Holding Up the Universe
It was only a few years ago when Jennifer Niven had decided to launch her first debut novel, All The Bright Places. It was an instant hit; Niven had successfully brought the topic of suicide and depression onto the table with only a few raised eyebrows.
Niven came up with another book a year later called Holding Up The Universe. Though Holding Up The Universe didn't do as well as ALTBP, it was definitely, in my opinion, a better read with better plots and characters. The story itself was quite a roller coaster ride.
The novel jumps from two perspectives - from Libby Stout, an overweight girl who's dealing with high school, to Jack Masselin, the typical American high school popular kid at school - who also happens to be dealing with prosopagnosia, a rare disease where you cannot recognize faces of your friends and family. They struggle through different circumstances and as more problems collapse on them, they slowly collapse themselves.
At first glimpse, HUTU seemed a lot like a typical Wattpad novel: popular boy meets unpopular girl, falls in love, breaks society's norm, changes society's perspective on love. And to some extent, it's true. However, the focus that Niven had decided to shine the light on was the societal taboo subject that goes around our society today, by putting the spotlight on two characters from vastly different worlds connected by the mutual feeling of being on the outside looking in.
The romance in the novel was quite slow, and to be honest, if you're looking for something like To All The Boys I've Loved Before or The Fault In Our Stars, HUTU isn't for you. HUTU, instead, focuses on self-love and trust portrayed by two characters in two different situations.
I would recommend this novel for anyone who's looking for a not-so-light read. HUTU was quite easy to get in, but the characters were hard to love. Both Libby and Jack are two characters with stubborn and aggressive personalities, unlike your average Bella Swan. Libby was drowning in self-pity, and frankly, it was annoying at first, but hey, isn't that universal and (disgustingly) human? The only thing that bothered me was the fact that they were often defined by their label - Libby, as "America's Fattest Teen" and Jack, as the boy with prosopagnosia.
In total, I would rate the book as 7/10. The plot was interesting and unique, and the characters were quite quirky and relatable. It sent out positive messages ("You are wanted; you are necessary; you are loved") through flawed and realistically portrayed characters. Simply put, if you want a thought-provoking and genuine story to read, Holding Up The Universe should definitely put into your To-Read bookshelf.
Warning: The book contains mature language and content; I recommend this for middle school+ or mature readers in general.