not pick it up to dive deep into the twisted mind of a girl who has a mental illness. I'm actually quite relieved that it doesn't. There are two aspects of this story that I believe that Tamara does well. Some people might disagree, but here they are. 
 1. Samantha is normal, everyday girl who just happens to be popular. She isn't some girl who is in a corner crying and going "wooh is me..." Her disorder does not cripple her so that she can't live a completely normal life. From my experience, people with mental illnesses are REALLY good at hiding them from the people around them. I can't begin to express how many times I had family or even the soldiers peers tell me "Honestly, I didn't even know that there was anything wrong..." People with mental illnesses are not raving crazy maniacs, they are normal human beings that find ways to cope with their issues. I just saw the people that had issues in that department. But this leads me to number 2. 
 2. Samantha's support system. I don't care who you are, for a lot of people this could mean the difference between life and death. About 95% of people who ended up on my ward had issues with having a crappy support system or none to speak of (military and being away from family). I am so glad that Tamara put this crutal aspect in this story. I can't begin to explain to people who have loved ones who have a mental illness how important it is to be educated and CARE like Samantha's mother. Also, I commend them portraying Samantha's psychiatrist in a positive light. There are preconceived notions that all individuals in the mental health industry do is try and shove pills down your throat and don't really care. This may be the case with some, but I have met some people, myself included, that genuinely cared about their patients. I was invested in their lives and was sad that because of awkwardness and violations that I couldn't talk to them outside of work and check up and see how they where doing. I was devastated when I saw some come back because of leaving and not having a solid support system to go back to so the cycle repeated. This is ultimately why I am glad this part was put in there. It was too perfect at times, but I want to believe that this was supposed to be an uplifting book and what SHOULD happen instead of all the horrible things that COULD. 
 There are some fluff and honestly parts that where out there. But the meat of the story and the fact that it could get people talking about mental illness in a way that is positive instead of negative is a great thing. I want more people to understand that mental illnesss is not something to be ashamed of. Honestly, I think that this book should be a requirement for teenagers in high school to read and as a future teacher and librarian, I am going to recommend that.