Spoilery Book Reviews

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Back of the book

Everyone things they know Libby Strout, but no one's ever looked past her weight to see who she really is. Since her mum's death Libby's been hiding, but now she's ready for high school. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone things they know Jack Masselin too – sexy, aloof and too cool for school. But Jack's swaggering confidence is hiding a secret he must keep at all costs. Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.

Then Jack meets Libby. And their worlds change. Because sometimes when you meet someone, the whole universe just comes into focus.

My thoughts

This story has a beautiful and heavy handed moral of self-love and acceptance. I don't hate that it's yelling this message to your face. So many stories or media present the constant subtle message that you are not worthy as you are, that it does feel necessary to scream out the opposite. You are worthy. The catchphrase of this book.

Libby was such a great character that it didn't matter that Jack was an asshole. No matter which way you spin the story, Jack preferred to bully someone over embarrassing himself from his inability to recognise faces. Prosopagnosia was his excuse, albeit legitimate, Jack's actions were still self-serving and bad. I can't imagine a situation where someone bullies me the way Jack did to Libby, and then I forgive them and end up friends with them. It's meant to be an example of Libby's character (empathy, walking in another's shoes) but mostly that plot hole is just serving the eventual narrative.

This was an effortless read and I was able to connect with the characters. This book has a light-hearted and fun tone despite the undercurrent of tough problems. To list them; anxiety, binge-eating, parental break-up and affair, bullying. Despite all those mood destroying themes, the tone in this book never made me want to cry about it. Niven also didn't kill off any of her main characters which was a relief.

As I haven't experienced prosopagnosia or being significantly overweight, I cannot comment on the representation of either of these things. However, I LOVED that the focus was not on Libby losing weight. That she accepted she was overweight, and it was no longer a major health or physical impairment problem. I loved that this book took the time to explain that her binge-eating and weight gain were rooted as a coping tool for the loss of her mother. Nothing to do with laziness or personality traits, vanity or food itself. Libby shows how health is much more about fitness and how you eat or feel, rather than just weight. I think Libby was probably healthier than a lot of skinny characters I read about that hate themselves. Not hating yourself goes a long way to being healthy.

Jack and Libby jumping to 'I love you" at the end felt over the top. I didn't feel their relationship had progressed that far. In theory it sounds like a sweet happy ending but reading it felt uncomfortable. They had shared one date and broken up, but suddenly the book is ending so they are in love.

Overall this is a feel-good book about confidence, self acceptance and being vulnerable. No book has been able to compare to All the Bright Places but at least this novel had a strong message unlike Breathless which I think is trash. Holding Up the Universe is a fun and light-hearted read, reminding you to love yourself and your body, thanking it every day for what it lets you achieve.

TL:DR

Not comparable to ATBP, but better than Breathless which is not worth a read. Feel-good story about loving your body and yourself, flaws included.