I was absolutely blown away by this book. This is the kind of book that keeps you thinking long after you’ve turned the last page. I originally didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but oh boy was it a ride.

Despite the fact that it deals with heavy subject matters, you never feel bogged down by the darkness. The topics are tackled so beautifully, which is admirable. The dialogue was very well-written and I adored Cliff. The pace is perfect and keeps you intrigued from the beginning to end. The characters were all unique and dynamic with HILARIOUS personalities. I also loved the message/theme of hope running throughout the book.

I have no words. Just perfection!

This was such an interesting read. it touched on a lot of great topics and this is a must read for high school students.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

I originally read this before it was released and never got to writing my review. My original response was 5 stars, and that was likely a reflection of my reading experience and my age/life stage at the time I was reading it. Now, in 2022, I'd give this one a 3.5. Clearly, time and life has had an impact on my rating and how I viewed this story.

I enjoyed it - then and now. Neanderthal is a lot about loss and brokenness - being unhappy about who you are and where you find yourself. Both Cliff and Aaron needed a change in their life and Aaron's accident truly brought that to them both, enriching and changing their lives and others'.

I loved the positive (overall) impact they had on people - they were very bad at making their school better (high school boys, I mean makes sense), but they put the effort in to find ways to do so, even if they had to punch it into submission.

That brings me to trigger warnings. There's a lot of them. I'll be listing them all below, but there are a few I wanted to talk about. A big part of this book is grief due to a sibling's suicide, mixed with homophobia and domestic child abuse. That's A LOT to handle, and it's important you're aware of that going into the book.

In addition, one of the items on the list is taking down a hateful Christian group within the school (who later protests at an LGBTQ+ club meeting), so that's another thing to be aware of going into this one.

As a whole, I think the overall messages in this book are valuable and important. However, this books tried to do a lot and be a lot in such a short time that it was overwhelming and chaotic. I'm still where I'm at in 2018 where I definitely enjoyed the book, but idk if it's for everyone. Either way, take care when picking this one up and read trigger warnings!

TWs: suicide (recounted and discussion of), suicidal ideation, loss of a sibling, drug abuse/addiction (especially heroin), grief, seizures/epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, domestic abuse (on-page), alcoholism, absent parent, body shaming, homophobia (including slurs), bullying, hacking, kink-shaming, oppression in the name of religion, violence (physical & gun), vomiting, off-hand comments about bulimia, near death experience (off-page)

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Pacing: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Disney Book Group via Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

First of all big thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

I am so glad that I finally picked this up because I absolutely loved it, I loved all of the relationships and friendships that there are throughout this book. By the time I got to the end my heart was in my throat and I was on the verge of tears. This was so so heart-warming,

A really sweet story with lovable main characters. Their friendship builds up quite perfectly through the book and theil characters themselves are very interesting. Would definitely read again!

It's been a while, but I do recall enjoying how Neanderthal, as he was sometimes called, does indeed see that he's got more value to the world than he believes. And while high school books can run together, uniting him with Aaron provides a different angle than the typical romantic ones so often seen in these works.

There are no sympathetic characters here which made it hard for me to get invested in the story. It was difficult for me to finish.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton.

Cliff does not have it easy. He's a larger than average high schooler, towering over his peers at 6'6, and 250 lbs. His nickname is Neanderthal and he's reminded daily of that fact. His dad is abusive, his mom is passive, and he just lost his brother to suicide.

But one day one of his previous bullies Aaron comes to him, because he has been given a task, a task by God. After hitting his head in an accident, Aaron was told by God to accomplish a list with Cliff, in hopes to improve their school. Even though Cliff has always hated Aaron, he is intrigued by the offer, and the two team up to accomplish their tasks. Along the way, Cliff is able to learn more about his brother, and even see his home life change.

This was a very rich, very heartfelt YA novel. The dialogue was full of color, description, and delightful vulgarity I guess? At the same time, it also shone a somber light on serious topics like abuse, suicide, sexual orientation, and HS bullying. It was a playful, but solid reminder to treat those around me with kindness, and never to make assumptions about what someone's life is like, or the secret challenges that they might face.

EVERY BIT OF PERFECT!!!! Nothing but praise. I'm going to be recommending this book to everyone. Norton tells his story with lots of humour - some of it is a bit over the top, as are some situations, but it suits Norton's writing style. Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe moves along very quickly and is an infectious read. (It will also break your heart in places.) Cliff's revelations and resolutions are relatable for anyone, regardless of age.

