While I still love Nelson’s writing as much as I remember, I found the plotting of this one to be a bit. . . all over the place. The introduction of Cassidy as a conduit for the stories and an additionally long backstory made it feel like there was way too much going on. The magical realism aspect of this book was really sweet and I did enjoy the family history, but it felt like a lot of it got muddled in the mother and father and uncle’s generation, because it kind of just felt like they sucked in ways that didn’t really relate to the curse? Or maybe the curse was just really well flashed out in the written historical parts and not in the present? There were just some things that felt a bit unforgivably cruel, both done to the parents and to the children that I couldn’t really get over and feel happy about the reunion? I know that was part of the point, but I just. . . didn’t feel bad for any of them so it didn’t work.

That being said, I loved all of the kids. Dizzy and Miles with Sandro were my favorite points-of-view and I really loved the inner turmoil that came from this inability to communicate between Miles and his brother, Wynton. I find myself wishing that Cassidy’s story, which honestly felt out of left field for a lot of the book to me, was less of a focal point and Dizzy, Wynton, and Miles’s story were more at the forefront. There was just so much that could be done with that family dynamic that I felt there was some wasted potential. Part of that may have been due to the fact that it felt as if I was dropped into the middle of the story instead of at the beginning of one. Even with that the case, I did find a lot of this book to be compelling and even grew to love Cassidy’s story, even though I do wish it didn’t fill up the majority of the book, but that could be an expectations thing. I probably would’ve liked it more if I knew she would be the main focus and not the thing that happened to the family.

When I liked this book, I really liked it, but there were a lot of times that I was just. . . eugh. While I enjoyed the curse in the history, I found that it felt like a way to excuse pretty much every adult of their terrible behavior in the present day and found their mother’s past to be just. . . weird in a way that wasn’t explained or justified well. Or really led up to in any way? I just wish it was more believable, because I was just left a bit annoyed instead of understanding. Additionally, I found that the curse was used a lot to talk about how one relationship was definitely not incest and I’m just at a point in life where if I have to listen to a long section of text about how them getting together isn’t incest, I’m not really interested anymore (sorry Clary and Jace, but you are a thing of the past). My last issue was that there was a really odd one off about a bisexual person’s past relationships that felt like it added to a pretty harmful bisexual stereotype and rubbed me the wrong way. I hope they change this part in the final copy, because it really was unnecessary and only added that being with a man and a woman is the perfect situation for a bisexual, which pissed me off.

While I really wanted to love this, the pacing was a little too off, and there were too many small issues that became bigger as the story went on. I did actually really like the ending and message of the book, I just wish that it was done a little bit better. I also loved the history of the town and was pleasantly surprised with the magic that filled the pages.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy
book release date: September 24, 2024

I have written many book reviews over the years, but none have been as hard to write as this one. How can you accurately put into words how beautiful, thought provoking, and poignant this book is? Truly, Jandy Nelson has outdone herself. This is one of the best books I have ever read.



My best piece of advice: go into this one blind and let it simmer.



When the World Tips Over has one of the best and most unique cast of characters I’ve ever met! There’s Dizzy (the youngest child who is always unapologetically herself); Miles (the middle child, feeling the pressure of being perfect while stifling his true self); and Wynton (the oldest and protector of the family, silently battling his demons all on his own). Finally, there’s Cassidy, the mysterious, rainbow-haired girl who comes into their lives at just the right time.



At the heart of it all is the story: of love, loss, friendship, and above all, family. If there’s one thing I’ve come to expect from a Jandy Nelson novel, aside from beautiful prose, it is a deep reflection of familial and sibling relationships. This book has that in spades. It is slow-paced, poetic, whimsical, and kept me waiting in bated breath for what happened next.



I am honestly heartbroken that I cannot read this book for the very first time again.



Do yourself a favor this fall: preorder or request this book from your library. You can thank me later!



Thank you so much to Netgalley and Dial Books for the ARC!

Jandy Nelson writes the most engaging YA books. I was so excited to see her coming out with When the World Tips Over. I enjoyed the magical realism of the story, and while it definitely veered into cheesy at times, I overall enjoyed the story and characters. It probably could have been shortened by 50+ pages, but by the end I didn’t mind hanging with the Fall family a little longer.

The story starts with a rainbow-haired young girl’s appearance in Paradise Springs, a dreamy town in Northern California. This mysterious teenage girl touches the lives of three siblings. Then the rainbow-haired girl meets Perfect Miles: the brainiac, golden boy of the family who never does anything wrong. He’s a great athlete, an A-student, the most popular boy at school, but he has secrets. He’s gay but hasn’t come out, he’s depressed, and he only shares his feelings with his also depressed queer dog, Sandro, who has a sarcastic sense of humor and suicidal tendencies. But a tragedy strikes, and the entire family falls to pieces, with their secrets, betrayals, lies, regrets, and fears. This is a long book, and the pacing at the beginning is a little slow, but you won’t want to put it down. Many thanks Netgalley!

