Hold Still

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$8.99

NOOK Book

——

$8.99

Hold Still (eBook) Pub. Date: 10/20/2009 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
$1.99

$8.99

Paperback

$1.99

$8.99

Hold Still Pub. Date: 10/5/2010 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
$1.08

$13.83

Hardcover

$1.08

$13.83

Hold Still Pub. Date: 10/20/2009 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

$16.00

$17.68

Hold Still (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Library Binding - THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHO) Pub. Date: 10/19/2010 Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval
$3.59

$8.99

Audiobook

$3.59

$8.99

Hold Still (CD - Unabridged, 6 CDs) Pub. Date: 10/20/2009 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

——

$18.21

Hold Still (MP3 - Unabridged) Pub. Date: 10/20/2009 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

In the wake of her best friend Ingrid's suicide, Caitlin is left alone, struggling to find hope and answers. When she finds the journal Ingrid left behind for her, she begins a journey of understanding and broadening her horizons that leads her to new friendships and first love. Nina LaCour brings the changing seasons of Caitlin's first year without Ingrid to life with emotion, honesty, and captivating writing.

Hold Still

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

LaCour makes an impressive debut with an emotionally charged young adult novel about friendship and loss. Caitlin begins her junior year in high school bitter and stunned over the recent suicide of her best friend Ingrid, a talented photographer and artist. Afraid to risk new friendships and unable to continue her own artistic endeavors, Caitlin finds herself in a state of paralysis, wrestling with questions that may remain unanswered. Then she discovers Ingrid’s journal, a record of her thoughts during her final days, and reasons for her tragic, perhaps inevitable fate begin to come to light. What is most remarkable about LaCour’s tale is her ability to make the presence of an absent character so deeply felt. The entries and pictures in Ingrid’s journal vibrate with feeling and provide insight into the pain of chronic depression (“the sun stopped shining for me is all. the whole story is: i am sad. i am sad all the time and the sadness is so heavy that I can’t get away from it”). Ingrid’s secrets are excruciating to discover, but the ample evidence of her creative force makes it clear that her life had meaning. Ages 14–up. (Oct.)

VOYA

I loved the book. Caitlin holds everything close to her as she tries to move past her friend's suicide. As the story progresses, she learns that there are others who were affected by Ingrid's death as well. I gobbled the book up and never wanted to put it down. Reviewer: Kaitlyn Silver, Teen Reviewer

More Reviews (4) Fewer Reviews

Children's Literature

Sixteen year-old Caitlin turns emotionally inward after her best friend, Ingrid, commits suicide. Her parents tiptoe around her, worriedly observing her social withdrawal, and friends at school avoid her because they do not know what to say. Even Caitlin and Ingrid's favorite teacher, Ms. Delani, keeps Caitlin at an arm's length at the time when Caitlin needs her attention the most. Caitlin responds by purposely bungling her photography assignments to express her anger and also to gain Ms. Delani's attention. Failing her school subjects, moody, and lonely, Caitlin drifts through her days trying to make sense of what has happened. Slowly, and with the expected stops and starts of someone confused by the suicide of a friend, Caitlin lets in a new friend, Dylan. She, too, is an outsider because she is a new student, and rumors of her being a lesbian make her even more of an outsider. Caitlin also begins a relationship with Taylor, a popular boy who had not previously paid much attention to her. Caitlin's reticence to commit to relationships ensures that when she finally does return to her life, the transition is true and enduring, but with guarded hope. Although the story is told in Caitlin's first person perspective, there are disturbing glimpses into Ingrid's secret pain as Caitlin reads the journal Ingrid purposely left for her to find. Ingrid chronicles her depression and hopelessness in her journal entries, culminating in the narration of her sexual acting out to express her self-loathing. The plot of this book is advanced largely by dialogue, which is realistic and portrays distinct voices for the characters. The parents talk like parents, and not caricatures of parents, and theteens talk like teens, including occasional strong language. Caitlin's journey to a better understanding of the events leading up to her friend's death may bring hope and healing to readers with depressed or suicidal friends. Reviewer: Michele C. Hughes

