Holding Up the Universe

I finished it so it must be good

Ok so this review might be a little all over the place so please stick with my while I try and sort out my thoughts on this book. First, I have to say that I really did enjoy this book. I can agree with some people on how parts of the story are problematic, and I'll get to that, but as a whole I was entertained until the very end, and that's what I like to get from my books I read. I didn't think that the couple of problems with this book ruined it at all and I found the story to be cute, which again is something I want from my contemporary reads, and for once I wasn't able to predict everything that was going to happen before it happened.Now being an overweight person myself, I have to say the way that Libby views herself is beyond relatable. I know that I've seen people that have a problem with how she views herself and about how often she thinks about her weight and the fact that she's supposed to be this force for self love at the same time. But come on, this is how a teenage girls brain works. Even now as an adult that's how my brain works. I go from one day hating everything about the way I look to the next thinking I'm the cutest thing in the world and everyone can just suck it. Maybe because I can put myself in her shoes it makes it easier for me to understand how her brain can work that way, but it's really accurate and spoke to me on a high level.Oh Jack. I'm not sure where to start with Jack. I have to say even though he has prospoga.....you know what, EVERY TIME I came to this word in the book it took me like 5 minutes to figure out how to pronounce it again, so I'm just not going to use it here. Anyway, even with Jack's neurological disorder I have to say he really is a douchey boy. Granted I felt some sympathy for him but then there were times he'd do or say something and I'd just think "Come on, Really?". But then again I can see that that is how he's supposed to be written and that's probably the reaction we're supposed to have with him.Let's talk about the insta love for just a second. Sure that's usually a thing that happens with contemporaries, you meet someone and bam you're in love. Granted Libby and Jack knew each other before the insta love happened but you can literally see it suddenly happen where all of a sudden Jack looks different to Libby and he's a dreamy boy. It wasn't so glaring wrong that I wasn't able to move past it, but I do feel that that situation could have been handled a little differently.Back to Jack's neurological disorder. I still don't fully understand how it all works and how he's able to tell Libby apart from everyone else so easily. It does seem like a Love Cures Everything kind of deal but when I think about it, maybe love could cure prosp.....whatever. Maybe having that connection with someone, a connection so strong that you're not scared to look in to their eyes, can cause something else to fire in the brain that helps remember what their face looks like. So yet again, even though I can see this as being problematic, it still kind of makes sense to me and does add to the story.All in all this was a very enjoyable read. I loved getting to see Libby make that transition from homeschooled loaner to being more comfortable in her skin and going to a normal high school and trying to make friends and start a relationship. I enjoyed getting to follow Jack and see that maybe the douchey act he puts on is just a front because he has no idea how to act since no one really knows about his problem and he's too scared to really tell anyone. I am a sucker for contemporaries and the fact that this one touched on a couple hard topics made me an even bigger sucker for it. I'd recommend this to pretty much anyone looking for a good and entertaining read.

The book came in great condition! I absolutely loved it and would recommend others to read it.

I heard lots of great things about this from some friends, but not as great as you would expect. (Note: I'm a teen)First off, let's talk about the lack of realism.The characters seem all too open to talk about their feelings, past, and pretty much everything. People do not just open up about their anxiety, their problems, their struggles, to reveal everything. And yet, the characters discuss them so easily, it seems like something that is idealized by the government (as in the state health program about support and such). The openness of the dialogue renders the heavy topics they discuss less meaningful.Next, the dialogue felt, off. Listening to normal conversations, you see indicators of nervousness, of concern, anxiety, self-consciousness. The dialogue between Libby and Jack are, to say the least, were lacking all these indicators. Again, Libby has anxiety about her body, and her past. However, in many conversations with Jack and other characters, she seems to drop all of it and talks like a confident witty teen.In addition, the characters got into such ridiculous plots and complications that I was shocked. People do not go posing around in a bikini handing out a couple hundred copies of flyers. It is so idealized to the point that I react with "What the heck. Man." And 'Fat Girl Rodeo?' Seriously? It is so juvenile and asinine that it is utterly ridiculous. The parents seem to be very hands off. I mean, Libby's dad is supposed to be caring dad, and yet he doesn't pry more into when they skip (correct my memory, sorry if the event is wrong). Another time would be when Jack announces his prosopagnosia to the crowd by going up to I believe the DJ and screaming at the crowd. This is something similar to what I thought of myself when writing a story that was absolute trash when I was ten. Announcing the problem and hopefully all is resolved was the approach Niven took, which is absolutely ridiculous. The sheer amount of fistfights the students got into shocked me. I understand the author is attempting to create a teen romance out of a troubled life, but are fistfights truly common occurrences?Finally, predictability. SPOILER ALERT (You may want to not continue reading if you want to purchase the book).Jack being diagnosed with severe prosopagnosia by a doctor. They claim that he will never be able to recognize someone (at least that's the gist of it) and - bam! - he can recognize Libby. Great. Somehow by some magic force his prosopagnosia is cured only for one person. Once again, I must complain. Is this truly that good of an ending? No. Not at all. Oh my gosh! He realizes he loves her and he recognizes her. It is the epitome of a cheesy romance and contradicts all previous statements. But forget those details. It's not problem whatsoever! It's a teen romance, after all! It felt like the story had the ending written first and everything else was sorta made up later.Overall, not as amazing as expected. Nothing like All the Bright Places. Feels rushed. Unique setup, but unrealistic character development and sometimes basic love description/indicators. I would say on the surface, this is a nice story of love, but looking deeper you can see the quality has considerably dropped compared to All the Bright Places.

This book is absolutely amazing. One of my favorite reads by far. I LOVE Jennifer Niven style of writing and this book captivated every oz of my attention for two days straight. I grew up with a sister who was heavier than I and this book really helped me see things from her perspective of life. 10/10 100% recommend and would read again.

#BookReview ~Name of the book: Holding Up The UniverseAuthor: Jennifer Niven (@jenniferniven )My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5~I picked this book up because Jennifer Niven had my heart when I read All The Bright Places all those years ago. If you asked me to pick out a reason as to why I love her work, it would be because she writes about things that matter and she writes it in a way that make them matter to YOU. I had ATBP when I had no clue about mental health disorders and I still felt it. That's what good writing does to you. Makes you feel what you cannot.~Coming back to Holding Up The Universe, I loved it for two reasons: the characters and the character development. This book is about Libby Strout and Jack Masselin. Libby Strout is America's fattest teen and Jack Masselin has prosopagnosia (face blindness). Their story is naked and vulnerable because you'll feel the humiliation and you'll feel the struggle. Libby and Jack have a rough start but they're both compassionate, both outlaws so they fall for each other. There's sunshine and roses until there isn't.~Through Jack I could only imagine how difficult it would be not to remember faces and not recognize people except by identifiers. When Jack says "You deserve to be seen" I know he means it. Libby is brave and Libby will take you out. She's the kind of character we all wish we knew because she fight body shaming. At one point Libby says "My only crime was that I was fat" and that's the best line in the book. This book made me hopeful, made me think that there is an end to bullying and body shaming and all the horrible things people do to feel about themselves. Hope is what takes us forward.~Things I liked:📚Characters - real, naked, lovable📚Focused on character development than plot📚Seeing through Jack's eyes📚Realistic, nondramatic situations that'll feel natural📚Didn't end in suicide and that brought hope (mental health books can have an impact without the characters dying)~Things I didn't like:📚The fact that it probably could have had a little more story to it but that's find~Do I recommend?Yes! If you like reading about things that matter, then yes.

I have mixed feelings on this book.On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the pacing of the book and thought the plot line was great. I also enjoyed reading about the male protagonists life and about the issues this book presents (bullying, eating disorders, and more).However, I found some of the situations and responses highly unrealistic (although I will admit I’ve never been to an American school so if it’s like that there then fair enough) and I found it hard to sympathise with the female protagonist since the way she responded to things felt too perfect and unlikely given the age of the character and the things she’s dealt with.All in all I would recommend reading this book especially if you like the author (I can’t comment on how well it compares to her other books). It was a quick read and was still incredibly captivating and I do believe people who are going through similar issues as the protagonists may enjoy it a lot more than I did. I still love it, I just didn’t love the female protagonist and I do believe it would be ideal for those between 13-15 ( I as a 17 year old wasn’t as keen on it as I would have been at a younger age ) however, if you’re buying for someone else be wary that there is some profanity in. Nothing extremely offensive, but still there.

✒️ Story is about two character LIBBY & JACK both comes from different back ground but still there is something common in between them.LIBBY who become America's fattest kid after her mom died, she faced a kind of depression when she was 8 years old and she just start eating alot and as in result she become fattest kid of America. She has been rescued from her house. Copes broke her house to take her out from it. Now every body in her town knows her, she got so many threating emails, latters, texts even her dad got to.Where JACK who is hottest guy of school for everyone has different personality which he hides from everyone. Also he was facing face blindness in which he can't remember people's face, the second thing is nobody knows about it, he hides his problem from his family, friends and everyone.After lossing hundreds of pound weight when Libby joins school, she face many problems like bulling, getting insult from everyone, pranks and that's how she met Jack. ( On first meeting she punched him on his face )Jack realise it was his mistake and toke responsibility for it, Libby and he slowly become friends, he found he had never met girl like her, she is so strong from inside. And they fell for each other.Story has many more things. What i like so much is Libby, she is really an inspirational character. She is brave, she know how to deal with people who hate her without any reason, she is kind, understanding, helpful and many more things.Everyone should read this book. This book inspire us to not give up on own self no matter if the world is hating you. They way this book is written is also good, easy to understand, simple language well explain things. Even if you are beginner pick this.

The plot is a bit of a stretch but an unusual and heart-warming protagonist in Libby Strout really transforms this from a typical boy-meets-girl coming of age story into a really enjoyable read. 4 stars

I loved this book. Growing up in high school I pretty much felt the same. However, I gave in and lost 4 stone. I was originally 11 stone in year 9 and I went down to 7 stone going cold turkey. I have a hip condition which caused me to gain so much weight as I couldn’t walk properly!I wish I had the strength Libby had!! I’m now a mum and I’m still quite big but now I know im me! If people don’t like it I’ll be like Libby and prove that just because your big doesn’t mean it should affect friendships and relationships!