Member Reviews

At the beginning of this book I found it a bit hard to understand what was happening and I almost DNF’d it. I am so glad I kept going. This story was fantastic. The alternating storylines between the Fall family and Cassidy and her mom Marigold was so great to read. The way the two storylines merged just gave me the best feeling. Dizzy was a great character & the brothers were fabulous today. I can’t say too much more without spoiling the ending but this book is so good and you won’t regret reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this book.

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This novel impacted so many genres such as Young Adult Nonfiction, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Contemporary no wonder it was nominated for an award! This was soooooooo impactful and resilient I think for younger reader because of the storyline. The setting is stunning because it's in wine country which I still remember loving it there so much. Family drama and road trips go hand in hand with crazy stories! Thank you to Jandy Nelson, Dial Books, and Netgalley!

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The summary is the barest of overviews I could write. It's hard to put this novel into words. I teared up throughout the story. We see the perspectives of all three Falls kids. We read letters their mom is writing in a notebook. We get Cassidy's story (the angel) and her childhood and what brought her to Paradise Springs and how she crossed paths with the Falls. We get the (much exaggerated) history of the family and how they came to live in their town and have their winery. And we also learn there are many secrets among all the family members and they are all finally coming out. I laughed out loud. I cried. This book touched me in so many ways an instantly became one of my favorite books of the year. I just can't explain how this book is lovely and tragic and heartbreaking and heartwarming wrapped in a big hug.

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Gosh, this was worth the wait! Nothing will ever compare to I’ll Give You the Sun, but this comes close. I devoured this, I am a huge fan of Jandy’s melodic, fluffy, colorful writing that explodes on and off the page. I wish the overall story was a *bit* more cohesive, but in true Nelson style, there’s stories within the stories, and truth and fiction begin to blur together

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When The World Tips Over is a beautifully written and emotionally layered story about the Fall family, whose lives are defined by loss, mystery, and the deeply tangled threads of their past. The novel explores the lives of Dizzy, Miles, and Wynton Fall, three siblings who each carry their own burdens of grief, self-doubt, and unfulfilled dreams in the aftermath of their father’s mysterious disappearance. Dizzy, the youngest, bakes cakes and converses with spirits, while Miles, a brilliant but restless teenager, yearns for connection, and Wynton, a gifted violinist, faces the dangerous allure of fame and self-destruction. The author’s portrayal of their individual struggles is rich with nuance, making each sibling’s journey both unique and universally relatable.

The arrival of a rainbow-haired girl brings a strange new energy into their lives, offering a glimmer of hope or perhaps an illusion, depending on how you look at it. Her impact on the family is profound, tipping their already fragile world further into chaos. The narrative weaves together elements of magical realism, family curses, and complex love stories within the backdrop of Northern California’s sun-soaked vineyards and stormy winds. While the book is at times an emotional rollercoaster, filled with moments of heartbreak and self-discovery, it ultimately celebrates the power of family, storytelling, and the possibility of redemption. The author’s lyrical prose and intricate plotting make this a compelling, if at times bittersweet, exploration of a family’s past and their hope to rewrite their future.

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There is something about a Jandy Nelson book. This was my last read of 2024 and I'm so glad to end the Year on such a high. This story follows the Fall family mainly the siblings.

I can't put into words about Jandys writing its been years since shes released anything and I was never so excited to get to read her newest story.

This like all her books is a beautiful family story even in the ugliest of times.
I will always read her books no matter how often she releases them!

Thank you a million Times Netgalley for this E-Arc in Exchange for my review.

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Jandy Nelson writes beautifully but I had trouble connecting with a story with so many secrets. At some point people just need to speak the truth. I found the level of generational secret keeping to be an exhausting burden to bear, even as a reader. That said, even an exhausting Jandy Nelson is a rewarding Jandy Nelson.

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I’m gonna say, right off the bat, I have complicated feelings about this book. Ultimately, I did enjoy it and ultimately my view of the book as a whole and the way I feel about my personal reading experience with it is positive. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have some capital-T Thoughts.

I think if you’re already a fan of Jandy Nelson’s work—as I am—you’re most likely going to enjoy this. Her trademark off-the-wall lyricism, surprising prose, and distinctive character work are once again on full display in this winding, heart-wrenching family saga. It is deeply emotional, as you might suspect, and I do think it really lands when it needs to. I also appreciate the journey this story takes the reader on as it progresses. Even though I cannot truthfully say that I was blown away by every single aspect of the story, I can say that it still feels like an unforgettable whirlwind of events. It’s a unique story that puts mystery, road trips, family curses, generational lore, and just a touch of whimsy on a strangely poignant collision course.