VOYA

Caitlin is frozen, unable to cope with the suicide of her best friend Ingrid. She drifts through life in a numb, almost catatonic-like state that deeply concerns her parents, who try desperately to bring her out of her depression. As the school year begins, she finds herself alienated by most of her classmates, who pretend to mean well, and seemingly ignored by her teachers, which only deepens her malaise. When she discovers Ingrid's journal under her bed, she starts down the path of learning to cope with her grief. As she begins to hang out with the new girl Dylan, and starts to open up to Taylor, a classmate who reaches out to her, she continues the healing process, eventually overcoming the loss. This novel is a poignant and beautifully crafted depiction about the grief that a person goes through after a profound loss, whether through suicide or illness. Caitlin is an incredibly real character who seems to step out of the book to sit beside the reader as they move through her first year without Ingrid. A fresh voice to the world of young adult literature, LaCour offers a style of mixed diary entries that blends flawlessly with the sections of Caitlin's interactions with the world around her, creating a moving novel that speaks to the hope that can come from such a devastating grief. Reviewer: Susan Hampe

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up—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

Kirkus Reviews

Still reeling from the recent death of her best friend, Caitlin returns to school hoping to find some peace but instead finds only confusion, loneliness and pain. Her photography class was once her safe haven, but now she can barely stand to look at the photos that stare at her from the walls. Desperate to find a reason for Ingrid's suicide, Caitlin turns to her friend's journal, which she finds under her bed. As she reads, she has to confront not only her friend's memories but her own demons as well. Interspersed with drawings and journal entries, the story of Caitlin's journey through her grief is both heart-wrenching and realistic. A smart voice, an engrossing story and genuine emotion are only occasionally marred by missteps in characterization. LaCour strikes a new path through a familiar story, leading readers with her confident writing and savvy sense of prose. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780142416945
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Publication date: 10/5/2010
Pages: 256
Sales rank: 39,025
Age range: 14 - 17 Years
Lexile: 0770L (what's this?)
Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Nina LaCour is a high school English teacher and former bookseller. A San Francisco Bay area native, Nina lives in Oakland, California. This is her first novel.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5

( 127 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(83)

4 Star

(25)

3 Star

(14)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(4)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

Sarah7498

Posted November 7, 2010

more from this reviewer

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

"Dear Caitlin, there are so many things I want so badly to tell you but I just can't." Hold Still is about the journey of a girl recovering the loss of her best friend in the wake of her suicide. Hold Still is written true, and in such a way that the characters lived both on the pages and off. Unlike most novels, Ingrid's journal entries seemed real and full of the emotion she had while writing. I loved the way descriptions were used-"I just stood there with my eyes closed, feeling the movement of all the people around me, the vibration of the bass rise through the floor to my throat, while something inside me broke and came back together,"- it felt like I was standing right next to Caitlin and sharing her pain. Would I recommend this book? Yes, my review does no justice for Hold Still, just believe me that you have to read it! For more book reviews, check out my blog at thehardcoverreader(dot)blogspot(dot)com

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
7514333

Posted August 6, 2011

Wow

What an amazingly written, incredibly sad, emotionally beautiful story. I absolutely loved this book. I could not put this down & definitely recommend it to anyone of any age. It is geared for young adults but I'm 35 & really latched onto the characters. So well written. I cannot say enough great things about this book, highly recommended. ~Hippie Chick~

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
worth_two_tomorrows

Posted September 5, 2009

A Bold New Voice with an Impressive Debut

In Los Cerros, CA it's the first day of Caitlin's junior year at Vista High. In familiar first-day fashion "all the girls are squealing and hugging as if it's been years since they've laid eyes on each other. The guys are slamming their hands down on one another's backs which I guess is supposed to mean something nice." But, for Caitlin, the world is no longer familiar. Ingrid, her best friend, the one with whom Caitlin was so close they were often mistaken for sisters, committed suicide at the end of their sophomore year, leaving Caitlin to drift among her classmates as the other half to a whole that no longer exists.

