Holding Up the Universe
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-22 10:58:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer Niven
- ISBN：0141357053
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout， the girl once dubbed 'America's Fattest Teen'。 But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is。 Since her mum's death， she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home， dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief。 Now， Libby's ready: for high school， for new friends， for love， and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER。 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， he's got swagger， but he's also mastered the art of fitting in。 What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can't recognize faces。 Even his own brothers are strangers to him。 He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything， but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his own brain。 So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming。 Be hilarious。 Don't get too close to anyone。
Until he meets Libby。 When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counseling， Libby and Jack are both angry， 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。
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too。 Yes， he's got swagger， but he's also mastered the art of fitting in。 What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can't recognize faces。 Even his own brothers are strangers to him。 He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything， but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his own brain。 So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming。 Be hilarious。 Don't get too close to anyone。
Until he meets Libby。 When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counseling， Libby and Jack are both angry， 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。
Reviews
Ana
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I didn't really enjoy this book。 i actually found it quite boring。 The author tried to portray Libby as a powerful and confident person towards the middle of the book， but i just didn't see it。 Also Jack was saying that it didn't matter to him how Libby looked， and he didn't mind the weight， but with every occasion he said the words "large" and "big" when talking about her。 It wasn't very much romance in this book， or much about the relationship they had， it was more about them separate and thei I didn't really enjoy this book。 i actually found it quite boring。 The author tried to portray Libby as a powerful and confident person towards the middle of the book， but i just didn't see it。 Also Jack was saying that it didn't matter to him how Libby looked， and he didn't mind the weight， but with every occasion he said the words "large" and "big" when talking about her。 It wasn't very much romance in this book， or much about the relationship they had， it was more about them separate and their past。 i didn't feel a connection between them， but i liked the little fights and teasing（not in a sexual way）。 I also liked the fact that Libby understood and was there for Jack from the moment she found out， even if they weren't talking。 。。。more
Katrin
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This is so disappointing after reading All the bright places。 So bland， so tasteless， so predictable， so worn out。 The main character has no personality。 It's an ok book if you like books that you can find on wattpad。 This is so disappointing after reading All the bright places。 So bland， so tasteless， so predictable， so worn out。 The main character has no personality。 It's an ok book if you like books that you can find on wattpad。 。。。more
Krista
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A lot happened in this book and that's what I liked about it。 I also （maybe even more） liked the chapters when they weren't doing well because it was very entertainent and so much happened in them。 But it didn't make me fall in love with the book。 It was a little basic， not that exciting and kind of cheesy。 The things that happened didn't really surprise or awh me anymore because it was so basic。 I just don't really know what to think。 A lot happened in this book and that's what I liked about it。 I also （maybe even more） liked the chapters when they weren't doing well because it was very entertainent and so much happened in them。 But it didn't make me fall in love with the book。 It was a little basic， not that exciting and kind of cheesy。 The things that happened didn't really surprise or awh me anymore because it was so basic。 I just don't really know what to think。 。。。more
Tiffany Oiney_Reads_Another
