Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen is a novel with characters who display strength and perseverance while dealing with life changing, difficult circumstances. Viola Li is a die hard comic book fan. She is also an advocate for many different causes; she loves to bake and cook, raising money to donate and educate others about these important issues. At one such bake sale, Viola suddenly develops an extreme sensitivity to sunlight; this turns out to be much more intense and serious than she and her family originally thought. She can no longer attend school because of the florescent lights; she can no longer drive because windows don’t block out the light; she can not be on her phone or computer for longer than 15 minutes at a time because the lights will burn her; she is forbidden see her love interest, Josh, because her parents feel as though he makes risky decisions rather than working to protect her. Viola could choose to give up, but rather than doing that, she comes up with a Plan B that just may work for her future.

The characters are very likable and well developed. The author has clearly done her research in regard to photosensitivity; the situations are realistic and believable. This book is a great addition to any library because of the diverse characters and topics presented.