With Caitlin's vividly rendered voice as our guide, Nina LaCour's Hold Still takes the reader on the journey of a young woman struggling to deal with an unimaginable loss. Yet LaCour does not leave Caitlin to wander alone. Caitlin finds Ingrid's journal tucked beneath her bed.

"Here's how I feel: People take one another for granted . . . You never look up, in a moment that feels like every moment of your life, and think, Soon this will be over. But I understand more now. About the way life works. I know that when I finish reading Ingrid's journal, there won't be anything new between us ever again.
"So when I get home, I lock my room door even though I'm the only one home, take Ingrid's journal out, and just hold it for a little while. I look at the drawing on the first page again. And then I put the journal back. I'm going to try and make her last."

Through the intense rush of her handwritten entries and wistful beauty of her drawings (lettering and art by the talented Mia Nolting), Ingrid is resurrected. As they are doled out, Caitlin and the reader explore the depths of her passions and despair, her flashes of quick dark humor, the enormity of the absence Ingrid left behind. The entries are the srong running stitch keeping the novel bound at its seams. They are also Caitlin's means of redemption, her eventual path back to herself.

The strength of LaCour's writing is evident throughout. The protagonist's voices are so perfectly sixteen. For young readers, I imagine they will be instantly familiar--the endless, eyerolling exasperation with adults who just don't get it; the desperate search for confirmation and approval; the wonder of life expanding before their eyes with each new person, thought, and experience.

And for readers for whom high school is merely a stack of dusty yearbooks on some forgotten shelf, it is an opportunity to re-enter this world of firsts.

Crushes, loves, the wonder of first hearing a song that truly speaks to you, and especially first friends:
"I walked out, feeling how straight my hair was, how great my pants fit, how nice my bracelets sounded. I bent down and I drank the cold drinking-fountain water and I felt like, This is it. My life is starting. And when I got back to my seat there was a new note that said, I'm Ingrid.
"I'm Caitlin, I wrote back.
"And then we were friends. It was that easy."

With Hold Still, LaCour has written a book that is beautiful and true, peopled by characters who live and breathe both on the page and off. On the day I received my copy in the mail, I was up until the small hours finishing it and, even now, days later, I've often caught myself thinking about what Caitlin or Ingrid would make of something; how swiftly they would roll their eyes at one of my lame grown-up remarks; what wonder they would

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
uniquelymine

Posted October 25, 2011

more from this reviewer

One of my favorites!

I found this book to be both touching and painful at the same time -- but in a good way! Hold Still chronicles the journey of a teen girl as she deals with the emotional rollercoaster that follows the loss of her best friend. I read it over the course of two days and couldn't put it down.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
6637977

Posted January 16, 2011

hold still

this book breaks your heart and puts it back together again this book is soooo heart felt and deep this book will make u cry and laugh all at the same time it takes u on a journey of a girl who lost her best friend and she finds out how emotionally sick she was and things she never knew about her and helps her learn things about her self that she never knew. this book is amazing for someone who has lost a dear friend it shows true heart and soul. the langauge and the sexiulity is not very good for younger than a mature 13 year old i would not consider reading this if cant handle mature adult things but this book is amazing with an amazing story behind it. it just makes u want to live life to the fullest and dont back cuz u never know it will be your last days!!!!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted August 8, 2011

Made me CRY

This book made me cry. it was so well written. I really loved it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Lolliraz

Posted September 15, 2010

more from this reviewer

Addictive!

A horrendously beautiful book! As lame and overused as the statement is, I simply couldn't put it down. Has exactly the right mix of all the emotions, and you can't help but hurt right along side Caitlin and feel a giddy triumph at her accomplishments. This is the kind of book that when you finish the final word, all you can feel is this deep-rooted sense of joy about life.

