Reviews

• “First and foremost we are such fans of Denmark’s best YA-author Lise Villadsen for her lovely and honest character and writing characterized by a particularly light and warm tone, that has both young people and adults reading. /…/ Here are beautiful, powerful and thoughtful themes about friendship, being different, love, anxiety, (self)acceptance and being yourself, that I love with a warm and loving recommendation – that ending was so stunningly moving I’d like to extend a profound thank you from my (book)heart.”

• “Wow Lise Villadsen, I don’t even know where to begin. It is simply such a moving books. A plot that is genuinely well-written! I really got The Fault in Our Stars vibes – and I loved that book like crazy. Without spoiling too much, the ending caught me with my pants down. I really didn’t see it coming, and was almost already in tears and a broken heart. Such a crazy twist. /…/ I’m also really impressed at how fast I flew though the pages!”

• “Ouch. This novel tugged at my heartstrings. /…/ Thus is a truly beautiful and great novel /…/ [The main characters] truly gets beneath your skin, you feel their longing to fit in, their joy at finally having found a community in the club. Read it. ”

• “A topical and important YA-novel. Unfortunately truly many young people struggle with anxiety and loneliness today – and because of that this book is so important, as herein they see themselves reflected and the rest of us grow wiser. /…/ A wellwritten novel with an not entirely expected end. Huge praise to the author for creating a story that grip you and will be remembered look after you’ve turned the last page.”

• “It’s been a long time since I was so gripped by a book as I have been by The Supermassive Black Hole Club. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. /…/ I was captivated from the first few sentences. Lise Villadsen has a magic touch when she puts together words into sentences, that just makes sense and gives meaning. The magic also infuses life into this group of young people, that each have their story they struggle with, and one feel for them. It was so easy for me to imagine myself in their place and feel their anxiety, grief and loneliness. The atmosphere in the novel is melancholic, but also partly humorous, exciting and loving. I became a part of the group dynamic, got tears in my eyes and my heart pounded fast as I shuffled about on the sofa as the suspense increased. The Supermassive Black Hole Club is a novel for people with emotional souls. It gives reason for tears, but also hope for those, that feel lonely. ”

• “Lise Villadsen truly has some very unique writing skills. I love her style and talent for constructing credible stories and human characters in the span of relatively few pages. /…/ Lise masters the art of telling small, wonderful stories that bring up many thought-provoking and current topics and never lack in depth. /…/ This novel was truly a joy to read from first to late sentence. It’s captivatingly and accessibly written, but in a beautiful way, where there’s room for all the heavier emotions, but also hope and humour. And it doesn’t exactly hurt that you’re also hit by a brilliant plot twist, just as one becomes convinced that you know where this will end. ”

• “A truly wellwritten young adult novel with very strong emotions and a surprising plot. Loneliness, identity, friendship and love, beautifully woven into one another. It awakens a curiousity in the reader. A curiousity for the characters we get to follow. A fantastic novel for the older high schoolers.” ”

• “I fell head-over-heel for this one. (…) It contains so many good perspectives on being young and togetherness. ”

• “This novel was just as wonderful as I had hoped. (…) I was completely immersed. And I simply love the title and its explanation! If you’re a fan of young love, identitycrises, friendship and vulnerability, then this is completely perfect for you. ”

• “Despite several heavier themes like loneliness, otherness and terminal illness this is a life-affirming story that will resonate with many young people. [Lise Villadsen] writes at eye-level with the young without moralizing or speaking down to them. It is a well-written, relevant novel for both young people in high school and for adults. ”

• “Lise Villadsen is brilliant at writing about young people. The characters are credible and sympathetic. /…/ A captivating, moving and entertaining young adult novel about falling in love, honesty and about feeling like an outsider and insecure about oneself. ”

• “Yet again Lise Villadsen has written a stunning YA-novel about friendship, loneliness and the difficulties in standing up for yourself. About how a sense of community can save people. All of it with both humour and gravity, heavy subjects and light. ”

• “A moving and powerful YA-novel. /…/ The Supermassive Black Hole Club is an affecting book about self-esteem and priorities here in life. /…/ The book is moving and thought-provoking, in that it poses important questions: It’s tough being lonely, but it’s also tough being someone that others look upon with pity. ”