This was the most unique book I've read in awhile! It was delightfully quirky a la Little Miss Sunshine. At first I wasn't really sure if I liked it that much because it was SO quirky but ultimate I enjoyed the oddities and all that the characters learned in their path to growth

I could not get into this one. I gave it 25% but I was completely lost and not invested in all. I didn’t know what was happening half the time, and the other half I just didn’t care?
I absolutely loved Nelson’s first book, so will give this one a try another time, but for right now unfortunately it’s a DNF for me…

When the World Tips Over is a beautifully written, long, meandering book about the Fall family. First, we meet Dizzy Fall. A quirky, lovable, uber-smart tween. Dizzy has two older brothers, Miles and Wynton, and the three live with their single mother, Bernadette, who is a renowned chef.

Turns out their dad skipped town years ago. No one knows where he went or has heard from him since. Each Fall seems damaged by this abandonment, processing it in very different ways. Miles has become Perfect Miles: handsome, athletic, great in school and all-around star. Wynton has become a drug addict. While Wynton plays enchanting music on the violin, his proclivity for trouble has prevented him from growing further. And then there’s Dizzy. Like a lot of youngest siblings, Dizzy is eager to be liked and cool.

I loved the writing. I highlighted a dozen passages for the richness of their description. And, the writing is slow. It’s a long book and even as I crept closer to the end, I wasn’t 100% sure where the story was going. Would there be a true climax? A point? Or was it just a family drama with a few elements of magic realism sprinkled in? It did get there, but not in a strong way, which is the reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5.

Overall, loved this book and have enjoyed other Jandy Nelson reads. Definitely recommend. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like many, I have wanted to read Jandy Nelson’s third book for a DECADE. I can’t even describe how let down I feel. Nelson’s writing style is still as good as her first two, and her characters are BRILLIANT and very huggable, but the story…she completely lost me. It was too out there for me to fully immerse myself in. Still, I’m not giving up on this author because I still want her words to sing in my heart like no other can. It was just a one-off for me, and I hope to be in the minority.

WHEN THE WORLD TIPS OVER
by Jandy Nelson
published on 9/24/2024*
*THANKFUL to @penguinteen and @netgalley for the early access (all quotes from uncorrected proof)

•💅🏼💅🏼💅🏼💅🏼💅🏼 ( 5️⃣ manis) •

“I think it’s possible to live our lives without believing in destiny, without feeling it at work in the choices we make, or the choices that are made for us. But it feels impossible to tell the story of our lives without it. 
Stories give our lives structure, and that structure is destiny.”

Hi friends 👋🏻 — I am super excited about the phenomenal new novel from @jandy.nelson! WTWTO is an intricate and luminous look at a family’s complicated past (and present) framed through the power of storytelling, memory, & a touch of magic and mystery (swipe for a synopsis from the publisher). ✨⚡️💥

Nelson very cleverly explores these themes while challenging herself to bring us a dynamically structured & compelling narrative. The prose is gorgeous, the characters are complex & the plot keeps you flipping page after page after page. The WIDE variety of structural devices Nelson uses showcases the importance of storytelling to the overall arc, while never feeling convoluted. She brings us to connections without spoon-feeding the reader, which is a quality I adore in quality YA literature. 📚

“If people bear the trauma of their ancestors, doesn’t it follow they also bear their rhapsodies? …If there are family curses that drop through time, mustn’t there also be family blessings that do the same? …I do believe now that when the world tips over, joy spills out with all the sorrow.” 🌈🌪️😪🥰

There is so much emotional depth in this book. I felt very connected to so many of the characters’ experiences, & the queer representation and identities throughout the novel. I can’t wait to discuss this book with more of the bookish community when it’s published this September! It is highly recommended by moi. I think this would make for a superb audiobook experience if that’s made available! 🎧

If you haven’t read Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, it’s one of my most beloved books, and I also suggest picking that one up while you wait for your world to be tipped over on 9/24/24 🌏🌈

Jandy Nelson’s new YA novel, When The World Tips Over, delivers all of the feels, fun, emotion, and magic that her readers expect. The Fall family reeks of dysfunction — a father who walked out on them years ago, a mother who cannot face the truth, always in trouble oldest brother, Wynton, perfect middle son, Miles, and nerdy youngest, Dizzy — but a difficult past haunts them. When a mysterious young woman enters their lives, the truth begins to crash in for all of them. Although at times the story drags a bit, Nelson’s writing and character development shine making it more than worthwhile. (FYI —Nelson tackles a lot of issues in this book, drinking, abuse, cheating, sex, etc., that may not be suitable for younger readers.)

