A New York Times BestsellerFrom the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are.Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s … get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.
Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are—and seeing them right back.
”Niven is adept at creating characters. . . . [Libby’s] courage and body-positivity make for a joyful reading experience.” –The New York Times
“Holding Up the Universe . . . taps into the universal need to be understood. To be wanted. And that’s what makes it such a remarkable read.” —TeenVogue.com, “Why New Book Holding Up the Universe Is the Next The Fault in Our Stars”
“Want a love story that will give you all the feels? . . . You’ll seriously melt!” —Seventeen Magazine
more
I loved this book. Another great read by this author. Can’t wait for more!
Love this book, it is full of flavors.Holding Up the Universe
Last thursday, when I bought this book, I was looking for an original teen-romance with a bad boy falling in love for a girl who doesn’t respect social boundaries of female beauty. Turns out I found so much more, because it wasn’t a regular love story. Not at all. It wasn’t a story about two people falling in love for each other, but a story of two people falling in love with them-selves. A story of friendship, solidarity and acceptance.
It was a very pleasant surprise and I’m glad I discovered this perl.
Y’all. This book. I can’t even right now. I seriously loved this book. I think it’s so relevant to high school and how cruel teenagers and people in general can be when it comes to bullying.
Jack and Libby are such relatable characters. Especially Libby. I connected to her and so many of her struggles on a personal level. What made these characters so powerful is that they are real. Libby is an overweight teenager who had pictures of her being cut out of her home broadcast online for the entire world to see and comment on. Jack is the popular kid who everyone assumes has the perfect life, but he has more struggles than any of them could imagine.
I really hope Holding Up the Universe can help give strength to those teens who are being bullied and maybe it will even make some bullies realize how their actions are affecting others and why they should stop. I know that’s a lot to put on a book, but words can be quite influential.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is an absolutely amazing book. It is the story of two teens. Libby Strout, who at one point in her young life had gained so much weight she had to be cut out of her house, and Jack Masselin, who has prosopagnosia, or face blindness. He has been able to hide this fact from everyone, including his family, but it is taking a toll on him. Due to a cruel stunt at school, Jack and Libby wind up in detention and group counseling together. As they begin to know each other, attractions develop.
I think Libby is a fantastic character. Although she still weighs enough to be considered morbidly obese, she has lost hundreds of pounds since being cut out of her house. She is eager to experience all life has to offer, and is not afraid to go for it. I love that she tries out for the school dance team, and is not afraid to speak her mind. She has a sure sense of self that is very appealing.
This is a very sweet love story, with great, complicated characters. Although both Jack and Libby have unusual problems, they feel very natural, not forced at all. I also feel like I learned a bit about prosopagnosia. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I enjoyed it so much and will recommend it to all my friends. (And I love the cover so much. So pretty!)
I received a free copy from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
All the Bright Places author writes another home run with me!!
This is one of those stories you reflect on long after reading it.
I really loved this book. It was a great story, and it was so refreshing to have characters that aren’t physically perfect, especially a woman.
I loved the characters and was totally rooting for Libby and Jack! Well researched, well written, and super witty!
2.5 stars (I have been battling between 3 and 2.5 stars, and I’m still unsure which one is more accurate). This book gave me an abundance of conflicted feelings. At times, I admired the connection between Libby and Jack. It felt real and raw. I also can sympathize with their characters (in some moments). I found Jack to be an overall likable guy, while he did horrible things at times. He was battling a lot over the course of the story, so some (and I mean some, not all) of his behavior I can forgive. I found Libby to be severely annoying, but also a great and confident person who readers can look up to. To me, that overcomes her annoying tendencies.
Now, here are all of my issues with the book:
While this story shined light on important topics, I found it to be filled with stereotypes. While All the Bright Places fell into stereotypes at times, as nearly all YA contemporaries do, Holding Up the Universe was a walking stereotype. It doesn’t feel like Niven put a lot of thought into who these characters are as human beings, beyond their weight or cognitive disabilities. That’s all they are and nothing more. I am aware that a lot of people found the same issue with AtBP in regard to metal illness, which I do acknowledge, but I personally felt that Niven put more into Violet and Finch than she did in Libby and Jack.
I, personally, did not feel as connected to Libby and Jack as I did to Violet and Finch in AtBP. I could deeply relate to Violet, as well as Finch in many aspects. In AtBP, I connected to their love of writing, reading, words and lyrics. I could connect to their struggles and how they viewed the world. In comparison to AtBP, I simply did not connect to Libby and Jack on any sort of deep level.
To put it bluntly, I found both Libby and Jack to be simply annoying. The story itself was filled with stereotypes, tropes and plot devices. In comparison to AtBP, HUtU was definitely more gimmicky.
It was certainly not as deep or thought-provoking as AtBP.
Holding up the universe is by far the best book I’ve ever read
I just love this book so much, because it helped me go through some hard times in my life where I was really struggling with my weight and confidence.
I liked this book but I found it boring because the ending was predictable
transcends the usual high school relationship, a good read to see your life better perspective
Holding up the Universe is the story of Libby — formerly the “Fattest Teen in America” and known for being rescued from her house from a crane at age 13. It follows her as she rejoins “real” school after years of therapy, home schooling, and dieting. Her dream is to be a dancer, despite everything that says she can’t. It also follows Jack, her classmate who is face blind.
I think this book had a lot of plot points that were purposeless. Overall, it was a romance, and had a lot of unnecessary points to get to that “aww” happy ending moment. I cannot speak to the representation in the novel, but a lot of the fat points and jokes made me cringe, and seemed to just be a vehicle for the romance.
An okay read in a world where there are far better YA books to pick up.