[O5I]∎ Download Hold Still Nina LaCour Books

Hold Still Nina LaCour Books

Download As PDF : Hold Still Nina LaCour Books

Hold Still Nina LaCour Books

GRADE: A-
4.5 Stars

Caitlin's best friend Ingrid commits suicide, leaving her journal beneath Caitlin's bed. HOLD STILL is the story of the first year of Caitlin's grief, as she comes to terms with the Ingrid she knew and the Ingrid who kept herself hidden. In that year, broken into seasons, Caitlin will find a new friend, discover two talents and get her first boyfriend.

Losing a friend as a teenager is difficult under any circumstances. For many, it's a first experience with loss, mortality and a reminder that we aren't guaranteed futures. Suicide compounds the grief process with questions of guilt--Could I have done something to prevent this.

Nina LaCour brilliantly shows Caitlin's grief process, from sadness, numbness, anger, confusion and a myriad of other emotions by giving her an authentic voice. Caitlin is a complex character, not always friendly or kind. She doesn't always make the best decisions, particularly in the months after the suicide. I love LaCour's writing style as well as we storytelling skill.

My only criticism is I wish LaCour had ventured into anger at Ingrid, which would have been even more realistic. Anger at the deceased is a common emotion for those left behind in the wake of suicide.

HOLD STILL is an important book for those grieving from suicide or any death, as well as a story of hope in the far of sadness.


Tags : Amazon.com: Hold Still (9780525421559): Nina LaCour: Books,Nina LaCour,Hold Still,Dutton Books for Young Readers,0525421556,Social Themes - Friendship,Social Themes - Suicide,Bereavement,Friendship,Friendship;Fiction.,Grief;Fiction.,Interpersonal relations;Fiction.,Psychological fiction,Suicide,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Fiction,Fiction-Psychological,General fiction (Children's Teenage),Grief,Interpersonal relations,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Depression & Mental Illness,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Friendship,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Suicide,Juvenile FictionSocial Themes - Depression & Mental Illness,Juvenile FictionSocial Themes - Friendship,Juvenile Grades 10-12 Ages 15+,Social Issues - Depression & Mental Illness,Social Issues - Friendship,Social Issues - Suicide,TEEN'S FICTION - GENERAL,United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Friendship,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Suicide,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Depression & Mental Illness,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Friendship,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Suicide,Juvenile FictionSocial Themes - Depression & Mental Illness,Juvenile FictionSocial Themes - Friendship,Social Issues - Depression & Mental Illness,Social Issues - Friendship,Social Issues - Suicide,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Friendship,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Suicide,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Fiction,Grief,Interpersonal relations,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),General fiction (Children's Teenage)

Hold Still Nina LaCour Books Reviews

I enjoyed Hold Still, but it isn't a book I'd recommend to all my friends. It's like so many other books about losing a friend and finding something they left behind. It was a very fast read, but also a heavy subject. It is by no means a book to read sitting on the beach trying to relax (as I did).

I would recommend this book to someone who is struggling with losing someone they love--by death or even just by physical or emotional distance. The protagonist struggles with understanding who she is without her best friend and ultimately comes to the realization that she does have other connections in the world and can be a part of that world without her deceased friend.
Caitlin is working through the grief of losing her best friend Ingrid to suicide. She finds Ingrid's journal hidden beneath her bed. She is surprised, anxious, afraid, mostly clinging to the idea that she has one more way of holding onto Ingrid's memory within the journal's pages. So she reads it slowly, savoring every entry.

High school is hard. Teenaged years are very difficult. Without difficulties in our teenaged years, we wouldn't have the strength to get through the rest of our lives- adulthood and everything that comes with it.

Hold Still is beautiful. I couldn't get enough of it. It isn't just about suicide. It's about overcoming grief, moving forward, holding onto moments and memories while still forging through a life of complete unknowns.

Every character is alive, except Henry. I loved Taylor, Caitlin's crush, and identified with Caitlin's character, Dylan the new girl at school, as well as her Art teacher Ms Delani. There is so much human passion within each character that I don't think I could choose a favorite. Everyone seems real. Like I've passed them on the streets or have ordered a coffee from them at some point in my life.

Like this? Try Catch by Will Leitch, Okay by Katherine Marple, and Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
Honestly, I don't regret reading this book. There were a handful of times that I was thinking to myself "wtf", as well as a couple loose ends (I won't say to not spoil the story), but other than that it was enjoyable and touching. As someone who has been suicidal most of their life, it definitely made me step back and think about the effects that I have on others, especially my best friends. As horrible as it sounds, the thought was placed into my head that if I had killed myself, my best friend would probably be in the same position as Caitlin. I'm planning on reading Nina LaCour's other works as well, her writing in this book really flows together and even though the subject matter is tough, this book really is a page turner.
GRADE A-
4.5 Stars

Caitlin's best friend Ingrid commits suicide, leaving her journal beneath Caitlin's bed. HOLD STILL is the story of the first year of Caitlin's grief, as she comes to terms with the Ingrid she knew and the Ingrid who kept herself hidden. In that year, broken into seasons, Caitlin will find a new friend, discover two talents and get her first boyfriend.

Losing a friend as a teenager is difficult under any circumstances. For many, it's a first experience with loss, mortality and a reminder that we aren't guaranteed futures. Suicide compounds the grief process with questions of guilt--Could I have done something to prevent this.

Nina LaCour brilliantly shows Caitlin's grief process, from sadness, numbness, anger, confusion and a myriad of other emotions by giving her an authentic voice. Caitlin is a complex character, not always friendly or kind. She doesn't always make the best decisions, particularly in the months after the suicide. I love LaCour's writing style as well as we storytelling skill.

My only criticism is I wish LaCour had ventured into anger at Ingrid, which would have been even more realistic. Anger at the deceased is a common emotion for those left behind in the wake of suicide.

HOLD STILL is an important book for those grieving from suicide or any death, as well as a story of hope in the far of sadness.