Thank you NetGalley and The publisher for an eARC of this novel!

“No one could explain this. A real love story is not falling in love once, but again and again through all sorts of incarnations Theirs was a real love story”

If there is anything that Jandy Nelson can do, she can write a perfect world wind cacophony of characters. Her characters are anything but 1 dimensional or ordinary. They are alive and filled with life and bright bright color. She knows how to create live with words. You root for the characters and your heart stalls when something happens to your favorite. I think my favorite part is how anyone can find something to relate within her stories. Between Dizzy, Wynton, Cassidy, and Miles one can find a glimmer of relatability.

When the world tips of swirls family of the blood and found kind, friendship, parental support and unsupport, love of all kinds. I think this a perfect book for young adults who are trying to find themselves or have already done so.

Also post on Goodreads

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

A preface before my review: I'm always excited when a publisher gives me an ARC, but receiving this one in particular was an honor. I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson was the first book that ever truly stuck with me. Getting lost in between the pages of Lost Cove with Noah & Jude is one of my absolute favorite things to do. I read it multiple times a year, just to visit my old friends. That novel left an indelible mark ten years ago, and I have been eager for another Jandy novel since. When When The World Tips Over came across my dashboard, I was stunned and over the moon. I went in with extremely high hopes, given my deep love for IGYTS. Every. Single. Expectation. Was. Met.

Paradise Springs is a town so peculiar you can't find it on a map. But once you cross the town line, the magic wraps you up in a sun warmed blanket and brings you home. No one can explain what happens in this town, the magic that occurs. The magic isn't absent from the Fall family.

Meet the Fall's - Dysfunctional siblings Dizzy, Miles, Wynton, and their mother, Bernadette. Missing is their father Theo, who has a legend of his own within the town. As every family, there are secrets and embarrassments. The Fall's are not excluded in this.

Little sister Dizzy is going through a friend breakup, worships her tortured brother Wynton, and is desperate for a relationship with her brother Miles. "Perfect Miles" is struggling with The Gloom Room, his sexuality, and his direction in life. Wynton is consistently caught up in the law, is a violin prodigy, and faces a huge turn of fate. The one thing all siblings have in common, despite their last name of course, is they've all seen an angel. One by one, a mysterious rainbow haired girl covered in words appears to each Fall sibling, helping them find their true selves all while revealing the secret of a lifetime.

The same sense of magic and special that you find in IGYTS can be found in When The World Tips Over. Nelson's writing is SO vivid, dynamic, and simply beautiful. You don't read about the literary world, you are IN this literary world. The sights, smells, sounds, all of it is brought to you. Nelson's way of discussing important, yet sometimes difficult, topics shines yet again. You will find yourself floating with joy while reading, just as Sebastian and Alonso did in the forest.

Ten years felt like forever, but I will happily wait again for another Jandy Nelson novel (although I hope we don't have to). I felt like there were so many nods to IGYTS in this novel. And maybe I was imagining it, but let me live in my delusions! As usual, I am left completely in awe. I'll be dreaming of Paradise Springs just like Marigold, forever and always.

A story of family through generations shared through the years, family stories, family secrets, tragedies, dysfunctional families, parental abandonment, discovering hidden truths, and finding the family that will accept you, and the people who will understand you and love you for who you are.

There are moments where this is intense, moments that are heartbreaking, as well as moments that are heartwarming.

This covers a lot of territory, some of which are revealed through letters written in bygone years, and having some of those myself from my grandparents, I know how important those are to me, and what a touchstone they can be.

A story that is shared through bringing together all these people who are part of this family, if not by blood or marriage, then through love and perhaps friendship that might have been or become love. It covers a lot of years, and explores the after effects of abandonment, as well as the blessing of finding the place you call home.



Pub Date: 24 Sep 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group / Dial Books

Yes, yes, yes, yes 1000 times. I wish I was Jandy Nelson so I could adequately use words to say what this book is to me. I’ll Give You The Sun was my favorite YA book when I read it ten years ago, and still nothing (well, almost nothing) has come close. When I read YA, THIS feeling is what I’m looking for. This quirky, larger-than-life, earth-shattering feeling in Jandy’s writing that perfectly encapsulates teenagerhood.

