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We Are All Made of Molecules
by
Meet Stewart. He’s geeky, gifted and sees things a bit differently to most people. His mum has died and he misses her all the more now he and Dad have moved in with Ashley and her mum.
Meet Ashley. She’s popular, cool and sees things very differently to her new family. Her dad has come out and moved out – but not far enough. And now she has to live with a freakazoid step-br ...more
Meet Ashley. She’s popular, cool and sees things very differently to her new family. Her dad has come out and moved out – but not far enough. And now she has to live with a freakazoid step-br ...more
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Hardcover, 324 pages
Published
May 7th 2015
by Andersen
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We Are All Made of Molecules is a quick read with some interesting themes: bringing families together, grief and loss, Dads "coming out" and children having to deal with that...
But, sadly, it never quite lives up to its interesting premise. The blurb on the hardcover copy promises a book that is "hilarious" but it is an incredibly immature humour (like calling Stewart "Spewart") that I'm fairly sure most people won't find funny.
And, on top of that, it's very hard to sell this book to anyone. Th ...more
But, sadly, it never quite lives up to its interesting premise. The blurb on the hardcover copy promises a book that is "hilarious" but it is an incredibly immature humour (like calling Stewart "Spewart") that I'm fairly sure most people won't find funny.
And, on top of that, it's very hard to sell this book to anyone. Th ...more

May 11, 2015
Wendy Darling
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
march,
read-2015,
annoying-main-characters,
lgbtqi,
rh,
mg-not-ya,
own-dtb-tbr,
tough-subjects,
2015-publication,
underwhelmed
2.5 stars Love the narrative voice, and the idea of a book about blending a family (including the girl's recently out father and his new boyfriend). There are a few sweet moments, and some touching, if brief, memories of a mom who has passed away.
But Stewart seems really young--so much so that this reads almost more like middle grade, except that there are some unpleasant things that happen later on which would make this inappropriate for a younger age group. He's nerdy and endearing, but he fe ...more
But Stewart seems really young--so much so that this reads almost more like middle grade, except that there are some unpleasant things that happen later on which would make this inappropriate for a younger age group. He's nerdy and endearing, but he fe ...more

A finished unsolicited copy was provided by the publisher for review.
Stewart and Ashley are step-siblings and each one has to learn how to accept one another in their life. Stewart is intelligent and loves school while Ashley is the most popular girl of grade nine. When times are tough, they end up realizing how important family really is and they realize how much they need each other in their lives.
I had no idea how funny this book would be because when you start it, it's not the happiest of st ...more
Stewart and Ashley are step-siblings and each one has to learn how to accept one another in their life. Stewart is intelligent and loves school while Ashley is the most popular girl of grade nine. When times are tough, they end up realizing how important family really is and they realize how much they need each other in their lives.
I had no idea how funny this book would be because when you start it, it's not the happiest of st ...more

I got the ARC of this at OLA today and read the entire thing on a packed commuter train home to Kitchener. It made me both snort-laugh (loudly, like an elephant seal) and tear up. People -- more grown-up people, Muggles probably -- stared. I will get the hardcover of this when it comes out to support Susin in the writing of Many More Excellent Books. I'm becoming such a fan!
... Joie de beaver .... !!!! ...more
... Joie de beaver .... !!!! ...more

It took a while for me to get into this book, because I didn't really like Ashely, but Stewart was wonderful! If you liked 'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio, then this funny and complicated blended family will warm your heart!
...more

I decided to pick this book up mainly because an author friend of mine whom I respect and adore wrote this on her Facebook page: "I think tearing up on PAGE 2 of a book has to be a record for me. Seriously, from a smile to a gasp in like 200 or so words is not what normally happens to me at the beginning of reading a book. But yeah, these last 24 or so hours have been filled with those moments." And because I am a sucker for emotionally gutting stories and I always trust Joanne Levy's opinions,
...more

