Little Universes

Content Overview

Overall Content
Severity
5.7

Language

10.0/10

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

10.0/10

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

4.5/10

Violence, Weapons, Blood, Crime

0.0/10

Potentially Intense Themes

4.0/10

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

My Opinion 

“What is the most important thing? To love yourself and the world. In that order.” Yoko Ono

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) This. Wrecked. Me. I connected a lot with the story and have felt or experienced similar situations. Because of this, I probably felt more than most. At the same time, it is so well written, I think it’s impossible not to feel what the author wants you to. The grief and pain was so real it was tangible.

Part of me wants to give this 5 stars. Part of me wants to give it 2. It was difficult to read. It’s heavy, but it’s beautiful. Heartbreaking isn’t a word that describes it well enough. I feel like my heart was beat on multiple times but I also feel I’m better for reading it. There is insight for everyone to grasp and apply to their own lives. I wasn’t fully prepared for it, it puts you in a place of self reflection and brings deep thoughts about life.

The writing is amazing and almost poetic. It was definitely the best part of the book. Demetrios has an incredible talent that should only be used for books with profound, thoughtful content. “Love is the constant.” was the underlying theme of the book and I respect and admire the author for being able to do that so well.

The content was very high for language, drugs and had very mature situations. A lot of content, in my opinion, is not YA appropriate. There are many triggers such as abortion, suicide, addiction, infidelity and death. 

Thank you to Henry, Holt and Co and Heather Demetrios for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Little Universes

Heather Demetrios

One wave: that’s all it takes for the rest of Mae and Hannah Winters’ lives to change.

When a tsunami strikes the island where their parents are vacationing, it soon becomes clear that their mom and dad are never coming home. Forced to move to Boston from sunny California for the rest of their senior year, each girl struggles with secrets their parents’ death has brought to light, and with their uncertainty about the future. Instead of bringing them closer, it feels like the wave has torn the sisters apart.

Hannah is a secret poet who wants to be seen, but only knows how to hide. The pain pills she stole from her dead father hurl her onto the shores of an addiction she can’t shake and a dealer who turns her heart upside down. When it’s clear Hannah’s drowning, Mae, a budding astronaut suddenly launched into an existential crisis—and unexpected love—must choose between herself and the only family she has left.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings. 

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***- 222

H***- 29

S***- 85

A**- 33

B****- 13

D***- 31

Bas****- 7

Religious Cursing-

J****- 17

Chr***- 4

G**- 54

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

A young woman has been buying and using weed and pills. She uses Dr. approved “nicotine” made for opiate users. She has serious addiction problems. She says Percocet = bottled happiness. She stole her grandma’s Vicodin when weed stopped being enough. Percocet, hydrocodone, OxyContin and Vicodin are what she took regularly. She takes pills to push away grief many times. She drinks bourbon. She is high multiple times in the book. There are also times when she is begging and crying, desperate for pills. She takes pills in the book many times.

A mom smokes weed when her kids are asleep. 

A young woman asks for straight whiskey at a party. Her friend leaves her to sell pills. Another guy comes and holds out a bowl full of multiple different pills. They leave and drink beer. 

A young man and young woman take oxy together. 

An uncle gives his 17yo niece hot cocoa with schnapps. She’s had champagne at Christmas.

A woman smokes a cigarette.

A woman is tipsy.

“Snow isn’t so bad when you have diamonds (pills) in your pockets and whiskey in your blood.”

A woman tells a story of her brother’s addiction with pills. The family members all carried meds with them in case they found him overdosed. She had to use them twice. He eventually died. A young woman keeps some in her purse for this reason too. 

A young woman takes multiple pills to kill herself. 

At a party,  a man smokes a cigarette, some smoke a bong, there are cups of wine and liquor. OxyContin pills are laced with fentanyl. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

A young man traces his finger along a young woman’s bra.

A young woman gets pregnant.

A man has an affair with a younger woman. 

A young man and young woman kiss. 

A young man climbs to a young woman’s window to give her a kiss. She kisses him and drags him inside. They kiss again. She takes off his clothes and they go to the bed. No more details. Sex implied. 

A young woman kisses a young man. They kiss again, softly. She straddles him and he grabs her, kissing her hard and using tongues. It is passionate. She kisses him briefly. 

A couple kids briefly. Then more. Sex is implied when he closes and locks the door. 

Sex (possibly the beginning/intention of sex) is implied when a young woman considers sex then both are found topless.

A couple kiss.

A woman has a girlfriend.

A couple briefly kiss. 

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

None

Potentially Intense Themes

A young woman gets pregnant while using opiates. They talk about abortion. She has an abortion. They refer to it many times. 

A mother chooses drugs over her baby so the baby is put up for adoption where she lives in 7 foster homes before getting adopted. 

A young woman sees her dead mother’s spirit a few times. 

A young woman takes pills to kill herself. Someone finds her and tries to give her meds to counteract. She is foaming at the mouth. 

A young woman is found not breathing after taking pills. Someone performs cpr.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

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