Quotes (from uncorrected text):

“Telling you my story in betrayals, I've realized something. Each one has brought me so much anguish, but in the end, I realize, joy as well. I didn't understand this until now.… I do believe now that when the world tips over, joy spills out with all the sorrow. But you have to look for it.”
*
“He was weird. He knew this. He suspected he was in the wrong body, family, town, species, that there'd been some big cosmic mix-up. Like maybe he was supposed to be a tree or a barn owl or a prime number.
He only found himself, his real self, in novels, not even in the stories and characters, but in the sentences, the lone words.”
*
“Miles realized he'd somehow walked out of his life and into a new one, a much better one. He closed his eyes, felt like he and Felix were lying in the air together. He wanted to write in his pad: There's a secret world within this one. A wind has blown us there.”
*

Usually I don’t like books with so many characters. Usually I don’t like multi-generational stories. But I don’t know, Jandy Nelson just does it for me. Whatever she writes, I will read, no questions asked. The way that in both Sun and World, she weaves seemingly unrelated storylines together to form a perfectly chaotic story of family and love. The magical realism makes everything seem like a fairytale and it adds to the story, too.

I have to say that this writing style will not be for everyone. There is not a quickly-moving plot, because instead we’re learning about the Fall family history and watching these lovely characters grow most of the time. If you like flowery writing, character-focused books, and books about family, read this!!

Five stars plus a slice of aphrodisiacal chocolate soufflé, from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

I was a high school librarian when the author's previous books came out and they quickly became favorites! I was soooooooo excited for this new release as it is quite literally the perfect way to begin Pride month of reading the rainbow!!!!

*no apologies for my excited overuse of exclamation points*


UPDATE
Jandy Nelson is a gifted YA storyteller. Her characters show a tremendous amount of growth. I enjoy books with multiple narrators, and this was no exception. However, there were so many characters that my interest in them kept wavering. I felt for each one and made connections from my own life, but didn’t necessarily bond with any wholeheartedly. This may have been the point regarding the family curse: All were lovable and all were flawed. Maybe for me there were too many flaws to overcome?

3 out of 5 stars and my continued respect to the author.

When the World Tips Over is another Jandy Nelson masterpiece. I loved the characters, the slow burn romances, the tragedy, the "talking" dog, the culinary mentions, music, and the sibling rivalry that spanned generations.

That said, this book requires an attentive reader. It requires us to (as the book says) move in to the story with our whole bodies and hearts. There are many characters. There are generations to track. There are multiple genres (letters, blank pages. legends, retellings). There are jumps forward and back in time.

If you are attentive, this book is immensely rewarding and beautiful. Nelson's descriptions are quote worthy many times.

This is a true reader's book. It's gorgeous if you want to dive in deeply to a family saga more complicated than you can imagine.

How to even begin this review? This was just the book I needed at the time I needed it! I couldn’t put it down this weekend. I wanted so badly to finish the story but I also didn’t want it to end. Having just gone through the death of my last remaining parent and my husband's the realization that our generation is next has hit me hard. I read some letters recently as I was cleaning out my mother's closet that gave me a new perspective on my parents' lives and love for each other as well as for my siblings and I. It's added to my inner urge to spend time writing my thoughts in a journal before it's too late. However, I've been stuck trying to figure out what I should write mainly because I lack the energy. After reading this story in which family stories, journals and letters tell the underlying stories throughout I'm ready to journal. It's time to just let it pour out of me and write letters that won't be delivered until perhaps my time here on earth has come to it's conculsion. This story is intense and beautiful. A story of how dysfunctional families can be when secrets are the norm and how they have the opportunity to bring them together when the truth is laid bare. I've always believed that my own personal 'people-pile' is made up of those I choose rather than only those with whom I share blood. What I've taken away from this story is that having someone(s) who understands your wonderful weirdness helps us to navigate this life with a lot more grace and joy. Be yourself! I'm grateful that I've never read any of Jandy Nelson's books because now I don't have to wait for the next one to come out. I can just catch up with the old ones!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for a copy of the book to preview in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was everything and beautiful and awful all rolled together. I loved the intertwining storylines and the massive cast of characters that made me happy, sad, and everything in between! My heart broke and mended back together in the course of this one story. It was beautifully crafted and I adored all of the queer representation! It made me, a semi-closeted 40-something bi woman, want to jump for joy. Phenomenal work, this is a must read!

I really wanted to like this book. This author is a mixed bag for me where I've loved one of her novels, but the other was just okay. However, it has been so long since I read either one of those novels, that I was eager to read a new book by this author. There were a lot of characters in this one and the writing was so different, it was almost too disjointed. It was difficult to stay focused and want to keep reading this one. I did manage to finish it, but it was a struggle. I never grasped the importance of the majority of the characters and it just felt to disappointing to read. I honestly didn't like any of the characters either. This entire book felt so forced. I couldn't wait for this book to be over.

Some of this author’s titles I have enjoyed, but this one seemed a little disjointed. I felt like the story was all over the place, and the plot didn’t really stick.