#Review: At The Edge Of The Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson

At The Edge Of The Universe

Author: Shaun David Hutchinson

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre/Themes: YA Fiction, Contemporary, LGBTQIA+

Release Date: February 7th 2017

Page Count: 496

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781481449663

It definitely is no secret that At The Edge Of The Universe was probably my most anticipated book of the year. After reading We Are The Ants last year and completely falling in love with it, I was ready to read absolutely everything ever written by Shaun David Hutchinson.

Synopsis

Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since second grade, and boyfriends since eighth. They spent countless days dreaming of escaping their small town—and then Tommy vanished. More accurately, he ceased to exist, erased from the minds and memories of everyone who knew him. Everyone except Ozzie. Ozzie doesn’t know how to navigate life without Tommy, and soon suspects that something else is going on: that the universe is shrinking. When Ozzie is paired up with new student Calvin on a physics project, he begins to wonder if Calvin could somehow be involved. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is for him to deny the feelings developing between them, even if he still loves Tommy. But Ozzie knows there isn’t much time left to find Tommy–that once the door closes, it can’t be opened again. And he’s determined to keep it open as long as possible.

What I Liked

The writing. Shaun David Hutchinson just has this way of completely pulling you in with his writing. There’s just something so beautiful and magical about it. For those of you who know me, you know that my attention span is actual garbage, so for me to read 300 pages of a book in one sitting without any side distractions is an actual miracle and that is exactly what happened to me while reading At The Edge Of The Universe. I honestly didn’t even realize I read that much until I was finally able to put it down thanks to jet lag and fatigue.

The characters. Along with writing a beautiful story, Shaun David Hutchinson continues to write beautiful characters. Every single one of them is perfect. Whether it’s the main characters, the side characters, the parents or even teachers…they are all wonderful to read. They are compelling and diverse and I just love every single one of them.

The shrinking universe. Hutchinson seems to always find a way to add an almost magical realism element to his stories, whether it was the alien abductions in We Are The Ants or the shrinking universe in At The Edge of the Universe. These elements are truly unique and add a little something extra to each story.

What I Didn’t Like

Too similar. While I absolutely loved At The Edge Of The Universe, it felt a little too similar to We Are The Ants at times. There was a moment that hinted that these two books may possibly take place in the same universe and while I liked that aspect, I still felt like the line between the two stories almost blurred together at times.

Overall, At The Edge Of The Universe was everything I had hoped it would be. While it did feel a little similar to We Are The Ants at times, it was still so beautifully written and completely captivating. I honestly can’t wait to read what Shaun David Hutchinson comes out with next!

About The Author

Shaun is a major geek and all about nerdy shenanigans. He is the author of We Are the Ants, The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, The Deathday Letter, fml, and the editor of the anthology Violent Ends. Find out more information at shaundavidhutchinson.com. He currently lives in South Florida with his dog and watches way too much Doctor Who.