Teen Review: History is All You Left Me
Review by Ara, age 12. Warning: some spoilers ahead. This sounds like the kind of book that will make you cry in public!
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"Don’t die at all. Okay?"
"Fine. I’ll never die."
"I mean it. Promise me."
"I promise you: I’ll never die."
A promise that after broken leaves Griffin Jennings grieving over his once best friend and first love, Theo McIntyre. Griffin, who feels he has more to say to Theo, begins going through their past to fill in the blanks. Unable to find all the pieces of their story, Griffin turns to Wade, his other best friend and Theo’s boyfriend at the time of his death. They all learn what they mean to each other and realize what life will be like with Theo gone.
History is All You Left Me made me shed a few tears while reading because it is so heartfelt and raw. Adam Silvera really knows how to put true human emotions onto paper. He made me feel so sad and relate to how vulnerable Griffin was feeling as he grieves. However, in the next chapter Griffin and Theo’s relationship, blossoming into more than friendship, would help me realize there is light at the end of the tunnel. I would be at the verge of crying from sadness but instantly it would become tears of joy. Silvera managed to really toy with my feelings.
Griffin was someone who everyone could connect to in someway and feel empathetic for. The book really helps you realize that you need to appreciate every moment and especially the ones with the ones you love. I thought adding Griffin’s OCD as a recurring part of the book made him more realistic and educates us about mental illness.
Since the book was realistic fiction, Theo did not magically come back to life. This gave the book a sad ending but it was great that it was real with it’s readers and showed how life goes on after someone dies. In some ways it was also a happy ending.
I also appreciated that this book normalized being gay. It wasn’t an issue and there was no focus on whether others out of their immediate group may not approve.
I would have to say this book is in my Top 3 Favourite Books of All Time. After this read, all my standards for book have increased. It’s funny, witty, sad, and just a whole lot of feelings in one. You can’t read this book without wanting a hug afterwards.
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