Name: Ash Hoe's review of The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen
Item: The Infinite Noise
Rating: 3.5
Author: Ash Hoe

Lauren Shippen

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. “What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox on The Bright Sessions) At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A Bright Sessions Novel

The Infinite Noise

Freso

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. “What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox on The Bright Sessions)

I enjoyed reading this story of Caleb and Adam, especially since I was a big fan of the fiction podcast The Bright Sessions back in 2018, and I've been shipping them so hard. I've decided to go with the audiobook because the narrator for Caleb is the same voice actor in The Bright Sessions, so it's nice to have this sense of familiarity when I listened to the audiobook. 

The beginning of the story started great, but I do feel the ending was a little hasty, and it might confuse people who have not listened to the podcast before. Every time there's a character that's from the podcast showed up, I couldn't help but picture the stories behind them, and it added a lot more sense to that storyline.  

Overall, it's a very enjoyable read for me as it felt like a deep dive into Caleb and Adam's relationship development that we didn't get to have in the podcast. 

Ash Hoe

I enjoyed reading this story of Caleb and Adam, especially since I was a big fan of the fiction podcast The Bright Sessions back in 2018, and I've been shipping them so hard. I've decided to go with the audiobook because the narrator for Caleb is the same voice actor in The Bright Sessions, so it's nice to have this sense of familiarity when I listened to the audiobook. 

The beginning of the story started great, but I do feel the ending was a little hasty, and it might confuse people who have not listened to the podcast before. Every time there's a character that's from the podcast showed up, I couldn't help but picture the stories behind them, and it added a lot more sense to that storyline.  

Overall, it's a very enjoyable read for me as it felt like a deep dive into Caleb and Adam's relationship development that we didn't get to have in the podcast. 

Briar's Reviews

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 Goodreads First Reads.

aoife

i started this about two hours ago and finished it in one sitting so um yeah....this is a good book!!!!!!

Tiffany Robinson

The Infinite Noise alternates between two points of view, Caleb and Adam. Caleb is having a hard time controlling his emotions lately which causes him to get into a fight and lands him in therapy. He ends up seeing Dr. Bright who informs him that he is an atypical which is a person with special abilities and it turns out he is an empath who can feel peoples emotions. In therapy he is learning how to get a better control of his abilities so they don't overwhelm him. During his session he mentions Adam who when he is around he has a better control of his gift and he likes the way it makes him feel even if Adam has big emotions that overwhelm sometimes. Adam has his own problems that he is dealing with, but as they get closer and their relationship grows they both start to feel more like themselves.
From the first page this story just sucked me in. I really enjoyed learning about Caleb and seeing his journey with his abilities. I liked that he didn't master his powers straight away so to see his go through everything was kind of refreshing. I also really enjoyed the character development.
One of the things I did not like was the therapy sessions seemed very repetitive and sometimes I felt like they talked about the same things over and over again. 
Going into this book I did not know that is was based off a podcast so this book definitely makes me want to go back and listen so I can get more in depth with this world and different atypicals. I can not wait to read the next book in the series to meet some new characters. 
 I received an advance readers copy of this book.

Anna Agarwal

Karolina

Caleb Michaels seems to be a normal teenager. He is in the football team, have average grades and is one of the popular students. However, there is something about him that even he doesn’t know about. He has a very big issue to stay focused and anger. He also feels overwhelmed if he’s surrounded by too many people. 
After he got into a fight with one of his classmates, his parents make an appointment with a therapist for him. This day explains everything that he felt for a long time. Therapist discovered in his characteristics of people called Atypical. He’s an empath. It means that he can feel people emotions. At first, it’s very hard because he cannot see a difference between his emotions and people emotions. His therapist teaches him how to see them as the colors so he can differentiate them from each other. It’s not getting easier for him as he is surrounded by a lot of students every day at school. He tries to find a getaway from it. One day, he catches feelings of one person that helps him to get rid of other people emotions. 

Adam Hayes’s life isn’t the easier one for a long time. He struggles with depression, school bullying, lack of friends and the absence of his parents that work all the time. He’s one of the smartest people in the school but it doesn’t help him with popularity. He doesn’t see any upcoming light to his life until Caleb Michaels comes to his life and tries to befriend him. At first, he cannot understand how this is happening. He has a crush on Caleb for a long time and as much as he dreamed about spending time with him, he still thinks it’s just a kind of prank. 

They are both light and a getaway for each other. They also both have secrets that can turn them from each other. 

My thoughts: 

Let’s start with both the main characters of the book that I admire more than anything else. I can’t even say who I like more because both were just so unique and perfect. Adam on one side sarcastic and confident and the other soft and broken. Caleb as much as he seems confident, he also has his doubts and issues. They both needed someone who will help them to get through life and they found each other. They never thought how it will turn out at the end and that’s the most beautiful part of this story. The story shows that gender doesn’t matter if it comes to love. Love is love and that’s the only thing that matters. 

I love the aspect of Caleb being an empath in the book. The way he knew people emotions and he used it for his advantage in the conversation is priceless. The book has two sides: the sad one and a humorous one. I laughed a lot but also cried during reading it. It reminded me about the book Will Grayson, Will Grayson because it had a similar vibe as this book. I love both so I need more books like this in my life. 