Well, that's what I felt anyway. Absolutely gorgeous book!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
stopper19

Posted March 29, 2010

more from this reviewer

She is Gone

Caitlin had a best friend named Ingrid. They used to hang out all of the time and they knew each other so well until Ingrid started acting weird. And then all of a sudden Ingrid was gone forever and Caitlin was left to ask the question, why? Then one day Caitlin finds Ingrid's secret journal under her bed and it explains so much she never knew. It is a great story about a girl who has to keep going even after her best friend comitted suicide. But along the way she meets more friends, get a boyfriend, and discovers herself (and a lot about Ingrid) through photography.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
SpecialKi25

Posted February 19, 2010

more from this reviewer

I Also Recommend:

Beautiful...

This story is beautiful and fun at the same time as being utterly heartbreaking. The title girl, Caitlin is trying to cope with the death of her best friend Ingrid who committed suicide. During the healing process Caitlin finds Ingrid's journal and begins reading it on her path towards filling the huge hole Ingrid has left behind. It is an inspirational story about friendship and hope after loss. For anyone who has lost someone or just wants to have a deeper understanding of how death affects the people you leave behind...this is a must read! While I thought the book could have been longer, I do truly feel that Nina LaCour has captivated her new audience with this novel. I highly anticipate her future work as well.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
monsterofbooks

Posted December 29, 2009

more from this reviewer

Hold Still By Nina Lacour Review

What I thought...is it one of the most emotional, realistic books, I have ever read. Nina Lacour is one of those authors who takes something really realistic and takes that situation and twists it outside the box, and shows the reader another point of view that we don't really see when thinking of that problem. For example is shows loss, change, and a new beginning. It shows people that life might really suck, but not always and to stick it out.
The story is beautifully written, it shows both Ingrid's and Caitlin personalities through artwork that the book has, and is very affective. It also has Ingrid's journal entries. I promise that this is a tearjerker. An interesting thing that I noticed about the book is the first part (while Caitlin is suffering with depression and loss) is really slow, but once Caitlin begins to make lots of new friendships and is more happier the book goes faster. Which makes it more impacting because usually when you lose someone (according to my mother) your whole life seems to go slower. Another intriguing thing about the book is when you take the book cover off, the actual book is green right! Well on that green book is a bird, and if you read the book you'll know that Ingrid's (the best friend that committed suicide) journal has a bird on it. So it feels like Ingrid's journal, and that is a big part of the story. Also it shows Caitlin sadness and acceptance of loss through seasons in the book. I don't really have much to say, but that I highly recommend this to anyone. It's one of those stories that when read, you know that if something bad is happening in your life it'll be ok. You won't be able to read this one sitting, seeing as at times it's just to hard to read.
What I thought could of been improved..... I thought the ending could of been improved. It wasn't terrible or anything, just not how I imagine it to end. I also would of like to know more of Henry's story. I felt that was kind of cut short.
In All.... A well done book, that is highly recommended to everyone.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Runa

Posted December 14, 2009

more from this reviewer

I Also Recommend:

Hold Still

With its fantastic imagery and emotional writing, Hold Still pulls the reader immediately into the fascinating story of Caitlin, whose best friend Ingrid has just committed suicide. I was scared that the book was going to be too similar to Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, with a character committing suicide and leaving behind some form of communication, but the two were very different. Hannah had a story to tell in Thirteen Reasons Why, whereas it seems as if Ingrid's story has been told, no big secrets to reveal, just a gaping hole left behind, and having to cope with that. The journal is there, but it's its existence rather than the contents that are relied upon as plot material. The story is fully engrossing with its realism, truly being everything one could want out of realistic fiction. In some respects, I suppose the book is a bit predictable in its overarching plot, but is still an engaging read. I'm still not sure if I liked some of the supporting characters. I realize that they were supposed to be signs of Caitlin moving on, but I wished the book focused more on the relationship between Ingrid and Caitlin before bringing new people into it. However, all the characters were molded and characterized really well, so you come to love all of them, even Ingrid who doesn't even exist within the time frame of the book. The ending is perfect, and leaves the reader with much to think about, probably with more than a few tears along the way.