What an emotional ride! I would be lying if I said this book didn't make me shed a tear or two - although I did have to look as composed as I could because I read it in the school bus. It was truly amazing.
While I cried, or really wanted to, of sadness, I was also really touched, especially at the end. I had a huge smile on my face and watery eyes, but by then I didn't care what everyone else thought of me. It was just too beautiful for me not to cry. This is by far my favourite part of the book ...more
While I cried, or really wanted to, of sadness, I was also really touched, especially at the end. I had a huge smile on my face and watery eyes, but by then I didn't care what everyone else thought of me. It was just too beautiful for me not to cry. This is by far my favourite part of the book ...more

Jun 24, 2015
Paul Bryant
marked it as probably-never
PRODUCT PLACEMENT QUESTION - IS THIS NOW A THING?
Now I was innocently thinking that the concept of product placement would not really apply to books - I mean I can't see Givenchy calling up Sarah Waters' agent with a great deal although I can see a nice comedy sketch you could write - but anyway, I found a genuine product placement thing right here in this very book page 194. It's the summer holidays and Georgia my daughter has finished her exams and can now read novels again - so she was readin ...more
Now I was innocently thinking that the concept of product placement would not really apply to books - I mean I can't see Givenchy calling up Sarah Waters' agent with a great deal although I can see a nice comedy sketch you could write - but anyway, I found a genuine product placement thing right here in this very book page 194. It's the summer holidays and Georgia my daughter has finished her exams and can now read novels again - so she was readin ...more

It's a great feel-good novel. Most of new YA novels are about romance and finding "the one" etc. This one is all about family and it's GREAT! I loved it from start to finish, I like that we get two points of view. I loved the innocence I had to laugh a bit for myself sometimes just because it was a bit cute/adorable.
...more

Mar 28, 2015
Meredith ( on Semi-Hiatus until February)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads
I loved everything about this book, especially Schrodinger the cat! I highly recommend We Are All Made of Molecules, it will make you laugh and cry!

This book was so sweet - it's perfect for someone about to go into high school. The characters weren't so lovable at first but somewhere throughout the book you start to feel like you really know them. I also appreciated the subtle lgbt parts.
...more

Stewart is the very definition of a nerd-- loves academics, socially awkward, eccentric. His father is a bit that way as well, but after the death of Stewart's mother, meets Caroline, a newswoman who works at the same station he does, and the two decide to combine their families. Caroline's daughter, Ashley, is an obnoxious, not-very-bright fashionista who refers to Stewart as "[Leonard's] midget-egghead-freakazoid of a son". Part of Ashley's trauma is dure to the fact that her much loved father
...more

3.75⭐️
His mom died of cancer her dad turned out to be gay. His dad and him moved in with her and her mom forced to put up with each other Ashley doesn't know what to do and Stewart he always wanted a sister both of the worlds have been flipped upside down. I have to deal with this they have to adjust to a new everything new life without their parent a life with a new parent a new sibling Facebook was very real to say the least she talked about different food shows and sitcom his school friends w ...more
His mom died of cancer her dad turned out to be gay. His dad and him moved in with her and her mom forced to put up with each other Ashley doesn't know what to do and Stewart he always wanted a sister both of the worlds have been flipped upside down. I have to deal with this they have to adjust to a new everything new life without their parent a life with a new parent a new sibling Facebook was very real to say the least she talked about different food shows and sitcom his school friends w ...more


Actual rating: 4.5 Stars!
--
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this novel, but I got way more than I had hoped for. We Are All Made Of Molecules teaches so many important lessons all packed into one short, but sweet, novel. It deals with bullying, homophobia, sexual assault on top of so many other things. This is one of those books that every young teen should be reading. ...more

Thanks to Penguin UK for providing me a physical copy for a review.
This book is amazing. It is so fast-pace and fun. I loved the story and I couldn't put this book down. But, I didn't like Ashley in the beggining at all, and Jared was clearly just using Stewart to get Ashley. The writing was very good. Stewart was weird, but in a good way. I like this book a lot, it is so heartwarming, and I recommend it to anyone. ...more
This book is amazing. It is so fast-pace and fun. I loved the story and I couldn't put this book down. But, I didn't like Ashley in the beggining at all, and Jared was clearly just using Stewart to get Ashley. The writing was very good. Stewart was weird, but in a good way. I like this book a lot, it is so heartwarming, and I recommend it to anyone. ...more

