Optimists Die First

"Hilarious, heart-warming and beautifully unexpected - a real keeper" * Lisa Williamson *
"I fell for Optimists Die First like I was curled up with a familiar favourite - offbeat charm, with a bittersweet romance at its sorrowful heart." -- Harriet Reuter Hapgood
"Optimists Die First will make you feel bigger in every way. Bigger in courage to face a dangerous world; bigger in feeling; bigger in love; bigger in your ability to put yourself back together after something that should break you; and yes, bigger in optimism" -- Jeff Zentner
"Susin Nielsen has produced a richly comic story featuring a cast of mismatched, engaging characters" -- Marilyn Brocklehurst * Guardian, The Best New Children's Books supplement *
"Entertaining but also poignant" -- Claire Hennessy * Irish Times *
"One of the most talented teen writers working today" * BookTrust *
"Grief and guilt permeate Nielsen's empathic and deeply moving story, balanced by sharply funny narration and dialogue." * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
"Nielsen writes with sensitivity, empathy, and humour" * Kirkus, starred review *
"The novel's greatest strength is its handling of the characters' very real burdens with sympathy, wit, and not an ounce of melodrama. Nielsen excels at depicting troubled, clever teenagers" * Starred review, School Library Journal *
"Optimists Die First is both funny and heartbreaking. Fans of Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor And Park will love it." * Red Magazine Online *
"Nielsen has such a gift for creating authentic teenagers... Infused with offbeat humour, this is a book with a great voice and a big, big heart" -- Fiona Noble * The Bookseller *
"A contemporary story written with compassion, empathy and wit" * Best New Children's Books Guide, produced by the Publishers' Association and published in the Guardian 2018 *
"Readers will be gripped by Petula's story and the way she tells it; Nielsen gives her a totally authentic teen voice, loaded with cynicism, sarcasm, humour and flashes of hope." -- Andrea Reece * Lovereading *
"Nielsen has a pitch-perfect ear for the dialogue of the unconventional, the betrayed, the guilty" * Books for Keeps *
"Honest, thought-provoking, life-affirming and a truly wonderful read... this title will help to promote discussion and openness about mental health issues" * Carousel *
"A quirky and deeply moving story of friendship, love, trust, grief and guilt written in an engaging style with laugh-out-loud moments" * ReadingZone *
"Nielsen's writing brims with off-beat humour, authentic voices and real heart" -- Fiona Noble * Buyer's Guide Spring 2017 *
"The book enlightened me on how we may judge people at first, but we may not appreciate their unique personality until we get to know them as a true person." -- Rebekah Marsh, age 14 * for lovereading4Kids.co.uk *
"Nielsen writes with warmth and sensitivity, creating relationships that are believable and nuanced...It's a book I couldn't stop thinking about" -- Jenny Duffy * for lovereading4Kids.co.uk *
"I could not put this book down!" -- Emily Price, age 14 * for lovereading4Kids.co.uk *