Hold Still by Nina LaCour

A brief summary I took from Amazon: After losing her best friend, Ingrid, to suicide, Caitlin is completely immobilized. Unable to function, and refusing to visit a therapist, she begins the long journey to wellness alone. During this year of heart-wrenching, raw emotion, Caitlin finds Ingrid's journal, which not only reveals her descent into irreversible depression, but also serves as Caitlin's vehicle for renewed hope in the future. The book is written with honesty, revealing one's pain after the loss of a loved one. Caitlin learns, with the help of new friends and her parents, that there is life after Ingrid.—Sharon Morrison, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK

I was wondering if this book was going to be depressing. It wasn’t. The story begins after Ingrid’s death and while Ingrid plays an integral role in the story, it’s more about Caitlin grieving and coping with the loss of her best friend. I think that Caitlin comes to find that she can be her own person who’s completely different than Ingrid. She can understand Ingrid’s pain without feeling responsible for it. And ultimately, that she deserves happiness out of life. One of my favorite parts was where Caitlin after an encounter with a homeless man on the street considers this: “Instead, I imagine what would happen if everyone turned their regrets into wishes, went around shouting them. Signal lights would change at intersections, and as the people on opposite sides of the street stepped off the curbs, the would call to one another – Finish college! Exercise at least three times a week! Never start smoking! Tell your mother you love her! Wear a condom! Make peace with your brother! Don’t sign anything before you’ve met with a lawyer! Take your dog to the park! Keep in touch with your friends!”

It got me to thinking about how cool that would be. Okay, initially embarrassing, but ultimately very cool. This was a great story of healing and a journey of self-discovery, and ultimately the story of caring about someone with mental illness.  The cover was pretty and interesting with the drawings on the inside. I give this 3 roses.