Hello again, or for the 1st time, I’m back for another book review and I’ve been thinking of updating my review format so I’ll try it on this post & see if I like this new style. Rather than incorporating my read time & rating etc into the meat of my reviews, I’m going to bullet point those notes separately from the thought-out portion of my reviews. Comment below, let me know what you think of this new format.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
- Category – YA Fiction
- Length – 391 Pages
- Read Time – 5 Days
- GR Rating – 4 Stars
There will be spoilers in this review, I don’t think I can do justice to a review of this book without some. WARNING, SPOILER ALERT!
I’ll start with this, I could never fully understand being Libby Strout, formerly “America’s fattest teen”, because I’ve always been ‘naturally thin’, even after my children I remain within 20lbs of what I was when I peaked puberty. Please keep that in mind for this portion of the review. I rolled my eyes a few times at the bullying that Libby was being attacked with because to me it seemed so far-fetched, who actually even cares to go out of their way every day to be an asshole to another person over something that is of ZERO consequence to their own existence? That’s so absolutely ridiculous & counter-productive, I can’t fathom wasting my valuable time & energy that way, its absurd & embarrassing. However, I had to remind myself that’s just not the kind of person I am, that’s not the kind of person I’ve ever been but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others who are. & I don’t have that personal experience because I’ve always fit the “norm”, I’ve always fit into the average beauty standard mold of what’s acceptable. To me it seemed so far-fetched for a child to be “banned from the playground” at school by a bully kid & this ban somehow sticking for an entire school year?! WTF! So not a single other child thought, hmm nope this isn’t right, not a single teacher/staff saw this 1 child alone every day at recess standing against the wall, all damn year long!, & thought this doesn’t look copasetic!? I had to remind myself that my 1st ever altercation with a peer was in kindergarten with a bully who liked taking toys that were being played with away from others. & my 2nd school playground altercation, which happened in 2nd grade, was because of a bully who liked to sneakily trip kids, specifically the non-english speaking latine kids. I had to remind myself that I’ve been telling people to fuck off on behalf of others for a very long time because while I’m not that kind of person, others are & they never outgrow it. I love that Libby ultimately told them all to fuck off, I was rooting for her too, what I didn’t like was a boy being the catalyst for it. No hate to the cute teen romance stories, I’d just like this trope to be left in the past. That aside, I loved the way this book was written, the quick succession of pov’s, Libby’s & Jack’s, sometimes of the same moment really made the story jump out of the pages. I would love to see this as a short series on screen!
Now, Jack Masselin… I couldn’t imagine. This book made me go down a little research rabbit hole on Prosopagnosia aka face-blindness, wtaw (what the actual what), stunned. I COULDN’T IMAGINE. Not being able to recognize my own mothers face every day as she nurtured me with love. Not being able to recognize a photo of my mother, when photos are all that’s left… I can’t even begin to imagine. Jack manages to compensate for his lack of facial recognition on his own from the age of 6, which is when he fell off the roof & as far back as he can remember. As a mom I was questioning this, I think I’d notice if 1 of my children wasn’t recognizing me or their siblings or father. What parent wouldn’t notice going to pick their child up from daycare or school & seeing their child look directly at them the same way they do a stranger? Sure, a few occasions here & there can be chalked up to a stubborn child being stubborn but a pattern over years not being questioned at all, no se pero suena raro. I’d also like to get more of Jack’s story post revelation, what now that’s he’s finally decided to let go of the fear making him hide being face-blind from everyone.
All in all I enjoyed this book, while I may be over the “love is the end all be all” trope, I still love a cute love story. Thanks for joining me for another book review, comment your thoughts below!
- Have you read this book?
- What was your favorite part? (Mine was the purple bikini scene! Hell Yeah Libby!!!)
- What was your least favorite part? (Jack’s “kidnapping” at the party scene, come on now lets be fr)
- How many stars do you rate this book?
Hasta la próxima – V
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