Hold Still
Nina LaCour
Release Date: October 15, 2009
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 230

Rating: 4.5 Stars

An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction.
dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

Hold Still is a heartbreaking, beautiful novel about the touching story of Caitlyn and her struggle to deal with life after her best friend commits suicide. Hold Still was a book that simply comes alive. All the characters were so realistic. You hear their voices in your head as if they were standing next to you. The plot was great, but there were a few moments I was just confused as to why certain things came about. They seemed to come out of no where. Hold Still takes a few pages to really hook you in, but then a sense of need to keep reading at a ridiculous speed kicks in.

I loved how Nina LaCour has the book in sections by season. It served well as a marking period for Caitlyn’s growth as she continues on in her struggle. You also get passages of Ingrid’s diary along the way which adds so much to the story. You not only get what’s going on in Caitlyn’s world, but how Ingrid had seen that same world as well. There were so many moments that were simply heartbreaking, and had me tearing up. Nina LaCour’s such a talented writer and her style was a joy to read.

Hold Still is a powerful debut that I’d highly recommend; it has a powerful message, beautiful characters, and a story worth reading. Nina LaCour is a talented new voice in the world of Young Adult literature.