tiffyofthemonts's review against another edition
4.0
I was so thrilled to receive my copy of A Sense of the Infinite – I had read Hilary T. Smith's debut novel, Wild Awake, last year and became obsessed with it. And I mean obsessed. (I made a playlist and everything.) So naturally I was really looking forward to reading her new book.
A Sense of the Infinite is a silently powerful read with strong writing. Hilary T. Smith is so good with words – she knows exactly how to romance a character's internal dialogue, how to take a feeling or a thought or a daydream and magnify it and give it a life of its own. The short chapters and vignettes that are interspersed through the book are especially striking. Short and (bitter)sweet. Sometimes the little things pack a punch.
The characters in A Sense of the Infinite all feel realistic, too – almost painfully so. Noe reminded me of all the mean girls I knew in high school, how they could be so friendly in your Spanish class one year and then see straight through you the next. I appreciated Bob, her school dietician, and how even as a "minor" character, he evolved in her eyes and become significant to her. I like that richness in character development in a story. I like when characters are meaningful.
I loved Annabeth's cousin Ava: the way she was so horrible early on, the changes we saw in her later. It's so true to life, isn't it? Sometimes people knock us down and want to hurt us and make our life hell, and then you encounter them again years later, and the circumstances have changed completely, and you just move on and move forward. Steven, Noe's boyfriend, was my most unexpected love – and I loved him fiercely, for his determination to befriend Annabeth, for his solidarity with her, for his vulnerability and emotional struggles. They have such a beautiful, supportive relationship, and it was so nice to read.
Be forewarned – this book covers some intense and gritty themes. Rape, pregnancy, eating disorders, depression, suicide, coming out, self-harm/mutilation... To be honest, this is one of the big reasons I didn't love this book. And it's not unrealistic, per se – in fact, between high school and my first year in college, I had to face all but one of those things in some capacity – but it just made this book feel so heavy and just too much. It's a somber book, for sure. But it's also a story of evolving relationships, and a story of transformation as we watch Annabeth struggle and grow, and that lightness helps balance out the rest.
If I'm being honest, I went in expecting nothing less than sheer and utter brilliance, which is a lot to ask of anyone but also just goes to show you how much I love Hilary's writing and how much I trust in her ability to tell a compelling story. This book feels a lot more YA in a way that Wild Awake didn't – it's so much about high school dynamics, being on the cusp of change, the fickleness and cruelty of people... But it's sophisticated and mature and kind of disturbing and kind of monumental.
More reviews, including this one, on my blog: Bookplates for Brunch.
A Sense of the Infinite is a silently powerful read with strong writing. Hilary T. Smith is so good with words – she knows exactly how to romance a character's internal dialogue, how to take a feeling or a thought or a daydream and magnify it and give it a life of its own. The short chapters and vignettes that are interspersed through the book are especially striking. Short and (bitter)sweet. Sometimes the little things pack a punch.
I put my hand on a tree's bark and felt a quiet current of friendship there, like an underground spring.
Maybe it wasn't too late for me to freeze in a snowbank. It sounded almost dreamy, almost pleasant.
"Annabeth's wandered out and frozen," they'd say. "It's very sad."
The characters in A Sense of the Infinite all feel realistic, too – almost painfully so. Noe reminded me of all the mean girls I knew in high school, how they could be so friendly in your Spanish class one year and then see straight through you the next. I appreciated Bob, her school dietician, and how even as a "minor" character, he evolved in her eyes and become significant to her. I like that richness in character development in a story. I like when characters are meaningful.
I loved Annabeth's cousin Ava: the way she was so horrible early on, the changes we saw in her later. It's so true to life, isn't it? Sometimes people knock us down and want to hurt us and make our life hell, and then you encounter them again years later, and the circumstances have changed completely, and you just move on and move forward. Steven, Noe's boyfriend, was my most unexpected love – and I loved him fiercely, for his determination to befriend Annabeth, for his solidarity with her, for his vulnerability and emotional struggles. They have such a beautiful, supportive relationship, and it was so nice to read.
Steven's tears and snot were soaking into my sweater. The daisies in his hair were getting crushed, the white petals curling in. I pulled the vial of lavender oil out of my pocket and quietly anointed him on the wrists, forehead, and heart, thinking that the mysterious thing about love is that you don't have to know what you're doing in order to do it exactly right.
