3.5 stars. I had been eyeeing this book for a while, and yet when I FINALLY picked it up, I discovered I did not really know what I was expecting from it and entered the story with a vague idea about sad teenagers, stories I enjoy but mostly do not surprise me often. 
 Belzhar did. Not in a flashy way but I found it to be have a tiny different vibe, if I can say it that way, than other books on teen depression I had read in the past. 
 Probably, it comes from magical realism element I am not used to in my usual contemporary reads, or maybe it just how the characters interact with one another? Who knows? 
 Surely, the "reveal" at the end did not hurt, changing a little bit from usual drama. 
 Most of all, this book is about how grief, of all kind, can affect a person so deeply but also about the journey one can take to over come it. 
 It also shows friendship and acceptance and the importance of words. 
 Also, I really need to read The Bell Jar now.