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Book Review of Hold Still

Hold Still
Hold Still
Author: Nina LaCour
Genres: Children's Books, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
bookishheather avatar reviewed on + 21 more book reviews


LaCour dealt with a sensitive issue with great nuance, and I cannot wait for her next book. Readers are dropped into Caitlin's story just after her best friend Ingrid has committed suicide, and we follow her through a year of grief, acceptance, and finding a new path. Not a new identity, but new relationships. Her family tries to smother her with love, Ingrid's family gives her distance, and school "friends" don't know how to deal with this young girl still coping with such a devastating loss. But then she meets new girl Dylan and rediscovers Taylor; these new friends are supportive but treat her like she has something to give to them. Readers get glimpses into Ingrid's thoughts through her journal, left for Caitlin under her bed. While the novel deals with many heavy subjects - cutting and suicide being the largest - ultimately this is a story of hope and possibility.