Be forewarned – this book covers some intense and gritty themes. Rape, pregnancy, eating disorders, depression, suicide, coming out, self-harm/mutilation... To be honest, this is one of the big reasons I didn't love this book. And it's not unrealistic, per se – in fact, between high school and my first year in college, I had to face all but one of those things in some capacity – but it just made this book feel so heavy and just too much. It's a somber book, for sure. But it's also a story of evolving relationships, and a story of transformation as we watch Annabeth struggle and grow, and that lightness helps balance out the rest.
If I'm being honest, I went in expecting nothing less than sheer and utter brilliance, which is a lot to ask of anyone but also just goes to show you how much I love Hilary's writing and how much I trust in her ability to tell a compelling story. This book feels a lot more YA in a way that Wild Awake didn't – it's so much about high school dynamics, being on the cusp of change, the fickleness and cruelty of people... But it's sophisticated and mature and kind of disturbing and kind of monumental.
More reviews, including this one, on my blog: Bookplates for Brunch.
melatonin1mg's review against another edition
5.0
“I pulled the blanket up to my chin. I wasn’t sure which was worse: the grief I imagined in my mother’s voice when she said this, or the love. I didn’t want to be responsible for either. I just wanted to disappear.”
2nd reread. Quietly captures the grief of watching your best friend become a stranger, and of realizing you've become a stranger to yourself too. Always a comfort read.
2nd reread. Quietly captures the grief of watching your best friend become a stranger, and of realizing you've become a stranger to yourself too. Always a comfort read.
lavaplant's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is what I wish I could write.
Noe is the definition of “peaked in high school” and is having a millennial meltdown on TikTok right now. She is the girl in a Caitlin Reilly short. She is that person who says “extroverts always adopt introverts!” when they just use them up for the ego boost.
Noe is the definition of “peaked in high school” and is having a millennial meltdown on TikTok right now. She is the girl in a Caitlin Reilly short. She is that person who says “extroverts always adopt introverts!” when they just use them up for the ego boost.
jang's review against another edition
3.0
Done with my self-imposed reading hiatus and yeah, I finally finished this book.
I think I could have finished this book in a week or three before my break but I didn't, and that's probably because I didn't find the book moving or engaging to begin with. I love the main character Anabeth but she's still lacking in some important character aspects/development. I understood her when she went through the difficult process of abortion but it still made me uneasy. It was probably because I was raised believing that abortion is one of the easiest ways to acquire a golden ticket to hell. But it was a choice and it was bound to make her life more meaningful, I guess.
I felt like the blank page towards the end, when the author chose to leave a void in the story regarding her reunion with her father, was what's really lacking in the story. It was confusing and it only bred the need for a resolution. It made me uncomfortable to just leave that important bit there without much exploration. It opened the opportunity for a book 2 though.
There were some really touching moments there between Anabeth and the mother but that's about it. The book is neutral about abortion IMO, which made it hard for readers like me to empathize no matter how I tried to keep an open mind.
I think I could have finished this book in a week or three before my break but I didn't, and that's probably because I didn't find the book moving or engaging to begin with. I love the main character Anabeth but she's still lacking in some important character aspects/development. I understood her when she went through the difficult process of abortion but it still made me uneasy. It was probably because I was raised believing that abortion is one of the easiest ways to acquire a golden ticket to hell. But it was a choice and it was bound to make her life more meaningful, I guess.
I felt like the blank page towards the end, when the author chose to leave a void in the story regarding her reunion with her father, was what's really lacking in the story. It was confusing and it only bred the need for a resolution. It made me uncomfortable to just leave that important bit there without much exploration. It opened the opportunity for a book 2 though.
There were some really touching moments there between Anabeth and the mother but that's about it. The book is neutral about abortion IMO, which made it hard for readers like me to empathize no matter how I tried to keep an open mind.
haia_929's review against another edition
5.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins Children on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Annabeth has a secret that's been gnawing at her insides since the day she first heard it. She hasn't even told her best friend, Noe. And when her relationship with Noe starts to blow apart, as the girls grow apart and into themselves, Annabeth lets her secret wear away at her. Her relationships all start to deteriorate as she tries to cope with the fact that her relationship with Noe might not last forever.