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3。5 stars。 I really liked this story， but I just felt like there could have been more？ I feel like that’s an ongoing theme for me， but I just didn’t seem to get enough depth from a lot of the characters。 Libby and Jack were great， but there were so many supporting characters who either were very lightly touched on， or didn’t get what was coming to them。 I really loved the Prosopagnosia information。 I had no idea there was such a cognitive disorder out there， so the thrill of learning something n 3。5 stars。 I really liked this story， but I just felt like there could have been more？ I feel like that’s an ongoing theme for me， but I just didn’t seem to get enough depth from a lot of the characters。 Libby and Jack were great， but there were so many supporting characters who either were very lightly touched on， or didn’t get what was coming to them。 I really loved the Prosopagnosia information。 I had no idea there was such a cognitive disorder out there， so the thrill of learning something new was very present in this story。 I appreciate both the personal experience aspect， and the technical medical explanation of it。 Libby， my girl， is the shining star of the story。 The “fat girl” who refuses to take people’s shit， after being dealt a triple helping of it for years。 She just didn’t stop being herself， and that was something I loved to see。 She didn’t roll over into the sidelines where the bullies couldn’t get it。 She pulled up her purple swim suit and strutted her confidence and self love for all to see。 Libby is the strength we all want to find inside ourselves。 She’s definitely one of my top 5 characters for the year。 。。。more
Afreen Fathima
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I'll give this one 4 starsThis book foollows the story of a girl， Libby who was once americas fattest teen 。 She was rescued from her own house by breaking it 。 After being rescued she lost some pounds but was still quite bulky and now that she is back on track she decides to join high school and live a normal life 。 There she meets a guy， Jack who has a neurological condition called prosopagnosia due to which he cannot recognise faces 。 Nobody knows this except Libby and they both help eachothe I'll give this one 4 starsThis book foollows the story of a girl， Libby who was once americas fattest teen 。 She was rescued from her own house by breaking it 。 After being rescued she lost some pounds but was still quite bulky and now that she is back on track she decides to join high school and live a normal life 。 There she meets a guy， Jack who has a neurological condition called prosopagnosia due to which he cannot recognise faces 。 Nobody knows this except Libby and they both help eachother find their true selves。This was a good refreshing read and i really liked the way author tried to show us what it feels to be different from others and be constantly judged from the society 。 This book emphasized on the fact that you are accepted ， you are loved and you are wanted no matter what。 Nobody can tell you otherwise。 Its all about selflove after all and i really liked Libbys attitude towards herself， after going thru a lot the way she redeemed herself was fabulous 。 。。。more
Fenja
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*3，5
deb
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i wanna throw this book on the wall
Kara
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This book was amazing。 I couldn't stop reading。 I guessed what was going to happen and I was right！ The books I have been reading lately have actually made me learn things about the world， and I don't mind。 I really liked this book。 I kept reading all night。 The next day I did have school but I had a nap later。 But the book was worth it。 It was great。 I really enjoyed this book。 This book is great I really do recommend it to people who are self-conscious。 Or you really need a book to read this i This book was amazing。 I couldn't stop reading。 I guessed what was going to happen and I was right！ The books I have been reading lately have actually made me learn things about the world， and I don't mind。 I really liked this book。 I kept reading all night。 The next day I did have school but I had a nap later。 But the book was worth it。 It was great。 I really enjoyed this book。 This book is great I really do recommend it to people who are self-conscious。 Or you really need a book to read this is your book。 。。。more
Danielle
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While I liked the chemistry between these two characters， I had a really hard time with the fat shaming。 😤 The author tried to portray Libby as a person who is fighting against bullying- but she refers to herself as fat many times。 It felt like a convoluted message。 🤦🏼♀️
Nora09
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 best book i've read this year so far。 wow。 THE LOVE STORY BETWEEN LIBBY AND JACK IS LITERALLY THE CUTEST MOST WHOLESOME THING ON THIS PLANET EARTH LIKE HUH THE LAST PAGE OF THE BOOK WAS A FREAKING CLIFFHANGER WHICH MADE ME CRY BECAUSE I NEED A SEQUEL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD。 in short， this is a really good book infinity/10 <3 ！ best book i've read this year so far。 wow。 THE LOVE STORY BETWEEN LIBBY AND JACK IS LITERALLY THE CUTEST MOST WHOLESOME THING ON THIS PLANET EARTH LIKE HUH THE LAST PAGE OF THE BOOK WAS A FREAKING CLIFFHANGER WHICH MADE ME CRY BECAUSE I NEED A SEQUEL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD。 in short， this is a really good book infinity/10 <3 ！ 。。。more
