There’s a major plot twist at the end that had me absolutely shocked and heartbroken. Overall, I think Every Last Word is a great addition to everyone’s bookshelf. Don’t get me wrong there are some pretty cute love scenes in the novel, but I think the book could’ve done without the romance plot line. It was a bit predictable and I found myself wanting more. The two characters start as enemies and then magically fall in love. Most YAMI ( Young Adult Mental Illness) novels include absent or abusive parents, so it was nice to see an involved parent for a change.Īs far as things I didn’t like… I thought the love story was a bit cliche. She was always on her daughter’s team and partnered with Sam’s therapist to ensure her well-being.

Therapy and medication were painted as positive things rather than something out of the usual or something “weird.” Sam does hide her illness from her friends, but as her character develops, she becomes less ashamed of that part of her.Īnother aspect of the book that I loved is how involved Sam’s mother was in her life. Stone clearly did a lot of research on the illness before writing this book, and I love the way she portrayed Sam’s relationship with her therapist. Sam has a lot of other amazing character traits that define her. Stone beautifully creates a character who is affected by her mental illness but isn’t defined by it. As far as young adult books featuring characters with mental illness, this one has moved to the top of my recommendation list. I’ve heard about Every Last Word multiple times over the years, but I haven’t picked it up until this summer. But just when things seem to fall into place, Sam is faced with new information that makes her question everything. She spends less time questioning her sanity and starts to feel more “normal” than she does with her popular friends. Sam makes new friends along the way, including a guitar-playing love interest and a girl who writes poetry on food wrappers. As Sam begins to write out her feelings, she begins to find her voice. Caroline introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner, an underground poet society created for the school’s misfits and outcasts.

When Sam meets Caroline, a quirky classmate she’s never noticed before, things begin to look up. She doesn’t want her “perfect” friends to know about her internal battle, so she hides behind a face of makeup and confidence. She has Purely-Obsessional OCD, a mental illness that causes her to live a life plagued with dark thoughts and obsessive behaviors. In Every Last Word, Samantha “Sam” McAllister lives her life with a secret.

Every last word romance