It’s not easy to find a book with element of humor, romance, and some deep aspects in it all at once. A book like “Every Last Word” is a great balance between all of these things. It has humor and a hint of romance, but it also focuses on the importance of mental illnesses and society’s idea of “normal” or “popular”. It also has a slice of mystery in it too which shakes up the plot. It has many diverse aspects and will keep the reader hooked.

“Every Last Word” centers around the life of Samantha McAllister, otherwise known as Sam, who is a young girl in making her way through high school while suffering with OCD and anxiety. Samantha is one of the “popular girls” in her high school but she wants to break away from her group. Slowly, she finds a girl named Caroline Matthews who is unashamedly open about herself. Caroline suffers with severe depression, so she can connect with Sam on the detriments  and slowly helps Sam find a new group of friends and feel more confident with herself.

The poems that were written in the book were a good way to add humor at just the right times. It didn’t over do the feeling it was trying to convey and could be interpreted in many different ways. One thing that I didn’t like in the book was the rush of the plot. It felt like the plot could have been slowed down and had more detail. Overall, there are many more pros than cons to reading this book.

Stone shows us the harshness of OCD and anxiety and how they can overpower someone’s life. Her feeling used in the book are raw and genuine. She also makes a stereotypical high school but somehow it seems much more realistic that “Mean Girls”. Most readers will enjoy the variety of aspects mixed into this book and realize the importance of a good set of friends.