This book completely blew me away. This book captures the anxiety of growing older, of learning that not every friendship lasts forever, that sometimes people are only in your life for as long as you need each other, and of learning to be yourself no matter who you have to leave behind. Smith perfectly captures the raw reality of Annabeth's situation, her secret, her fears, her hopes, and really pulls you into the story. The characters were realistic and relatable.
This book follows Annabeth as she learns to be herself and learns to move away from a friendship that is slowly dying. The journey is significant and important that it should be relatable to all readers. The story really deals with Annabeth's journey to be herself so things like romance aren't nearly as important as personal development and friendships, which are the key elements of the book.
The characters in this book read so true and so real it's like you know them. I adored Annabeth, I felt for her and wanted to take care of her and give her the love she was slowly losing from Noe. Stephen is one of the most interesting and special characters in this book and I absolutely loved him to pieces and cared for him so deeply. I think there's hardly a character in this book I didn't have strong, passionate feelings about.
I could gush about this book for days but I think it would get overwhelmingly repetitive. I loved this book and it made me feel so strongly and sharply that I couldn't put it down except to sob for Annabeth. I absolutely recommend this book!
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins Children on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Annabeth has a secret that's been gnawing at her insides since the day she first heard it. She hasn't even told her best friend, Noe. And when her relationship with Noe starts to blow apart, as the girls grow apart and into themselves, Annabeth lets her secret wear away at her. Her relationships all start to deteriorate as she tries to cope with the fact that her relationship with Noe might not last forever.
This book completely blew me away. This book captures the anxiety of growing older, of learning that not every friendship lasts forever, that sometimes people are only in your life for as long as you need each other, and of learning to be yourself no matter who you have to leave behind. Smith perfectly captures the raw reality of Annabeth's situation, her secret, her fears, her hopes, and really pulls you into the story. The characters were realistic and relatable.
This book follows Annabeth as she learns to be herself and learns to move away from a friendship that is slowly dying. The journey is significant and important that it should be relatable to all readers. The story really deals with Annabeth's journey to be herself so things like romance aren't nearly as important as personal development and friendships, which are the key elements of the book.
The characters in this book read so true and so real it's like you know them. I adored Annabeth, I felt for her and wanted to take care of her and give her the love she was slowly losing from Noe. Stephen is one of the most interesting and special characters in this book and I absolutely loved him to pieces and cared for him so deeply. I think there's hardly a character in this book I didn't have strong, passionate feelings about.
I could gush about this book for days but I think it would get overwhelmingly repetitive. I loved this book and it made me feel so strongly and sharply that I couldn't put it down except to sob for Annabeth. I absolutely recommend this book!
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
4.0
This book is quiet and strong. There's so much in it, and the style is so choppy and to the point, with so many chapters ending with these ultra poignant statements that say so much.
It could have ended a chapter before the last, and to me, the ending would have been absolutely perfect.
This reminds me of something fans of Amy Reed would really love, in the vein of Over You but perhaps not as sinister. It's more a natural thing, what happens, and not necessarily so obvious.
Wonderful characters and development.
It could have ended a chapter before the last, and to me, the ending would have been absolutely perfect.
This reminds me of something fans of Amy Reed would really love, in the vein of Over You but perhaps not as sinister. It's more a natural thing, what happens, and not necessarily so obvious.
Wonderful characters and development.
que_bella's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It was an honest, sincere and real voice that told the story of Noe. It's a beautifully woven tale of friendship, heartbreak, and finding yourself and the will to be yourself even when you thought you already knew.
emjrasmussen's review against another edition
A Sense of the Infinite is a book about friendship, and a phenomenal one at that. As a huge contemporary reader, I have read countless novels focusing on the relationship between friends, but Hilary T. Smith's most recent novel does not merely melt into the masses of other "friendship books." Thanks to its realistic progression and gorgeous, empathetic writing, it is one of the best books of its kind that I have ever read.
