❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃

Review: Every Last Word by TAmara Ireland Stone

❀ Beautiful and Well-Written

On the surface, Every Last Word may seem similar to other books, but it is surprisingly very different. I had some doubts about this book before I started it, because there are so many books dealing with mental and physical illness at the moment. While I have enjoyed many of them and recognize their importance, at times I just want to read something a little more uplifting. As I began reading, I quickly realized that the book’ s main focus is not OCD. Every Last Word revolves more on Sam, the main character’s daily life and her coping method: poetry. I found it really interesting how Sam is able to put her thoughts on a page and make something so difficult to get through sound so beautiful. This book is so well-written and different from other books of its kind.

❀ Amazing Main Character

Sam is a really amazing main character. What sets this character apart is the fact that she has set attainable goals for herself. She aims to get a swimming scholarship to a university far away so she can reinvent herself. She works so hard to reach her goal and never gives up. I also appreciated how Sam doesn’t whine too much about her OCD. She understands it and has people to lean on when she is going through a rough time. Sam helps readers gain knowledge about OCD and ways to get help if necessary. Samantha also knows that her group of popular friends isn’t healthy for her and tries her best to make different friends. She is such an intelligent main character that readers will easily relate to.

❀ Focus on Poetry

The ultimate aspect of Every Last Word is the poetry. This book features a group of poetry fans and writers that get together in a secret room called the Poet’s Corner. I really loved the way the room is described with its orange couch and walls covered in poems. If Poet’s Corner actually existed, I think it would be a place that I would gravitate to. Tamara Ireland Stone has created such a safe environment  filled with such accepting characters. I love it!

❀ Tackles Tough Topics

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone contains some similar threads to other books I have reviewed recently, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten and The Opposite of Geek by Ria Voros. The main character has OCD, like The Unlikely Hero, and poetry is a large component of the book, which is similar to The Opposite of Geek. The book also tackles some pretty tough topics, like OCD and difficult friendships. Every Last Word is a beautiful book that will leave the reader in awe.

About Tamara Ireland Stone

TAMARA IRELAND STONE writes young adult and middle grade novels. Her New York Times bestseller, Every Last Word, won the Cybils Young Adult Fiction Award, the Georgia Peach Book Award, the Buxtehuder Bulle German Youth Literature Award, and was a YALSA Teens’ Top Ten pick. She is also the author of Time Between Us, which has been published in over twenty countries; its sequel, Time After Time; and Click’d, the first book in her new middle-grade series.

Before she began writing fiction full time, Tamara spent twenty years in the technology industry. She co-founded a woman-owned marketing strategy firm where she worked with small startups as well as some of the world’s largest software companies. When she’s not writing, she enjoys skiing, seeing live music, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and two children. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr