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Holding Up the Universe
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someoneand love someonefor who they truly are. Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed Americas Fattest Teen. But no ones taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her moms death, shes been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libbys 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, hes got swagger, but hes 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 cant recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. Hes the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he cant understand whats going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Dont get too close to anyone. Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school gamewhich lands them in group counseling and community serviceLibby 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 areand seeing them right back. Praise for All the Bright Places: [A] heartbreaking love story about two funny, fragile, and wildly damaged high school kids. Entertainment Weekly A do-not-miss for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe. Justine Magazine At the hearta big oneof All the Bright Places lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers. The New York Times Book Review
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themonaisa
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
Pickpick

😭❤️ why has nobody talked about this book!?! It was so beautiful! Exactly the kind of story I needed and such a great portrayal of these painful experiences. It was written with passion, told a beautiful tale, and even though there was so much happening, it never distracted from the storyline.

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Areeshaaa
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Panpan

The book I have DNF-ied
After reading All the bright places that was a good read, I expected the same from this one. But to my great regret, even after trying to finish it, I was only able to get to page 253 before I gave up.
The main characters are Jack and Libby.
Jack, who has Prospogania (not having the ability to recognize familiar people's faces)
Libby was the fattest American Girl.
They main characters had no chemistry.

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Mountainfairy00
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
Pickpick

Great quick read!

Nute Welcome to Litsy! It‘s a warm and friendly community. I know that you will enjoy yourself here. I‘m looking forward to getting to know you!🙂
Check out #LitsyEvents for a varied listing of fun-related happenings within this neighborhood of fellow readers.🤗
2y
1 like1 comment
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radesilets
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

I love Niven‘s style of writing. It‘s like a delicious dessert. Always fluid, easy, and she has tons of drive for her characters. Lots of feel good moments about self-acceptance in this one. This was my #bookspin for April. #bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks
#yabooks #ireadya #youngadult

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 3y
3 likes1 comment
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radesilets
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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I am bleary eyed and exhausted because I read from page 30 to 148. I should have known that I would fall in love with these characters like I fell in love with Violet and Finch. The loneliness, the anger, all of it captured in these cosmic moments. Jack and Libby bring the same realness to the table. Now to get through the work day so I can go back to reading. #idratherbereading #yabooks #ireadya

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radesilets
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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First line: “I‘m not a shitty person, but I‘m about to do a shitty thing.” This is my #bookspin for this month. Not really in the mood for contemporary, but I appreciate this opening line so here we go!

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Mrs.C
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

I aspire to be as amazing as Libby is.

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KimberlyJuracich
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
Pickpick

All the feels

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Annie1215
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Panpan

Just not for me.

This was another audiobook I have had for a while and decided to put on my October #bookspin to get through it.

While I always appreciate inclusive representation and unique plots, the execution of this one was a little clumsy. I didn‘t find the characters were strong enough to support that. Ultimately I think this landed a bit too far in the YA realm to land for me, maybe that‘s on me though.

TheAromaofBooks Sometimes YA is just a little TOO YA! 3y
65 likes1 comment
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monkeygirlsmama
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

Was tearing up at work because I just loved this book so much!! Was sad to see it end, yet was happy with the ending. :)

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monkeygirlsmama
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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"People are shitty for a lot of reasons..."

Such an apt quote for today's society. :(

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monkeygirlsmama
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Truth!!!! 💙☹️

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Sharanya
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

Oh, this was just wonderful ♥️.

This is mostly bc of Jack & Libby, who were extremely huggable, A++++ narrators. Niven‘s writing continues to create a decent balance between poetic & narrative, though it dips into cheesy once or twice (as usual). The ending was definitely cheesy, but by then I was too into it to care. ★★★★☆.

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Sharanya
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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#currentlyreading | All the Bright Places gave me a ton of feels so I‘m expecting a lot out of this one!

LiteraryinLawrence I loved this one just as much! 4y
Sharanya @LiteraryinLititz just finished and omg it was great!! 4y
4 likes1 stack add2 comments
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vanslibanan
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Currently 👓📖 #bookstoscreen

Annie1215 All The Bright Places truly made me ugly cry...I guess I‘m going to have to put this in the rotation 😭 4y
DimeryRene @Annie1215 That one made me ugly cry too!!!!!! Loved it. 4y
71 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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JillsBookshelf
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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I‘m really enjoying this book so far! I love the dual perspectives, especially Jack‘s. It‘s really interesting learning about prosopagnosia.
#ya #summerreads

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JillsBookshelf
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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I decided I‘m going to try and reorganize my bookshelf in a different way every day this week to see which is my favorite. Today I tried a rainbow bookcase. I LOVED how it turned out!
#bookshelf #rainbow #summer

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ava.lynn
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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🥰

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Enchanted_Bibliophile
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

Prosopagnosia, Loss, body issues, friendship and love. Niven takes on these weighted issues with such ease and skill, you can't help admire her.

