"There's always a way out. All you have to do is take it."
Daelyn is 15. She has tried to commit suicide multiple times without success. Her most recent attempt has rendered her unable to speak. But this time, she is determined to get it right. She finds a website called "through-the-light.com" which helps the user chronicle a suicide plan from start to finish. As Daelyn counts down the days to her next attempt she meets an eccentric young man named Santana - but will his friendship be enough to save her life?
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Many of the characters in this book aren't believable and that's a huge pet peeve of mine. The author doesn't spend a lot of time fleshing out the characters and exploring why, where and who they are. I found this frustrating as I really wanted to know more about her parents and what role they played in her getting to this point as well as Santana, the guy who could potentially save her life.
However, to the author's credit, I did feel like I saw the story from exactly how Daelyn perceived her surroundings. It was painful to hear Daelyn relive horrible memories from her childhood and I could almost understand why she had reached such a miserable, desperate point. I think this book could help a lot of teens who find themselves in a similar situation - especially the list of resources in the back of the book for individuals who are contemplating suicide.
This book was very dreary and definitely not light-hearted. A lot of depressing fluff sprinkled throughout left the story feeling incomplete. I also think it fell flat towards the end. Readers looking for a neatly wrapped ending will find this title frustrating but hopefully thought-provoking. Ideally, this book will be a vehicle for some to have an open discussion about teen suicide.
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