• “The novel is written in a pleasantly light and direct language, that exudes vigour and humour. You get under the skin of the young characters that are part of the sorte hullers klub. /…/ I hope it reaches many young readers. It gets my warmest recommendation at least. ”

• “This book was fantastic, and I want to read it again, /…/ It contains so many emotions – and important themes. Moving, well-written and simply completely ingenious novel. /…/ If you haven’t yet read anything by Lise Villadsen -get going! I can absolutely only recommend it. ”

• “Lise Villadsen is excellent at creating believable, sympathetic and funny characters in her young adult novels. /…/ The Supermassive Hole Club is both a heart rendering and life-affirming young adult novel. ”

• “In my opinion Lise Villadsen writes some of the best contemporary Danish young adult novels out there. She has her finger on the pulse (…) and young people will come back for more of her novels.”

• “Lise Villadsen has a unique ability to write out the feelings that we all, and particularly young people, can recognize.”

• “This was a genuinely moving read. The story touched me deeply. (…) Full of hope, humour and heart. Lise Villadsen has written the most beautiful gem of a novel about loneliness, friendship, young love, lies and anger. ”

• “I sit with a knot in my stomach and tears in my eyes long after I’ve finished reading. /…/ I was moved and caught with my pants down by Lise Villadsen’s crazy plottwist. /…/ This book everyone ought to read and experience for themselves. ”

• “I thought I had the plot figured out. (…) And now I sit here in my sofa an utterly amazing reader’s experience richer, moved and at the same time like I’ve been punched in the gut. /…/ Lise Villadsen is one of the very best young adult writers we have here. ”

• “My generation’s The Breakfast Club in the shape of a novel. The Supermassive Hole Club is in every way a thrilling and moving tale. [Villadsen] tells with great insight and empathy about these rather quirky and lovable young people having a hard time. /…/ I loved this one. Just as I loved The Breakfast Club. I want to recommend it to all young people, as it tells a story about how you’re never alone, and that you are just the way you’re meant to be. Sometimes we forget how tough it is to be young, and that The Supermassive Black Hole Club reminds us of.”

• “Lise Villadsen truly achieves to make the reader feel at home with these characters. It’s a novel that treats heavier subject matters, but with a big spoonful of humour. ”

• “Who would have thought, there was a John Green within Lise Villadsen? /…/ This is John Green gone meta with a Villadsen-twist. It’s absolutely perfect and just as it should be. ”

• “The story achieves to surprise along the way, in that the plot takes an unexpected turn, and from thereon it can be difficult to predict how it will end. Along the way the novel awakens a lot of various emotions in the reader – I experienced both feelings of surprise, empathy, frustration and gratitude – in the space of about 200 pages. The Supermassive Hole Club is written in an accessible language directed to the young and can be a support for young people that in one way or another struggle with something psychological, be it loneliness, anxiety or low self-esteem. It is topical and important in a time, where an increasing number are unhappy or struggle psychologically. /…/ The novel articulates how important it is to remind oneself to live life, whilst one can and be grateful for each day. /…/ Villadsen has written an important and moving novel that achieves to bring various emotions to the forefront. She writes in a humorous tone, whilst the gravity in the story also finds a way forward and gets its rightful space. Something I really liked about the story was that it encouraged the reader to reflect over some ethical questions about things like organ donation and authenticity in the face of fraud. All in all I think Villadsen accomplishes to bring up some important topics that she conveys in a great way in an accessible, great-flowing language. ”

• “Lise Villadsen writes in a language that fits well with its target audience. /…/It’s a novel that can inspire many conversations. The increased unhappiness among young people won’t go away because the read a novel about lonely young people, but here are six different characters they can see themselves reflected in. ”

• “The novel is moving and as a reader you become both angry, frustrated, sad and happy along the way. /…/ A story that many will recognize themselves in. ”

• “Fantastically well-written and captivating novel for young people, about a budding community that is tested, strengthened and shows its worth, when it truly matters. The author spot-on describes the feeling of being wrong and an outsider and struggling with the courage to stand up for yourself and your own sense of inadequacy. It’s very likely that many young will see themselves reflected in this group of lonely people.”