Review – The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fictional Biograpy
Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Soho Teen
Release Date: August 12, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1616953607
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 5/5 stars

I got this book through the Amazon Vine program to review. This book was a breath of fresh air after reading a number of rather mediocre books over the last couple weeks.

This was a very well done fictional biography about an eighteen year old girl named Addison Stone who was gaining fame as an artist when she died. The book is a series of interviews with people who knew her and excerpts from interviews with her. There is a lot of speculation as to whether her death was an accident, suicide, or something else.

This book was incredibly engaging and impossible to put down. I just had to know Addison Stone’s history and had to understand her and how she died. I could not put this book down.

I really really enjoyed this book. As mentioned the book is a collection of interviews with friends, family, and Addison’s agent. There are photos and interviews of Addison Stone taken from art magazines that interviewed her. I really enjoyed the candid photographs of these imaginary “real-life” people, they make the story and history feel completely real.

This book takes a look at a number of topics: the art world, fame, and mental illness. Addison Stone is a genius at art, but it comes with a cost. She is constantly haunted by voices, especially the voice of a young girl named Ida. Addison descends into madness but then comes back and goes on to be a wildly successful artist. Of course her success is only half the story.

Overall I really loved this book. It was cleverly done, different, and absolutely engrossing. By the end I was convinced that Addison Stone was a real person (even though she’s not). This book was impossible to put down and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge