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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm
Moderate: Death, Transphobia
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was just wow, mind-blowing, amazing, and epic.
I want to write a review of this soon, but until then, here are a few notes:
-4.5 stars.
-This book covers a lot of the same elements as We are the Ants, but manages to twist them so that it doesn't just feel like a rewrite of WatA.
-While WatA had a more hopeful overtone, At the Edge of the Universe is built on uncertainty and doubt.
-Loved the characters, for the most part. I didn't really like Ozzie's parents and Lua sometimes got on my nerves.
-The plot was very intriguing, and the ending was a little unsatisfying.
-The writing was incredible, and hooked me immediately.
-4.5 stars.
-This book covers a lot of the same elements as We are the Ants, but manages to twist them so that it doesn't just feel like a rewrite of WatA.
-While WatA had a more hopeful overtone, At the Edge of the Universe is built on uncertainty and doubt.
-Loved the characters, for the most part. I didn't really like Ozzie's parents and Lua sometimes got on my nerves.
-The plot was very intriguing, and the ending was a little unsatisfying.
-The writing was incredible, and hooked me immediately.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC of this book from Simon and Schuster in exchange for participating in a study with Jellybooks.
What if one day you woke up to find that no one has ever heard of your significant other before and to everyone other than you he never even existed? Plus, the universe is shrinking and you're the only who's noticed.
That's the basic premise of At the Edge of the Universe. Ozzie Pinkerton goes to bed one night living a normal life and wakes up in a world where no one has ever heard of his boyfriend and where the universe is shrinking. Of course, he is the only one who knows these things and of course, no one else believes him.
The story starts off with Ozzie searching for his mysteriously vanishing boyfriend, Tommy, and trying to figure out why Tommy has vanished and what exactly is going on with the universe but that kind of takes a back burner as the story progresses. Ozzie is partnered with Calvin, a former wrestling champion who suddenly quit the team and became a completely different person, though no one knows why, for a physics project. The two of them spend quite a bit of time together and clearly have feelings for each other but they both have a myriad of personal problems they need to deal with.
Something I really appreciated about this book was the diversity. I expected it to be like a lot of the other LGBTQIA+ literature out there, with cisgender white gay males as the protagonists but I was pleasantly surprised. While Ozzie is all of the things mentioned above, his boyfriend, Tommy is black (and calls Ozzie out on his privilege), and he has two best friends: Lua, who is gender fluid and Dustin, who is Chinese and, though the word is never used explicitly, asexual. There were also some very candid conversations on race, sexuality, and other issues. This read as a feminist book, at least to me, which I very much appreciated.
This book deals with some very serious and heavy topics including domestic abuse, rape, self harm, drug abuse, and an underage relationship (between a teenager and an adult in a position of power) so if these things are triggering to you, I would suggest skipping this book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked Ozzie as a main character. At points I felt just as conflicted as he did between Tommy and Calvin, and every time something else bad happened to him my heart just broke. I loved the relationship between Ozzie and Calvin, and Calvin himself, who broke my heart even more than Ozzie. I also some of the more minor characters such as Dustin, Mrs. Ross (Tommy's mother), and Mrs. Petridis, the eccentric owner of the bookstore where Ozzie works.
There were really only two things I disliked about this book: Ozzie's friend, Lua, and the ending. I love that Shaun David Hutchinson included a gender fluid character in this book, but I just did not like them as a character. As for the ending, I simply found it a bit unsatisfying. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hutchinson has crafted the story in such a way that the teenagers talk and act like real teenagers but you still get some beautiful lines of prose and dialogue. It reminded me somewhat of Sarah Dessen, only less heterosexual and more sci-fi.
4 out of 5 stars!
What if one day you woke up to find that no one has ever heard of your significant other before and to everyone other than you he never even existed? Plus, the universe is shrinking and you're the only who's noticed.
That's the basic premise of At the Edge of the Universe. Ozzie Pinkerton goes to bed one night living a normal life and wakes up in a world where no one has ever heard of his boyfriend and where the universe is shrinking. Of course, he is the only one who knows these things and of course, no one else believes him.
The story starts off with Ozzie searching for his mysteriously vanishing boyfriend, Tommy, and trying to figure out why Tommy has vanished and what exactly is going on with the universe but that kind of takes a back burner as the story progresses. Ozzie is partnered with Calvin, a former wrestling champion who suddenly quit the team and became a completely different person, though no one knows why, for a physics project. The two of them spend quite a bit of time together and clearly have feelings for each other but they both have a myriad of personal problems they need to deal with.
Something I really appreciated about this book was the diversity. I expected it to be like a lot of the other LGBTQIA+ literature out there, with cisgender white gay males as the protagonists but I was pleasantly surprised. While Ozzie is all of the things mentioned above, his boyfriend, Tommy is black (and calls Ozzie out on his privilege), and he has two best friends: Lua, who is gender fluid and Dustin, who is Chinese and, though the word is never used explicitly, asexual. There were also some very candid conversations on race, sexuality, and other issues. This read as a feminist book, at least to me, which I very much appreciated.