We Are All Made of Molecules is a heart warming tale of unsuspected friendships and the true meaning of family....
This book is told in two different perspectives. The first is of Ashley (a typical fashion diva and a school wide popular girl) and the second is of Stewart ( a "gifted" A+ student with a large flaw for people). These two teens have but 1 thing alike, they are both made of molecules. After Stewart's mom dies of cancer and Ashley's dad announces that he's gay, both Stewart's dad an ...more
This book is told in two different perspectives. The first is of Ashley (a typical fashion diva and a school wide popular girl) and the second is of Stewart ( a "gifted" A+ student with a large flaw for people). These two teens have but 1 thing alike, they are both made of molecules. After Stewart's mom dies of cancer and Ashley's dad announces that he's gay, both Stewart's dad an ...more

Oct 26, 2016
Megan G
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Megan by:
Emery K
Shelves:
second-nine-weeks
Ashley and Stewart are nothing alike. Ashley is a social genius. She is at the top rung of the “Social Ladder” and is good at everything when it comes to popularity. Her only flaw: she’s just stupid. She doesn’t know the difference between the words “emancipated” and “unconstipated” and doesn’t seem to care. Stewart, on the other hand, is a genius. He can take everyday problems and turn them into math easily. Although he’s so smart, something he’s not so good at is being social. He gets teased a
...more

Using the themes of death and divorce, Susin Nielsen’s We Are All Made of Molecules explores how families can change and adapt. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the book was tempered by: 1) the character of Ashley and 2) the use of rape as a plot device.
Told from the alternating points of Stewart and Ashley, We Are All Made of Molecules chronicles what happens when two families decide to merge. Although I thought both Stewart and Ashley seemed very stereotypical, Stewart was at least a pretty dece ...more
Told from the alternating points of Stewart and Ashley, We Are All Made of Molecules chronicles what happens when two families decide to merge. Although I thought both Stewart and Ashley seemed very stereotypical, Stewart was at least a pretty dece ...more

It would be so easy to say that Stewart was adorable and Ashley was horrible, but it's not as black-and-white as that. Although Ashley is unlikeable because of her reaction to Stewart and his dad, Stewart isn't perfect in comparison. I really liked that this was dual perspective first-person, and the family dynamic was so unique and fun. I'm so pleased that story all about family are out there, and this has definitely encouraged me to find more of them!
...more

I actually went into We Are All Made of Molecules without any expectations, and blindly. I read maybe one review for it when it was being published, and I thought "Well if it's good then I'll add it to the TBR!". So in conclusion, this wasn't on my highly anticipated list or anything! However, even with saying that, I felt that the novel fell short a little for me.
Stewart was by far my favorite character. Even though it's 13, he's more intelligent than the others in his grade, which is why he wa ...more
Stewart was by far my favorite character. Even though it's 13, he's more intelligent than the others in his grade, which is why he wa ...more

A moving and funny Canadian #YA #audiobook set in Vancouver and North Vancouver told from the perspectives of two VERY different characters who have become step-siblings: Stewart, a sweet neurodivergent 13-year-old nerd and Ashley, a superficial 14-year-old caught up in mean girl culture. While Stewart is instantly lovable, Ashley is pretty awful (although still empathetic). But she's also the character who grows the most as the story deals with parental death, sexual assault, and a gay dad. Gre
...more

When this book arrived in the mail for me for possible review, I had no idea what it was about. I hadn't ever heard of it before, but it looked cute and quick, so I decided to give it a try.
Stewart and Ashley couldn't be more different. Stewart is brilliant but socially awkward 13-year-old while Ashley is the 14-year-old queen bee at school but not so smart academically. When Stewart's dad decides it's time to move in with his girlfriend, who just so happens to be Ashley's mom, Ashley is anyth ...more
Stewart and Ashley couldn't be more different. Stewart is brilliant but socially awkward 13-year-old while Ashley is the 14-year-old queen bee at school but not so smart academically. When Stewart's dad decides it's time to move in with his girlfriend, who just so happens to be Ashley's mom, Ashley is anyth ...more

