There aren't proper words to describe the craftsmanship that went into this novel, and perhaps that's why Niven has chosen quotations to describe the indescribable throughout the story.

"All the Bright Places" follows Violet and Theodore through the judgmental and hateful halls of high school, where everyone has secrets – some are just more dangerous than others.

From the first day they meet on the ledge of the bell tower, Violet and Theodore have a secret shared between them that only draws them closer together – despite both of them thinking they need to push everyone away. As the novel unfolds, Violet opens her eyes to possibilities and dreams, things she has lost sight of ever since she lost her sister, Eleanor, in a car accident nearly a year ago. But despite the hope that fills Violet, Theodore is consumed by everything he is unable to tear up and throw away.

While on a journey to explore their own state before graduating high school, Violet and Theodore wander together from bookstores to lakes, from the universe to a black hole. Whether or not it's everything they hope for doesn't matter, because they soon realize it's not what they take – it's what they leave behind.