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The Bright Sessions #1
The Infinite Noise
Lauren Shippen's The Infinite Noise is a stunning, original debut novel based on her wildly popular and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions.
Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.�
Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand.
Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.
Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.�
Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand.
Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 24, 2019
400 people are currently reading
20k people want to read
About the author
Lauren Shippen
10books642followersLauren Shippen is a writer most known for her work in fiction podcasts. She was the creator and sole writer of the popular audio drama The Bright Sessions, which ran from 2015 to 2018. She went on to executive produce The AM Archives and co-produce Passenger List before founding Atypical Artists, a company dedicated to audio storytelling. Most recently, she wrote MARVELS, an audio adaptation of the popular comic, set for release later this year by Marvel and Stitcher.
Lauren was named one of Forbes 2018 30 Under 30 in Media and one of MovieMaker Magazine and Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch. Her first novel, The Infinite Noise, will be released through Tor Teen in September 2019. Shippen grew up in New York, where she spent most of her youth reading and going to Panic! at the Disco shows. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she does the same thing.
Lauren was named one of Forbes 2018 30 Under 30 in Media and one of MovieMaker Magazine and Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch. Her first novel, The Infinite Noise, will be released through Tor Teen in September 2019. Shippen grew up in New York, where she spent most of her youth reading and going to Panic! at the Disco shows. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she does the same thing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,716 reviews
Want to read
August 26, 2019At this point in my life I will read anything with queer representation and a colorful cover.
Read
May 27, 2019The Bright Sessions is one of my favourite audio dramas and I was so excited to read one of its many sub-plots in novel form!! You don't need to have listened to TBS to enjoy this story, though. Such a fun, sweet, gentle romance with a superpower twist. If you're looking for something to read that'll just put a smile on your face, this is it!
December 31, 2021
rep: mlm mc, gay li with depression
ARC provided by the publisher.
You know that picture of a horse that starts really beautiful & detailed and ends like something drawn by a three-year-old? That's this book.
It starts really good, fun even, with a dual first person pov. It’s engaging, it’s interesting, it’s intriguing. You think you’re safe. You think you’re reading a solid four stars book. And then, in the last fifty pages or so, the spell breaks. (And you catch yourself thinking of all the little things you were overlooking up until now, because on the whole the book still was good.)
So first of all, even though there’s dual pov, it’s Caleb’s story. It never felt like Adam was an mc too, like this was his story too. Caleb can feel other people’s emotions, which is a great concept for a story, let’s be real. And for the most part the book was doing a pretty decent job of balancing the science-fiction aspect & the romance aspect. It worked, they were blending together pretty well. The romance was usually winning, but still.
But then we get to a conclusion in the romance sub-plot, all that tension leading up to it gets released, there’s a beautiful, sweet moment and� We’re left with ¼ of the book. Now, I’m not against books taking the time to develop an actual relationship, in fact, those are some of my favourites. It didn’t feel like that here, though. The relationship didn’t actually progress, or at least: we weren’t shown that progression.
Because in that last part of the book, the author tried to fit in so many new characters & conflicts alongside the gaping problem of the relationship. There was so much going on, we didn’t have time to actually pay attention to anything. The pacing just went and died on us. It kind of seems like the author was too comfortable with her characters and the story as a whole, due to having written The Bright Sessions podcast before. It’s like she already knew it all & had time to flesh it out in the podcast, so then didn’t think twice before dropping it in the book, as well. Only, we don’t get that same introduction here.
The solution I would see to this is either getting the Romantic Conclusion sooner, so we would have more time for all this other stuff, or just being brave and making two books out of this. As it is, it makes no sense.
There’s no emotional punch behind it! There’s no space for angst. Literally. There’s a period of time when the boys don’t speak to each other after a fight and the chapters suddenly get shorter (and by shorter, I mean like paragraph long). And then the whole conflict gets resolved in one conversation, basically. No! Emotional! Punch!
It doesn’t make it better if you just think of The Infinite Noise as a companion material to The Bright Sessions podcast. The book doesn’t actually shine more light on anything, doesn’t introduce anything new, doesn’t give us another perspective. Even with the Adam’s pov, we still don’t learn more than from the podcast itself. It’s rather simply like the podcast in book form, actually. (And the podcast is better, even if only because it gives us time-jumps, so we can fill in all the angst in our heads ourselves. Which the short chapters were probably trying to do and failed miserably.)
And then there’s the fact that Adam� and Caleb’s voices are pretty much indistinguishable. If not for the plot, I couldn’t tell them apart. Which makes one wonder, what was the point of a dual pov in the first place? It doesn’t really give the readers any extra insight.
All in all, The Infinite Noise is a disappointment. It starts really well, gives you hope for something great, only to snatch it away near the end. It’s a weird potluck of good writing, great main characters, a really cool story & absolutely awful pacing. Just listen to The Bright Sessions podcast instead.
ARC provided by the publisher.
You know that picture of a horse that starts really beautiful & detailed and ends like something drawn by a three-year-old? That's this book.
It starts really good, fun even, with a dual first person pov. It’s engaging, it’s interesting, it’s intriguing. You think you’re safe. You think you’re reading a solid four stars book. And then, in the last fifty pages or so, the spell breaks. (And you catch yourself thinking of all the little things you were overlooking up until now, because on the whole the book still was good.)
So first of all, even though there’s dual pov, it’s Caleb’s story. It never felt like Adam was an mc too, like this was his story too. Caleb can feel other people’s emotions, which is a great concept for a story, let’s be real. And for the most part the book was doing a pretty decent job of balancing the science-fiction aspect & the romance aspect. It worked, they were blending together pretty well. The romance was usually winning, but still.
But then we get to a conclusion in the romance sub-plot, all that tension leading up to it gets released, there’s a beautiful, sweet moment and� We’re left with ¼ of the book. Now, I’m not against books taking the time to develop an actual relationship, in fact, those are some of my favourites. It didn’t feel like that here, though. The relationship didn’t actually progress, or at least: we weren’t shown that progression.
Because in that last part of the book, the author tried to fit in so many new characters & conflicts alongside the gaping problem of the relationship. There was so much going on, we didn’t have time to actually pay attention to anything. The pacing just went and died on us. It kind of seems like the author was too comfortable with her characters and the story as a whole, due to having written The Bright Sessions podcast before. It’s like she already knew it all & had time to flesh it out in the podcast, so then didn’t think twice before dropping it in the book, as well. Only, we don’t get that same introduction here.
The solution I would see to this is either getting the Romantic Conclusion sooner, so we would have more time for all this other stuff, or just being brave and making two books out of this. As it is, it makes no sense.
There’s no emotional punch behind it! There’s no space for angst. Literally. There’s a period of time when the boys don’t speak to each other after a fight and the chapters suddenly get shorter (and by shorter, I mean like paragraph long). And then the whole conflict gets resolved in one conversation, basically. No! Emotional! Punch!
It doesn’t make it better if you just think of The Infinite Noise as a companion material to The Bright Sessions podcast. The book doesn’t actually shine more light on anything, doesn’t introduce anything new, doesn’t give us another perspective. Even with the Adam’s pov, we still don’t learn more than from the podcast itself. It’s rather simply like the podcast in book form, actually. (And the podcast is better, even if only because it gives us time-jumps, so we can fill in all the angst in our heads ourselves. Which the short chapters were probably trying to do and failed miserably.)
And then there’s the fact that Adam� and Caleb’s voices are pretty much indistinguishable. If not for the plot, I couldn’t tell them apart. Which makes one wonder, what was the point of a dual pov in the first place? It doesn’t really give the readers any extra insight.
All in all, The Infinite Noise is a disappointment. It starts really well, gives you hope for something great, only to snatch it away near the end. It’s a weird potluck of good writing, great main characters, a really cool story & absolutely awful pacing. Just listen to The Bright Sessions podcast instead.
October 5, 2019
I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars, so I rounded up.
Sixteen-year-old Caleb Michaels is handsome, popular, and athletic, running back on his high school football team. But lately he's been struggling emotionally and he can't figure out why. It's almost as if he is drowning in so many emotions all at once and he doesn't know where they're coming from, but he's finding it harder and harder to take.
When an encounter with a classmate turns violent and he doesn't even remember the situation escalating, Caleb begins counseling. Through therapy he discovers there's a reason for his mood swings—Caleb is an Atypical, a person with enhanced abilities, and his ability is extreme empathy, meaning he feels the emotions of everyone else around him. While that is a difficult enough challenge for anyone, being an empath in high school is harder than anything, because what more is high school than a hotbed of emotions?
As he tries to navigate through the challenges posed by this newly discovered ability, Caleb keeps noticing that he's being consumed more and more by the emotions of one classmate in particular, Adam. Adam is smart, sensitive, a loner, who tries to keep to himself to avoid being bullied, yet he doesn't quite understand that doing so keeps him isolated from those who might be his friend. Even though Adam thinks Caleb would never want to be his friend, he does recognize elements of a kindred spirit that he hopes could someday blossom into something special.
In an effort to understand why Adam's emotions in particular affect him so, Caleb's therapist encourages him to become Adam's friend. This opens up both boys to more vulnerability than they're prepared for, and they realize that they have more in common than they could imagine. But at the same time, it also illustrates to Caleb that there's a danger in feeling too much, especially when you're in high school, where to survive, emotions need to be hidden more than anything else.
Lauren Shippen's debut novel, The Infinite Noise , is based on her popular podcast series, "The Bright Sessions." I'd never heard of that before but apparently Caleb and Adam's characters appear in that, although I didn't feel like I was missing anything when I read this. I loved the concept behind this book very much and found it tremendously creative.
I've said a number of times that I tend to be drawn to books that make me feel, so certainly a book about an empath would fit the bill! There was so much I enjoyed about the book, and I thought Shippen captured the emotional quagmire that is high school so perfectly. Her characters weren't too erudite or witty to be believed and their relationships felt natural.
The one challenge in reading a book in which so much emotion is expressed is that at times the pacing dragged a bit, because you tended to see the same things happen again and again. There were only so many times I wanted to see bullying and the characters being cruel and Caleb struggling with how to react. But other than that, and despite the somewhat-fantastical nature of this book, much of it felt truly genuine, particularly the interactions between Caleb and Adam.
NetGalley and Tor Teen gave me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
This book will publish September 24, 2019.
See all of my reviews at .
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at .
You can follow me on Instagram at
Sixteen-year-old Caleb Michaels is handsome, popular, and athletic, running back on his high school football team. But lately he's been struggling emotionally and he can't figure out why. It's almost as if he is drowning in so many emotions all at once and he doesn't know where they're coming from, but he's finding it harder and harder to take.
When an encounter with a classmate turns violent and he doesn't even remember the situation escalating, Caleb begins counseling. Through therapy he discovers there's a reason for his mood swings—Caleb is an Atypical, a person with enhanced abilities, and his ability is extreme empathy, meaning he feels the emotions of everyone else around him. While that is a difficult enough challenge for anyone, being an empath in high school is harder than anything, because what more is high school than a hotbed of emotions?
As he tries to navigate through the challenges posed by this newly discovered ability, Caleb keeps noticing that he's being consumed more and more by the emotions of one classmate in particular, Adam. Adam is smart, sensitive, a loner, who tries to keep to himself to avoid being bullied, yet he doesn't quite understand that doing so keeps him isolated from those who might be his friend. Even though Adam thinks Caleb would never want to be his friend, he does recognize elements of a kindred spirit that he hopes could someday blossom into something special.
In an effort to understand why Adam's emotions in particular affect him so, Caleb's therapist encourages him to become Adam's friend. This opens up both boys to more vulnerability than they're prepared for, and they realize that they have more in common than they could imagine. But at the same time, it also illustrates to Caleb that there's a danger in feeling too much, especially when you're in high school, where to survive, emotions need to be hidden more than anything else.
Lauren Shippen's debut novel, The Infinite Noise , is based on her popular podcast series, "The Bright Sessions." I'd never heard of that before but apparently Caleb and Adam's characters appear in that, although I didn't feel like I was missing anything when I read this. I loved the concept behind this book very much and found it tremendously creative.
I've said a number of times that I tend to be drawn to books that make me feel, so certainly a book about an empath would fit the bill! There was so much I enjoyed about the book, and I thought Shippen captured the emotional quagmire that is high school so perfectly. Her characters weren't too erudite or witty to be believed and their relationships felt natural.
The one challenge in reading a book in which so much emotion is expressed is that at times the pacing dragged a bit, because you tended to see the same things happen again and again. There were only so many times I wanted to see bullying and the characters being cruel and Caleb struggling with how to react. But other than that, and despite the somewhat-fantastical nature of this book, much of it felt truly genuine, particularly the interactions between Caleb and Adam.
NetGalley and Tor Teen gave me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
This book will publish September 24, 2019.
See all of my reviews at .
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at .
You can follow me on Instagram at
Want to read
March 28, 2019Everybody go right now and listen to the podcast this book will be based on, The Bright Sessions. I promise you won't regret it. It's literally just about people with superpowers going to therapy and I love it with all my heart. It features LGBTQ+ rep, mental health rep and characters you can't help but fall in love with. Also the superpowers. What more could you ask for?
September 26, 2019
There's a lot to love in THE INFINITE NOISE. Representation-wise, we have a protagonist who is Jewish and gay and plagued by depressive episodes, another who is.. well, we're never given his orientation on page, and also an empath who struggles with the overflow of emotions and lashes out in rage. There's also a ton of therapy. Positive therapy.
This world is based on a podcast where, as the book's blurb says, “What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?� In this world, though, the people with powers, or extraordinary abilities, are Atypicals. And we learn of their existence through Caleb discovering his own abilities, that he's an empath, with the help of Dr Bright.
The majority of this book is spent with Caleb trying to sort through and also keep from being overwhelmed by the emotions of his classmates and family. His mood swings, culminating in a fight, are a result from processing things he didn't understand, couldn't understand, and the aftermath is learning to deal. There's a lot of talking through of emotions, as represented by colours, and trying to block out the infinite noise of it all. Which only seems to work when he's alone or with Adam.
I get a moment of enjoying the silence before something inside of me tries to make itself known. Oh. Right. I have my own feelings. I sort of forgot about those.
Adam, who is lonely, alone, and depressed. Who has a hopeless crush on the big jock in his class. Who knows, as a tentative friendship begins, that Caleb is hiding something. But then again.. so is he.
Thinking about Adam makes me feel a little less like a sponge that doesn't get a say in what it soaks up.
While I did like both characters, I'm not sure I liked either one all the time. They both make questionable decisions, both hide things for too long (and as of the end of this book, one is still hiding things), and.. I don't know. I loved so much of them, but. Maybe I loved the idea of them a bit more than the reality of them sometimes.
Knowing someone's feelings doesn't give me a guidebook on how to respond to them. That I have to make up as I go along.
The back and forth between these two was tough. On the one hand, there's a lot of baggage, uncertainty, and angst involved. On the other, I�'m not even sure how Caleb identifies but while it took quite some time before he blinked and realized he wanted to kiss Adam, date Adam, there wasn't much issue coming to terms with that. Nor for his family, either. With exception to a few slurs, there wasn't really any conflict surrounding their characters' sexualities. The real angst, beyond being sixteen and struggling with depression, with school, with the future, was surrounding an organization who targets Atypicals and who might be working for them; and how keeping Caleb's secret was paramount.
I think, for all the good, what keeps this book from being great is the pacing. The latter half of the book changes a lot in both tone and scope and after all the big build-up of who is hiding what, I'm not really sure where we are in the end of it all. I know more books are to come (three, it looks like) but the summaries indicate they are to focus on other characters, so. If that's true, I'm even less satisfied by this ending. At least for how it wraps for this pair.
I love the concept, therapy for superheroes, and it's a very creative way to ease into the transition of adapting to new powers, but I guess I wanted a tighter focus on these two soft boys.. but also less time spent getting them together, if future books weren't going to focus on them, and also an ending that was.. more. I don't know that I'm explaining this well, but. That said, I would read on. I like this world. I love the unique perspective. I just hope book two, and subsequent books, are stronger.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at .
This world is based on a podcast where, as the book's blurb says, “What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?� In this world, though, the people with powers, or extraordinary abilities, are Atypicals. And we learn of their existence through Caleb discovering his own abilities, that he's an empath, with the help of Dr Bright.
The majority of this book is spent with Caleb trying to sort through and also keep from being overwhelmed by the emotions of his classmates and family. His mood swings, culminating in a fight, are a result from processing things he didn't understand, couldn't understand, and the aftermath is learning to deal. There's a lot of talking through of emotions, as represented by colours, and trying to block out the infinite noise of it all. Which only seems to work when he's alone or with Adam.
I get a moment of enjoying the silence before something inside of me tries to make itself known. Oh. Right. I have my own feelings. I sort of forgot about those.
Adam, who is lonely, alone, and depressed. Who has a hopeless crush on the big jock in his class. Who knows, as a tentative friendship begins, that Caleb is hiding something. But then again.. so is he.
Thinking about Adam makes me feel a little less like a sponge that doesn't get a say in what it soaks up.
While I did like both characters, I'm not sure I liked either one all the time. They both make questionable decisions, both hide things for too long (and as of the end of this book, one is still hiding things), and.. I don't know. I loved so much of them, but. Maybe I loved the idea of them a bit more than the reality of them sometimes.
Knowing someone's feelings doesn't give me a guidebook on how to respond to them. That I have to make up as I go along.
The back and forth between these two was tough. On the one hand, there's a lot of baggage, uncertainty, and angst involved. On the other, I�'m not even sure how Caleb identifies but while it took quite some time before he blinked and realized he wanted to kiss Adam, date Adam, there wasn't much issue coming to terms with that. Nor for his family, either. With exception to a few slurs, there wasn't really any conflict surrounding their characters' sexualities. The real angst, beyond being sixteen and struggling with depression, with school, with the future, was surrounding an organization who targets Atypicals and who might be working for them; and how keeping Caleb's secret was paramount.
I think, for all the good, what keeps this book from being great is the pacing. The latter half of the book changes a lot in both tone and scope and after all the big build-up of who is hiding what, I'm not really sure where we are in the end of it all. I know more books are to come (three, it looks like) but the summaries indicate they are to focus on other characters, so. If that's true, I'm even less satisfied by this ending. At least for how it wraps for this pair.
