We Dare You Not to Dance While Listening to the Holding Up the Universe Playlist

In Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven, Libby Strout just needs to dance it out sometimes.

She is determined to overcome her reputation and show people who she really is, no matter what it takes. When you need a little confidence boost, this playlist inspired by Holding Up the Universe will definitely help you fake it ’til you make it.

Holding Up the Universe

Holding Up the Universe

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.

What is your go-to song when you just need to dance it out? Tag us @GetUnderlined!

Become a Book Nerd

When you’re not reading books, read our newsletter.

Underlined