Aylen Mollinedo
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I really liked this book because I was able to connect with the characters。
Mia_mariana
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Easy and fast to read！ Libby is my new hero， she is so strong and fearless！
Isabella
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This book told an amazing story between Libby and Jack。 I absolutely adored their relationship and Libby’s personality。 This book is an extremely quick read because the chapters are so short and it is easy to fly through。 Would I pick up this book again？ Most likely not。 This book was great story and book but it was predictable and did not play to hard with your emotions。 I think this book would be amazing for young teenagers。 If younger me reads this book this would definitely be one of my favo This book told an amazing story between Libby and Jack。 I absolutely adored their relationship and Libby’s personality。 This book is an extremely quick read because the chapters are so short and it is easy to fly through。 Would I pick up this book again？ Most likely not。 This book was great story and book but it was predictable and did not play to hard with your emotions。 I think this book would be amazing for young teenagers。 If younger me reads this book this would definitely be one of my favourite books 。。。more
Helena
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I have mixed feelings on this book tbh。
Cierra
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Loved the 2 perspectives
alice
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Esse livro é muito bom， a protagonista Amy é incrível e forte， acompanhar a tragetória dos dois é ótimo。
Stephanie
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Libby used to weigh close to 700 pounds。 They had to destroy her house to get her out of there when she needed medical care。 She has since lost half of her weight。 Jack has face blindness， called prosopagnosia， causing him to not remember faces after looking away for even a second。 He can’t pick anyone out of a crowd。 He can’t even recognize his own family。 Libby and Jack forge a bond across the course of the novel。 I had never read about protagonists with these issues before， so I found this bo Libby used to weigh close to 700 pounds。 They had to destroy her house to get her out of there when she needed medical care。 She has since lost half of her weight。 Jack has face blindness， called prosopagnosia， causing him to not remember faces after looking away for even a second。 He can’t pick anyone out of a crowd。 He can’t even recognize his own family。 Libby and Jack forge a bond across the course of the novel。 I had never read about protagonists with these issues before， so I found this book to be very interesting。 Not as good as Niven’s All The Bright Places， but still worth the read。 。。。more
Erin Campbell
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 wish there were more jack povs as i found his storyline more interesting。 it’s a pet peeve of mine when a book finishes with a kiss scene， and i would’ve liked to see more of jacks life after telling everyone his diagnosis
Kim
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Jennifer Niven just always seems to amaze me。 Her characters are just so relatable and at sometimes you can really feel what it’s like。 It’s such an amazing story and the conflict just made it 10 times better。
nyla brown
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This book was such a cute love story。 It was funny， and romantic， and I loved how each chapter was a pov from both of the main characters。
Marissa Mayuga
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I had liked All The Bright Places but this book was just not as well written。 It felt as if I was reading about the character’s downfalls/insecurities instead of the characters and their chemistry。 They were too self absorbed to have the chemistry between them that’s written。
Hazel
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The characteristics of the 2 main characters are very distinct。 For Libby， it’s her weight。 For Jack， it’s his prosopagnosia。 The emotions that are hidden under these characteristics are very powerful。 The fear， the feeling of being lost。。。 I connected to this very well。 There are so many knowledgeable quotes in this book that made me motivated。 This was a read that helped me look in myself。 To look to why I am holding myself back from doing things that would actually make me feel better。
Fauslobo
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Por donde empezar， bueno antes que nada quiero recalcar la hermosa manera en la que esta escrito este libro， tiene unas reflexiones que me dejaron pensando varios días， y trata temas tales como el bullyng y la obesidad， desde un punto tan real y bellisimo。PD: ESTOY ENAMORADA DE JACK MASSELIN，ESE HOMBRE ES PERFECTO。
Kenadi Moore
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Not your typical YA romance。
Natashia Daugulis