I love the concept, therapy for superheroes, and it's a very creative way to ease into the transition of adapting to new powers, but I guess I wanted a tighter focus on these two soft boys.. but also less time spent getting them together, if future books weren't going to focus on them, and also an ending that was.. more. I don't know that I'm explaining this well, but. That said, I would read on. I like this world. I love the unique perspective. I just hope book two, and subsequent books, are stronger.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at .
October 8, 2019
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The Buzz
After reading an excerpt I loved the idea of atypical abilities and having to deal with them through therapy. And Caleb is such a sweetheart. It became clear really early this is a queer story.
The cover art isn't quite to me taste BUT it totally fits The Infinite Noise! I loved how Caleb was yellow and Adam blue. That was run through the entire story! And you totally get what The Infinite Noise meant from the cover once you get a little ways in. The title is mentioned in the story which is something I always appreciate. It's neat when an author and publishing company connect over a title and pull it right from the story.
The Premise
Caleb has been having some trouble controlling his anger... turns out its not because of hormones at all! Nope, according to his new therapist it's because he's a hyper empath. He literally feels the emotions of everyone around him. And what a neat ability this is!! Well for me to read about anyway. Lauren Shippen goes out of her way to describe the empathetic exchange Caleb feels so accurately as to how it might happen that you feel like you sink into Caleb's skin. It's THE best way I've ever read hyper empathy to be like. And this is a topic I seek out whenever I can!!
Then we have Adam. Clearly a queer boy with a crush, his emotions seem to fit Caleb's and help him deal. This is the start of a friendship that yearns to become more. I really related to Adam so much!! First Adam deals with extreme depression. Like the worst kind ever! It felt real and the description of it was a powerful teacher for others to understand what it feels like. There was also a merging of social anxiety that was present in a supernatural way with Caleb and a normal way with Adam. I deal with this everyday and was so, so accurate!!
I adored Dr. Bright and how well she controlled her emotions around Caleb. This is the kind of therapy positivity that we need more of!! She really shows readers how a therapist can help someone who really considers what the doctor suggests and tries to see how their suggestions can fit in their like.
As a therapy book The Infinite Noise rocks! As a queer romance The Infinite Noise rocks!
But in the premise we get hints that there is more to the atypical world... "his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be." So there is that word dangerous... *shakes head* There is no danger in this novel. I was quite underwhelmed with any plot to do with other Atypicals and the Atypical world was very... bare. While I would certainly read more Bright Session novels to learn about other Atypicals they seem to be centered firmly around that book's Atypical experiences (which for Caleb are extremely limited).
My Experience
I loved and adored The Infinite Noise up to the last 100 pages. I was writing questions for my review and loving on Caleb and Adam hardcore. Then we hit paydirt about their relationship and the story fell apart. Basically the therapy and romance were closely intertwined. The plot was the romance. The therapy activities were the romance. So once the romance tied up there wasn't any story. So an end was tacked on. At least that is how it felt.
This is what I said when I was done with the last 27% of The Infinite Noise... "Woah that was amazingly boring and drawn out! The little bit that the other Atypicals spent in the story was so minor. Nothing happened! I wish they had been spread out from the beginning and the mystery about them worked into the boys' budding relationship. To tack it on the end... yeah it didn’t work well."
Then there is the fact this is based on a podcast by the same author. The book didn’t make me want to check out the podcast. Sure Caleb’s ability made the romance different and rather special but ultimately this was just a contemporary M/M romance. Is that what the podcast is about a gay romance? This was confusing to me. There should have been plot to mine from the podcast for the story in The Infinite Noise! Thus there was a disconnect between The Infinite Noise and the podcast.
Questions to ask yourself as you read The Infinite Noise
-Caleb's Ability to Capture Emotions.
Have you ever felt “That free, high-soaring feeling when you’re laughing with someone, doubled over, abs aching� that Caleb feels with his mom? Does remembering these moments of feeling light, strong and untouchable help you get through your problems? Conversely we learn Adam feels a dark pit of nothingness that scares him and yet he also feels like it would be a relief to cease to exist. How can we combat these feelings? How does Caleb help him?
-Social Anxiety and the Effect of Others.
Adam says he’s good at talking... “if it’s in frontof a class or an auditorium and not the terrifying one-on-one conversations where you’re expected to have a normal emotional response and give normal social and emotional cues.� Do you ever feel you don’t have the right feelings? Can you relate to the numb, pressed down feeling that Adam feels at times? Are you like Caleb before his atypical ability popped able to shake off what others say to you or are you like Adam who is pierced through but the negativity of others?
-An Atypical Ability.
Would you like to have an atypical ability like Caleb? What would it be? What would be the negative side effect (similar to him being swamped by other’s emotions)? Do you sometimes lose sight of your emotions due to all the opinions and emotions of those around you? How do you touch base with them again? Do you feel others emotions and thoughts over power you at times? Is it an abuse of power to use your ability to sense other’s emotions to connect with them? Do you think of Caleb's ability as a gift or a curse?
-Powerful Emotion Descriptions.
The Infinite Noise has some stellar descriptions of emotions. They are quite specific and detailed and I instantly related to them. Did you relate to any of these descriptions? Were they the positive or negative emotions or both? Which descriptions were related to mental health? Could you relate to Adam's depression? Do you ever shut down in big groups like Caleb did?
-The Strength of Therapy.
What did you think about Dr. Bright? Could you appreciate how she helped Caleb deal with his atypical ability? What do you think about Caleb's technique for dealing with all the emotions that don't belong to him? What did you think about her and his parents asking him to keep it a secret? Should he have told Adam sooner? Would you be scared to tell close friends and loved ones?
The Infinite Noise is a stellar queer M/M romance that comes together through an atypical therapy suggestion due to a jock's extreme ability as a... hyper empath! We experience a friendship, dark mental health and a boy exploring his sexuality. We get a look at all the emotions... and it's a beautiful thing.
� ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
� ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
� � ⭐⭐� Plot & Pacing
� � ⭐⭐� World Building
A- Cover & Title grade
Thanks to BookishFirst and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ . Read my special perspective under the typewriter on my reviews...
Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!
February 12, 2020
[2.75? 3 Stars]
Postitives:
I love reading/watching/whatever about people with super abilities. Caleb being able to feel everyone's emotions was cool. At the beginning, I was channeling Brene Brown like, yes! Be empathetic! I expect that the future books would delve more into the science/science fiction of why Caleb (and others) have these abilities.
I thought the tension between Adam and Caleb was done well, and I appreciated that this was not an insta-love/imprinting situation because it easily could have been. I definitely remember having lengthy, often badly-worded text message conversations with girls I liked in high school that ended up causing problems, and I remember the vast amount of anxiety that would happen after clicking send. This novel did those small details really well!
Oh, I also love that the characters' sexualities are not a huge deal in this. Everyone (mostly) is fine with people being attracted to whomever, and no one really makes a huff about it. To me, Caleb seemed to be demisexual which you don't find in books often, so I appreciated that even if it was unintentional.
The cover of this book is perfect for this story. I listened to the audiobook, so I would look at the cover frequently when stopping and starting. It really captures the book perfectly, so hats off to whoever designed and and executed it.
Neutral:
This is based off a podcast which I have not listened to. I did listen to about 30 minutes of the first episode labeled Caleb to get a feel for the podcast, however. I think that the podcast definitely limited what could be done in this novel. To make the two stay true to one another, the author had to hit certain plot points within a certain amount of time, so that may have contributed to the rushed feeling of the ending. I'm not really sure.
I think that if you have listened to the podcast, you would enjoy getting more into the characters' heads and seeing some of their daily life fleshed out more. However, I do really like the format of the podcast more than this. I think I may have enjoyed this more from the perspective of the therapist treating the different Atypicals. That could also be because I'm technically an adult (in age) and I don't experience teenage drama anymore (thank whatever deity).
Negatives:
I'd seen some other reviews jumping into this, so I wasn't expecting to absolutely love it. And yeah, it definitely has some things that weren't my cup of tea or didn't work for me. Caleb (one of the two POV characters) has a fight at school, is feeling emotional, and his parents just so happen to know to send him to a therapist who specializes in (secret, I guess?) Atypical people? The ending is very, very rushed, and I found it hard to swallow that one of the best football players who had tons of friends would be left alone basically the whole year that the book takes place. Not one of his friends demanded to know what was going on? Weird. There was definitely one character whose name I've forgotten that is on the team and seems like a good guy. Why is he not concerned that his teammate has basically stopped doing anything with the team except go to practice? Where are the team captains worried about camaraderie?
As for Adam (the other POV character), he didn't do much besides fawn over Caleb. He likes music, but we don't actually see him ever do anything with it. He likes Shakespeare? Interesting choice, but does he not like anything else in literature? I would think with everything Adam is working through, his doctor parents would see to it that he was getting help even after he's been okay recently. I mean, parents can be in denial, but Adam's parents knew. I will say though, that I appreciated that this book was self-aware that Adam was not handling his attraction to Caleb perfectly. Adam realizes he has other things he should devote energy and time to besides one person. I just would have liked to see him actually do it - especially because the second book won't be following these two.
I didn't think the world and side characters were fleshed out enough. I didn't get a good feel for how this school operates or what the school vibe seems to be. Is the school artsy? Do people generally try hard to get good grades? Do teachers have a problem with kids slacking off? What is this school like besides two people being bullied by a couple of football players?