Jan 22, 2016
Layla (Between the Lines)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2016
“Right now, as I’m talking to you, you’re probably picking up a few Stewart molecules and vice versa.”My heart swells for Stewart. To put it in his own words, he is a "quality human being". The fact that he refers to his parents as quality human beings makes him even more of a quality human being. I just love that.
Stewart is earnest and matter-of-fact and just plain charming. You probably never got to know him in school. Ashley is attractive (and vain) and places no real value on friendship ...more

We are All Made of Molecules is about a teenage girl named Ashley and a teenage boy named Stewart. Ashley's dad left Ashley and her mom, Caroline, when he realized he was gay. Stewart's mom died of cancer a few years ago. When Caroline and Stewart's dad, Leonard, find that they are both single, they start dating. They both decided they should move in with each other. For Stewart, this is awesome news because he has always wanted a sister. Ashley is a different story. She, being on the top of th
...more

Another one of the Costa finalists :) , this time dealing with difficult things: death of a parent, homophobia, bullying, divorce, merging two/three families together, adolescence, etc.
I usually don't read contemporary stuff because I find life depressing enough as it is, but I tried this one because I thought I might like Stewart's "gifted" viewpoint. And I did! I enjoyed his reflections on his mother (bravely done), and his propensity for making (quite clever) jokes. But his 'voice' came over ...more
I usually don't read contemporary stuff because I find life depressing enough as it is, but I tried this one because I thought I might like Stewart's "gifted" viewpoint. And I did! I enjoyed his reflections on his mother (bravely done), and his propensity for making (quite clever) jokes. But his 'voice' came over ...more

6.5 out of 10
Cute, insightful, humorous yet poignant, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Stewart was, by far, my favourite character as a result of his fantastic mind and anti-social skills, and OMG he was adowable awwwwwwww. Ashley had a very nice theoretical arc, yet I felt it wasn't executed at its upmost capability. I liked her, she was not taught differently when she was young. I felt pathos towards her when her father came out. All the questions whe was contemplating were all valid such ...more
Cute, insightful, humorous yet poignant, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Stewart was, by far, my favourite character as a result of his fantastic mind and anti-social skills, and OMG he was adowable awwwwwwww. Ashley had a very nice theoretical arc, yet I felt it wasn't executed at its upmost capability. I liked her, she was not taught differently when she was young. I felt pathos towards her when her father came out. All the questions whe was contemplating were all valid such ...more

Mar 30, 2019
Donna
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
youth-young-adult-fiction,
contemporary
This is Young Adult/Contemporary. I'm a little conflicted about this one. I liked some of this, and yet there were some things that seemed like it was too glossy. But it was sweet in places. It also had some pertinent messages about truth, forgiveness, coping and moving on.
This was a solid 4 stars in the beginning, but I deducted a star towards the end. First, I liked the humor for the most part. It had me laughing, but some attempts fell flat. I also liked Stewart and Ashley. They were portraye ...more
This was a solid 4 stars in the beginning, but I deducted a star towards the end. First, I liked the humor for the most part. It had me laughing, but some attempts fell flat. I also liked Stewart and Ashley. They were portraye ...more

This YA contemporary novel was unexpectedly good. It has two very unique POVs (a stepbrother and stepsister), and I enjoyed the contrast between the two. Overall, it's an enjoyable story. I just wanted a little bit more from the plot and the ending, but as far as voice and character development go, this was spot on.
Pages: 256 ...more
Pages: 256 ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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YA Buddy Readers'...: We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen- Starts 31st July 2017 | 36 | 11 | Aug 05, 2017 11:38AM | |
Madison Mega-Mara...: #54 We Are All Made of Molecules | 1 | 3 | Aug 22, 2015 06:49PM | |
Decision is would-be his decision | 1 | 11 | Jun 15, 2015 11:15PM |
Susin got her start feeding cast and crew on the popular television series, Degrassi Junior High. They hated her food, but they saw a spark in her writing. Nielsen went on to pen sixteen episodes of the hit TV show. Since then, Nielsen has written for over 20 Canadian TV series. Her first young adult novel, Word Nerd, was published in 2008 to critical acclaim. It won multiple Young Readers’ Choice
...more
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