Rating: 4.5/5

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
StephanieLovesBooks

Posted November 11, 2009

more from this reviewer

An Amazing Novel!

It seems appropriate to quote my favorite singer when reviewing Nina LaCour's debut novel HOLD STILL because music plays a healing role in the novel and LaCour's writing--like music--is lyrical and haunting. The characters that arise from LaCour's words pulse from the page not as echoes but as the very beat of themselves.

I love Caitlin's lines when she's listening to music in the middle of a dance floor at a wedding and says, "I just stood there with my eyes closed, feeling the movement of all the people around me, the vibration of the bass rise through the floor to my throat, while something inside me broke and came back together." Lines like these made me feel so close to the character. In fact, every character (and it is a WONDERFUL culturally diverse set of characters) feels so real and realized. Not some conceptualized rending of what teenagers are and what they think, hope, and feel. But real young adults whose stories are meaningful, full of love and full of trouble.

The trouble begins with Caitlin receiving devastating news that her best friend Ingrid has committed suicide. Caitlin is stunned, says at receiving the news, "My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my ears." For the rest of the novel, we see Caitlin struggle with the memories of her friend while trying to build a new life.

Caitlin's struggles will focus readers on asking themselves some important questions: how well do we know our friends, the people who love us? Can we imagine our lives without friends? The answer will be different for every reader but the conclusion that I came to after reading this novel is that with our without the people we love, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to see ourselves with new eyes...as if we're seeing ourselves for the first time.

Caitlin struggles with seeing her life without Ingrid. She's alone. How can she let go when she never got a chance to say goodbye? Indeed, I think this novel challenges the reader to accept what we can and can't change. Caitlin hangs a photograph in her locker, which was taken by her deceased best friend, and she thinks, "It must be the most peaceful picture in the world. It's the setting of a fairy tale, it's somewhere that can't exist anymore."

And the novel goes on and we watch Caitlin through her recovery. The road isn't entirely smooth but through art and music, she discovers herself again; she discovers new friends, new love, new purpose. Finally, she learns to let go. I won't give too much away but the final scenes took my breath away. I cried in two distinct places of the novel but I don't think they need to be stated because part of the joy of reading this book is watching Caitlin arrive to that place of peace.

This is NOT a conventional novel about depression--and I mean that in a good way. Don't expect the pages to answer why some people get so depressed they can't rise out of it. Don't expect the novel to explain the symptoms of depression because they can often go unnoticed (as we see in the novel). Instead, the reader focuses on the lives of these characters and on the healing for the ones left behind Ingrid's suicide.

Focusing on their healing actually brings a wonderful quality to the book, presenting moments when the reader can breathe after tense scenes. Caitlin learns how to enjoy the small things. So yes--there are BIG PAYOFFS for making it through the sad parts of the novel. LaCour will not leave the reader broken. We are

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted March 17, 2012

Hold still review by alex charlton

This book was awesome i finished it in three days. If you are looking for a great book that will keep you on the edge of your chair stop here because this is the book your looking for. This book made me happy, sad,glad,and mad all at the same time. I really felt i could connect with the main character caitlyn. You will fall in love with this book. So go ahead and start reading. NOW.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted December 25, 2011

A must read......

I loved this book! Every emotion your supposed to feel with a good book I felt. There were some points where I winced and wanted to turn away and other points where I wanted to cry and keep going. Amazibg book for anyone who needs anwsers about the suicidal mind. I would definetly reccomend it.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
DANIELoBAUMa

Posted November 30, 2011

read this book!

