Hold Still

Nina LaCour's book, Hold Still, is a sad story about a girl that was depressed and how her suicide affected everyone who knew her. But it's also a story about finding hope and recovering from traumatic events.

Getting into this book was difficult simply because of the pacing. The setting jumps around at first and we catch glimpses of what's happening, but mostly we see how Caitlin is reacting to her best friend's death. It takes a few chapters before we start to understand her and who she is beyond her sadness. 
Throughout the story, Caitlin reminisces about her time with Ingrid. At first, these are happy memories that show Ingrid as a happy, normal teenager. However, when Caitlin finds her friend's journal, we're able to discover the truth about Ingrid, right along side Caitlin.
Even if you haven't been through the same experiences at Caitlin, it's easy to relate to her. Everyone has been knocked down a time or two and felt like they were "ready to explode into nothing". LaCour does an excellent job of making Caitlin realistic and showing that she is more than her sadness.