You Are Not Here

You Are Not Here
Author: Samantha Schutz
Published by Push
Pages: 292
My Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: (From Goodreads)
 
Annaleah and Brian shared something special - Annaleah is sure of it. When they were together, they didn't need anyone else. It didn't matter that their relationship was secret. All that mattered was what they had with each other.
And then, out of nowhere, Brian dies. And while everyone else has their role in the grieving process, Annaleah finds herself living outside of it, unacknowledged and lonely. How can you recover from a loss that no one will let you have?


My Review:
You Are Not Here was told in verse, and it was a very emotional novel that I did enjoy reading.

 The first thing I loved about this book was the gorgeous descriptions, that were all very unique and beautiful. They all displayed Annaleah's thoughts, confusion, and grief. Her emotions were all very clear and ver yeasy to feel. Samantha Schutz is a very talent writer, and she did an amazing job of bringing Annaleah's grief to life.

 The other thing that really stood out to me in You Are Not Here was the ending. The ending, as in the last few pages, was quite beautiful, specifically in description. I also loved the conclusion Annaleah comes to at the end of this novel, and it worked out quite nicely. I loved her letter she wrote to Brian. I thought it was a perfect ending.

 The real issue I had with this novel, though, was how it was told in verse. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of poetry, but I am not a big fan of books told in verse. Poems, yes, but not so much books. In You Are Not Here, I found that it always seemed like certain bits were more structured for sentences, and to make it into poetry, it was just cut to the next line. I know, maybe I am seriously just imagining things, but it made this novel seem really choppy.

 Otherwise, though, You Are Not Here was a novel that was, in ways, beautiful.