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Dear Universe

Florence Gonsalves

3.56 · Rating details · 123 ratings · 46 reviews

A wildly witty and deeply profound chronicle of teenage anxiety and yearning, perfect for fans of Jesse Andrews and Robyn Schneider.

Dear Universe,
Sorry for interrupting you with my presence, but I'm wondering if you could have my back for once. I recently had a massive chin zit and a period stain you could see from space and my boyfriend kissed someone else and also my dad ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published May 12th 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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YA Releases of May, 2020

64 books — 254 voters

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· 123 ratings · 46 reviews

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May 25, 2020 Samantha (WLABB) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, ya

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Cham was looking forward to filling her senior year time capsule box with all the expected memory markers - ticket stub, corsages, prom pictures, but the stress and strain of trying to keep her two worlds apart finally takes it toll, and things begin to fall apart.

Though I didn't necessarily understand all of Cham's choices, I respected her need to compartmentalize her life. For four years, she kept her life at school separate from her life at home. She made excuses and left ou ...more

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Aug 13, 2020 Damaris Huerta rated it really liked it

I'm giving this a 4.5 out of 5. If I'm being honest I thought I was not gonna like this book because I didn't like how fake the main character Chamonile Myles was being. She was being fake cuz her reality was basically a philosophy class. I think this whole book is a philosophy class for teens and young adults. It teach us what most people learn in their 20s and in college. Why do we develop obsession of the mundane things that don't matter?? Is it becuase we don't want to admit life is meaningl ...more

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May 16, 2020 Shelby rated it really liked it

*Thanks to The Novl for providing me with a review copy of this book
DEAR UNIVERSE is a beautiful, insightful story of a girl who has her life divided into two universes with the hope that they’ll never collide. I loved the main character immediately. She has such a realistic, relatable voice from the beginning of the story. She’s unsure of what to do with her future and she’s even lost in regards to the present. Her narrative is reflective of so many people today, and that really made the story ...more

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Jun 05, 2020 Keah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Cham's voice pulled me in right away. I loved the humor. And the way her brain worked while dealing with her family and school and friends was interesting to read.

Also, Brendon, the unapologetic weirdo 😍

This is definitely one of my new favorites! ...more

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May 16, 2020 Olivia rated it liked it

Shelves: other-reviews

DEAR UNIVERSE follows Chamomile (Cham) during her senior year. She is trying to focus on living this year to its fullest by looking forward to prom, graduation, and the senior service trip far away. Her friends are talking about who is hooking up with whom and about college. Cham cannot imagine the future where she can be in college and therefore cannot write the critical college application essay.

She is angry with the universe for what is happening to her father. She keeps it a secret from ever DEAR UNIVERSE follows Chamomile (Cham) during her senior year. She is trying to focus on living this year to its fullest by looking forward to prom, graduation, and the senior service trip far away. Her friends are talking about who is hooking up with whom and about college. Cham cannot imagine the future where she can be in college and therefore cannot write the critical college application essay.

She is angry with the universe for what is happening to her father. She keeps it a secret from everyone she knows that her father has Parkinson's and seems to be on a slow march to death. Never knowing when his last day might be, Cham is torn between wanting to be with him and just wanting to be normal. As no one knows, no one can relate. However, when a volun-cheer from the hospital turns out to be Brendan, the somewhat odd but unapologetically himself guy who wears tutus and has a bun, Cham feels an unwilling connection to someone who might understand what she is going through.

This book is interesting in a lot of ways. The reader is completely pulled into Cham's world and her anger. She seems to have a lot of anger for what is happening and the things that seem important but maybe just aren't. She had an anger incident that left her exiled from public school, and past anger management is mentioned (I do wish there had been some therapy for Cham, as she is dealing with a lot, especially with the familial denial of what is happening). In some ways, this was a really tough read, because Cham is falling apart on the inside and no one can really see it (except maybe Brendan).

This was definitely a page-turner, but I would have liked to get more resolution for Cham in terms of dealing with her anger and her father's terminal illness- therapy or family counseling or something along those lines. There are some places where she connects with Brendan, but there was the potential to really go deeper.

Overall, this was an engaging YA contemporary fiction that tackles some major themes in an approachable way. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Jun 21, 2020 Nicole rated it liked it

Thank you to the Novl for sending me this copy. All thoughts are my own.

This one missed the mark for me. Although I did connect with certain aspects of the book, I found it to be less than satisfying.