I also wished the side characters were more than props to bounce the main characters in one direction or another. You get like one fact about each one and then all you see is how the main character interacts with them. Are Caleb's parents burdened a little more because they have to drive Caleb everywhere and Caleb's sister also has Karate practice? I don't actually know if Caleb's sister had anything that she liked to do besides talk about Harry Potter with Caleb. We do get some about Adam's parents being stressed, but what about everyone else? Caitlin (sp?) was such a missed opportunity (and that other football player I mentioned earlier). What about the almost-Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower teacher? Give me the cool, understanding teacher who can provide some support! Let me see the friendship grow between Caleb and Chloe.
I think what it comes down to is that I could see SO much potential to create a very concrete, believable community where Adam and Caleb are navigating, learning, and growing, but it was like two 3D characters in a 2D setting. I think some of this is because the book has a lot of time jumps where months will go by between chapters, but it's in the small moments where I, as a reader, really get invested in characters and feel like they're real to me. I wanted more small moments instead of an outline with only the big moments given time.
Woah, I did not think I had this much (and more) to say. Also, I apologize for the ridiculous number of parenthesis I used. Even with my qualms, I could see myself reading the next book potentially if I see people enjoying it.
Postitives:
I love reading/watching/whatever about people with super abilities. Caleb being able to feel everyone's emotions was cool. At the beginning, I was channeling Brene Brown like, yes! Be empathetic! I expect that the future books would delve more into the science/science fiction of why Caleb (and others) have these abilities.
I thought the tension between Adam and Caleb was done well, and I appreciated that this was not an insta-love/imprinting situation because it easily could have been. I definitely remember having lengthy, often badly-worded text message conversations with girls I liked in high school that ended up causing problems, and I remember the vast amount of anxiety that would happen after clicking send. This novel did those small details really well!
Oh, I also love that the characters' sexualities are not a huge deal in this. Everyone (mostly) is fine with people being attracted to whomever, and no one really makes a huff about it. To me, Caleb seemed to be demisexual which you don't find in books often, so I appreciated that even if it was unintentional.
The cover of this book is perfect for this story. I listened to the audiobook, so I would look at the cover frequently when stopping and starting. It really captures the book perfectly, so hats off to whoever designed and and executed it.
Neutral:
This is based off a podcast which I have not listened to. I did listen to about 30 minutes of the first episode labeled Caleb to get a feel for the podcast, however. I think that the podcast definitely limited what could be done in this novel. To make the two stay true to one another, the author had to hit certain plot points within a certain amount of time, so that may have contributed to the rushed feeling of the ending. I'm not really sure.
I think that if you have listened to the podcast, you would enjoy getting more into the characters' heads and seeing some of their daily life fleshed out more. However, I do really like the format of the podcast more than this. I think I may have enjoyed this more from the perspective of the therapist treating the different Atypicals. That could also be because I'm technically an adult (in age) and I don't experience teenage drama anymore (thank whatever deity).
Negatives:
I'd seen some other reviews jumping into this, so I wasn't expecting to absolutely love it. And yeah, it definitely has some things that weren't my cup of tea or didn't work for me. Caleb (one of the two POV characters) has a fight at school, is feeling emotional, and his parents just so happen to know to send him to a therapist who specializes in (secret, I guess?) Atypical people? The ending is very, very rushed, and I found it hard to swallow that one of the best football players who had tons of friends would be left alone basically the whole year that the book takes place. Not one of his friends demanded to know what was going on? Weird. There was definitely one character whose name I've forgotten that is on the team and seems like a good guy. Why is he not concerned that his teammate has basically stopped doing anything with the team except go to practice? Where are the team captains worried about camaraderie?
As for Adam (the other POV character), he didn't do much besides fawn over Caleb. He likes music, but we don't actually see him ever do anything with it. He likes Shakespeare? Interesting choice, but does he not like anything else in literature? I would think with everything Adam is working through, his doctor parents would see to it that he was getting help even after he's been okay recently. I mean, parents can be in denial, but Adam's parents knew. I will say though, that I appreciated that this book was self-aware that Adam was not handling his attraction to Caleb perfectly. Adam realizes he has other things he should devote energy and time to besides one person. I just would have liked to see him actually do it - especially because the second book won't be following these two.
I didn't think the world and side characters were fleshed out enough. I didn't get a good feel for how this school operates or what the school vibe seems to be. Is the school artsy? Do people generally try hard to get good grades? Do teachers have a problem with kids slacking off? What is this school like besides two people being bullied by a couple of football players?
I also wished the side characters were more than props to bounce the main characters in one direction or another. You get like one fact about each one and then all you see is how the main character interacts with them. Are Caleb's parents burdened a little more because they have to drive Caleb everywhere and Caleb's sister also has Karate practice? I don't actually know if Caleb's sister had anything that she liked to do besides talk about Harry Potter with Caleb. We do get some about Adam's parents being stressed, but what about everyone else? Caitlin (sp?) was such a missed opportunity (and that other football player I mentioned earlier). What about the almost-Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower teacher? Give me the cool, understanding teacher who can provide some support! Let me see the friendship grow between Caleb and Chloe.
I think what it comes down to is that I could see SO much potential to create a very concrete, believable community where Adam and Caleb are navigating, learning, and growing, but it was like two 3D characters in a 2D setting. I think some of this is because the book has a lot of time jumps where months will go by between chapters, but it's in the small moments where I, as a reader, really get invested in characters and feel like they're real to me. I wanted more small moments instead of an outline with only the big moments given time.
Woah, I did not think I had this much (and more) to say. Also, I apologize for the ridiculous number of parenthesis I used. Even with my qualms, I could see myself reading the next book potentially if I see people enjoying it.
August 8, 2019
(I was given a short intro to this upcoming book in exchange for an honest review.)
What a great idea: Empaths who feel everything others feel. They empathize too much. It sounds like a book I'd love...but not. The dialogue, oh so much dialogue. I'm not asking for Stephen King-like 7-page descriptors of a dress but come on, give us something.
I need Caleb's words to sound a little more like a teen in 2019:
“I guess. I don’t know, the whole thing is kinda blurry.� I swallow as I think about the
white-hot anger that pounced on me like a wild animal. “Tyler was trying to get a rise out of me,
I think, and I was just getting really upset, I guess, and, I don’t know, it was like—like I couldn’t
control it. And then he started teasing Moses and I just . . . I went into, like, complete Hulk
mode. And I hit him.�
This is the kind of book I'd give a go and hope it improved before long.
What a great idea: Empaths who feel everything others feel. They empathize too much. It sounds like a book I'd love...but not. The dialogue, oh so much dialogue. I'm not asking for Stephen King-like 7-page descriptors of a dress but come on, give us something.
I need Caleb's words to sound a little more like a teen in 2019:
“I guess. I don’t know, the whole thing is kinda blurry.� I swallow as I think about the
white-hot anger that pounced on me like a wild animal. “Tyler was trying to get a rise out of me,
I think, and I was just getting really upset, I guess, and, I don’t know, it was like—like I couldn’t
control it. And then he started teasing Moses and I just . . . I went into, like, complete Hulk
mode. And I hit him.�
This is the kind of book I'd give a go and hope it improved before long.
August 12, 2022
me: i'll save money and borrow this book from the library instead of buying it
also me: *ends up loving said book so much that i buy my own physical copy*
caleb is your typical high school student, except that he’s also not. he’s an atypical whose power involves extreme empathy. black sludge, red hot anger, all these feelings invade and clash against him and it's a lot. but then he gets pulled into the emotional orbit of adam, the emo kid whose feelings are big and overwhelming. it’s like a storm, an ocean, and it’s all shades of blue. so blue. and he becomes a grounding force for caleb.
hey siri play “colors� by halsey
it’s such a cool concept, i’m still yelling.
the infinite noise is a mashup of everything that makes me weak. it’s a very character-driven story, there’s the gay panic, the italicised “oh�, mixtapes as a love language, the yearning. and in alternating pov just to shove that knife further into your heart!
as it revolves around an empath and adam who struggles with depression (the mental health rep was fantastic by the way), emotions take center stage and y’all. the way lauren shippen describes emotions. *chefs kiss*!! emotions can be confusing and the struggle to pinpoint how we feel, let alone describe it in a way that Makes Sense is real. but lauren shippen actually does it! with colors, textures, and actions, all the emotions feel so tangible and it’s achingly beautiful to see it put to paper, something that you can hold. it feels vast, makes your chest feel empty and yet full. i loved it.
the infinite noise is also based on the bright sessions podcast. i don’t listen to podcasts since my brain turns everything into white noise, but ever since finishing this a couple of days ago, i’ve barrelled through 50 episodes. i’ve laughed, cried, ended up on the floor. and it was delightful. i love caleb and adam’s story and how it became a gateway to other kinds of media that i’ve never wanted to try before.
i borrowed a copy of this book from the library in an attempt to save money but uhh. ended up loving it so much that i had to get my own physical copy bc this bad boy is going straight to the favorites shelf.
also me: *ends up loving said book so much that i buy my own physical copy*
“quiet. blue-green. endless. it fills me up, empties me out. clears out the sludge, the pins and needles, but makes me tense. restless. i open my eyes. find his. adam.�
caleb is your typical high school student, except that he’s also not. he’s an atypical whose power involves extreme empathy. black sludge, red hot anger, all these feelings invade and clash against him and it's a lot. but then he gets pulled into the emotional orbit of adam, the emo kid whose feelings are big and overwhelming. it’s like a storm, an ocean, and it’s all shades of blue. so blue. and he becomes a grounding force for caleb.