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Awe it was cute。 A little cringey as well but cute。 I liked the storyline and I found myself just zooming through it。 I don’t really have much to say about it but I really did enjoy reading this book
Vedika Virmani
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The raw pain of losing someone and how someone gets out of it （or atleast tries to） is what made me give an extra star to this book。 It's your typical boy meets girl and they fall in love and somewhere along the lines， save each other。 Not the usual book I would finish so fast but probably the writing is something that made me not wanna stop。 Romance fans you will love this book。 But others， well， do give it a read too！ The raw pain of losing someone and how someone gets out of it （or atleast tries to） is what made me give an extra star to this book。 It's your typical boy meets girl and they fall in love and somewhere along the lines， save each other。 Not the usual book I would finish so fast but probably the writing is something that made me not wanna stop。 Romance fans you will love this book。 But others， well， do give it a read too！ 。。。more
Romy
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One of my favourite books。 It is written from both Libby and Jacks perspective， wich is a writing style I really enjoy。 Both characters have so much personality， and I loved them。 The way Libby stands up for herself and is confiddent and funny and speaks up about her opinions really shows that she is so much more then what she went through。 I feel like Jacks story is told really realistically， the way he handles his prosopagnosia is what I whould expect from someone his age。 His part of the book One of my favourite books。 It is written from both Libby and Jacks perspective， wich is a writing style I really enjoy。 Both characters have so much personality， and I loved them。 The way Libby stands up for herself and is confiddent and funny and speaks up about her opinions really shows that she is so much more then what she went through。 I feel like Jacks story is told really realistically， the way he handles his prosopagnosia is what I whould expect from someone his age。 His part of the book also shows that he is really isn't the person he seems to be at school。 That is something I found really interesting because it makes you realise that people are not always really the person they are when they are around you。 Both characters have great humour， that made me laugh while reading it。 Overall a masterpiece。 ;） 。。。more
Izza Francheska
，
Have you ever felt like a lost child in an amusement park looking for your mom but you can’t seem to find her face， the noise gets louder as she calls you as you look around knowing she’s near you but still can’t see her？ That’s how Jack Masselin feels like every single day。 The feeling of not being able to recognize your friends， even your loved ones。 tEvery single day you face the world knowing you could get bullied just by living， doesn't that suck？ Well， Libby Strout gets to experience this Have you ever felt like a lost child in an amusement park looking for your mom but you can’t seem to find her face， the noise gets louder as she calls you as you look around knowing she’s near you but still can’t see her？ That’s how Jack Masselin feels like every single day。 The feeling of not being able to recognize your friends， even your loved ones。 tEvery single day you face the world knowing you could get bullied just by living， doesn't that suck？ Well， Libby Strout gets to experience this at most times that people never expect a good from her。 The book “Holding Up The Universe” is a fiction novel written by Jennifer Niven。 The book tackles about two teens living the time of their lives just with a little twist and turns embedded in their stories， wondering where they could end up to。 Jack Masselin has been known to be a free-willed teenage boy at MVB High。 Everyone greets him as he swaggers through the hallway， on the other hand， he doesn’t even recognize their faces。 Identifiers are the ones that get him through a day at school， maybe all his life。 As Libby Strout wandered the halls of MVB High after the longest time since the death of her mother， she had no one to lean on。 After years of being home schooled， she was ready to start a new chapter in MVB High， meeting new friends， memories， and opportunities。 Until an encounter of the two has taken place， which was not even a pleasant one， Jack and Libby found themselves in a group counseling session not knowing where the connection can eventually lead to。 Growing into each other’s feelings， they discover something that completely changed their lives。 tThis book discusses how we can really see people or feel the people when we learn to appreciate the small things。 There are times when you are with a company that accompanies you but in the end， they do not really give you the joy that you want， the type of joy that you will have to endlessly make efforts for them or in a way that you feel like having a strong connection within each other。 The books show development between teenagers that soon found similarities with each other。 