Dear Universe follows Chamomile (Cham) Myles, as she navigates her way through senior year and school expectations, as well as family matters and her father’s terminal illness. Trying to bridge her two worlds together is harder than she would like though. Until she starts hanging out with Brandon, a ...more

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Dec 29, 2020 Sydney rated it it was ok

I really enjoyed the plotline as a whole, but the characters made this book hard to love. Let's begin with the main character - Cham. Cham, is the character we are supposed to root for in the book; however, I find that hard to do so when she's a massive jerk to most of the other characters. From criticizing others for their personality quirks and outward appearances to continually bashing her best friends other friend. Cham constantly puts others down without it having any meaning to the plot. G ...more

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May 27, 2020 Kim rated it really liked it

This review is based on an ARC of this book.
3.5 ⭐️ I started off pretty into this book and was flying through it. In the end, though, I think it self destructed in terms of everything but the family situation, which remained relevant and strong throughout. Cham’s bf and friends were pretty much shallow, self-centered a*holes. For having had to go through anger management, Cham felt pretty blah about almost everything in life. Once it hit a certain point, it started dragging and becoming repetiti ...more

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Nov 18, 2020 Kayla rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, young-adult, arc, review-copy, contemporary, slow-pacing, read-in-2020

I read this book earlier this year and wasn't a big fan. The book description says it has wit, and I don't recall any. It says it's profound, and while it does discuss serious subjects, the execution of the plot and characters was nothing remarkable. ...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Melissa Anderson rated it really liked it

I recieved an arc fro. Hachette Book Group in exchange for an honest review.

So, contemporary young adult fiction is not my favourite genre, but I have found myself requesting arcs as of late. There's something drawing me to certain stories. Dear Universe is about an angsty teen who is very caught up with herself. A little bit selfish, but mostly just terrified. I can not even begin to imagine life as a seventeen year old having to deal with graduation, college applications and a father diagnosed ...more

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May 13, 2020 Maddy rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, arc

Note: I received an advanced readers copy of this book through the NOVL. This review is reflective of that ARC, and not the final published book.

Dear Universe was one of those stories I could not put down. I started it late at night expecting to get through one or two chapters before going to bed, but I ended up reading until the very last page. I simply became enraptured with the heartfelt story—all based in the experiences of a young girl named Chamomile during her senior year of high school—a Note: I received an advanced readers copy of this book through the NOVL. This review is reflective of that ARC, and not the final published book.

Dear Universe was one of those stories I could not put down. I started it late at night expecting to get through one or two chapters before going to bed, but I ended up reading until the very last page. I simply became enraptured with the heartfelt story—all based in the experiences of a young girl named Chamomile during her senior year of high school—and I could not put it down without seeing how it would end.

What moved me most was the total unbarred and unfiltered honesty of the book. Though Chamomile guards her inner-thoughts from the rest of the world, each page is a record of her anxieties. Readers get to see her mind unrestrained as it grapples with family, friendship, love, growing up, and more. There were times where her honesty shocked me, occasionally frustrating or angering me in other instances. Gonsalves does not create a perfect character; she creates a human one—capable of being wrong as much as she is right. I found myself annoyed by her selfishness, empathetic to her struggles, angry for the transgressions made against her, and happy for her triumphs. Essentially, Cham didn't feel like a character, she felt like a friend that was letting someone in for the first time, with as many emotions as that entails.

In the end, this book felt like an encapsulation of the senior high school experience. While not all individuals suffer the same experiences or struggles as Chamomile, the string of anxiety she struggles with is one that we all can ultimately relate to in the end. There were several threads left unresolved that I'm left curious over, but I ultimately continue to find myself delighted by this book.

While I would recommend this book to all (especially high school seniors), keep in mind that Cham's total honesty in the book can be quite crass and occasionally vulgar. If this is something that might bug you, consider reading a preview before totally diving in. ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 Allison Renner rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, sent-to-review

Thanks to KidLitExchange and Little Brown Young Readers for sharing Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves. This book publishes on 5/12/2020, and I love that it’s going to come out right around graduation season, since finishing high school is such a poignant plot in this book.
Chamomile is counting down the days to prom - and the window for her boyfriend to ask her is dwindling. She tries not to think about it too much, and it’s not hard, because all her friends are looking forward to the senior v ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Karen Gedeon rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, family, romance, high-school, friendship, family-relationships, fathers-and-daughters, illness, secrets

Dear Universe is poorly written in spots and full of coarse language, but the readers that can get past those short comings may enjoy the struggles high school senior Cham is dealing with as she navigates senior year and a father with Parkinson’s disease. Grades 10+

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May 20, 2020 Celia Kim rated it really liked it

(ARC received May 2020; thanks to NOVL and YALLWEST/YALLSTAYHOME)

DEAR UNIVERSE is a beautiful book about learning how to deal with unconquerable challenges: death, illnesses with no cure, and the ever-present, terrifying "not-knowing" of who you are or what your future entails in light of all these hardships. It's about how you find peace in the midst of hopelessness, and the important role that your friends and family play in this. Most of all, it's about learning it's okay not to know how to d (ARC received May 2020; thanks to NOVL and YALLWEST/YALLSTAYHOME)

DEAR UNIVERSE is a beautiful book about learning how to deal with unconquerable challenges: death, illnesses with no cure, and the ever-present, terrifying "not-knowing" of who you are or what your future entails in light of all these hardships. It's about how you find peace in the midst of hopelessness, and the important role that your friends and family play in this. Most of all, it's about learning it's okay not to know how to deal with all this, and not to know anything about who you really are. Life goes on, you'll still be here, and things will be okay.