hey siri play “colors� by halsey
it’s such a cool concept, i’m still yelling.
the infinite noise is a mashup of everything that makes me weak. it’s a very character-driven story, there’s the gay panic, the italicised “oh�, mixtapes as a love language, the yearning. and in alternating pov just to shove that knife further into your heart!
as it revolves around an empath and adam who struggles with depression (the mental health rep was fantastic by the way), emotions take center stage and y’all. the way lauren shippen describes emotions. *chefs kiss*!! emotions can be confusing and the struggle to pinpoint how we feel, let alone describe it in a way that Makes Sense is real. but lauren shippen actually does it! with colors, textures, and actions, all the emotions feel so tangible and it’s achingly beautiful to see it put to paper, something that you can hold. it feels vast, makes your chest feel empty and yet full. i loved it.
the infinite noise is also based on the bright sessions podcast. i don’t listen to podcasts since my brain turns everything into white noise, but ever since finishing this a couple of days ago, i’ve barrelled through 50 episodes. i’ve laughed, cried, ended up on the floor. and it was delightful. i love caleb and adam’s story and how it became a gateway to other kinds of media that i’ve never wanted to try before.
i borrowed a copy of this book from the library in an attempt to save money but uhh. ended up loving it so much that i had to get my own physical copy bc this bad boy is going straight to the favorites shelf.
May 21, 2019
My most boring book of the year.
October 6, 2019
please listen to the bright sessions. then read this book. it's IMPORTANT.
(also i love adam and caleb so much, they're baby and i'm gonna protect them)
(also i love adam and caleb so much, they're baby and i'm gonna protect them)
September 11, 2021
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! Rtc when my thoughts aren't such a mess
January 9, 2021
The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen is a contemporary, YA novel about teenagers who can feel what other people feel - empaths.
This book was weird for me. I liked the first quarter but I thought it might pick up? The contemporary feel and lots of descriptions of how people feel was really cool. But then it just kept going and going and going... for the last little bit of the book it picks up, but by then I was zoned out and wasn't as interested.
Lauren Shippen's writing is fantastic though. I loved how she used her words and described things. That pulled me in right away. I just found this book to be a little too boring for my personal tastes. I need lots of action and movement and this book wasn't that. It's slower, which many readers will love!
The real nice part about this book? LGTBQ+ representation. Honestly, if it wasn't for how slow this book was I'd say it was a massive hit for me! The honest representation, the feelings of being back in high school (realistic, for the most part) and how the characters act and behave... It felt really good! I can see so many readers loving this book! I highly recommend it to those who like slower paced books with lots of description and are seeking some LGBTQ+ reps.
It's a pure drama with lots of emotions and it is a great book, just not for me!
Two out of five stars.
I received this book for free through ŷ First Reads.
This book was weird for me. I liked the first quarter but I thought it might pick up? The contemporary feel and lots of descriptions of how people feel was really cool. But then it just kept going and going and going... for the last little bit of the book it picks up, but by then I was zoned out and wasn't as interested.
Lauren Shippen's writing is fantastic though. I loved how she used her words and described things. That pulled me in right away. I just found this book to be a little too boring for my personal tastes. I need lots of action and movement and this book wasn't that. It's slower, which many readers will love!
The real nice part about this book? LGTBQ+ representation. Honestly, if it wasn't for how slow this book was I'd say it was a massive hit for me! The honest representation, the feelings of being back in high school (realistic, for the most part) and how the characters act and behave... It felt really good! I can see so many readers loving this book! I highly recommend it to those who like slower paced books with lots of description and are seeking some LGBTQ+ reps.
It's a pure drama with lots of emotions and it is a great book, just not for me!
Two out of five stars.
I received this book for free through ŷ First Reads.
March 30, 2019
one of my absolute favorite pairings from my favorite podcast ever!!! i spent the whole book in a puddle!!! thank you lauren shippen <3
September 1, 2023
3.5
2023 reads: 190/350
2023 tbr: 43/100
caleb is his school’s champion running back who mainly likes to keep to himself. but after some severe mood swings, he discovers he’s an “atypical,� and has enhanced abilities. now, the problem is how he’s going to control these emotions, especially as he finds himself drawn more and more to his classmate adam.
my biggest gripe about this book is that the dialogue just felt so unnatural. i wish i had written examples down while i was reading, but i didn’t, so you’ll just have to trust me on this. not only did the characters not talk like teenagers, i’m not sure they talked like adults, either? my best guess is that maybe this is how teenagers talked a couple decades ago, but definitely not now. i also didn’t connect with the writing style in general. however, i was really attached to the characters and thought the story was pretty cool, so i’ll most likely continue reading this trilogy (although the second book follows different characters).
2023 reads: 190/350
2023 tbr: 43/100
caleb is his school’s champion running back who mainly likes to keep to himself. but after some severe mood swings, he discovers he’s an “atypical,� and has enhanced abilities. now, the problem is how he’s going to control these emotions, especially as he finds himself drawn more and more to his classmate adam.
my biggest gripe about this book is that the dialogue just felt so unnatural. i wish i had written examples down while i was reading, but i didn’t, so you’ll just have to trust me on this. not only did the characters not talk like teenagers, i’m not sure they talked like adults, either? my best guess is that maybe this is how teenagers talked a couple decades ago, but definitely not now. i also didn’t connect with the writing style in general. however, i was really attached to the characters and thought the story was pretty cool, so i’ll most likely continue reading this trilogy (although the second book follows different characters).
June 11, 2023
This book was on my tbr since 2019. It was one of the first books I saw on BookTube. And that's pretty much the only reason I didn't dnf it. I wanted to love it, I honestly did.
I've seen anna's review, and I chose to ignore it. Because apparently I love to waste my time.
This book was boring, very surface level, the only thing that actually made me interested (what Adam's parents actually did) was skipped over, and the characters had no real personality.
But I gave it 2 stars, because I didn't actively hate it, and I was able to finish it.
I've seen anna's review, and I chose to ignore it. Because apparently I love to waste my time.
This book was boring, very surface level, the only thing that actually made me interested (what Adam's parents actually did) was skipped over, and the characters had no real personality.
But I gave it 2 stars, because I didn't actively hate it, and I was able to finish it.
September 23, 2019
The more I think about this book the more I realize that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I did. The Infinite Noise is a book that's definitely worth a read, but don't get into it expecting the first book to be anything but a contemporary story with a little twist.
*Thank you to Tor Teen and Macmillan for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
*Thank you to Tor Teen and Macmillan for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
February 19, 2023
this made me feel so safe and warm & I loved it so very much
-----
I picked The Infinite Noise up on a whim after some very special friends recommended it to me & said Caleb & Adam’s dynamics aligned with a certain hyperfixation of mine (iykyk). To make a long story short, thank you Micah & Cel for helping me find this absolute gift of a book. It’s one I’m not likely to forget anytime soon.
The Infinite Noise is the first novel in The Bright Sessions trilogy & it follows Caleb, an extreme empath who’s also a jock & Adam, a misfit with an ocean of feelings that he doesn’t know what to do with. As Caleb struggles to control his power & adjust to being an Atypical, he turns to Adam, the one person whose feelings don’t overwhelm Caleb & instead fit alongside his in a way no one else’s do.
As someone who considers themself to be a very empathetic person, this book immediately called out to me. I might not be able to physically feel other people’s emotions like Caleb, but I try my best to put myself in other people’s shoes & to not judge; so I saw parts of myself in him & his gentle heart right away.
I also saw parts of myself in Adam who guards his heart & is quick to put up walls. His feelings are big & all-consuming & sometimes take over his whole life. There’s very few people who understand him in the way he needs & he has trouble opening up bc of this.
But when the two boys finally comes together? It’s all green & floaty & so, so wonderful. I’ve never read about something quite like the green waves that make up Caleb & Adam’s ocean, but god did I love it. I swear I feel like I need to spend all my time now looking for my soulmate just so we can make a green space of our very own.
The Infinite Noise is a much quieter story than I usually read. It’s very contained in that most of the book is solely about Caleb, Adam, & their feelings. There’s only a handful of other characters & not a huge plot. To some people this might sound boring. To me, I felt right at home.
I’m not entirely sure what it was, but something about this book just made me feel so cared for & safe & when I finished the book I was left with a sense of coziness & warmth.
This was my first time meeting Caleb & Adam, but I truly felt like I’ve known them for so much longer. In much the same way that Adam’s feelings slotted into place with Caleb’s, these two boys slotted right into my heart from the very first chapter. They live inside my head with all my favorite characters now & I’m so happy to have them there. I’m already counting down the days until I can revisit them & float peacefully in the green space once more 💚
-----
I picked The Infinite Noise up on a whim after some very special friends recommended it to me & said Caleb & Adam’s dynamics aligned with a certain hyperfixation of mine (iykyk). To make a long story short, thank you Micah & Cel for helping me find this absolute gift of a book. It’s one I’m not likely to forget anytime soon.
