I just wasn’t ready for this to finish. It didn’t end abruptly, but after so many quotes, and laughs, heartbreak, and tears, I just didn’t want it to end.

It’s so rare to read a book where you feel drawn to every single character. When we spend time with Wynton, you’re completely absorbed in his story, then Miles, and Dizzy. I spent the entirety of the book hungry. Hungry for food, and music, more books, and beauty. There was so much beauty.

“They were all just paper people in a burning world...”

This is such a beautiful book, in all the way fantastic books are.

DNF at 14%

I have loved Jandy Nelson’s books in the past, but I think I’m not in the right mood/mindset for this one. It’s difficult to keep track of all the characters and what’s happening. The story is told via multiple POV’s, diary entries, notes, letters, etc and the addition of magical realism is making the story all very chaotic and overwhelming. I might try this one again later, but I think it’s best to put this one down for now.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I love Jandy Nelson and it’s been so long since she released a new book. I was ecstatic to read When the World Tips Over. I’m not going to lie, this had such a slooooow start for me. It took me two full weeks to read and I usually can read several books in that amount of time. Once I got into it, past the halfway point, I did enjoy it, but I can’t fully get over that slow start. I like the three fall siblings, but where the story really shined was getting Cassidy’s pov as well as her stories. That was my favorite part of the book. I loved how the end came together and even though the ending was a little more abrupt than I would hope, I enjoyed the conclusion.

What a roller coaster! I love Jandy Nelson and was so excited to see she has a new book coming out.

Overall, I really liked this. I loved the ending and the message of the story, plus Jandy Nelson’s writing is incredibly unique and memorable. But ultimately, there are a few too many characters and things going on that it took me way too long to finish it. I wish the three main siblings stayed the focal point of the story.

When I loved this book, I LOVED it. But there were unfortunately some parts with pacing and plotting issues that lost me a bit more than I was expecting.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC!

DNF @4%

This book just isn't for me. Maybe if I were in middleschool or a teenager, I would like it. But I feel like it wasn't written for adults. I have no interest in reading about 12 year olds thinking about sex.

DNF. This book was not for me. I’d enjoyed previous books by this author but could not get into this one sadly.

Okay so this is one of the first books in forever that I could NOT put down.

First off, everyone is a bit of a mess in this book, but kind of magical? Like manic pixie dream person, but you can see the mental health struggles underneath (overtly or covertly), however just about each and every one is deeply lovable in some way.

Every member of the Fall family is special. Talented at music, cooking, looks, synesthesia, can talk to dogs, etc. But they're also deeply messed up going back generations due to a curse, or really just plain old hate and lack of communication.

I had the most fun with all the different narrators and their styles and the fact that each perspective is so different you get why the problems are existing. Mostly cause they just didn't talk about it and made huge assumptions.

A bit more resolution at the end, cause you KNOW it was messy messy messy following the events of the book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve heard good things about Jandy Nelson’s previous books, so I was interested in giving her a try. When the World Tips Over sounded promising, but I balked a bit, both at the length and the fact that this was a magical realism book, as the genre has continually frustrated me, as much as I want to like it. And while there are some good points here, both factors played a role in my issues with the book.
I really like the stylistic choices made here. The mixing of various narrative voices (including one character’s POV conveyed in second person), along with interstitials with letters and journal entries from both primary and supporting characters, helped to bring the story to life for me.
And I do like each of the primary characters for the most part. Each of them feels realistic in the things they’re dealing with, and I really liked seeing each of their individual arcs, as well as seeing how it all came together as a family saga.
But that’s also where the length kind of lost me. There’s so much ground to cover, and the siblings’ arcs are only tangentially connected until Cassidy gradually brings them together and the reader becomes aware of all the history. And there wasn’t a well-established through-line for the curse between the historical portions and the contemporary ones, so I found myself feeling rather lost there too, once again feeling disillusioned because I don’t get the hype around magical realism.
This was one of those “liked the idea, not a fan of the execution” books for me. But given my issues with the magical realism genre itself, I’m not surprised. In the event you happen to enjoy the genre, and are interested in a family saga in this style, I’d recommend this to see if it works better for you.

