Every Last Word follows our main character Samantha or "Sam" who is well known as one of the popular girls in school. Truth is, under all things girly, she has a secret none of her friends know: she has Purely Obsessional OCD. Desperate to find people she can relate to, she finds Caroline who introduces her to Poet's Corner; a hidden room filled with misfit kids who all have one thing in common. Poetry. 

If I could give this book a million stars, I really would.

Tamara Ireland Stone really thought through the plot of this novel as it all worked out so well. Beginning to end, the plot was phenomenal. 

This book was the very first book I read when I was diagnosed with OCD because well, at that time I didn't know anyone who also had it. I didn't know what was normal and what was just anxiety. So I was very happy to read this and realize I related to the main character so much. 

What I really loved and I think is very important is how Tamara worked with psychologists in order to make this book as real as possible. I feel like a lot of books relating to mental illness are written by authors that just don't understand or get it. 

In my honest opinion, I'd prefer to read a book about mental health by an author who has very good knowledge on it, rather than someone who uses very broad symptoms per say. 

I also really liked how this book was not romanticizing mental illnesses, again, unlike most contemporary novels involving mental illnesses. 

There is a romantic relationship that begins to emerge during this novel, but isn't based by the whole mental illness ideal. For most of the book, Sam tries to hide her OCD -- not only from her group of popular girl friends but with her love interest as well, which I think is very key when it comes to mental illness in literature.

I know a handful of people who are very vocal about what they are suffering, but for the most part, a lot of people including myself, not necessarily hide it, but choose not to be vocal about it very often and I think that is very relatable.

Character-wise, I really loved the group from the Poet Corner. Especially Caroline. I feel like this was the main aspect of the novel that really drew me in and wanted me begging for more. It's a very interesting concept that I honestly enjoyed.

Sam is also a very genuine character whom you don't see very often, but is very vital to the plot and makes it more enjoyable.

One of my ultimate favourite things was the ending. That was a huge plot twist that I honestly didn't see it coming. But once I read it, I couldn't put my book down. If you've read Every Last Word, you'd know what I am talking about.

Overall, the writing drew me in at first chapter. The book is phenomenal, not just with the mental illness factor, but because the plot was so well executed and this book will always be my go-to recommendation.