Hold Still

Title : Hold Still

Author : Nina LaCour

Genre : YA

This review is going to be a little more personal than the others I've written.

When I picked this book up in the bookstore and showed it to Mike, like I have a habit of doing, he quickly skimmed the back and said "you're going to cry." Now, this is not a normal response for most people to give when looking at a book, and I just scoffed at him and continued to look for more books.

You see, three very hard years ago, my best friend in the entire world passed away.  Angela had just turned 18, two weeks before she passed away. She was born on December 2nd, 1990, and died on December 26th, 2008.

It's been three years of tears when I can't call her on her birthday. Three years of laughter when, like the other night, something reminds me of the good times we have. Three years of looking at pictures, of just plain missing her. For anyone who knows this feeling, I'm truly sorry, and for anyone who doesn't know it, I pray you never have to.

Anyway, on to the book, and the reason for me crying.

Hold Still, by Nina LaCour is about a teenage girl named Caitlin whose best friend commits suicide. Caitlin doesn't know why and she's filled with anger and guilt. After a few months, Caitlin comes across Ingrid's journal. In it, Ingrid explains what led up to her ultimate suicide. 

As the time goes by, Caitlin starts to come out of her shell with the unintentional help of Ingrid and her journal. 

Nina LaCour does a fantastic job of explaining the feelings and emotional roller coaster that goes along with losing a best friend. One minute, Caitlin was mad at Ingrid for leaving her and not asking for help, the next she missed her. The writing of Hold Still was nothing special, but because of the subject matter, I wasn't really paying attention to it.

The characters were believable, and I absolutely loved Dylan and her girlfriend. I also really liked all the photography references and they were well researched. 

I read Hold Still in one sitting, at work, while one of the kids was at school, and the other was sleeping. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Mike was right. I cried like a baby.