I decided to read this book because I was aware that it was a romantic novel, which happens to be my favorite genre.

It is filled with elements of friendship and love, constantly reminding you of the significance of having a loving family and good friends by your side.

This book fulfilled the 'male main character' requirement on my reading list. It was a great choice for me as I usually read romantic novels from a female perspective. This aspect made the book distinct from other romance stories.

The story follows the lives of two teenagers, Emily Gold and Chris Harte, who have known each other since birth. They grow up as best friends, and in high school, their friendship evolves into something more profound. Suddenly, tragic news strikes - Emily is found dead from a gunshot wound. The police suspect it may not be a suicide, and now Chris is on trial for the murder of his beloved girlfriend.

My least favorite character in this book was Emily Gold. I believed she was extremely selfish when she took her own life. She should have sought help when she needed it instead of only thinking about herself. She had a bright future ahead, but unfortunately, she wasted it. I also disliked how she expected Chris to shoot her. She didn't consider how he would feel after her death, knowing that he had allegedly killed her. I think this is a truly horrible event, and Chris should have spoken up about Emily's emotions and her plans to kill herself. Maybe if he had, she might still be alive today.

My favorite quote from the book was 'you don't love someone because their perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that their not'. I think this is a wonderful quote that emphasizes that you don't have to be flawless to be loved and that everyone is unique in their own way.

This book really made me reflect on teen suicide and the numerous 'what ifs' that family and friends would experience after their loved one takes their own life. I believe this would be a great book for teenagers to read so they understand that taking their own life would be a selfish act towards their families. This story also made me realize the importance of my own family and friends in my life.

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Chris and Emily have grown up together since always, destined to become husband and wife. Until the day when it is discovered that they are in the hospital and that Emily is dead and the only survivor is the boy.

The families are obviously shaken and the journey into the past, into their story, begins, in which we learn to get to know them and understand the motivation for what happened.

In this book, Picoult ventures into a genre that is not exactly her usual one. And she does it well.

Once again, she managed to keep me glued to the pages from beginning to end. The themes she tackles are multiple: the transition from adolescence to adulthood, the fear of disappointing the expectations that others have created for us, the different ways of reacting to a dramatic and destabilizing event... The author is very good at revealing the souls of the various characters and posing ethical questions: how far can one go to prove one's feelings for the loved one? And above all, is choosing to tell the truth always the right thing to do?

Needless to say, the predominant characters are the two young people, whom we get to know little by little.

Especially Emily is touching, in the way she finds herself divided between what she desires and what she lives as the expectations of the family on her.

The expectations of Melanie in particular, with whom it is impossible to empathize, despite trying in every way. Of course, her suffering and her anger are understandable, well, what parent in such a situation would not be and would not need to take it out on someone? The point is that never, not even for a second, does she question herself, always blaming someone else.

And it must be said that, on the other hand, she always finds someone who is too understanding and patient.

It's a pity that, in the end, one is left with a sense of irresolution that takes away a lot from the motivation for having tackled this not exactly short reading. To really appreciate it, the epilogue should have given clarifications on decisive elements that have been scattered throughout the narration but never gathered in support of the truth, which in fact remains very nebulous. I must add that, in my opinion, also some legal and judicial aspects would deserve a debate, but this, of course, is not the place. Sometimes, perhaps, one has to accept a story as it is told to us, without looking for faults.

Po Picoult's books always require breaks for me. Her writing is captivating. This time was no exception. I really liked it. It immediately drew me in. It amazed me. It didn't disappoint.

Jodi Picoult is a highly acclaimed author known for her thought-provoking and emotionally charged novels. Her works often explore complex themes such as family, love, morality, and justice. The stories she weaves are rich in character development and filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

One of the things that makes Picoult's writing so engaging is her ability to create relatable characters. Her protagonists are flawed and human, facing real-life challenges and dilemmas. This allows readers to connect with them on a deep level and become invested in their stories. Additionally, Picoult's use of multiple perspectives adds depth and complexity to her narratives, giving readers a more comprehensive understanding of the events and characters.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a good read that will keep you entertained and make you think, then Jodi Picoult's books are definitely worth checking out. Whether you're a fan of literary fiction or just looking for a page-turner, you're sure to find something to enjoy in her works.

A book about love in adolescence, depression, suicide, friendship, suffering, and losses. It's yet another amazing drama by Jodi, but with some loose ends that I wish had been better explored at the end of the book. Nevertheless, I really liked the plot.

The story delves deep into the complex emotions and experiences of teenagers. It shows how love can bring both joy and pain, how depression can悄然creep in and consume a person, and how the loss of a loved one or a friendship can be devastating. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making it easy for readers to empathize with their struggles.