Wonderful writing, wonderful message!

3.8 stars

I SO wish I could have given this book a higher rating!

The first 40% of the book was aiming for at least 4.5 stars.

BUUUUT... DNF at 50%

I was totally in love with the writing, Cliff (the main character) and his voice! So connected with his goals, dreams and the hardships he was experiencing. The rest of the characters were so real too and the storytelling compelling and VERY FUNNY!

I was SO INTO IT!

If you like stories about school life, friendship, etc. and themes of redemption, forgiveness, love, hope, etc. You will probably enjoy this aspect of the book and for many it will make for a satisfying resolution.

HOWEVER....

The reason why I DNF hat 50%...

I'm a plot reader. I very much need conflict and tension throughout most of the story ARC. I like conflict, I like stakes, plot twists, characters the doing unexpected, etc. etc. I like the tension rising for most of the story and theeeeeeen climax and resolution resolution towards THE END.

There was a good amount of tension during the first 20% and then... PUFFF!!! all the characters were already resolving their conflicts, even their internal conflict at 50%

Enemies were friends, cowards were braved, bullies were nice...

I lost interest!

BUT I do want to read more books by this author!

I loved this book to recommend to mature students. However, due to the language, I cannot suggest it be used in the curriculum. It's definitely one on my shelves that I will book talk with some students.

Love, love, loved this book! I want to read it again- immediately! There were quite a few storylines going on, but I couldn’t put the book down! The characters were intriguing & relatable. The tragedies and heartbreak were so real. You can’t help but fall in love with the main character! I look forward to reading other books by this author!

Hi, I accidentally fell Completely In Love with this book (and it was a mild problem for all of my shirked responsibilities). I had pretty low expectations for whatever reason, but I ended up really connecting to the characters and the concept/writing completely cracked me up. Although I don't know that it would for other people, this book just completely worked for me, and I cannot wait to pick up more from this author.

Oh come on--if you can't write a story without dropping the Fbomb every few lines then you can't write a story. In addition, the tone was just so overly sour and pretentious that there was no chance to engage and find a way to be sympathetic towards the main character. And after a chapter I just couldn't wait to get away from this story. So it was abandoned.

Cliff's story was one that I never saw coming, but one the will never leave me. It truly touched my heart.

I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the questions it raised about bullying and how horrible people can be to each other while also having this message of hope that things can get better and things can change and people can still be good. I really enjoyed seeing the friendship between Cliff and Aaron grow and I enjoyed seeing all their efforts in completing Aaron's list. There were some things that were predictable, but overall I really enjoyed the book.

Content Warning: Suicide (happens off page but is referred to a lot)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t believe I waited this long to read this book. I absolutely loved it. It was a breathe of fresh air and a healthy dose of perspective just when I needed it.
This novel is about teenager, Nicknamed Neanderthal, but his real name is Cliff, and he’s an outcast in high school. Since Cliff is our narrator, se learn about his life, and the issues he’s dealing with. All of a sudden, his life is turned upside down, when the most popular kid in school, wakes up from a coma with a mission from god. It includes a list and he needs Cliff’s help in making it all work. The story that unfolds is fantastic. I don’t want to say anymore because you just need to read it.
I went through all the emotions in this book. While I spent most of my time laughing, I also shed a few tears. I loved the story, I adored all of the characters (their development was amazing), and I really can’t stop gushing about it. This was an easy read and I finished it in a day. I was actually very sad that it ended and I’m definitely going to check out this authors other books.

I loved this book. The characters, the writing, the emotions. Everything!

I felt so bad for Cliff and his story. The friendship between Cliff and Aaron was so unexpected but it was probably my favorite part. Seeing them work together in helping the school suck less. Preston Norton is a wonderful writer and I can't wait to read more from this author!

I received this book from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review

It's possible I may give this book another try in the future, especially if it becomes consensus that it's actually a good and redeeming story. However, I couldn't connect to any of the characters, and actually found them quite irritating for many reasons. I know that I've always found it more difficult to connect to male MCs, but in this case, he still wasn't that great. I understand his situation, really I do, but he reminded me way too much of so many different characters that I never liked that I really couldn't see myself finishing this and enjoying it. So, maybe in the future, but likely not.