In a lot of ways, I think this is a heartfelt ode to the unlikeliest of roads that lead us back to ourselves, and how the most common family curse that most of us are contending with is our own inability and unwillingness to forgive. Not only to forgive people we care about, but more so to forgive ourselves.

All that said, I do think the story is far from perfect. For one thing, it’s absolutely too long. It’s over 500 pages, which is not in itself an issue, but I don’t think it fully earns that page count because I don’t think it successfully or satisfactorily sees everything though and I don’t think it closes the loop on some of the central character arcs for the all the main characters despite the fact that it has all that space.

There were also romantic subplots for all the main characters in the story that a) I didn’t love the power dynamics or social dynamics of and b) didn’t feel fully fleshed out and that I don’t think the story needed in the end. There’s also a main character—I won’t say who or why—who isn’t even active in the story for a majority of the book, which is kind of wild because I felt like they were the character who had the most growing and healing to do, and we didn’t get to see any of that development on page.

While the story as a whole is worthwhile and while I ultimately appreciate the project of the story and feel glad that I got to experience it for myself, I do think the book has its issues, and I think it somewhat falters in its execution. Jandy Nelson is the kind of writer who takes risks in her writing. Sometimes those risks pay off, sometimes they don’t.

Somewhat of a mixed bag for me, although I still enjoyed and appreciate the experience of the story overall.

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A parent disappearing from a family is a popular theme and one I just don't understand. Also such big family secrets are questionable. The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head.
Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Now Dizzy Fall, age twelve, bakes cakes, sees spirits, and wishes she were a heroine of a romance novel. Miles Fall, seventeen, brainiac, athlete, and dog-whisperer, is a raving beauty, but also lost, and desperate to meet the kind of guy he dreams of. And Wynton Fall, nineteen, who raises the temperature of a room just by entering it, is a virtuoso violinist set on a crash course for fame . . . or self-destruction.

Then an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, tipping the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole.

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I don't know where to start with this review. I started reading it when first offered and couldn't get into it. Then I picked it up recently and this time I connected with it. Until less than half way through the book when I couldn't figure out where in the world it was going. This was a perfect example of what writers refer to as the "muddy middle." It appears the author wanted to make sure she checked all the boxes and so put in myriads of stuff that added nothing to the story. I almost gave up completely at about 40% in. Hmm, how about a nudist camp? It has nothing to do with the story, but hey, why not? The backstory of the "Fall family curse," while intended to add a layer to the story was so ridiculous I had to skim through it. But I plodded on and finally it began to pull together. Still there were ridiculous scenes to delay the ending. I think if the book had been about half as long and didn't try to throw in all the extraneous stuff, including all the sexual talk and foul language this might have been a decent story. As it is I can only give it 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

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I love Jandy Nelson, and I have loved everything Nelson has ever written. When the World Tips Over threw me for a loop at first because this book is a bit of a departure from Nelson's other YA works. It has magical realism mixed with a family saga, and while it was not what I was expecting, it was just what I needed.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

