History Is All You Left Me in World of Words

Feb 11, 2017 Kevin (Irish Reader) rated it it was amazing

I FREAKING LOVE ADAM SILVERA!!!! Sorry I just had to get that out of my system! Anyway, I absolutely loved this book! This book had me feeling so many emotions. I also loved the characters in this book and also the representation of both LGBTQIA+ and mental health. This is something I loved in More Happy Than Not, and I just think Adam Silvera's representations in his work is done perfectly. I would highly recommend this book to anyone! But omg can someone please talk to me about the very last l ...more

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Aug 27, 2017 Imogene Dacanay rated it really liked it

Adam Silvera stabbed my heart a thousand times. This novel made me smile, laugh, mad, but most especially, it made me sad.

The story was told in alternating chapters between the history, and the present event. From the title per se, Griffin, kept on reminiscing everything that includes Theo. We were given enough reasons to be able to feel and understand his grief. And how hard it was for him to accept that the person whom he wants to spend his life with, broke his promise. The different timeline ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Ilse rated it really liked it

Something was missing which is why I can't give it the 5 stars but I really enjoyed the book. I was caught of guard by some things that happened at the end of this book. ...more

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Feb 22, 2017 Christopher rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqia-books

Review orginally posted at

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silver is the second book chosen for The Rainbow Library.A landslide in the voting. A lot of members were excited about the book release.I鈥檓 really glad it was chosen as well. I was a big fan of More Happy Than Not and had the History Is All You Left Me book pre-ordered. I was going to wait a bit longer to dive into but I鈥檓 glad this group gave me the push to do it now.Apologizing now if this r Review orginally posted at

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silver is the second book chosen for The Rainbow Library.A landslide in the voting. A lot of members were excited about the book release.I鈥檓 really glad it was chosen as well. I was a big fan of More Happy Than Not and had the History Is All You Left Me book pre-ordered. I was going to wait a bit longer to dive into but I鈥檓 glad this group gave me the push to do it now.Apologizing now if this review gets too scattered. I took lots of notes.

This story intrigued me right away with the setup. You jump into the story and realize that the chapters will alternate between the present and the past.History and Today. We have a main character that is flawed in some ways too. I鈥檓 talking about the way he handles a lot of the relationships in his life. I could see that it wasn鈥檛 the best right away. Especially after seeing how great Griffin鈥檚 relationship with Wade and Theo is in the first few history chapters. It鈥檚 so interesting trying to connect the history Griff gives us to his present. I was always looking for the clues to see how things came to be this way. Trying to figure out who is at fault for things before history could catch up with the present more.

I have to say I was surprised by how much I loved the history chapters. They start the day that Theo and Griffin admit their feelings for each other, goes through their relationship and ends on the day that Theo dies. There were so many beautiful moments in their relationship and it really was bittersweet to read knowing that they eventually break up and that Theo dies. The first few history chapters really drew me in and I was excited that I was going to really enjoy those flashbacks.

Early on I wondered how reliable Griffin was as a narrator for not only the history sections. It was a small moment during the funeral of Theo that made me think it. It was just a perspective thing. The way he saw Jackson and how I could tell he blamed Jackson for Theo鈥檚 death to some extent. It made him think that other people might see Jackson similarly when that wasn鈥檛 the case. It was the first point where I realized there would definitely be some bias with anything revolving Jackson in the history or today part.

One really interesting thing about Griffin as a narrator is that he鈥檚 talking to Theo. The whole story is Griffin going over his history with Theo and also telling Theo the things he didn鈥檛 know. The things he wanted to but didn鈥檛 get a chance to. The 鈥測ou鈥� he references in the today sections is Theo.He models his actions toward Jackson based on what Theo would want him to do. If Theo would be disappointed in him. I saw it as another way for him to process Theo鈥檚 death. Believing that somehow Theo might be out there listening to him. A little odd considering that it鈥檚 pointed out that Griffin isn鈥檛 religious like Jackson.

Griffin has OCD. I really can鈥檛 comment much on the way it鈥檚 written besides that it feels accurate. I have a family member that has OCD and I grew up watching them deal with their compulsions. Compulsions that are very different from what Griffin鈥檚 are, though.His compulsions dealt with counting and even numbers. He always had to walk on one side of people or he became anxious. I liked the way it was shown throughout the story.I liked the way the people in his life reacted differently to it as well.