Although the book has its flaws, such as the unresolved loose ends, it still manages to captivate the reader from start to finish. It makes you think about the importance of mental health, the value of true friendship, and the power of love. Overall, it's a great read that I would recommend to anyone interested in exploring the themes of adolescence and human emotions.

This is the first Jodi Picoult book that I have read. I must admit that she is indeed a good writer. From the moment I started reading, I found myself completely engrossed and unable to put the book down.

However, upon further reflection, I felt that there were certain aspects that were lacking, preventing this from being a truly solid GOOD book. In my opinion, although this book was supposed to be a drama/love story, it severely lacked the necessary drama to keep me on the edge of my seat.

I would rate this book as worthy of three stars rather than two, solely because I completely fell in love with the main character, Chris Harte. He was the only character that I felt was well-developed and had any real depth or interest. If every man could be like this 18-year-old boy, the world would无疑 be a much better place.

On the other hand, I found myself abhorring his girlfriend, Emily Gold. Her mother, Melanie, was a close second in my list of disliked characters.

The basic plot of this book revolved around two children, Chris Harte and Emily Gold, who grew up together as neighbors and best friends. They were inseparable and started dating around the ages of 15 and 14, respectively. By the time they reached 17, Emily was dead, and Chris was on trial for her murder, due to an apparent suicide pact that had gone wrong.

The trial took up at least half of the book, and then there was a rather predictable ending. The only thing that truly kept me interested in this book was the fact that every other chapter told an account of the past, explaining the circumstances that led up to this suicide pact. I was curious to know what had happened, and this aspect of the book did manage to hold my attention.

However, there were several glaring problems with this book, at least from my perspective. There were several issues that were touched upon but then never resolved or fully explained. At times, I found the maturity of Chris and Emily's relationship to be extremely unbelievable.

Most importantly, I did not think that Chris and Emily were a good couple. Chris was clearly a very caring, devoted, and sensitive boy. He was completely in love with Emily. Emily, on the other hand, turned out to be weak and completely self-centered. She did not even consider how her actions would affect other people. Although her issues were legitimate, I did not think that she was deeply scarred enough or that her situation was so grave that suicide was the only way out.

Overall, it's not a bad read, considering that Jodi Picoult is an excellent writer. It is entertaining, although somewhat under-developed in certain areas. It's not a book that, upon finishing, I find myself regretting having spent two days of my life reading it. However, if her other books follow the same vein as this one, I will likely think twice before picking up another one of her works.

Might it be possible that this is a DNF (Did Not Finish)? I'm already 47% into the book, but I find that I'm not in the right mental state to read about suicide. It's a bit too hard-hitting for me. However, as far as I can tell, it seems to be one of Jodi Picoult's better books. The writing is excellent and it's very readable.

Nevertheless, the topic is just too much for me to handle at the moment. I might consider continuing to read it at a later date when I'm in a more suitable frame of mind.

I'm sure that there are many aspects of the story that I would appreciate if I were able to finish it. But for now, I need to take a break and come back to it when I'm better prepared to deal with the difficult subject matter.

It's important to know when to step back and take care of oneself, especially when faced with something that can be so emotionally challenging.

This book has been a pleasant surprise for me. I only knew the author because of the most famous 'My Sister's Keeper' but I didn't know what to expect from this one. As usual, I didn't read the plot before starting it, so zero expectations.

The first few pages didn't arouse much interest in me, but soon after, the story began to grip me. Starting from Emily's death, we witness the entire process that is carried out against Chris, but not only that: we also relive their lives from birth. We see their relationship grow slowly, as if we had been there with them and really known them. I believe that the author was very good at this: she managed to tell the story making us directly enter into it. She managed to make me feel emotions with the characters, to make me dream with them, to make me desire their love story.

The character that I preferred was that of Chris: I felt so much tenderness for this boy from the very beginning, first of all for what he had to live with Emily and then after what happened. I believe that he was one of the most dynamic characters in the course of the story: you go from believing him to not believing him, from seeing him as a murderer to not seeing him as such, from seeing him as a boy in love to seeing him as a desperate boy. I felt a lot of empathy towards him, he made me feel a lot of emotions reading about his period spent in prison waiting for the trial.

I really appreciated the plot of the mystery part dedicated to the trial and the discovery of the truth with the more romantic part instead dedicated to the lives of the protagonists. I saw a nice message in it: in the end, the person who is the protagonist of a trial is still a person, and as such, deserves to have a dignified treatment. 4,5⭐️

Another beautifully written, emotional and thought-provoking read from this brilliant author.

