Holding Up the Universe cover art

Holding Up the Universe

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Holding Up the Universe

By: Jennifer Niven
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Robbie Daymond
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

A New York Times Bestseller

From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are.

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 know who she really is. Following her mom’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. In that moment, 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 impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired 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 in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his 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 and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, 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.

Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are—and seeing them right back.

"Niven is adept at creating characters. . . . [Libby's] courage and body-positivity make for a joyful reading experience." --The New York Times

Holding Up the Universe . . . taps into the universal need to be understood. To be wanted. And that’s what makes it such a remarkable read.—TeenVogue.com, “Why New Book Holding Up the Universe Is the Next The Fault in Our Stars”

"Want a love story that will give you all the feels? . . . You'll seriously melt!" —Seventeen Magazine
Contemporary Contemporary Romance Depression Depression & Mental Health Difficult Situations Literature & Fiction Romance Self Esteem & Self Image Heartfelt Mental Health Funny Witty Feel-Good High School

Listeners also enjoyed...

All the Bright Places cover art
How It Feels to Float cover art
Breathing Underwater cover art
If He Had Been with Me cover art
Side Effects May Vary cover art
The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza cover art
Everything, Everything cover art
Things We Never Got Over cover art
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things cover art
Bruiser cover art
Faking Normal cover art
Twisted Love cover art
Good Enough: A Novel cover art
Denton Little's Deathdate cover art
The Beauty That Remains cover art
Love and Other Words cover art

Critic reviews

★ "[Niven] creates two indelible characters and a heart-stopping romance." —Publishers Weekly starred review

★ "Written in short chapters of alternating perspectives, this is a thoughtful exploration of identity and self-acceptance, with commentary on overcoming adversities that will hit close to home." —School Library Journal starred review

★ "This is a worthy addition to any young adult collection; the story is engaging and difficult to put down." —VOYA starred review

"Niven’s honest writing shares a story of friendship, confidence, strength, and identity—and it’s not one to be missed." —Buzzfeed

"Libby and Jack are two characters who will reach out of the page and climb into your heart! . . . [A] beautiful love story." —Justine Magazine

"A novel about love and how important it is to be seen." —Popsugar

"Moving. . . . The true heart of the tale lies in personal growth and learning to love yourself." —Bookish

“I've never fallen in love with characters as fast as I fell for Libby and Jack. . . . Holding Up the Universe is a beautiful reminder of the power of understanding.” —Jay Asher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why

Gorgeously written and oh-so-deeply felt, Holding Up the Universe contains one of my favorite characters of all time! You will absolutely fall in love with Libby Strout!” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything

“At once hilarious and achingly poignant, Jennifer Niven’s Holding up the Universe brims with love and heart and hope. A gorgeous, life-affirming book that—like its lovable and resilient main character, Libby—will make you want to open your arms wide, lift your face to the sky, and twirl.” —Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned

Praise for All the Bright Places:

“[A] heartbreaking love story about two funny, fragile, and wildly damaged high school kids.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A do-not-miss for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe.” —Justine Magazine

“At the heart—a big one—of All the Bright Places lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers.” —The New York Times Book Review
All stars
Most relevant
I heard mixed reviews so I read it unsure what to expect but it was an excellent read! Highly recommend it

Highly recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book is honestly amazing from start to finish!!!! 😍😍 It is so inspiring and everyone should read/listen to it!! Also the voice of Jack really draws in your attention and is perfect for his character 😊

Amazing from start to finish!!!! 😍😍

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

it was amazing and i just wish it went on longer i was in love with the story

amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book is a beautiful coming of age story that I really enjoyed. 5 stars as it had me really gripped. lovely, heartwarming, would recommend even if you're not a young adult.

fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What a really well written cute story. It had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the style of writing with the back and fourth of the 2 main characters. I really fell in love with these characters and felt like I knew them. One of my new fav authors. The narrators were great too.

Get ready to be absorbed into a beautiful story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews