A Tragic Kind of Wonderful

The Bookworm says... Definitely. A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom is a new, YA novel that follows a young lady named Mel Hannigan. Mel is sixteen and she struggles with bipolar disorder. Between hiding her condition, dealing with the past, and friendship troubles (not unlike any other teenager), Mel is struggling to stay afloat. Her method of dealing with the past is pretty much ignoring it, until her once best friends raise questions about the way their friendship ended. When the past is smacking you in the face, it becomes pretty hard to ignore. As she becomes forced to confront the past, the barriers which Mel built so carefully begin to crumble.

"In the vein of It's Kind of a Funny Story and All the Bright Places comes a captivating, immersive exploration of life with mental illness." I read this, claiming similarity to two of my all time favorites, and my expectations were immediately high. After reading, I can confidently say that my expectations were well met, if not exceeded. Lindstrom deals with mental illness both gracefully and truthfully; he draws the important distinction between "You are bipolar" and "You are a person who has bipolar disorder", something that I feel is often overlooked. The system that Mel uses to describe her mental state, comparing parts of her body to animals whose emotions determine her state, is ingenious and incredibly effective; it allows the reader to empathize with someone struggling with bipolar disorder. The story is organized in such a way that the reader is forced to turn the pages as fast as they can, whether they want to know what happened or not. A truly wonderful sophomore novel for Eric Lindstrom; fans of Ned Vizzini, Jennifer Niven, and John Green will eat this up.

"I can't bear the thought of how they'd look at me, and treat me, if they knew how many pills I take every morning just to act more or less like everybody else."

DISCLAIMER: Review is based on an uncorrected proof, Tentative release date is January 2017.

Holding Up the Universe

The Bookworm says... Yes! Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven has been one of my most anticipated new novels for a while now, and trust me- it did not disappoint! This YA novel follows Libby Strout, formerly known as "America's Fattest Teen", and Jack Masselin, popular kid with a secret neurological disorder. Following her mother's death, Libby stayed close to home, attempting to recollect herself and deal with her grief. She gained so much weight that she was housebound for six months. For as long as he can remember, Jack hasn't been able to remember faces- every time he sees someone it's as if it's the first time. Self diagnosed with prosopagnosia, Jack makes his way through the day by using identifiers (the arrangement of freckles, catch-phrases, etc.) to recognize people, and by making sure never to get too close. After a cruel game is played, Libby and Jack's worlds collide in a group counseling session. At first less than thrilled to see each other, they begin to realize that spending time together may not be so bad after all.

I really, truly enjoyed Holding Up the Universe. As many of you know, Jennifer Niven's other YA novel All The Bright Places was my number one read on 2015 (see my top ten here) Clearly, that set a very high bar for this one. While I can't say that Holding Up the Universe was as incredible as ATBP, it was amazing in its own way. It is a very unique story about issues that do not get talked about- bullying, obesity, and rare neurological  disorders. Before reading this book, I had never heard of prospagnosia. It has the same educational effect as Wendy Mass's A Mango Shaped Space, which follows a protagonist with synesthesia. Libby is such a fierce, independent character that I wish I knew her. I wish I could have her personality. The more I think about it, the more I realize why Holding Up the Universe didn't overcome ATBP- it's significantly less simple to relate to, yet I feel that that is a further advantage. It's not often that I read a book in which the main character is so different from myself, yet so similar once I take the time to examine them more. To sum up my thoroughly scatter-brained review (Jennifer Niven, this is what your writing does to me!)- Holding Up the Universe is a fabulous new novel. Ignore the naysayers that will tell you otherwise, and run to the bookstore on October 4th to get a copy of this fantastic book.

"It's been my experience that the people who are most afraid are the ones who hide behind mean and threatening words."

Previously reviewed by Jennifer Niven: All The Bright Places

DISCLAIMER: review is based on an uncorrected proof. Tentative release date is October 4th, 2016.

All The Bright Places

The Bookworm says... Absolutely. I am sitting here, a heart broken mess over this book. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven was absolutely outstanding. Violet and Finch meet on the bell tower, 6 floors above the ground. It becomes clear that they are there for the same reason: death. Whether desire for death, fear of death, or memory of death, it brought them there. The rumors fly- Violet Markey rescues resident suicidal freak, Theodore Finch. Wandering through Indiana's not so typical but oh so lovely wonders, the unlikely pair that is Theodore Freak Find and Ultrviolet Unremarkey-able are able to connect to each other in a special way. They show each other all the bright places within the state borders of Indiana, and within themselves. 

I cannot describe how much I loved this book. I'm speechless. Here is the best way I can describe my love for it: when reading, if I come a cross a passage or a page or a thought that I really truly love, I fold the bottom corner of the page down. Most books, around 1-5 pages get turned. 14 pages. I turned 14 corners of pages. Jennifer Niven, I am in love with your lovely book and the characters that live in not only the fictional realm of this story, but in all of our lives. 

"I grew out of my clothes because, it turns out, growing fourteen inches in a summer is easy. It's growing out of a label that's hard."