Review Detail

What I Loved: I really liked being inside Finch’s head. He was such an interesting character and watching his development and subsequent unraveling was what kept me going throughout this book. Although I wasn’t too keen on relating his condition to what happens to him in the end, it was still quite an experience. Maybe I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should’ve been, but I did not see that ending coming. It definitely broke my heart a bit and I found myself caring for Finch in a way I didn’t expect I would. I enjoyed all the little adventures Finch and Violet went on for their project. Oh, I also liked all the facts that Finch told readers about. It was pretty fascinating, albeit, a bit morbid.

Left Me Wanting More: Violet wasn’t as interesting as Finch. She’s wasn’t bad or anything, just nothing all that special. I honestly can’t even recall anything memorable about her. Also, once you learn about what Finch was dealing with, I really didn’t like the author’s take on it. I’ve been exposed to quite a bit of those who suffer from what he suffers from and I just didn’t like the direction the author went with it. I’m no expert on it, but it just didn’t click with me. Also, before finding out what the truth, I swear I thought he was suffering from something more grave than what it was. I know I’m being vague, but I don’t want to go into too much detail as I believe discovering Finch’s truth is part of the reading experience, so I don’t want to give anything away.

Final Verdict: I’ll admit I wasn’t as emotionally attached to this book as others, but that has more to do with the fact that I’m not an emotional person. The book itself does have its lulls, but overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s a story about two young people falling in love, one learning to live again, and the other coming to terms with his reality. I think it was very meaningful and realistic, again, despite that one qualm I had about it.