Sign in with Facebook
jessica's Reviews > Holding Up the Universe
Holding Up the Universe
by
by
ah, yes. so here we are again. the classic case of ‘i can appreciate this book for the story that it is, but it definitely didnt live up to its potential.’
and i wonder if thats mainly my own fault, and not the books. ‘all the bright places’ is one my favourite novels ever. its emotionally compelling, lovingly tender, and naturally raw - everything this book is not. so is it fair to judge a different book by the same author when you know they are capable of doing better?
i mean, i really like the idea of the story and how wholesome it could have been - i think diverse representation is something that can always be appreciated. but instead of seeing libby as this strong woman, i saw a whiny brat. and the connection between her and jack didnt feel convincing to me. it was just a lot of superficial high school drama. maybe im getting too old, but i know jennifer niven is capable of writing honest and relatable teen characters, so im not sure why this particular story didnt quite meet the mark for me.
↠ 3 stars
and i wonder if thats mainly my own fault, and not the books. ‘all the bright places’ is one my favourite novels ever. its emotionally compelling, lovingly tender, and naturally raw - everything this book is not. so is it fair to judge a different book by the same author when you know they are capable of doing better?
i mean, i really like the idea of the story and how wholesome it could have been - i think diverse representation is something that can always be appreciated. but instead of seeing libby as this strong woman, i saw a whiny brat. and the connection between her and jack didnt feel convincing to me. it was just a lot of superficial high school drama. maybe im getting too old, but i know jennifer niven is capable of writing honest and relatable teen characters, so im not sure why this particular story didnt quite meet the mark for me.
↠ 3 stars
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Holding Up the Universe.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Started Reading
October 25, 2017
– Shelved
October 25, 2017
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-9 of 9 (9 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
linzie
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Jun 23, 2019 07:35AM
I agree! All the bright places is one of my favorite books, and even though I did like this book, I feel the author is capable of so much more!
reply
|
flag
im glad someone else feels the same, but im even more glad that you still enjoyed this!! :)
I loved AtbP so much! But HutU didn’t get me either...It has a good topic but this time the book didn’t let me feel anything and the story is not one to stay with you after the end. It’s been a while since I read it, I already sold the book 🙄🙈😂
billie - :)jessy - yeah, i agree. i thought the topic was good, but the execution didnt live up to what i wanted it to be. luckily i read a library copy, so i didnt have to sell anything. :P
i agree! i feel like this book was kind of bland compared to “all the bright places,” but i felt like the story itself had potential to be more than it was.
this is exactly how i felt!! so much wasted potential
that’s exactly what i was thinking, i feel like libby isn’t represented the way she was meant to be. her character really is more of a brat than an independent, strong woman. the arch also could’ve been better is lots of ways. and for sure there bond wasn’t as well written as ‘all the bright places’