I have to say, I was expecting something more lighthearted than what this book actually provided. I went into it thinking it was a book on healing (which it is), but did not think the author would be so bold to address hard-hitting topics like death and existentialism along the way. I completely underestimated this book AND the author.

DEAR UNIVERSE is about a high school senior, Cham, who struggles to reconcile her two selves: a young girl fully intending to end high school with a bang, and a daughter trying to cope with the reality of her dad's challenges with Parkinson's disease. Cham has been careful keeping these two identities separate, even from her two best friends and her athlete boyfriend, but her unwillingness to face her problems head-on threatens to ruin the bonds she's made and her senior year experiences. Worse, she can't figure out how she's gonna write her college essay and pass English if she doesn't know what's lying ahead for her and her family.

While I was really dragging myself through the first part of the book, I think it has to do with the fact that I was underestimating how deep this book was intending to go. I thought this would be a light-hearted book focusing on the positives en route to emotional healing, so much of the set-up completely went over my head. It wasn't until I got through half the book (specifically, when I really met Brendan, the other character featured in the book's summary) that I understood what Gonsalves was trying to get at. Once I realized, my entire perspective of the characters and the plot so far changed, and I'm so glad to have given this book the chance it deserves. I also can't wait until it comes out!! ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Mark Alpheus rated it really liked it

Honestly, there are already a lot of good coming-of-age Young Adult Contemporaries out there, and new ones really have to have something different. Dear Universe, to me, did not disappoint.

Cham, the main character, was obviously addicted to prom, and hadn't passed her college essay yet. Typical lazy teenager in school.

She was a boring character, at first. I guess what saved the book in the earlier parts was the humorous writing. I really was laughing while reading this book.

When her character's ...more

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May 11, 2020 Jessica (readalongwithjess) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-05-reads

3/5 ⭐️ for Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves!

Thank you to Hachette Canada for sending me an ARC for review!

This is the kind of YA Contemporary that is full of honest, messy teenage feelings, and I really appreciate it for that. This book follows Chamomile (Cham) who is finishing up her senior year of high school, and Cham feels torn between two worlds. At school, she’s trying her best to create that ideal bundle of memories that embodies what high school is about, a boyfriend, and what prom ni 3/5 ⭐️ for Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves!

Thank you to Hachette Canada for sending me an ARC for review!

This is the kind of YA Contemporary that is full of honest, messy teenage feelings, and I really appreciate it for that. This book follows Chamomile (Cham) who is finishing up her senior year of high school, and Cham feels torn between two worlds. At school, she’s trying her best to create that ideal bundle of memories that embodies what high school is about, a boyfriend, and what prom night and the future has for her and her friends. At home she is dealing with her Dad, who is facing rapidly-progressing Parkinson’s Disease and is in denial about it, and her Mom, who is trying to support the family and care for him. Cham is trying to juggle these things, along with some anger issues, and therefore has so many questions and requests for The Universe.

I will admit that there were quite a few ways I couldn’t relate to our MC, Cham, but that didn’t stop me from being able to connect to her and her story. I also felt like she was the most well-fleshed out character in the book (which makes sense as she’s the MC), but I feel like characterization was not the strongest element. Again, I was still able to enjoy this book, but would have liked to have seen side characters (especially Cham’s two best friends and Brendan) who were more 3D.

Where this book is strong is emotionally. The combination of writing and Cham’s perspective really translates her emotions well to the reader, and we feel what she’s feeling-anger, excitement, confusion, hurt, and apathy. I also really liked all of Cham’s letters and questions to the Universe! They were real, raw, and relatable. We all have big and small questions we put out to ourselves and the universe, especially during transitions such as graduating from high school. These emotions come through beautifully in scenes with Cham and her family as they journey through her Dads Parkinson’s diagnosis and denial. There is frustration, anger, sadness, and eventually a bit of happiness and healing.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, definitely give it a go! ...more

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Sep 01, 2020 Vanessa rated it liked it

Funny, poignant and charming. The narrative was relatable and can we take a moment to appreciate the cover? The color scheme and the artwork are really pretty.