There really should be more YA books like these. It teach and entertain all at the same time.

I did like All the Bright Places more, but this was still very good.

@TheAromaofBooks
This is my #DoubleSpin for April.
That's all 3 of them!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Great work!! 4y
26 likes1 comment
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Enchanted_Bibliophile
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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I got 4 beautiful hours of reading in today.
I think I've learned the trick. As soon as i start to loose interest in one book I put it down and switch to another one.

#EasterExtravaganza total time 13h6m
Not sure I'll make it to the 30hours I planned on, but at least I'm reading again. 😅

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QueenG
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Mehso-so

Book 34 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jack a guy with prosopagnosia fall in love with Libby a girl who is overweight. Nobody knows about jack but he opens himself to Libby. School trouble leads them to become friends.

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Enchanted_Bibliophile
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Started on my #DoubleSpin book

"I'm not a shitty person, but I'm about to do a shitty thing."

#FirtsLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Buechersuechtling This one is still on my virtual sub and I really look forward to the day I will get my hands on it. 4y
Enchanted_Bibliophile @Buechersuechtling Did you read All the Bright Places yet? I was crying so hard at the end. 4y
Buechersuechtling Yes, I did. It left me with a big lump in my throat. I loved it. 4y
23 likes3 comments
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ava.lynn
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Panpan

This book was okay at the beginning but it moved a bit to slow for my liking. I do think it is a good book but might not be for everyone.

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GatheringBooks
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Clwojick
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

I love that Libby includes these little details now, thanks to the new update. ♥️ Really enjoyed the book, and will certainly be recommending it... also, going to have to google face blindness, cause I find that fascinating.

#TBRRead #MerryReaders #WinterGames

ShananigansReads Ohhh this makes me want to give Libby another try. Thanks 4y
Tove_Reads I can give perfect descriptions of height, size, hair, clothes etc., but I have no clue what a person‘s face looks like when not seeing that person in front of me. 4y
mom2bugnbee Oh! I didn't know that Libby did this now. Thanks! 4y
65 likes3 comments
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Aliezah :)
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Genre: Fiction, Romance
Date started: Dec 12
Date completed: Dec 18
How did I choose this book? I have never read something that is romance so I decided to give it a try considering my favourite genre of books is thriller.
Summary and information below. :)

Aliezah :) Summary: Libby Strout was once known as the “America‘s Fattest Teen.” However, no one has ever taken the time to figure out who she really was. Ever since her mother‘s death, she‘s been struggling to pick up the pieces in her home, and is now taking care of her heartbroken father and her own grief. Nonetheless,, she is now ready for high school, new friends possibly love and for every possibility that life will have to offer her.
4y
Aliezah :) Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin but it‘s only because he mastered the art of fitting in. No one knows that he has this neurological condition that gives him the inability to recognize faces even to the ones familiar to him. He can re-engineer and rebuild anything but he has trouble understanding what‘s going on with the inner workings of his brain. Meaning, he tells himself “Be charming, be funny, but don‘t get too close to anyone.”
4y
Aliezah :) Up until he meets Libby. The two are tangled up in a cruel high school game which makes them end up in group counseling. The are both angry but later on, surprised. They noticed that the more they‘re together, the less alone they feel. “Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changed the world, theirs and yours.”
Who is the protagonist: The protagonist in this book is Libby Strout.
4y
Aliezah :) What was her problem? Her problem was that before she met Jack, she was alone because no one took the time to try and accept her for who she is.
How was the problem solved? In the end, Jack and Libby got together. :)))
4y
Aliezah :) At first, Jack kept hesitating for them to be friends because he didn‘t want to hurt anyone and also because no one knows he had prosopagnosia but he then realized that Libby was the only person who knows what was really wrong with him. They realized that they made each other happy and that was all that mattered. :))
4y
4 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Tahoe
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

What a nice, encouraging ans captivating YA book! I liked it very much!

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Tahoe
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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I started yesterday on my way to work. Since then I can barely stop reading^^ it's easy, teen- English which fits perfectly the age of the characters. It's also making it effortless to read which is exactly what I need right now :D

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Book_yogi
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

Every girl should know Libby Stout, a girl who figured out how to live boldly and with no boundaries as well as everyone should read about Jack and understand face blindness with it widely reaching effects. This book teaches us to be a little more kind and a little more understanding, to celebrate our differences and embrace who we can become when we stop hiding. One more thing, I love Libby!

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Barrettck
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

WOW! This book about an unlikely pair was so difficult to put down! I thoroughly enjoyed the overarching theme that you don‘t ever really know what other people are going through. Easy, fun, meaningful read. 5/5 🌟

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amyf0x
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

Charming YA story in which Jack and Libby each have their own secrets to keep as they navigate high school, but they just can‘t seem to stop thinking about each other.

Read May 16-19
Book 28/55

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natalieebloom
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

A great YA pick! I absolutely loved Libby. She could have easily been written as a broody, self-loathing type of teen, but she was the exact opposite of what you might expect. The descriptive language was lovely. I‘m going to put Niven‘s other YA novel, All The Bright Places, on my summer reading list.

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BekaReid
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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"Life is too short to judge others. It is not our job to tell someone what they feel or who they are. Why not spend some time on yourself instead?"

10 likes1 stack add
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lolcanidie
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
Pickpick

One of the best written books I‘ve read, I enjoyed the plot and the characters with their faults. Only book I‘ve ever cried reading.

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Dawnrod1970
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
Pickpick

Absolutely loved this book! Didn‘t want it to end!

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cassiecharman
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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what I know about loss:

4 likes1 stack add
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saguarosally
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Just a photo from #litsywalkers today. By the time I shot here, I had been walking around an area for over an hour, right through a district that has suffered from adversity to such a degree that I struggle to see how this could exist in the United States in 2019. Then I saw this and it broke my heart again.

DivineDiana 😢 5y
51 likes1 comment
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Hope_a
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Hi, guys. What‘s your weekend read?
I decided to grab this book by Jennifer Niven because it stayed for so long on my bookshelf. I read her previous book ‘All the Bright Places‘ couple of years ago and I loved it, so I don‘t know why I still haven‘t read this one. I believe I will enjoy it. Fingers crossed.
So what are you going to read this weekend?

BarbaraJean I‘m planning to make some progress in this one: 5y
Hope_a @BarbaraJean Do you like it? My fantasy-lover friends constantly speak about her and her book, which (according to them) are AMAAAAAAAZING. I haven‘t read anything from her, but consider to do it sometime soon. 5y
BarbaraJean You know how with some books, from just the first few sections, you can tell you‘re in the hands of a wonderful storyteller? So far it‘s like that! I‘ve heard rave reviews of her for so long—I‘m glad to finally get into one of her books! 5y
Hope_a @BarbaraJean Cool! Thank you. 🤗 5y
BarbaraJean 😊You‘re welcome! Happy weekend reading! 5y
80 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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kellyannprz
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

Definitely an enjoyable read, even though some part of me thinks “why do you like it?”😹 It‘s cute, and yet it touches subjects that should be taken into consideration at all times. Also, look at how pleasing the hardcover is without the sleeve!

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Stephaniereads1
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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A third of the way thru!!!! #24in48

20 likes1 stack add
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Stephaniereads1
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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My shelfie. #24in48

Ericalambbrown Cute! 😊 5y
19 likes1 stack add1 comment
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kaitlynvazquez3404
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Kaylamburson I adored this book. Welcome to Litsy!!! 5y
29 likes1 comment
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trazo
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this YA. I love how fierce and resilient Libby is while also being honest about her worries and fears. I love the hits Niven gives of beginning to see vulnerability as a strength. 💙💙💙

vkois88 I loved this one!! 5y
81 likes1 stack add1 comment
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trazo
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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I really need to catch some zzz 😴 But I am really enjoying this book 📖 ok, 10 more pages no 15 and I will sleep 🌙

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Avis
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
Pickpick

I really connected with these characters! The setting and people seemed so real. I like how the chapters weren‘t too long, so it made it easier to read. Great character development. I also like that they chose a disorder that isn‘t as well known.

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Avis
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven

I am going to blind her with this fucking smile so she won‘t ever be able to see my dad again

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Lovesbooks87
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

This book was so good. I didn't want to put it down. This book covered so many important topics from grief, cancer, face blindness, and weight issues. I didn't know that you could be face blind and not recognize people that you knew. This author covered all of these topic beautifully! I loved Libby and Jack together. I got the authors other book yesterday and can't wait to start it. Thanks @dariazeoli for sending me this book!

KarynGood Sounds very interesting!!! 5y
dariazeoli I‘m so glad it was a good book ! (edited) 5y
LiteraryinLawrence Looooooved this one 5y
73 likes3 comments
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MaggieCarr
Holding Up the Universe | Jennifer Niven
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Pickpick

Reread the tagged book for a discussion. So many topics to reflect on: bereavement, weight, cancer, affairs, bullying, uncommon health issues (though mentions 1 in 50 suffer from face blindness), teen drug and alcohol use etc. Double narration added to the alternating storyline- I recommend the audiobook

"You are wanted. Big, small, tall, short, pretty, plain, friendly, shy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, not even yourself."

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