Hold Still by Nina LaCour Review

Dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can't.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend's suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn't die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid's descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.- Barnes and Noble website

Hold Still breaks your heart and somehow manages to sew it back together again. It's hard to exactly describe my feelings as I began reading, because, for me at least, it was incredibly difficult to take in Caitlin's situation and her way of dealing with death. It took me a few chapters to get a firm grip on the story and the emotional weight that came with it. But once I was able to do that, the story took off.

I loved how LaCour wrote simply, yet poetically. She tells Caitlin's story with a painful grace that helps you to overlook the tragedy and focus on the healing. Although you may have to read this book in chunks- it's not one I would recommend reading in one night- there was always a fluidity to the novel. Even the drawings were beautiful; they added yet another meaningful layer to the story.

This is no doubt my favorite book that I've read this year. Please go pick it up; you truly won't regret it.

Rating: 9.5/10