About

I really liked Cham. She was charming and relatable and I absolutely loved her narrative. She was really funny and it gave her a fun personality even with everything that was going through in her life. She starts off avoiding her home problems and trying to infuse herself in her senior year but ultimately learns that holding her feeli ...more

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May 27, 2020 Vanessa rated it liked it

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Jun 06, 2020 gwendalyn _books_ rated it really liked it

𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨
💙
#DearUniverseBook #NOVLNation @TheNOVL #LBYRPartner
@heavy_flo

So grateful to have received a copy of this book! It’s out now
mental health, family member with terminal illness, graduation & transition periods, romance, self discovery
💙
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
💙
A highly enjoyable follow up to Florence Gonsalve’s debut, Love and O ...more

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Aug 03, 2020 Lauren rated it liked it

Holy teenage anxiety! I was really unsure if I was going to like this book when I first started reading it. The main character was unbelievably shallow and only talked about how much she wanted to hook up with her boyfriend (it was actually cringey at the beginning). Additionally, the conversations between her and her friends seemed so inauthentic and lacked any depth. I know that teenagers are often in their own little universe, but they aren't SOLELY preoccupied by prom, hook ups, etc. With th ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Kirstin (chooselovebooks) rated it really liked it

If you enjoy crying your way through young adult contemporaries then Dear Universe is the book for you!

Cham keeps her school life and her home life completely separate, not letting friends come over to hangout or introducing her boyfriend to her parents. Until the man-bun-and-tutu-wearing quirky kid from school, Brendan, shows up at her door and bridges the gap between her two worlds. He’s a volunteer with the hospital and he is there to spend time with Cham’s dad. I was really interested in try ...more

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Jul 06, 2020 Lisa rated it it was ok

Don't remember where I came across this book, but I was excited to read it to see if it would be something my teenager would enjoy. I give it 1 star for basically the first third of the book where *SPOILER ALERT* all Cham cares about is losing her virginity to her boyfriend (first boyfriend ever too), it gets old and her curse words and crude language used are a bit too much. I understand some people talk this way, but still it was a lot and not necessary. I get she was trying to talk about her ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Courtney added it

Cham wants to have an epic, time-capsule-worthy senior year. She also wants to keep her home life, where her dad is slowly but surely getting worse from a disease he refuses to acknowledge, separate from the rest of her life. She also wants everyone to stop bugging her about applying to college. She's a dreamer for sure and wants to ponder the mysteries of the universe, not pretend to be an amazing student for the benefit of a college admissions board. More than that, she can't imagine making th ...more

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Apr 14, 2020 Stefanie Merrifield rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teen, young-adult-ya, high-school, 4-5-star, bad-ass-female

Where to begin? I always struggle with where to begin, so I'll start wherever.

The back of my ARC says this book is "perfect for fans of Jesse Andrews and Robyn Schneider." While that might very well be true (I haven't read any of their stuff), I also felt it had a bit of John Green in it. More importantly, though, I believe that in the near future books are going to have "perfect for fans of Florence Gonsalves," on them. She has her own voice, and while it might occasionally take on the echos of ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Emma rated it liked it

I liked it enough, but I expected a more from reading the prompt. The characters lacked depth, and the emotions could have been more intense, at least for me to like it more. (view spoiler) I also found the mc a little dramatic, even though yes, she has plenty to be dramatic about, it was still a bit tiring sometimes. I liked the ending, it wasn't a "everything is reso ...more

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Aug 10, 2020 Cheryl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, 5-star, contemporary

Chamomile Myles, please be my friend. Please?
I really liked this book, the main character was real, flawed, and had problems that felt like...I guess normal people problems? Sometimes with books like Harry Potter, or the Hunger Games, are hard for me to really relate to, because the conflicts in the books are otherworldly. But in this book, Cham has to deal with a family member enduring a life altering illness, breaking up with a boy she thought she'd be with forever, and graduating. Stuff a lot ...more

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May 13, 2020 Lovely Loveday added it

Dear Universe is a young adult romance by Florence Gonsalves. A story that is sure to tug at your heartstrings that is full of hope, love, drama, family, and love. I was drawn in from the beginning and could not put this one down. The characters are relatable, real, and well-written. They face challenges that many deal with each day from heartbreak to homework. A heartfelt read that is sure to stay with you long after reading.

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May 21, 2020 Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-contemporary, e-books, equine

Dear universe, I loved this book

I was sucked into this book instantly. Senior in high school Cham just wants to get her two halves of her life, separating: trying desperately to make sure her friends and boyfriend know nothing of her challenging family life. How she handles it when those two worlds inevitably collide is devastating and engrossing. Cham is laugh out loud funny, and so relatable and empathetic to me. I am very excited to read more Florence Gonsalves.

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Oct 05, 2020 Micha rated it liked it

this went down to 2 stars but ultimately redeemed itself in the end. I'm not sure if it was a personal issue with the narrator or what, but I found this very difficult to get into? I'm a senior myself this year and it was very difficult to care about the character and her problems. the ending was good though ...more

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