Holding Up the Universe

“you're the one i see libby strout, you.”

This definitely wasn't my favourite work from Jennifer Niven but just like most of her works, it was relatable and real.

As someone who has always struggled with their weight and has had their fair share of bullying because of that, I was able to relate to Libby in the way. Libby was such a strong and independent character and I really loved that.

It was really interesting to read about Jack's character and his prosopagnosia. It's not something that I have seen portrayed in a book before.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book in the way that I felt its main element is that you're not alone and you don't need to change to make others like you. There were just a few moments that had me feeling confused on my feelings towards this book.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this so I think I'm going to stick with a three star rating until I decide otherwise.

I'm not sure that I was going to like the book at first because it's not something I'd normally read. But it turned out to be a great book! The characters are interesting, the themes are amazing, and the writing is unique. Though it's not a book that I would say is ‘the-greatest-story-of-all-time', it's an enjoyable read. It's definitely a book to end a reading slump. With that being said, four stars to a very fun and enjoyable read with great themes.

I liked this book, I wouldn't say I loved it because it didn't “wow” me. Nonetheless, it was still a good read and I enjoyed it. I liked learning more of Jack's condition and I love Libby's confidence throughout it all, she was so confident, it was beautiful. I disliked Jack at first but he slowly fixed what he did so I felt a bit better.

It's dual POV, you switch between Libby and Jack, which was nice to see into both their heads and what was going on during certain things.

Would I recommend? Yes, I would but before I do, it's YA, contemporary with romance. And definitely check any trigger warnings beforehand!

i just hate this book so much.

Each December my book club does a white-elephant-style book swap, and this was my pick. I had no idea what it was about, because the back cover says exactly nothing about it! It sounded vaguely like a YA romance. Cool.

So my feelings about this are kind of complicated. I didn't exactly feel happy reading it, but I also don't know that happiness was really the goal - for a YA romance it felt very heavy. It's about two teenagers - Libby (who is fat and whose mom died suddenly and unexpectedly when Libby was 10 [and grief/anxiety were the impetus for massive weight gain]) and Jack (who has face-blindness and can't recognize anyone, including his own multiracial family) - and the weight (no pun intended) of carrying those things in the world.

On the one hand, it was good getting to “walk around in the skin” of these two people who are not like me. Libby is portrayed as a multi-faceted and interesting character that (maybe in spite of the author's intentions) is not solely defined by her weight, but also I felt the start of her story was taking it too far (as someone who had to be literally cut out of her house during a medical emergency). Like, it's not enough to just gain weight in the aftermath of trauma and let it be that, we have to add a humiliation/public shame component, and I wasn't thrilled about that. I liked Libby's relationship with Jack and how it grew, though it sucks that it started from a place of mutual violence against each other. The ridiculousness of high school and people sucking at being kind to others who are different than them was realistic, and Jack went through all of that while every single day every single person was essentially a stranger.

Romance was okay, but the ending and falling-in-love felt kind of rushed where nothing else in the book did.

This is what I know about loss:- It doesn't get better. You just get (somewhat) used to it.- You never stop missing the people who go away.- For something that isn't there anymore, it weighs a ton.

I loved this book! What great characters! This may be a must read for teenagers. I would flag it for foul language there is a lot of F-words. Unfortunately, that's how a lot of teenagers speak. This is a great story about overcoming the adversity of being a teen and gives great insight in considering how we treat other people.

Young adult fiction is one of my guilty pleasures, although I now beyond the age group where I could ever be considered a young adult I find this genre is currently burgeoning with brilliant authors with some strong stories to tell and I enjoy reading them, they are an escape from the adult world back to a more innocent time when you didn't have to worry about what bills to pay and what everyone is having for dinner that evening. A time when anything was possible and you have your whole future in front of you.

Jennifer Niven has become very highly regarded in this genre after her last novel “All The Bright Things” received rave critical reviews, I haven't read that book yet however and I decided to start with Holding Up The Universe. I was lucky enough to listen to this book via audiobook as well as reading parts and whilst I do not regularly listen to audiobooks as I sometimes find they interfere with my enjoyment of the story, this adaptation was exceptional and it is highly recommended if this method of enjoying the book appeals to you more.

This is a great story of Libby Strout and Jack Masselin, two teens who are preparing to return to school after the summer break. For Libby however it is a huge undertaking, she was one “America's Fattest Teen” unable to leave her home and having had to be cut out of her bedroom by emergency services very publicly a few years before. She has spent the last years losing weight and addressing the demons which caused her to eat excessively after the death of her mother. Not having attended school for many years she is now ready to return and face the world and her peers, she is fierce and happy and with a dream to be a dancer she makes one of the most endearing heroines I've read for some time. Vulnerable and yet feisty and strong it is almost impossible not to fall in love with Libby.

Jack doesn't face a world without difficulties either, popular and enigmatic he is the centre of the popular kids at school but Jack is hiding a strange and unusual secret, he suffers from prosopagnosia, a condition which means that he is unable to recognise faces. Even the faces of the people he holds dearest he is unable to recall, he has to learn people by other identifying features such as their hair or size or sticky out ears in the case of his younger brother. Nobody is aware of Jack's secret and he tries disguising it each day, leading to awkward situations such as when he kisses his girlfriends cousin thinking it's his girlfriend and suddenly everyone is outraged at him.

Jack and Libby's worlds are about to collide, at the outset of the book we are told Jack is going to do a bad thing but we aren't aware what that thing is going to be. It is, however, going to be the catalyst that throws them both together and once they meet it begins a chain of events that will change both of their lives forever.

I literally loved this story, Jack and Libby are both incredible characters. Jack is cocky on the outside but struggling to hide his illness on the inside and so he uses his bravado to get him through. Inside he is a good guy, he tries to run with the crowd but his conscience jars him and we know he a decent human being. Libby is outwardly strong and feisty but inside she's still struggling with people bullying her for her size and shamed by the fact everyone knows about her having to be cut from her home years before. It's a story about how difficult high school can be to manoeuvre, the judgements teens make on each other and how cruel their jibes can be. How even the simplest of things can make you stand out from the crowd and how if your crimes are as heinous as Libby's and you dare to be physically different to the extreme people will go to any lengths to let you know you aren't wanted.

I read this book at the same time as watching the TV series 13 Reasons Why and whilst this book doesn't by any stretch cover bullying to the same extent the themes resonated through both and left me feeling that for all that we have become more aware of the impact bullying can have there still seems to be no end to the ability for people to be cruel in their judgement of others in the ability to make themselves feel more secure. As is said in 13 Reasons Why, of course the popular kids are cruel that's how they got popular in the first place.

I loved spending time with Jack and Libby, they are beacons of hope in a world where people allow themselves to become boxed in by the standards of others. They lift each other up and make us want to root for them and that is a very special thing.

wearealllibbystrout - no we are not, but we should be that strong and determined. The girl is a force of nature! Even the teen romance, albeit very cute, loses the spotlight for her.

“We're all weird and damaged in our own way”.

That quote is the one i'll remember from this book.

I loved All The Bright Places by Jennifer but i didn't like Holding Up The Universe as much as i wanted to like it.
I couldn't connect with the characters at all...
it was an enjoyable read but not the best i've read so far.

i'm speechless this is how good the book is