This has to be the most YA book I have ever encountered. Every emotion is magnified x100, every action is significant, every scene pulses with the possibility of either wonder or terror. Objectively speaking, the main characters get a little lost in all of the backstory. But that flaw isn't hard to overlook given the captivating plot that spans generations of everlasting love and tragic death.

We first meet precocious, annoying Dizzy Fall, 12, who experiences smells as colors and sees ghosts in her house. Reeling from a humiliating recess incident and recent “divorce” from her best friend, she is rescued from a near fatal car accident by an angel with rainbow colored curls. Her brother Miles, 17, is handsome, popular and well-behaved, but he’s cracking under the combined weight of trying to be perfect and hiding his sexuality. His synesthesia links words with colors, and he can see the souls of dogs. He meets Dizzy’s angel, who is drawn to Miles because she can tell that they share the same feeling of “inconsolable longing.” Oldest brother Wynton (yes, they’re all named after jazz trumpeters) is a fuckup whose womanizing, drinking, drug use, and stealing have led to incarceration and eviction from his own home. He doesn’t encounter rainbow angel until an event that was supposed to turn his life around only proves his worthlessness again.

It’s not an accident that one of the characters is reading Steinbeck’s "East of Eden." Wynton and Miles’s enmity, and brother-against-brother dynamics throughout the Fall family history, give the story its narrative force. Alice Hoffman’s brand of magical realism also feels a like major influence, especially the insta-love experienced by several major characters.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of the plot, and getting to the HEA is a long and sometimes confusing process. The story includes stark examples of abandonment, domestic violence and neglect that are all healed by the magical happy ending. When the World Tips Over may be doing a disservice to younger readers who are waiting for their own "love is all you need" resolution. On the other hand, it’s an earnest fantasy that offers hope, forgiveness, and the knowledge that it’s never too late to start over again.

Wow, what a triumphant return from Jandy Nelson! Don’t pick up this book expecting one like the previous two, though. This is full of magical realism, a tricky device that Nelson has mastered. My students will love this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher! I was so excited to get this ARC. Even though this is classified as YA, it felt like an adult novel to me.

I enjoyed the story and the sort of whimsical writing quality about this.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read “When the World Tips Over” by Jandy Nelson and a huge thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Both of her other novels were both five star reads and this one came close. I love her style of storytelling and the multiple character viewpoints. My world has recently tipped over in a negative way so I appreciated the reminder that the world can also tip over in a positive way as well. While I enjoyed the story of the Fall family, the stories told by Cassidy about the Fall family ancestors were a little too long and exaggerated for my personal preference. And while it doesn’t impact my rating, the cover is absolutely beautiful. I strongly recommend reading this book as an adult or young adult.

Reader, this book was not for me.

I can see so many, really strong reviews for this book, and I am pretty confused. I am not sure what they are seeing in this story that I am not. I had a really hard time following the storyline, I even took notes about the different siblings and different generations. it has a sort of a dream like quality and the pacing may have had something to do with why I couldn’t follow it.

I’m also really amazed that this is classified as young adult? I cannot imagine a 12-year-old reading this and understanding it, let alone it being appropriate for kids.

It is possible I am not smart enough for this one.

4.5
I love this story!
A contemporary character driven family’s story set in Northern California wine country.
Theo Fall, a winemaker…left his pregnant wife and two young sons 12 yrs ago … the three kids Wynton, Miles, and Dizzy are scarred from the loss…he was a great father and they do not know why he abruptly left.
Cassidy… a rainbow haired teenage girl, lives with her mother Marigold in an old camper trailer where they live off the grid full time moving from place to place.
Marigold comes to town on a couple occasions at crossroads in the Fall children’s lives, and with her, the Fall children and she herself discover the truth of Theo’s disappearance and Marigold’s connection to they themselves.
I am not one who necessarily likes any magical realism in the books I read but it is masterfully incorporated in this story.
This is a beautiful story .. filled with passion, loss, humor, tenderness… a sublime read!

I also loved this author’s book I’ll Give You The Sun written about a decade ago. When I saw she had a new book available, I was so excited!
This is categorized as YA, but to me it certainly didn’t feel like that sort of story.


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC!
Also thank you Jandy Nelson for the journey I took with the Fall family this week!

Available September 24

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of When The World Tips Over! Wow, I think this may be one of the only times I’ve been left speechless by a book. I read Nelson’s I’ll Give You The Sun years and years ago, long enough that I don’t remember all the details but do remember the way it made me feel. This newest work is just as special and as fulfilling as ever. It took me a bit to really settle into the story and get to know the characters, but once I was in, I was IN. It is crazy to me just how real these characters felt to me, as if I could run into them tomorrow. The way that Nelson can weave lives together and craft such delicate yet complex relationships is something I will likely never understand but endlessly appreciate. I haven’t gotten around to reading One Hundred Years of Solitude yet, but this is what I would imagine it to be like. I could continue to fawn over this book, but I’d really recommend that you read and see it for yourself. Get your hands on a copy and dive in!

This book! You know those books that you can’t wait to finish, but also want to savor? So you read it quickly and then read it again? That’s this one.

A family drama that spans multiple generations, centering on the young siblings: Wynton (19), Miles (17), and Dizzy (12), as they navigate family dynamics, love, friendship, loss, and more. This is an aboslutely brilliant, beautiful, and heartfelt look into their relationship with each other and their parents, and how our past can shape our present. There’s a touch of the fantastic (ghosts? An angel? You’ll see!), and so much heart to this one.

If you’ve read and enjoyed “I’ll give you the sun,” pick this up. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I know I’ll come back to it over and over.

This is a "love story within a love story within a love story". It is a vividly woven fairy-tale. It is a multigenerational story of family, grief, love and forgiveness and I absolutely loved it. I read it a couple of weeks ago and I can't stop thinking about it.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘙𝘪𝘱 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘴. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘫𝘶𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤. 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶—𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦-𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦—𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯."

The prose was transcendent and I found myself highlighting passage after passage. The characters were easy to love and easier to root for. The novel unfolds with stories within stories at a pace that is complex yet perfect. It's brimming with heart & humor, music & magic.

FEELING COMPS:
The One and a Million Boy
I'll Give You the Sun
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
Sea of Tranquility

"𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘵𝘶𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵."

I have enjoyed all 3 of Jandy Nelson's novels and will begrudgingly wait another 10 years for her next novel if it's as amazing as this. Thank you @netgalley and @dialbooks for the early copy.

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This has been a long time coming. I'm so thrilled that I was able to get a digital review copy from NetGalley. When the World Tips Over is so good!

4.5 stars rounded up

Jandy Nelson has my heart ugh

Is it magical or does she just write the most expressive world blowing words ever?

The beginning took me a little to warm up to but I was flying through the end just waiting to get to the heart of the Fall family. I loved all the interwoven storylines and the genuine heartwarming coming of age story that every character experiences. This one will make you feel all the happy YA feels!!!!

I'll give you the Sun is one of my favorites reads from Jandy Nelson. I was so excited to read this ARC. When the World Tips Over was a great portrayal of a family dealing with tragedy. All of the characters felt incredibly fleshed out and I loved the dynamic of siblings all dealing with the aftermath of their dad's disappearance. The pacing was a bit slow for me and at times I felt a bit confused. I loved how Caasidy was able to be a part of all of their lives and the ending felt very cohesive. Jandy proves to be an incredible story teller and I'll always be excited to read whatever she writes.