"Holding Up the Universe"

It is not very often that I fall so in love with a character that I find myself carrying her around with me. Libby Strout, also known as "America's Fattest Teen",  just happens to be the type of character that spoke to my heart and left an imprint there. She is tenacious, lovable, resilient, and compassionate. After years of being homeschooled, Libby decides she is ready to take on the world again and try her hand at high school. She becomes victim to an awful game called "fat girl rodeo" which results in her and the perpetrator, Jack Masselin, landing in group counseling. The more time that they are forced to spend together, the more they realize that being together is far better than apart. 

"Holding up the Universe", by Jennifer Niven, is an incredible story of two teenagers that each have some personal issues that they are trying to deal with while pretending to seem unaffected and normal on the outside. Libby is brave and quick-witted and stands against the cruelty of judgemental teenagers. Jack is putting on a front and no one, not even is own parents, knows that he is dealing with Prosopagnosia (he can't remember faces). They both struggle with their own challenges and eventually realize that those challenges seem to disappear when they are with each other. Their relationship is torturous and adorable and an example that what's inside is what truly matters.  

Each of these characters is so unique; this is a teenage love story unlike any that have come before. The author paints a wonderful story with scenes that are so real they almost hurt. You will find yourself flinching in one moment and then laughing in the next. Brimming with wit, heartache, hope, and joy; I give "Holding up the Universe" 5 out of 5 stars. It is a brilliant story for young people to read and find the courage to appreciate themselves as they truly are. As spectacular as this story is, though, it is riddled with swear words and some inappropriate topics. Keep that in mind before giving this book to the intended reader. Check it out and let me know what you think! 

I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books for this review.