The Infinite Noise is the first novel in The Bright Sessions trilogy & it follows Caleb, an extreme empath who’s also a jock & Adam, a misfit with an ocean of feelings that he doesn’t know what to do with. As Caleb struggles to control his power & adjust to being an Atypical, he turns to Adam, the one person whose feelings don’t overwhelm Caleb & instead fit alongside his in a way no one else’s do.
As someone who considers themself to be a very empathetic person, this book immediately called out to me. I might not be able to physically feel other people’s emotions like Caleb, but I try my best to put myself in other people’s shoes & to not judge; so I saw parts of myself in him & his gentle heart right away.
I also saw parts of myself in Adam who guards his heart & is quick to put up walls. His feelings are big & all-consuming & sometimes take over his whole life. There’s very few people who understand him in the way he needs & he has trouble opening up bc of this.
But when the two boys finally comes together? It’s all green & floaty & so, so wonderful. I’ve never read about something quite like the green waves that make up Caleb & Adam’s ocean, but god did I love it. I swear I feel like I need to spend all my time now looking for my soulmate just so we can make a green space of our very own.
The Infinite Noise is a much quieter story than I usually read. It’s very contained in that most of the book is solely about Caleb, Adam, & their feelings. There’s only a handful of other characters & not a huge plot. To some people this might sound boring. To me, I felt right at home.
I’m not entirely sure what it was, but something about this book just made me feel so cared for & safe & when I finished the book I was left with a sense of coziness & warmth.
This was my first time meeting Caleb & Adam, but I truly felt like I’ve known them for so much longer. In much the same way that Adam’s feelings slotted into place with Caleb’s, these two boys slotted right into my heart from the very first chapter. They live inside my head with all my favorite characters now & I’m so happy to have them there. I’m already counting down the days until I can revisit them & float peacefully in the green space once more 💚
June 19, 2022
The first part of the book was really really good. In the end many new characters were introduced ( to explain the other book probably) without adding more to the plot or their relationship.
September 26, 2019
| Review by Vinny MS
After gaining major success as a creator of the award-winning podcast, The Bright Sessions, Lauren Shippen is ready to bring you back to the thrilling story and twisted universe featuring your favourite Atypicals in her debut novel, The Infinite Noise.
The Infinite Noise follows the story of Caleb Michaels, who had a pretty normal life as a high school footballer, until one day he discovered himself to be an empath, an Atypical who can sense people’s feelings, and suddenly, life was not so normal anymore. Enter Adam Hayes, the bright yet quiet classmate of Caleb, who’s feeling was too big and deep, making Caleb overwhelmed as he found himself helplessly drowning in it. This is a story of self-discovery, a coming-of-age love journey, and maybe, one or two sessions of superhero-only therapy.
I discovered the glorious universe of The Bright Sessions last month, right after reading the synopsis of Shippen’s debut. Looking at all of the exciting commentaries about this upcoming release, which was coming from fans of the original podcasts of course, I started listening to the first episode right that second. I’m glad to tell you that surprisingly, although it was my very first storytelling podcast, I truly had a great time. My initial intention was to listen to the whole podcast before I jump into this book, but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it in time. So, I ended up in the middle of season three when I started reading this book and here how it goes�
Obviously, after listening to the podcast and memorising the voice of the characters to heart now, reading them on paper was so much easier and exciting. The book was following the exact plotline of the podcast, but don’t let this intimidate you because you totally don’t have to listen to the podcast to enjoy this story! However, I’d say listening to the podcast will help you to dissolve quicker in these characters� inner monologues and struggles.
Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the podcast, I couldn’t get the same feeling from this book. Don’t get me wrong, Caleb and Adam were my favourite characters in the podcast and it was exciting to be able to read more of their thoughts in this story, something that does not exist in the podcast.
During the first encounters of both of their point-of-view’s, it was thrilling. For Caleb, I enjoyed how he grows into his superpower. His narrative was fun to read, especially the way he used visualisation to make more sense of how his power works. Meanwhile, for Adam, I’m grateful to see more of his personality through the reflection of his struggles and thoughts. But after the endless back and forth POV’s changes between these two, they started to sound almost similar and even the pace started to feel dragging, especially from the middle towards the end. It was understandable that since both of them are still teenagers and they were having difficulties to communicate with each other, they will need some time to figure things out. Yet, I personally found that it took too long for them to resolve their issues and the sole reason for their conflict was because Caleb keeps shutting his mouth in the middle of a sentence to keep his secret and Adam keep asking stubborn oblivious series of questions that stressing out Caleb.
And remember when I said that the pace started to drag? It was especially because from the beginning until around 80% of the story, it only focused on three main characters (aside from family members and other classmates), and suddenly, it delivers other ‘important� characters out of nowhere, that also brings other crucial plots along with their appearance. Which of course, will not be a big problem if you’re listening to the podcast already, but even as the podcast listener, I found this addition as too rushed and sudden. It was as if Shippen didn’t consider that there are readers who’re not aware of the podcast and just delivered chunk on important information without a proper warm-up.
Although it was an enjoyable ride, The Infinite Noise was a high-anticipated debut that doesn’t really meet its expectations. Aside from its extraordinary superhero concept and detailed worldbuilding, the character development and their genuine relationship captivated me to keep reading this story until the very last page.
After gaining major success as a creator of the award-winning podcast, The Bright Sessions, Lauren Shippen is ready to bring you back to the thrilling story and twisted universe featuring your favourite Atypicals in her debut novel, The Infinite Noise.
The Infinite Noise follows the story of Caleb Michaels, who had a pretty normal life as a high school footballer, until one day he discovered himself to be an empath, an Atypical who can sense people’s feelings, and suddenly, life was not so normal anymore. Enter Adam Hayes, the bright yet quiet classmate of Caleb, who’s feeling was too big and deep, making Caleb overwhelmed as he found himself helplessly drowning in it. This is a story of self-discovery, a coming-of-age love journey, and maybe, one or two sessions of superhero-only therapy.
I discovered the glorious universe of The Bright Sessions last month, right after reading the synopsis of Shippen’s debut. Looking at all of the exciting commentaries about this upcoming release, which was coming from fans of the original podcasts of course, I started listening to the first episode right that second. I’m glad to tell you that surprisingly, although it was my very first storytelling podcast, I truly had a great time. My initial intention was to listen to the whole podcast before I jump into this book, but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it in time. So, I ended up in the middle of season three when I started reading this book and here how it goes�
Obviously, after listening to the podcast and memorising the voice of the characters to heart now, reading them on paper was so much easier and exciting. The book was following the exact plotline of the podcast, but don’t let this intimidate you because you totally don’t have to listen to the podcast to enjoy this story! However, I’d say listening to the podcast will help you to dissolve quicker in these characters� inner monologues and struggles.
Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the podcast, I couldn’t get the same feeling from this book. Don’t get me wrong, Caleb and Adam were my favourite characters in the podcast and it was exciting to be able to read more of their thoughts in this story, something that does not exist in the podcast.
During the first encounters of both of their point-of-view’s, it was thrilling. For Caleb, I enjoyed how he grows into his superpower. His narrative was fun to read, especially the way he used visualisation to make more sense of how his power works. Meanwhile, for Adam, I’m grateful to see more of his personality through the reflection of his struggles and thoughts. But after the endless back and forth POV’s changes between these two, they started to sound almost similar and even the pace started to feel dragging, especially from the middle towards the end. It was understandable that since both of them are still teenagers and they were having difficulties to communicate with each other, they will need some time to figure things out. Yet, I personally found that it took too long for them to resolve their issues and the sole reason for their conflict was because Caleb keeps shutting his mouth in the middle of a sentence to keep his secret and Adam keep asking stubborn oblivious series of questions that stressing out Caleb.
And remember when I said that the pace started to drag? It was especially because from the beginning until around 80% of the story, it only focused on three main characters (aside from family members and other classmates), and suddenly, it delivers other ‘important� characters out of nowhere, that also brings other crucial plots along with their appearance. Which of course, will not be a big problem if you’re listening to the podcast already, but even as the podcast listener, I found this addition as too rushed and sudden. It was as if Shippen didn’t consider that there are readers who’re not aware of the podcast and just delivered chunk on important information without a proper warm-up.
Although it was an enjoyable ride, The Infinite Noise was a high-anticipated debut that doesn’t really meet its expectations. Aside from its extraordinary superhero concept and detailed worldbuilding, the character development and their genuine relationship captivated me to keep reading this story until the very last page.
December 14, 2020
03-24-18 | I just looked this up on here because carissa talks about it on twitter all the time and this sounds amazing??? oh my god
04-23-18 | I'm now on season 2 of the podcast and I'm in love!! I'm sad that the podcast will probably end before I catch up, but I'm definitely looking forward to more stuff in this universe. Also, **podcast spoiler** I can't wait for two more seasons of Adam and Caleb <3
01-16-19 | THERE’S A TITLE AND I LOVE IT AND A RELEASE DATE TOO AND I CAN’T WAIT
04-24-19 | OH MY GOSH YALL ARE NOT READY!!!!!!!!
05-01-19 | First of all, I am so grateful to Lauren Shippen for personally sending me a signed and personalized ARC of The Infinite Noise to read and review. I’ve been a fan of The Bright Sessions for about a year now; I actually found out about the podcast because a friend of mine tweeted about the fact that there were going to be books set in the same universe and I thought the premise sounded really cool so I started listening. I hadn’t really been a big fan of podcasts before listening to The Bright Sessions, but I’m really glad I gave it a shot because I absolutely love it. I really couldn’t wait to read The Infinite Noise, so I’m super glad that I had the incredible opportunity to read it early.
This review will be spoiler-free for those who have listened to the entirety of the original podcast, but if you haven’t finished it yet or haven’t listened to it at all, stop reading this review and GO LISTEN : )
For the most part, The Infinite Noise follows the timeline of the podcast and how Caleb and Adam develop as both individuals and as a couple during that time. Since The Bright Sessions is an audio drama, I was curious to see how the world and the characters within it would translate into a novel format since the medium in which a story is told has a significant impact on the overall narrative. Funnily enough, I actually wrote an entire paper about this with relation to The Bright Sessions for my Serial Storytelling class last semester. I got an A on both drafts of it and I’ve never been prouder of any academic paper I’ve written ever. That class was amazing, but I digress. Lauren did an incredible job of preserving the air of mystery that the original podcast has while introducing a lot more of Caleb and Adam’s individual thoughts and feelings as the narrative perspective switches between them. The novel definitely allowed for more room for backstory for both characters that the podcast doesn’t include, especially because Adam doesn’t get his own episodes until the later seasons.
The Infinite Noise took all of the adorableness of Caleb and Adam’s relationship from the podcast and multiplied it by a hundred. Seriously, I didn’t think they could get any cuter than they already were, but somehow, they do. And we actually get to see them KISS in the book, unlike in the podcast, where they only kiss in like one episode because, let’s be real, it’s awkward to just listen to two people kissing. I was a bit surprised at how little of an appearance the other characters make in this book; I’m so used to the episodes centering around each of the characters in turn that it was an interesting change to focus on just two. Caleb and Adam are two of my favorite characters from the podcast, though, so I really can’t complain too much!
Overall, I absolutely loved The Infinite Noise and I am so proud of Lauren Shippen for writing and soon publishing her first novel!! Be sure to pick up a copy on September 24th if you can because anyone who loves the podcast is seriously going to love this book, and so is anyone who hasn’t listened to the podcast � you can read this book with no prior knowledge of The Bright Sessions. I’m super excited for the other two books and for the previously announced TV series, but until then, stay strange : )
Adam’s emotions clear out everything; they quiet the infinite noise of the world and let me find the yellow parts of me that hurt.
Disclaimer: This quote is from an ARC, so it may change before the book is published.
04-23-18 | I'm now on season 2 of the podcast and I'm in love!! I'm sad that the podcast will probably end before I catch up, but I'm definitely looking forward to more stuff in this universe. Also, **podcast spoiler** I can't wait for two more seasons of Adam and Caleb <3
01-16-19 | THERE’S A TITLE AND I LOVE IT AND A RELEASE DATE TOO AND I CAN’T WAIT
04-24-19 | OH MY GOSH YALL ARE NOT READY!!!!!!!!
05-01-19 | First of all, I am so grateful to Lauren Shippen for personally sending me a signed and personalized ARC of The Infinite Noise to read and review. I’ve been a fan of The Bright Sessions for about a year now; I actually found out about the podcast because a friend of mine tweeted about the fact that there were going to be books set in the same universe and I thought the premise sounded really cool so I started listening. I hadn’t really been a big fan of podcasts before listening to The Bright Sessions, but I’m really glad I gave it a shot because I absolutely love it. I really couldn’t wait to read The Infinite Noise, so I’m super glad that I had the incredible opportunity to read it early.
This review will be spoiler-free for those who have listened to the entirety of the original podcast, but if you haven’t finished it yet or haven’t listened to it at all, stop reading this review and GO LISTEN : )
For the most part, The Infinite Noise follows the timeline of the podcast and how Caleb and Adam develop as both individuals and as a couple during that time. Since The Bright Sessions is an audio drama, I was curious to see how the world and the characters within it would translate into a novel format since the medium in which a story is told has a significant impact on the overall narrative. Funnily enough, I actually wrote an entire paper about this with relation to The Bright Sessions for my Serial Storytelling class last semester. I got an A on both drafts of it and I’ve never been prouder of any academic paper I’ve written ever. That class was amazing, but I digress. Lauren did an incredible job of preserving the air of mystery that the original podcast has while introducing a lot more of Caleb and Adam’s individual thoughts and feelings as the narrative perspective switches between them. The novel definitely allowed for more room for backstory for both characters that the podcast doesn’t include, especially because Adam doesn’t get his own episodes until the later seasons.
The Infinite Noise took all of the adorableness of Caleb and Adam’s relationship from the podcast and multiplied it by a hundred. Seriously, I didn’t think they could get any cuter than they already were, but somehow, they do. And we actually get to see them KISS in the book, unlike in the podcast, where they only kiss in like one episode because, let’s be real, it’s awkward to just listen to two people kissing. I was a bit surprised at how little of an appearance the other characters make in this book; I’m so used to the episodes centering around each of the characters in turn that it was an interesting change to focus on just two. Caleb and Adam are two of my favorite characters from the podcast, though, so I really can’t complain too much!
Overall, I absolutely loved The Infinite Noise and I am so proud of Lauren Shippen for writing and soon publishing her first novel!! Be sure to pick up a copy on September 24th if you can because anyone who loves the podcast is seriously going to love this book, and so is anyone who hasn’t listened to the podcast � you can read this book with no prior knowledge of The Bright Sessions. I’m super excited for the other two books and for the previously announced TV series, but until then, stay strange : )
Adam’s emotions clear out everything; they quiet the infinite noise of the world and let me find the yellow parts of me that hurt.
Disclaimer: This quote is from an ARC, so it may change before the book is published.
May 8, 2020
Some sweet moments between Caleb and Adam, as their initial awkward acquaintance develops into friendship and more. They’re dorky and cute together, and I liked the deepening relationship between the two.
I found the shadowy organization with possible nefarious intentions towards Atypicals like Caleb much less well defined, especially as the author introduced the organization well into the book and then gave us little more than the barest detail. I also found the middle of the book’s pacing to be drawn out, and actually found my progress through the book slowed considerably, and it took some effort to get to the end from here.
Still, the sweet moments between the jock and the brainiac were handled nicely, as well as the depression and its impact on the evolving relationship.
I found the shadowy organization with possible nefarious intentions towards Atypicals like Caleb much less well defined, especially as the author introduced the organization well into the book and then gave us little more than the barest detail. I also found the middle of the book’s pacing to be drawn out, and actually found my progress through the book slowed considerably, and it took some effort to get to the end from here.
Still, the sweet moments between the jock and the brainiac were handled nicely, as well as the depression and its impact on the evolving relationship.
April 30, 2022
this is 100% a heartstopper au change my mind
May 28, 2023
Number #8 in my top 10 readings |2021|
4.5⭐️
Okay so, this might not be the best book ever written (it sometimes felt kind of basic? Like, I couldn’t figure out the author’s own writing style? Idk how to explain it, it just sometimes felt very debut-ish in its structure (and honestly the last few pages are objectively bad and they’re the reason of the missing half star)) but so far this year this is one of the books that’s made me happier. I read the whole thing with a huge dumb smile all over my face and it’s just the kind of book I was needing to read right now.
I listened to The Bright Sessions podcast a couple of years ago, and I actually think it’s better to have read this book with these years of distance between us, because the story can be repetitive if you have heard the podcast recently. Like, some parts were literally the same, same dialogue and everything. But, since I didn’t have the story that present anymore, I could almost enjoy it as a first time. Only even better, because I already loved the characters and knew I loved the story, it was real nice to live that again, now from Caleb and Adam’s perspective. (Even though the ending felt pretty rushed to me, and kinda... open? Like, if I didn’t know what happens next I’d be disappointed? It just builds up too much and then... nothing. But I do know the whole thing so I’m letting it pass)
Caleb and Adam’s love story is honestly heartwarming and I really love both of them. I love how relatable they were, how sarcastic and cringey and witty everything felt. I don’t usually enjoy books taking place in high school (I hated high school), but this one made me love the idea. Like, folks, I may be aromantic, but I want what these two have.
Also, I love when romance books focus on the relationship itself and not the becoming-a-couple part of it. Idk, I just think that the real challenge comes when you are already dating the person you like and now have to make it work. I love reading that kind of stuff and I enjoyed getting to read it with characters that are also teenagers (it just adds so much silly sweet stuff and that easiness that comes with first love). Totally into that shit.
I love Adam Hayes. I loved that this book dared to deal with chronic depression and portrayed it amazingly. I loved that, despite that being a hard topic and kinda triggering (at least for me, a person who also deals with chronic depression), the author managed to keep the light warming tone overall the book. Like, Adam is depressed, he has his episodes (and his depression isn’t just cured when he starts dating Caleb) and he hurts himself, but it’s still not a sad story. It’s very hopeful and heart-warming. And I love reading stories where depressed people get to be happy.
Anyways, reading this made me want to re-listen to the podcast all over again. I adore these characters.
(Also... this is kinda anecdotal but since I study Literature, I almost never get to enjoy a book without over-analysing everything and I always guess the important plot twists and character’s arcs and everything and it can be very frustrating, so it was a relief to just be able to read the book knowing everything from the beginning. And since the writing style wasn’t anything poetic or special, I could just focus on how much I love the characters. It was honestly refreshing and made me think I should probably re-read more)
4.5⭐️
Okay so, this might not be the best book ever written (it sometimes felt kind of basic? Like, I couldn’t figure out the author’s own writing style? Idk how to explain it, it just sometimes felt very debut-ish in its structure (and honestly the last few pages are objectively bad and they’re the reason of the missing half star)) but so far this year this is one of the books that’s made me happier. I read the whole thing with a huge dumb smile all over my face and it’s just the kind of book I was needing to read right now.
I listened to The Bright Sessions podcast a couple of years ago, and I actually think it’s better to have read this book with these years of distance between us, because the story can be repetitive if you have heard the podcast recently. Like, some parts were literally the same, same dialogue and everything. But, since I didn’t have the story that present anymore, I could almost enjoy it as a first time. Only even better, because I already loved the characters and knew I loved the story, it was real nice to live that again, now from Caleb and Adam’s perspective. (Even though the ending felt pretty rushed to me, and kinda... open? Like, if I didn’t know what happens next I’d be disappointed? It just builds up too much and then... nothing. But I do know the whole thing so I’m letting it pass)
Caleb and Adam’s love story is honestly heartwarming and I really love both of them. I love how relatable they were, how sarcastic and cringey and witty everything felt. I don’t usually enjoy books taking place in high school (I hated high school), but this one made me love the idea. Like, folks, I may be aromantic, but I want what these two have.
Also, I love when romance books focus on the relationship itself and not the becoming-a-couple part of it. Idk, I just think that the real challenge comes when you are already dating the person you like and now have to make it work. I love reading that kind of stuff and I enjoyed getting to read it with characters that are also teenagers (it just adds so much silly sweet stuff and that easiness that comes with first love). Totally into that shit.
I love Adam Hayes. I loved that this book dared to deal with chronic depression and portrayed it amazingly. I loved that, despite that being a hard topic and kinda triggering (at least for me, a person who also deals with chronic depression), the author managed to keep the light warming tone overall the book. Like, Adam is depressed, he has his episodes (and his depression isn’t just cured when he starts dating Caleb) and he hurts himself, but it’s still not a sad story. It’s very hopeful and heart-warming. And I love reading stories where depressed people get to be happy.
Anyways, reading this made me want to re-listen to the podcast all over again. I adore these characters.
(Also... this is kinda anecdotal but since I study Literature, I almost never get to enjoy a book without over-analysing everything and I always guess the important plot twists and character’s arcs and everything and it can be very frustrating, so it was a relief to just be able to read the book knowing everything from the beginning. And since the writing style wasn’t anything poetic or special, I could just focus on how much I love the characters. It was honestly refreshing and made me think I should probably re-read more)
May 20, 2020
TW: depression, self harm, bullying
The infinite noise is a wonderful and intense book and I can't recommend it enough! Told by two POVs, Adam and Caleb, the story follows their relationship, friendship and love. Caleb is an athlete, always quiet and kind, but after a fight against a schoolmate he's forced by his parents to go to therapy and there he will discover he's not exactly normal. He's an empath, he can feel what others feel and most of the time it's overwhelming. All feelings invade and clash against him, except those of the brilliant and nerd Adam. Prompted by dr Bright and curiosity Caleb decides to befriend Adam, discovering a person who precisely fit with him.
Adam has smart doctor parents, a Shakespeare passion and he's bullied at school, so when Caleb asks him to lunch together he's suspicious and diffident, above all because he's crushing on him since forever.
Possible spoilers
Their relationship, their friendship and love is simply beautiful and written in a skillfully way. Both of them has to deal with intense problem. Adam is depressed and sometimes he feels crushed and drowning, while Caleb feels unstable and overwhelmed, above all when people around him feels strong emotions.
It's beautiful how they connect, through jokes and songs and how they fit perfectly with one other, slowly realizing they can be each other's superhero.
I love how much they want to protect one other, how Caleb feels grounded around Adam's feelings and how Adam can count on him to weather his storms.
The way Adam's depression is described, like a storm, an ocean it's really brilliant. So the other feelings Caleb feel, using colours and images.
I feel so much for Adam and his moods and moments are really intense and perfectly written.
Adam and Caleb's relationship is sweet, intense and I really love them. They are amazing, supportive and brilliant. I love their banter and love.
I also really loved the fact there are, let's call them supernatural, elements, like people with unusual powers, like empath, mind reader and so on, but they are so intertwined with the story, so skillfully explained the reader is left to think: yes, it can be. After all we don't know everything about the human brain, who am I to say it's impossible?
I love the message of the importance of theraphy and communication.
The infinite noise is a wonderful and intense book and I can't recommend it enough! Told by two POVs, Adam and Caleb, the story follows their relationship, friendship and love. Caleb is an athlete, always quiet and kind, but after a fight against a schoolmate he's forced by his parents to go to therapy and there he will discover he's not exactly normal. He's an empath, he can feel what others feel and most of the time it's overwhelming. All feelings invade and clash against him, except those of the brilliant and nerd Adam. Prompted by dr Bright and curiosity Caleb decides to befriend Adam, discovering a person who precisely fit with him.
Adam has smart doctor parents, a Shakespeare passion and he's bullied at school, so when Caleb asks him to lunch together he's suspicious and diffident, above all because he's crushing on him since forever.
Possible spoilers
Their relationship, their friendship and love is simply beautiful and written in a skillfully way. Both of them has to deal with intense problem. Adam is depressed and sometimes he feels crushed and drowning, while Caleb feels unstable and overwhelmed, above all when people around him feels strong emotions.
It's beautiful how they connect, through jokes and songs and how they fit perfectly with one other, slowly realizing they can be each other's superhero.
I love how much they want to protect one other, how Caleb feels grounded around Adam's feelings and how Adam can count on him to weather his storms.
The way Adam's depression is described, like a storm, an ocean it's really brilliant. So the other feelings Caleb feel, using colours and images.
I feel so much for Adam and his moods and moments are really intense and perfectly written.
Adam and Caleb's relationship is sweet, intense and I really love them. They are amazing, supportive and brilliant. I love their banter and love.
I also really loved the fact there are, let's call them supernatural, elements, like people with unusual powers, like empath, mind reader and so on, but they are so intertwined with the story, so skillfully explained the reader is left to think: yes, it can be. After all we don't know everything about the human brain, who am I to say it's impossible?
I love the message of the importance of theraphy and communication.
March 22, 2021
I am not a fan of magical realism. I enjoy reading books set in the real world- without any fantastical elements and I enjoy fantasy books. Magical realism is a crossover in some sense and it has never appealed to me. This is the main reason The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen didn't work out for me.
I thought this book was just going to be a contemporary YA book about a boy who is an empath, who empathizes with people more than others. But this turned out to be a book that featured people with 'superpowers' and it took a different turn than I expected.
A majority of this book just focuses on what Caleb is feeling. Emotions are a theme in itself in this book because Caleb's ability made him feel everyone's emotions around him. This was highly overwhelming for him most of the time. And I think reading about someone's emotions in such detail can get overwhelming for the reader too.
I enjoyed Caleb and Adam's friendship and later, romance. I loved reading about the bond they developed and how they helped each other through the difficult situations they were dealing with (Adam suffered from depression).
I find it really hard to get into a realistic story that has fantastical elements and so, I lost interest in the book when I was halfway through it. This book is a series and I most probably won't be continuing with it.
Check out my book reviews, recommendations, and other content on and my !
I thought this book was just going to be a contemporary YA book about a boy who is an empath, who empathizes with people more than others. But this turned out to be a book that featured people with 'superpowers' and it took a different turn than I expected.
A majority of this book just focuses on what Caleb is feeling. Emotions are a theme in itself in this book because Caleb's ability made him feel everyone's emotions around him. This was highly overwhelming for him most of the time. And I think reading about someone's emotions in such detail can get overwhelming for the reader too.
I enjoyed Caleb and Adam's friendship and later, romance. I loved reading about the bond they developed and how they helped each other through the difficult situations they were dealing with (Adam suffered from depression).
I find it really hard to get into a realistic story that has fantastical elements and so, I lost interest in the book when I was halfway through it. This book is a series and I most probably won't be continuing with it.
Check out my book reviews, recommendations, and other content on and my !
April 1, 2021
I didn't know that the Bright Sessions even had any book related to the podcast, so when I found this on ŷ I was curious and got it immediately. I got myself in the podcast last year and I'm currently a few episodes in on the fourth season, which is what I recommend you to be at to not be completely confused with the plot of this book. Caleb and Adam are awkward yet charming, both characters trying to deal with the individual problem that consumes them, Caleb with is the ability and Adam with is depression(which I found was well depicted). Even though they both don't always know how to deal with their partner's issues, they try to support them the best they could. I was surprised to be able to relate to both characters while reading and by how much I enjoyed reading this book considering adaptations are not always the greatest. I did enjoy the shifting perspectives especially since Caleb and Adam's perspectives are not always strongly present in the podcast and seeing them was cool. Summing this rant up, this book is a must-read If you enjoyed the podcast.
P.S At some point, Adam makes a playlist which I recommend taking a break from you're reading to listen to it, it just embellishes the experience. Another head's up, you will be imagining their voices speaking while reading.
P.S At some point, Adam makes a playlist which I recommend taking a break from you're reading to listen to it, it just embellishes the experience. Another head's up, you will be imagining their voices speaking while reading.
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