The subject matter was a difficult one for me, and I had avoided reading this book for a while. However, despite being quite distressing, it is written extremely well. The character arcs are truly intriguing.

Nevertheless, I found that with this book, a few loose ends were left unravelled, which left me a little puzzled, especially at the end.

*SPOILERS FOLLOW*

The actual reasons for the suicide remained ambiguous to me. Was this a deliberate choice by the author? The events seemed to have had little impact on Kate. Additionally, what was the significance of the blank paper at the end? I'm not sure if this was just too subtle for my understanding.

Overall, while the book had many strengths, these unresolved aspects left me with a sense of dissatisfaction.

TRIGGER WARNING: SA, suicide

UPDATING MY REVIEW. In full disclosure, I've never been able to read this book in "one sitting." It's just too hard. So brace yourself.

THE PLOT

Emily and Chris are childhood sweethearts. They are like a dream come true for neighbours who happen to be best friends. However, then everything changes drastically. Emily dies at the tender age of 17, and Chris finds himself on trial for her murder. Chris vehemently denies that he killed her and claims that it was a suicide pact that went horribly wrong. But what is the actual truth?

MY OPINION

Just writing this review makes me feel an overwhelming sense of sadness. As I mentioned earlier, I simply can't read this book straight through within a normal timeframe. It is that extremely sad. I first started reading it when I was a very angsty 16-year-old. Over the next couple of years, I would pick it up again before finally making it through. It is such a difficult, heart-wrenching, and devastating read. I definitely shouldn't have read it as a teen. Just saying.

To be honest, I probably shouldn't have been reading ANY of Jodi Picoult's books at that age, but I was devouring them all. Jodi's writing is as poignant and beautiful as ever. She has this amazing ability to make you feel exactly what her characters are feeling, even if you don't necessarily want to. Her novels are always extremely well-researched, and she is one of the few authors who can eloquently navigate through difficult and complex topics.

There's nothing funny or sassy about this review, unfortunately. It is just plain sad. If you can somehow gather the courage, you should give it a read. I'm not a parent, but I wouldn't recommend this to teens. Or if you do decide to let them read it, I would highly suggest checking in with them along the way.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: Beautiful writing, masterfully handled difficult subjects.

Cons: Sad AF. You really have to be in the "right" mindset to handle this.

I just finished reading a book and I could not put it down!

From the moment I picked it up, I was completely engrossed in the story.

The characters were so vivid and the plot was so exciting that I found myself reading late into the night.

Every page turn brought a new surprise and I was constantly on the edge of my seat.

I loved how the author was able to create such a rich and detailed world that I felt like I was a part of it.

It was truly a captivating read and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great book.

I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

I absolutely loved reading this book. It took me on a journey to different places and made me think deeply, just as one would expect from Jodi Picoult. However, it also made me feel uncomfortable at times and perhaps it placed too much trust in our suspended disbelief. Mine failed me more often than usual. The idea that these two children, raised together, could feel each other's pain when one is wounded is not only unhealthy but also difficult to believe. And then there's Emily. She could have added a touch more reality to the story, but for some reason, the author chose to quieten her. It's not because she's dead, as we do get many parts of the story narrated from her point of view. Maybe it was just the author's intention.

I started reading this book knowing that the ending wouldn't satisfy me, as I had read other reviews. So, I focused on enjoying the journey above everything else, and I did enjoy it. I don't think a lot of what happened in the story could really occur in real life, but it's an unusual family, and you can't help but be curious about how they will handle all the challenges that life throws at them.

Let's talk about the ending. It was partly planned to be unsatisfactory, and I think there were still some loose ends that could have been tied up. For example, the relationships between each of the four parents were explored but then seemed to be forgotten. I wanted just a little more. Or perhaps, if I had been told less, it would have been better.

The biggest hole for me, though, was Emily. I just couldn't buy her character. We get some vague explanations, but they don't quite fit. It's no wonder that every character is confused when the book starts. Even now that I've finished reading, I'm still confused about her death (whatever it was, I won't spoil it for you). As I said earlier, her development could have been better.

As someone who works in the field of Law, I do understand the very ending. I know how trials work and how it matters whether you're on the defense or the accusation. I think that's what Picoult was trying to convey while discussing the role of truth in a court trial. Unfortunately, I don't think it worked as well when combined with the holes left by the rest of the narration. So, that's my take on the ending. This book was worth my time, but I do think it needed a little more to make the ending truly effective. And yet, I'm not sure if most readers would feel satisfied with it.

If you're going to read this book, I suggest imagining the worst possible ending as you go along, just like I did.