Hello my lovely readers. Long time no see, eh? Actually this is a quite shocking turn of events. Two posts in less than two weeks? We must be in the Twilight Zone! Anywho... Remember in my previous post when I mentioned that Jennifer Niven (author of All the Bright Places) sent my sister and I an advanced reader's copy of her new book... Holding Up the Universe?
Well, guess what everyone? I finished it! And now, I'm gonna write you all a review.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is about a boy named Jack and a girl named Libby. Jack and Libby are alike in some ways, as they discover throughout this story. Jack Masselin has swagger. He is more popular amongst his peers, unlike Libby, but he also has a secret. He can't recognize faces. It is a cognitive disorder called prosopagnosia, which means he has face-blindness. He is able to see facial expressions, however he unable to know who the person is without looking for their identifiers (i.e. hair, posture, voices).
While Jack has adapted to his secret disorder, he still encounters complications that come with it. This is where Libby comes in. Libby is known as "America's Fattest Teen", she had been shut off from the world for most of middle school, until now. With her spunky attitude and her strong desire to twirl, she plans on living up her high school expectations.
Throughout the book you will definitely become fully attached to these characters (along with Jack's youngest brother, Dusty), because that is what Miss Niven does to us. She not only made me attached to the characters in this book, but she also made me feel what they were feeling. Their pain became my pain, and their excitement became mine.
This book is definitely a fabulous pick-me-up read. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was reading it. The characters are beautiful and funny! I laughed and giggled to myself whilst sticking tabs on almost every page. Even though this book doesn't come out until October, it is a great summer read! What I loved most about this book was how easy it was to have a look inside Jack's brain and truly understand what he must be going through with prosopagnosia. Miss Niven made me feel as if I were Jack himself. Yes, he's a jerk. Yes, he does some stupid things. Yes, he's gorgeous. But does he make up for all that? You'll have to read and find out. ;)
And Libby was just as amazing. She's so spunky and inspiring, and if it's okay to say... aggressive. ;)
I totally recommend this book to people who have read All the Bright Places and other books like Eleanor & Park, Paper Towns, and other contemporary favorites.
Now, I didn't get paid to rave about this book to you all, or even write this review. I'm doing this because I want to, and because you all need to pick up this book when it comes out. It's different but not too different, the characters are original but easy to relate to, and it's not too hard to understand. I cannot wait to buy the actual book when it comes out, I am definitely going to read it again.
When I finished this book, I had this warm, fuzzy feeling bouncing around inside me that just made me wanna go:
(warning: extreme fangirling ahead)
EEEEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ASDFGHJKL: JACK, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. LIBBY, YOU ARE JUST AS BEAUTIFUL AND SPUNKY AND I WISH I WERE YOU! AND DUSTY, OH DUSTY, LET ME SWADDLE YOU IN A BLANKET AND KEEP YOU SAFE FOR ALL ETERNITY! OH OH, NOW I WANT TO TWIRL! LET ME TWIRL! OH JACK, YOU CAN TAKE ME OUT ON A DATE ANY TIME YOU WANT. NO WAIT, TAKE LIBBY. PLEASE JACK, TAKE LIBBY AND MARRY HER AND HAVE CHILDREN AND BE BEAUTIFUL! ALSO, HAVE YOU ALL SEEN THIS FLAWLESS BOOK COVER?! I MEAN, IT'S JUST SO EYE-PLEASING, ISN'T IT?
... Now, all I need is a sequel and I'm completely satisfied. ;)
P.s. Guys... Jack named his car just like Finch did. o-o
That concludes my review! I really loved this book, I hope you pick it up, and when you do, give me a holler. I'll be there to squeal, giggle, and twirl with you. Ugh, I wish you all didn't have to wait until October. I want you to read it now.
Well, guess what everyone? I finished it! And now, I'm gonna write you all a review.
Holding Up the Universe Review
by Mackenzie Rae (spoiler free!)
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is about a boy named Jack and a girl named Libby. Jack and Libby are alike in some ways, as they discover throughout this story. Jack Masselin has swagger. He is more popular amongst his peers, unlike Libby, but he also has a secret. He can't recognize faces. It is a cognitive disorder called prosopagnosia, which means he has face-blindness. He is able to see facial expressions, however he unable to know who the person is without looking for their identifiers (i.e. hair, posture, voices).
While Jack has adapted to his secret disorder, he still encounters complications that come with it. This is where Libby comes in. Libby is known as "America's Fattest Teen", she had been shut off from the world for most of middle school, until now. With her spunky attitude and her strong desire to twirl, she plans on living up her high school expectations.
Throughout the book you will definitely become fully attached to these characters (along with Jack's youngest brother, Dusty), because that is what Miss Niven does to us. She not only made me attached to the characters in this book, but she also made me feel what they were feeling. Their pain became my pain, and their excitement became mine.
This book is definitely a fabulous pick-me-up read. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was reading it. The characters are beautiful and funny! I laughed and giggled to myself whilst sticking tabs on almost every page. Even though this book doesn't come out until October, it is a great summer read! What I loved most about this book was how easy it was to have a look inside Jack's brain and truly understand what he must be going through with prosopagnosia. Miss Niven made me feel as if I were Jack himself. Yes, he's a jerk. Yes, he does some stupid things. Yes, he's gorgeous. But does he make up for all that? You'll have to read and find out. ;)
And Libby was just as amazing. She's so spunky and inspiring, and if it's okay to say... aggressive. ;)
I totally recommend this book to people who have read All the Bright Places and other books like Eleanor & Park, Paper Towns, and other contemporary favorites.
Now, I didn't get paid to rave about this book to you all, or even write this review. I'm doing this because I want to, and because you all need to pick up this book when it comes out. It's different but not too different, the characters are original but easy to relate to, and it's not too hard to understand. I cannot wait to buy the actual book when it comes out, I am definitely going to read it again.
When I finished this book, I had this warm, fuzzy feeling bouncing around inside me that just made me wanna go:
(warning: extreme fangirling ahead)
EEEEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ASDFGHJKL: JACK, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. LIBBY, YOU ARE JUST AS BEAUTIFUL AND SPUNKY AND I WISH I WERE YOU! AND DUSTY, OH DUSTY, LET ME SWADDLE YOU IN A BLANKET AND KEEP YOU SAFE FOR ALL ETERNITY! OH OH, NOW I WANT TO TWIRL! LET ME TWIRL! OH JACK, YOU CAN TAKE ME OUT ON A DATE ANY TIME YOU WANT. NO WAIT, TAKE LIBBY. PLEASE JACK, TAKE LIBBY AND MARRY HER AND HAVE CHILDREN AND BE BEAUTIFUL! ALSO, HAVE YOU ALL SEEN THIS FLAWLESS BOOK COVER?! I MEAN, IT'S JUST SO EYE-PLEASING, ISN'T IT?
... Now, all I need is a sequel and I'm completely satisfied. ;)
P.s. Guys... Jack named his car just like Finch did. o-o
That concludes my review! I really loved this book, I hope you pick it up, and when you do, give me a holler. I'll be there to squeal, giggle, and twirl with you. Ugh, I wish you all didn't have to wait until October. I want you to read it now.
I hope you all have a lovely day. <3
xx
