It took me a wee while to get into this - I thought it started slowly and I was finding it difficult to get engaged in the life of two angsty teenagers (Violet and Finch) who met at the top of a bell tower at school. The book though is about so much more than that, and the angst that they carry is much more complex than typical teenage issues. 
 The book is told from both perspectives and we watch as they both cautiously (from Violet's perspective anyway) befriend each other and slowly fall in love. Violet is recovering from the death of her sister, Finch is dealing with a deep depression that he's always trying to stay one step ahead of and somehow they navigate this together as Finch unrelentingly urges Violet out of her own grief and back into the land of the living whilst, at the same time, using her as an anchor for himself. It is sweet and natural feeling relationship that sucks you in and makes you hope for good things for these two young people who deserve a lot more than they have at that point in their lives. I didn't even see it coming, but about a quarter of the way through this I was already deeply invested in them, even though I already sensed it would break my heart. 
 And it did. I cried at the end and although I hate that it ended the way it did, it was a beautiful book and it worked. It was effective about the story it was trying to tell and the cruelty that is mental illness. It's going to take a while to get over this, I think but I'm happy I read it regardless. Some stories should be told...even if they break your heart.