tThe book as well tackles the point of view of two teenagers which are similar to what most teenagers nowadays feel。 Libby sees the world as a place where she can express what she truly feels despite the criticism around her。 Although the people around her are quick to judge what her story really is， she pushes them away and tends to lean on towards the people that truly appreciate her。 Stereotyping is evident in the story， as Libby faces the world， the people will only see her as this certain subject since that is what she was known for。 Actions like these should not be tolerated among teenagers since this is a phase where we can learn about the different personalities， stories， and etc。 of other people。 This can serve as a message to all of the readers that you can truly be yourself。 No matter what negative things will come your way， there will always be a bright side to it as long as you know what path you decisions will take you to。 As relates to Jack， he is very careful of what he does everyday since because of his condition， prosopagnosia， he is likely to depend on the mannerisms and actions of others。 ttOverall， I truly loved the book and its message。 Although the author presents the book in the point of view of both the main characters， the story was well written and can still be understood。 The development of the characters towards each other was well thought out。There wasn’t a time when it felt like things just suddenly happened between them， they have a slow and meaningful development。 The message of the book can easily be understood by the readers as its issues might be very rampant among teenagers nowadays。 I would suggest others to try reading the book since you could really understand and feel what the characters have been through。 The journey of the characters' friendship will teach you how important it is to find someone who truly appreciates you inside and out。 。。。more
raine
，
ah so this is one of those books whereby you keep convincing yourself that maybe it’s your mind that’s skipped a few steps in following the plot or it’s the plot-line itself。 one of those “this had potential because of the message the book was trying to convey through its subject （topics） but it still hadn’t raised to my expectations”。genuinely i appreciated the diverse representation but i could only think of a typical life-crushing， high-school drama （full） romance that had no thorough build u ah so this is one of those books whereby you keep convincing yourself that maybe it’s your mind that’s skipped a few steps in following the plot or it’s the plot-line itself。 one of those “this had potential because of the message the book was trying to convey through its subject （topics） but it still hadn’t raised to my expectations”。genuinely i appreciated the diverse representation but i could only think of a typical life-crushing， high-school drama （full） romance that had no thorough build up （imo） ？ i felt like my brain wasn’t really catching up but realised that the writing itself wasn’t adding up- one moment from jack’s perspective， he ends things with libby - stating his said reasons - then the next he’s running to her realising she’s the love of his life。maybe this type of romance is likeable and enjoyable to some but it wasn’t my style of preference ！ - raine <3 。。。more
Book_dreamer10
，
4。5Cette lecture a été excellente。J'ai juste adoré retrouver la plume de l'auteure。 Elle est fluide， agréable à lire， simple et super addictive。 l'auteure aborde des sujets importants et forts。 Je ne lis pas souvent de livres avec ces thèmes abordés。 Il y en a un que je ne connaissais absolument pas et que j'ai adoré découvrir。 Ils sont toujours magnifiquement approfondis， justes et réalistes。Les messages transmis et les valeurs défendues sont supers。 Et on ajoute à ça la belle plume， ça donne u 4。5Cette lecture a été excellente。J'ai juste adoré retrouver la plume de l'auteure。 Elle est fluide， agréable à lire， simple et super addictive。 l'auteure aborde des sujets importants et forts。 Je ne lis pas souvent de livres avec ces thèmes abordés。 Il y en a un que je ne connaissais absolument pas et que j'ai adoré découvrir。 Ils sont toujours magnifiquement approfondis， justes et réalistes。Les messages transmis et les valeurs défendues sont supers。 Et on ajoute à ça la belle plume， ça donne une tonne de citations relevées。 J'adore ！！L'histoire est ouf， et elle commence fort。 Les chapitres sont très courts ce qui donne un rythme exceptionnel à tout le roman。Les personnages sont incroyables ！ Ils sont supers attachants et touchants。 J'ai vraiment aimé Jack mais Libby est clairement au dessus ！ Je suis complètement fan d'elle。 Elle est forte， courageuse et réfléchie。 J'aime beaucoup sa manière de penser， d'être， d'agir。Le petit point négatif pour moi， c'est la fin。 Je l'ai trouvé un peu trop rapide et trop ouverte， j'aurais aimé avoir des précisions en plus。 Ce livre m'a appris beaucoup de choses。 Vous DEVEZ le lire ！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Holding Up the Universe
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Holding Up the Universe&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft