“This book will make you cry, think, and then cry some more.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything From the New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not comes an explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past. When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning … Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.
To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.
If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.
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This book was provided to me as a digital review copy by the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
Griffin is drowning in his grief in much the same way that his ex-boyfriend, Theo, drown in the ocean. He struggles to cope with disappointment, guilt, and anger, toward himself and toward others. History is All You Left Me is emotional in a manner that far overshadows the normal teen angst that is depicted in YA novels. The book explores aspects of death that many people don’t consider, such as dealing with the unanswered questions that a loved one leaves behind when they pass, and how to move on when there are so many loose ends that will never be tied up. Griffin chooses a surprisingly mature way to cope when he decides to bond with Jackson, but grief will make people do things that they would never normally consider, and that is the case here. In the end, Griffin has to learn how to cope without self-destructing, and how to help his friends cope without it turning into a competition with the winner being the one who hurts the most. The author does a good job of taking the characters through the stages of grieving. The writing is well done, though there are times that the jumps between time periods are confusing. I would recommend this book to older teenagers who are empathetic enough to appreciate the characters’ pain, but not so sympathetic that they’ll require grief counseling afterward.
I have to read Adam Silvera’s books when I’m alone. No riding in a tram, no one beside me. Just me and the stillness of the night. When tears can run freely because it’s impossible to stop them. Another dagger through the heart. Theo, Griffin, Wade, Jackson, Adam. Well done, all of you.
History remains with the people who will appreciate it most. You didn’t get your history wrong, Griff.
My last words? Reading this book is emotional suicide, but it’s a beautiful way to die.
My mom had to ask me why I was crying so much.
In this book, we meet Griffin. Griffins first love and ex-boyfriend Theo has died in a drowning accident which makes Griffins universe explode. He is so depressed and doesn’t think he will ever find love again. So, he decides to go up in the feeling of hatred. Hatred against Jackson, Theo’s boyfriend from the time when he had the accident. But both of them desperately need someone to understand them. So when they are all out of options, they turn to each other. Is there a change they can forget their prejudice?
I personally really loved this book. The pain was real and you got really connect with the emotions. It describes the way it feels when a loved one dies as if the world comes to an end. But also what society expects from you. To get your things straight, to become yourself again. But what if a little part of yourself died with the one you loved? The book handles this heavy subject well. And even though, Griffin doesn’t believe in love anymore, he finds it somewhere unexpected.
The book is written in a diversion of present and past. In the past, we get to see memories from Griffin about him and Theo and sometimes about more than that. In the present, we get to see how he deals with Theo’s passing and the demanding people around him. This book will make you laugh and it will definitely make you cry. I give it 5/5 stars because it was just perfect…
Adam Silvera has an amazing beautiful voice. He took several hard subjects and let us be apart of life working itself out. I rarely find a book that has me laughing one minute and ugly crying the next. I found myself really relating to Griffin and wanting him to find his way through all this. The depth of Silvera’s character building was spectacular. I love that Griffin and I both have minor characters as our favorites in Harry Potter. Silvera also took a hard subject like OCD and handled it with grace and dignity. I loved this book. And this author quickly joined the ranks as one of my must read authors.
Messy, complicated, tangled and raw. Theo is the thread that intertwines the lives of Griffin, Wade and Jackson in ways I didn’t see coming. It’s disarming, touching and real. I’m lost for more words…
This story was absolutely amazing. 10/10 would recommend.
The main character falls in love, has his heart broken, and through the course of the story you begin to feel for the pain the characters are going through.
The characters are original, the writing is fantastic, and the story itself is heartbreaking and unpredictable. I found myself flying through this book, but it never fully resonated with me.