When I started reading A Sense of the Infinite, I first fell in love with the highs of Annabeth's relationship with Noe. The two characters have been best friends since freshman year, and not without a good reason—although this novel focuses on their growing apart, readers still get to see moments when they connect and help each other through difficult situations. Smith delves deeply into describing the girls' friendship, showing how close the characters are and how much they mean to each other at the novel's onset. As a result, readers will understand and empathize with the loss Annabeth feels when Noe begins to slip away.
For example, my favorite positive aspect of their friendship is Annabeth's ability to be friends with Noe's boyfriend, Steven. Annabeth and Steven engage in clever and strictly platonic banter, becoming close in their own right and adding another layer of friendship to the storyline. I found this element of the plot to be impressively realistic, and I applaud Smith for avoiding childish melodrama and jealousy. Despite their faults, Annabeth and Noe trust each other enough to each have a relationship with Steven, which truly makes their friendship stand out.
But as Annabeth and Noe begin to drift apart, the story becomes less about friendship and more about self development. Just as Smith fully fleshes out her story's friendships, she also gives Annabeth a complex personality that grows with all the trials she experiences—both related and unrelated to Noe. I cheered relentlessly as I watched Annabeth go from basing all her decisions around Noe to making her own choices. And as the protagonist grapples with long-buried family secrets and deals with other personal conflicts that arise, she learns so much and, at some point along the way, becomes an adult. By the end of the story, Annabeth has transformed from Noe's other half to her own independent person, keeping readers invested in her development along the way.
Complete with plenty of senior-year milestones with which many teenagers will identify, A Sense of the Infinite is a wonderfully relatable and empathetic story. The writing—while not quite as vivid and distinctive as the writing in Smith's first novel, Wild Awake—is emotional, descriptive, and paced to capture the flow of real life. I cannot recommend this novel enough to readers looking for a realistic contemporary, whether they want to escape their real life or find a story that mirrors it brilliantly.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
When I started reading A Sense of the Infinite, I first fell in love with the highs of Annabeth's relationship with Noe. The two characters have been best friends since freshman year, and not without a good reason—although this novel focuses on their growing apart, readers still get to see moments when they connect and help each other through difficult situations. Smith delves deeply into describing the girls' friendship, showing how close the characters are and how much they mean to each other at the novel's onset. As a result, readers will understand and empathize with the loss Annabeth feels when Noe begins to slip away.
For example, my favorite positive aspect of their friendship is Annabeth's ability to be friends with Noe's boyfriend, Steven. Annabeth and Steven engage in clever and strictly platonic banter, becoming close in their own right and adding another layer of friendship to the storyline. I found this element of the plot to be impressively realistic, and I applaud Smith for avoiding childish melodrama and jealousy. Despite their faults, Annabeth and Noe trust each other enough to each have a relationship with Steven, which truly makes their friendship stand out.
But as Annabeth and Noe begin to drift apart, the story becomes less about friendship and more about self development. Just as Smith fully fleshes out her story's friendships, she also gives Annabeth a complex personality that grows with all the trials she experiences—both related and unrelated to Noe. I cheered relentlessly as I watched Annabeth go from basing all her decisions around Noe to making her own choices. And as the protagonist grapples with long-buried family secrets and deals with other personal conflicts that arise, she learns so much and, at some point along the way, becomes an adult. By the end of the story, Annabeth has transformed from Noe's other half to her own independent person, keeping readers invested in her development along the way.
Complete with plenty of senior-year milestones with which many teenagers will identify, A Sense of the Infinite is a wonderfully relatable and empathetic story. The writing—while not quite as vivid and distinctive as the writing in Smith's first novel, Wild Awake—is emotional, descriptive, and paced to capture the flow of real life. I cannot recommend this novel enough to readers looking for a realistic contemporary, whether they want to escape their real life or find a story that mirrors it brilliantly.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
dl2000's review against another edition
5.0
Although my young adult days are long gone, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this book. So many heavy issues covered in such a short time, but the author's concise writing style suited it perfectly. Sometimes as I was reading I thought that I would've liked some more elaboration, but in retrospect I think the style of writing is part of what makes this story so successful. She really brought her characters to life for me and I was so very happy to ultimately see Annabeth come out of her despair. I won this book through a First Reads giveaway and I am so very happy to say I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to both young and older adults.