This story had what I call the January problem now. It鈥檚 where you only see a character through flashback and don鈥檛 always get the info you want. January from Last Seen Leaving was a character I had this kind of issue with. Theo can鈥檛 tell his story. Griffin has to tell it for him. Jackson and others can share stories of him but they can鈥檛 tell us what Theo was thinking. I really just wished I could get in his head. I got to the point in the history chapters where I had some questions. Theo, what are you doing? Do you really think you can stay friends with Griffin and be with Jackson? Do you not see how messy this situation is? Why are you a mess? Plus so many more questions as I realize things that Theo did or said. It鈥檚 not a problem that takes anything away from the story for me. I just will have those questions forever.

The last sixty or eighty pages I would read a page. Then stop to process because I needed to before reading another page.It was a long process. Sometimes I would lean against a wall or pace. Adam Silvera takes you on these really emotional roller coasters in his work. The situation between this group of guys was so messy and that was before Theo died. It really just gets worse. There were definitely some cringe moments because I didn鈥檛 want to think about how I鈥檇 handle the situations they were going through. Pg 225 I for sure wasn鈥檛 ready for. I could not. I still cannot.I didn鈥檛 even know how I kept going toward the end right after that.

I really can鈥檛 knock this story rating down for anything that happens. There are things that were frustrating but it wasn鈥檛 frustrations that would affect the rating I鈥檇 give the book.If the situation was different these things would. I鈥檓 never a fan of people doing things to emotionally hurt people. Griff definitely does that at points in this story and I feel like Jackson does as well.Griff makes some bad decisions in his History with Theo that might make him unlikeable for people. Theo might be unlikeable for you.However, this was a story about people grieving over the death of someone they loved. It鈥檚 completely true that there were moments where I definitely have a problem with things done. Especially by the main character Griffin but all his emotions and actions were valid.This form of grieving was valid. Not right necessarily but it was valid. He鈥檚 in a rough spot and you see that throughout the entire book. I went along on this journey with Griffin knowing that he was going to possibly make some bad decisions.

There were chapters early on where I wished we could see more of Wade. I think it鈥檚 because I loved Wade in the chapters in the past. He was a great friend and added something to those scenes before Theo and Griffin start pushing him out a little unintentionally.I also wondered why he became more distant. What did Theo do or say to push his best friend away? Another question I had. Later in the story, we do finally get to see what鈥檚 going on with Wade. I have to say that there are things about Wade that I related to in a this is hurting my soul kind of way. I really wish we could have seen more of his character. Jackson and Griffin get to m0urn together for a big portion of this story. Wade mourns his friend alone and that is really rough.

I have to applaud Silvera on somehow throwing in a subtle twist that was just as jarring as the twist in More Happy Than Not even if on a smaller scale. More Happy Than Not had a sci-fi element.The thing that shocked me there was a big deal. History is All You left Me is just all real and still had these emotionally jarring moments that are so brilliant and unexpected. Adam Silvera is really becoming one of my favorite authors really quickly.I鈥檓 excited for his next book They Both Die At The End.I know I will likely be a complete emotional wreck after that one but I don鈥檛 mind that when it鈥檚 an Adam Silvera book. This story comes out to a 5-star read for me. ...more

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Jan 12, 2019 omar 鈽� rated it it was amazing

5/5 stars.
It was great. My first read of the year and I loved it.

"love was never the liar; i was"

This is my second Adam Silvera book, and even though I am rating it pretty high, "More Happy than Not" is so much Better. But i've got high hopes for every other Adam book I haven't read and the ones to come.

We got to see the raw side of love, meaning all the pain it also carries when a relationship ends but the feelings remain. The story got me thinking and wondering how well i'll manage grief and i ...more

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Feb 22, 2017 Ben Wright rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, read-in-2017, lgbt

Poignant and emotional, this book is a wonderful tale of love and death.
I love how the characters were flawed, and although at points some of them grated on me, this was on purpose, to show how selfish grief and love can make someone especially if that is your first love. I love also how it deals with mental health issues such as Griffins OCD, and doesn't demonise or make light of the situation, and that it can be a debilitating issue instead of a quirky character trait.
This book opened a lot o ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 Rose Marie rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have absolutely no idea where to begin with this review, in a good way though!
It was heartbreaking and charming and had entertaining characters. I really liked the storyline as well, it quickly sucked me in and its format of switching between past and present tense kept me wondering what would happen next/what had already happened. Throughout the story i had an idea of how things were going to end up, just by the feel of things and what was slowly happening already. But let me tell you I was v ...more

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May 27, 2022 CutePatzie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2022, book, book-shelf

I love the narration in this book. Its so unique. This story also is so interesting. It's great example of how young love despite being young can be so mature. Also, it's an amazing story about grief., friendship, love, acceptance and more. ...more

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