This book deals with some very serious and heavy topics including domestic abuse, rape, self harm, drug abuse, and an underage relationship (between a teenager and an adult in a position of power) so if these things are triggering to you, I would suggest skipping this book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked Ozzie as a main character. At points I felt just as conflicted as he did between Tommy and Calvin, and every time something else bad happened to him my heart just broke. I loved the relationship between Ozzie and Calvin, and Calvin himself, who broke my heart even more than Ozzie. I also some of the more minor characters such as Dustin, Mrs. Ross (Tommy's mother), and Mrs. Petridis, the eccentric owner of the bookstore where Ozzie works.
There were really only two things I disliked about this book: Ozzie's friend, Lua, and the ending. I love that Shaun David Hutchinson included a gender fluid character in this book, but I just did not like them as a character. As for the ending, I simply found it a bit unsatisfying. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hutchinson has crafted the story in such a way that the teenagers talk and act like real teenagers but you still get some beautiful lines of prose and dialogue. It reminded me somewhat of Sarah Dessen, only less heterosexual and more sci-fi.
4 out of 5 stars!
dnf @ 50%
it’s not bad, i just don’t really care. i feel like if i had read this after i first read we are the ants, i would have been really into this as well, but. alas
it’s not bad, i just don’t really care. i feel like if i had read this after i first read we are the ants, i would have been really into this as well, but. alas
3.75 ish??? idk😂
so pretty much i read the first half in one day and the second half in one night. even if it wasnt as good as we are the ants imo, i ate it up.
the first third of the book i just didnt buy for whatever reason. some of the dialogue was just off putting to me for some reason, esp the first chapter.
otherwise, the representation here was pretty great. more gay characters? check. mental illness treated as it would be irl? check. a geNDERFLUID ROCK STAR??? CHECK AND CHECK. (ive never read a book with a genderfluid person, and personally only know one person who is androgynous, which is close but not the same)
anyways, im still gonna read whatever this man puts out bc its just edible and he knows what hes talking about, which is all i ask for, really.
so pretty much i read the first half in one day and the second half in one night. even if it wasnt as good as we are the ants imo, i ate it up.
the first third of the book i just didnt buy for whatever reason. some of the dialogue was just off putting to me for some reason, esp the first chapter.
otherwise, the representation here was pretty great. more gay characters? check. mental illness treated as it would be irl? check. a geNDERFLUID ROCK STAR??? CHECK AND CHECK. (ive never read a book with a genderfluid person, and personally only know one person who is androgynous, which is close but not the same)
anyways, im still gonna read whatever this man puts out bc its just edible and he knows what hes talking about, which is all i ask for, really.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Self harm
As with We Are the Ants - I can't be sure of what was real or not, but I love the honest look at relationships and life. I can't give away too much of my feelings without spoiling the book, so I'll just say it was great. I also loved the shout out to We Are the Ants. :)
Ozzie is the only one who remembers his boyfriend Tommy. He’s known Tommy since they were young children and they started dating in middle school. Now though, no one remembers that Tommy existed, including Ozzie’s family, his friends, and Tommy’s parents. Ozzie has figured out that the universe is shrinking around him, erasing people like Tommy from existence and rearranging history as if they were never there. Meanwhile, Ozzie’s world continues to change. His best friend Lua is becoming a rock star, his brother is headed to basic training, and his parents’ marriage is breaking up. One bright spot in Ozzie’s life is Cal, a confusing boy he is paired with for a physics project but the feelings developing between them complicate his ongoing search for Tommy.
This book sweeps you up, whisks you into Ozzie’s world and you believe, oh my, do you believe. Even though it’s impossible, questionable, and strange, you are along for the ride and the wonder of it all. This is because the emotions are so strong and real, the terror of life changing and the lack of control, the love between people that survives even though one is gone, the joy of new connections and friends. It’s all there, exactly what young readers are experiencing themselves but shown in a way that no one has seen before.
While Ozzie may believe the universe is shrinking, readers will question that right up to the end. What they won’t question is the world that Hutchinson has created here, filled with vibrant characters that you want to love and befriend. The LGBT themes are strongly written and beautifully presented. While the main character is gay, his friends are just as diverse. Lua is gender variant, striking and dramatic, changing pronouns with outfits. Other characters are asexual, presented in just the same frank and unquestioning way. LGBT characters in the book talk about sex, have sex, explore sex. It’s all brilliantly normal in a book that is anything but.
This is a book you must read to completely understand it. I hope you find it just as compelling and wondrous as I did. Enjoy! Appropriate for ages 14-18.
This book sweeps you up, whisks you into Ozzie’s world and you believe, oh my, do you believe. Even though it’s impossible, questionable, and strange, you are along for the ride and the wonder of it all. This is because the emotions are so strong and real, the terror of life changing and the lack of control, the love between people that survives even though one is gone, the joy of new connections and friends. It’s all there, exactly what young readers are experiencing themselves but shown in a way that no one has seen before.
While Ozzie may believe the universe is shrinking, readers will question that right up to the end. What they won’t question is the world that Hutchinson has created here, filled with vibrant characters that you want to love and befriend. The LGBT themes are strongly written and beautifully presented. While the main character is gay, his friends are just as diverse. Lua is gender variant, striking and dramatic, changing pronouns with outfits. Other characters are asexual, presented in just the same frank and unquestioning way. LGBT characters in the book talk about sex, have sex, explore sex. It’s all brilliantly normal in a book that is anything but.
This is a book you must read to completely understand it. I hope you find it just as compelling and wondrous as I did. Enjoy! Appropriate for ages 14-18.