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How exactly am I supposed to accurately write down, in words, how much this book meant to me? I’m not, I can’t. It’s impossible. For starters, fans of I’ll Give You The Sun Rejoice. The moment I heard of its announcement that Jandy Nelson was releasing a new novel, since the publication of my ( now, second ) favorite book, IGYTS — I knew I needed to get my grubby little hands on it before it’s release. And since I went down that rabbit hole, I came out on the other end as a member of the Penguin teen influencer program. So, I can thank them for the advanced reader copy- big time.
Holy shit, was this a doozy.
I don’t even know where to start. I feel like I need to take a nap and then attempt to write this review when I’m not so book hung over. I know that I’m being biased, and believe me, I am being super biased. I knew going into this that I would love “When The World Tips Over.” Essentially, I was not going to allow myself to be disappointed in this book. But, rest, assured, I can confidently say that anyone who hasn’t even heard of Jandy Nelson will absolutely fall in love with this story. It exceeded my expectations with colors that don’t even exist. It is everything that made Jandy’s previous novel so special, but with steroids injected into it - crack cocaine injected into its words.
There is a huge cast of characters here with so many overlapping and over arcing storylines and yet each one has a distinct voice, a distinct purpose, and their own dreams - their own development. I want so bad to introduce each and every single one of them to you, because I love them all in their unique ways, but I also want you to meet them for yourselves.
This is going to sound really selfish, so bare with me and brace yourselves, but I almost don’t even want anyone to read this book, because it was so personal and vivid and loud for me. I know that there is going to be criticism on it. I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was mine, mine, all mine.
Dizzy and all of her quiet insecurities and loud assuredness, Cassidy, and her whirlwind of a childhood— her whirlwind of a mother. Miles. Miles, and how he spoke directly at me, like he was me. And everyone else that I just can’t do justice right now. Their interwoven lives, and the mysterious family curse that has befell them. All of them.
You know that feeling when your binge watching your favorite show on Netflix and you’re getting close to the final episode and your hearts racing because you just can’t let it end ? So you put it off, because if you don’t watch the final episode then it will never end ? That was this book.
I describe “I’ll Give You The Sun” to people as summer in a jar. If that’s true, then “When The World Tips Over” is the universe in a jar. It is love, heartbreak, death, life, the stars, sun, and the moon. It’s everything. This is my favorite book, I fear. How exciting is that?

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Sadly, When the World Tips Over came across as scattered and confusing. The comings and goings of the girl in the lives of the siblings helped tie things together somewhat, but that thread and the relationship between the siblings wasn't enough to tie the story together. And underneath everything else, I found it boring. I had to re-read a bit to write this review, even though I finished the book a couple of weeks ago.

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I looked forward to reading this one, following Nelson's wonderful I'll give you the Sun, released 10 years ago. It was a long wait, and I am going to say, worth it. As typically happens, though, I will admit I preferred the first novel, even though I gave them both the same rating (perfect argument for a half star, right there).

I'm not sure exactly what I can say about this disfunctional, cursed family; thankfully I am not someone who summarizes plots in reviews because this would surely be a minefield of spoil alerts. There are actually two family stories here (at least), so plenty of opportunity for quirky, strange and downright terrible behavior. I'll leave that to you to judge. Nelson is a genius storyteller, so even though I didn't exactly love all the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with them on and off the road.

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Really enjoyed this book and the writing was especially engaging. I don’t normally read YA but this book pulled me in and made me think. Loved it!

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This was SO unique stylistically. It worked at times, but also worked against itself at times. I loved Cassidy, Dizzy, and the structure of the story, and especially how it all evolved. It was hard to keep straight sometimes & I think it is more of an acquired taste, but I adored it overall.

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It is with deep sorrow that I have to report that this did not meet my expectations. Maybe I just need to stop having expectations, the best part of the entire book is that Miles in the audiobook is voiced my Crouch. There was just too much going on and I could not get on board. Regretfully -- 2.5 stars.

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Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book and was looking forward to it being a magical read. Unfortunately it missed the mark due to all of the abuse and terrible things the children endured that didn’t feel necessary to the story. I did like how it all connected in the end, so I probably rated it a little higher than actually reflects how much I disliked the book overall.

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The Falls family has been in pieces since the patriarch disappeared. Dizzy, Miles, and Wynton, along with their mother, are just trying to make their own way in the world. A rainbow-haired girl shows up, just when each of them need her, but who is she? When tragedy strikes, what will happen to the Fall family?

When the World Tips Over is a slow starter, not really gaining any speed as the book reaches its middle part. The book is too disjointed, with too many main characters with their own storylines. The novel is lengthy and might have been better with at least fifty less pages. Dizzy is the best character in the book, a young girl with so much going on around her, but she just wants someone to pay attention.

Overall, When the World Tips Over was a miss for me. The book just did not capture my interest, which was disappointing as I liked the author's other works. In the end, I think that the author just tried to do too much, to give readers the whole world instead of a snapshot of a family's life. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend the novel to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this novel was entirely my own.

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This was my first experience in a Jandy Nelson world, and I loved the whimsy and the uniqueness of the characters. For me, I wasn't in the proper headspace to fully appreciate everything about this novel at the time I read it. I had difficulty keeping the characters straight at first and had to keep going back to figure out who was who. Even still, this was a 4-star read that I expect would have been a 5-star at a different time. I have this flagged for a reread. I plan to delve more into Nelson's backlist!

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