¿Hold Still¿ is an emotional novel full of sadness, happiness, and a life changing journey for Caitlin that is impossible to forget. The characters and the challenges they face are very realistic. This is one of those books where the reader will have a complete movie going on in their own mind because of the little, but powerful details and descriptions. The whole storyline was remarkably believable, which makes the reader feel connected in some way to the novel. It stresses the importance of love and friendship through hardships, forgiveness, remembering, and moving on. Nina LaCour is a talented author who very well displays the ordeals that Caitlin copes with. Anyone who is willing to read a tragic, yet uplifting story will love and appreciate this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
tall_guy

Posted September 18, 2011

"Hold Still" Holds Top Spot!

"Dear Today, I spend all of you pretending I'm ok when I'm not, pretending I'm happy when I'm not, pretending everything to everyone. Love Ingrid"

This line is from the power diary of Ingrid who committed suicide leaving her best friend, Caitlin, with just her dead best friend's diary. Throughout the novel, Caitlin continues to read parts of the diary and begins to find herself in the world. Caitlin eventually found the courage to give others that took part in Ingrid's life, letters in her diary directed to them. After Caitlin gives them their own little part of Ingrid, she goes back to their favorite place to be and watches it as it is destroyed.

This novel was an excellent choice for a teenage girl such as me. I tried to put myself in Ingrid's, Caitlin's, and Dylan's shoes. It made the book just so much better for me. I find that many teenagers read books of suicide, drugs, drinking, and others of this sort. And may I say, this book filled my expectations. I had a three-week period to read this, and I finished it within 5 days. I am definitely interested in finding more books from Nina Lacour.

The book was written wonderfully with a sad storyline that has a girl finding herself in the world. Overall, "Hold still" is a very emotional book about loss, suicide, and depression. To read how Caitlin went on with her life after her best friend died was arresting and to read how strong she became was wonderful. Make sure to have some tissues with you when you read the book. I highly recommend this book to teenage girls still trying to find themselves in the world, or even a 'book-hungry' reading enthusiast. I hope all who read this enjoyed it as much as I did. I give this book four stars.

nh - pd1 - poplit

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
5740213

Posted July 12, 2011

A great book

This book was awesome. At the beginning it was a little depressing but as Caaitlin met new people it got a lot more interesting, i reccomend for ages 13-17 or so. I like the way its written, how at first you dont have a clue why she is acting this way but as the story goes on, it all unfolds as well as Caitlin's memories and thoughts about Ingrid

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
8547567

Posted June 27, 2011

My most favorite book EVER!

Kind of depressing, but still this is my favorite book ever. Kind of inapropro, though. But still reall good. A must read if you don't mind kind of depressing books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted March 26, 2011

Hold still:)

I read hold still and absolutely loved it! I mean it just shows u what the best friend goes through in such a tragic event. Overall I love Hold Still!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
2311596

Posted March 15, 2011

Heart-wrenching and beautifully written...

I read this book earlier this year for a quiz bowl competition my school participates in. The begining starts out slow but not in a how-many-more-pages kind of way that a lot of authors struggle with. Caitlin is such a believable character and the author some make what is, by its self, a depressing situation, and turns it into something hopefull. I absolutley loved the book but I recommend not reading this in public or while wearing mascara that is not water proof ;)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble

Hold Still

Pick Up in Store

Available on NOOK devices and apps

All Available Formats + Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Related Subjects

Hold Still

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

VOYA

Children's Literature

VOYA

School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

Meet the Author

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

What to exclude from your review:

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

Reminder:

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Wow

A Bold New Voice with an Impressive Debut

One of my favorites!

hold still

Made me CRY

Addictive!

She is Gone

Beautiful...

Hold Still By Nina Lacour Review

Hold Still

An Amazing Novel!

Hold still review by alex charlton

A must read......

read this book!

"Hold Still" Holds Top Spot!

A great book

My most favorite book EVER!

Hold still:)

Heart-wrenching and beautifully written...