It's kind of a funny book! Pun intended! 
 That said, I almost gave this four stars, but I felt it got a little preachy towards the last quarter of the book, and I disliked (view spoiler)[ the hospital bedroom scene between Noelle and Craig. (hide spoiler)] 
 It's a surprisingly dark story, lightly told, in an almost "fluffy" prose. It's very rare to find a book of this sort in the POV of a male character who actually ACTS like a teenage boy (I guess the fact that it was written by a man had something to do with it in this case), and I appreciated the rare "realness" of the issue at hand. Although the story is about depression, overall it's very hopeful and fun to read. 
 That said, I did take some issue with the characters. I adored Noelle, liked Craig, even liked Aaron (not at first, but I warmed up to his character towards the end) quite a bit, but GOSH I couldn't STAND Nia. She is so whiny and self-centered that frankly I think even Aaron could do better, let alone Craig. Frankly, I find it hard to believe her character even HAD depression like she claimed. Hey maybe she really did but her behavior made her come across as someone just so desperate for attention she'd do anything, even drugs or pills, whether or not she really needed to, in order to make herself the center of everyone's universe. Aside from the fact that she's described as this drop-dead gorgeous girl guys just fall in love with at first sight, I couldn't find a single thing attractive about this character, or understand why anyone who talked to her longer than five minutes would like her. I think Noelle hits the nail on the head when she implies Nia's a slut. 
 Although this is a solid, likable book in many ways I would recommend seeing the movie first for two reasons. One, the book takes a LONG time to get to the point. We know the story is going to center around a depressed boy in the hospital learning to deal with his issues and making new friends and self discoveries, but the book just goes ON AND ON AND ON about his life beforehand to the point where one wonders if continuing reading will get us anywhere. Seeing the movie gives you a glimpse of what the build up is to and makes it easier to endure. Two, I liked the movie's characterization of Bobby a lot better than book Bobby. 
 I wish the book had told us a little more about why Noelle cut herself. She was my favorite character in this and she's barely got any page time. We know she was under pressure, and it's implied she's abused, but we never get any deeper. 
 I did like that some of Craig's new friends choose not to stay in touch with him for fear of his seeing them return to their old selves after they leave the hospital, which was very bittersweet and realistic. 
 Speaking of, this book DOES do a wonderful job of describing depression in a believable way and leaves off on a good message. 
 Were there things I disliked about it? Yep. But am I glad I read it? Also yep.