I think a part of the story when they get to know each other more is my favorite one. Their thoughts just were so hilarious. As much as you think Adam will be the shy one, Caleb struggling with it at the beginning as well. I don’t know if it’s because of Adam’s emotions but it’s still very cute how much they blush next to each other. 
I think this book is a perfect read for anyone that likes to read high school love stories, LGBTQ books, and unique stories. I can’t wait until the book will be published so I can buy a copy for myself and read it again. This book is a need on our shelves and believes me I am not saying it often.
 
I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates for providing me this copy in exchange for an honest review. I was enjoying a book more than I thought I will.

Kerri McDonald

Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

My heart, you guys. I literally just finished this book and my heart cannot handle it!

This is the story of Caleb and Adam, two high school boys having a rough time of it but for very different reasons. Adam has depression and Caleb has ALL THE FEELINGS. That is to say that Caleb is an empath and can feel everyone's feelings which is exactly as exhausting as it sounds. As the story evolves, the relationship between our two main characters blossoms into something much more than friendship. But Caleb's ability and Adam's mental health make things tougher than a typical high school romance.

There are a lot of reasons why I loved this book, but we're gonna start with something I usually don't enjoy: the romance. The slow burn romance, you guys! Ugh, it was *chef's kiss* perfect. It felt like falling in love for the first time and I absolutely adored it. It certainly helps that the two main characters are just so relatable. I grew to love Caleb and Adam and I found myself rooting so hard for everything to work out between them. They were beautifully written. So flawed and real and fragile... ugh, there were so many times I just wanted t give them a hug!

Another aspect that I loved was the writing. I was a little curious how a podcast would be adapted into a book and I honestly had never heard of The Bright Sessions before, but I think that this adaptation was brilliant. The writing made me feel all the feelings, y'all. I teared up, I smiled, I laughed. I even went on a mini-rant in the breakroom at work at one point. I'm fairly certain the one co-worker in the room with me at the time thought I had lost it.

Totally worth it.

Anyways... this book was a delight, even with the tough topics that it tackles. I loved how mental health is handled in the story. I have never suffered from depression, but I have loved more than one person who has. To read how Adam described his feelings when he was having a depressive episode and Caleb's feelings of helplessness resonated with me. The way all feelings are described in the story was beautiful, too. It was so evocative of the actual feelings that it was infectious!

Honestly, I could probably ramble on about this book for awhile longer, but then I would probably get into spoiler territory. So let's just end with I loved it! This would be a great book for kids who have dealt with depression or who are trying to figure out how to deal with all the insane feelings that come with puberty. 

Or just anyone who wants to feel all the feelings in 300+ pages or less.

Or if you love you a good slow burn romance cause this one is gooood.

Enough talk. Just go read it!

Boy romance! Superpowers! Mental health rep!

The Infinite Noise is based off Shippen's podcast The Bright Sessions - a fictional audio drama that follows a therapist who works with teenagers who discover and live with various superpowers, known as Atypicals.

Our MC is Caleb, who is an Atypical with the ability to experience other people's feelings. Which, understandably, is a blessing and a curse. So what happens when he crosses path with Adam, a teen who struggles with Major Depressive Disorder?

Above all, the mental health representation in this book is absolutely fantastic. I am an own-voices reviewer for this book, as I also have a diagnosis for Major Depressive Disorder. And I have never felt so validated and heard and understand as I did when reading this book. The story centers around how such a disorder can impact on one's relationships with other people, as well as the way therapy can interplay with people throughout there struggles, as well as everyday life.

The romance is absolutely precious and I promise you won't be disappointed. This is something else that truly touched me in this story. The tenderness of learning how to be in a relationship when one person struggles with their mental health was so well portrayed. It's not all nice and easy, but if you get it right it is irreplaceable. 

There was not a huge amount of world-building regarding the super-powers aspect of the story. I am really hoping that Shippen continues with more Bright Sessions books to follow on from this, because the way she fleshes the world out in the podcast is really great. But overall, this is meant to be a character-driven story. 

I think this is honestly one of my favourite books of 2019. This is one of those books that I honestly just want to force everyone to read because the feelings it will make you feel are some of the best and worst you will get from a book. 

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Abi Baker

okay it may not be perfect but there is a reference to a summer in ohio from the last five years and honestly what more could you want?

zilver 

Heather Killeen

Well, I just devoured this book in a day! It was just so sweet and relatable. I appreciated seeing a MC character suffering from mental illness and the unique way the other main character interacts and supports him. It's also just a super sweet love story and I definitely got caught up in all the feels <3

Jessica Nottingham

Okay, bear me with friends. It’s been quite a while since I last wrote a review and actually I read this book over the span of 4 months so my thoughts are a little mushy. However I can firmly tell you that The Infinite Noise is a wonderful story. It’s full of love, heartache, beautifully rendered mental health discussions, and the perfect amount of science fiction. I had to set this book down in the middle of it, when my reading mojo went away, and picking it back up later was effortless. I had missed Caleb and Adam. It was so wonderful to step right back into their world.

We’re in a beautiful age of books that deal so expertly with mental health, and I think that’s wonderful. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I teared up while reading this book, mainly because the way that Shippen details Adam’s depression. Not only was the explanation spot on, as Caleb learned all about Adam’s feelings, but the way that Caleb dealt with it was perfection. Sometimes just sitting next to someone and navigating that darkness with them, even if you don’t know what to say to make it better, is so key. I couldn’t help but sob a little as I watched them navigate this weird relationship that was building between them and do it with so much feeling.

I’m going to stop here, because like I said I’m rusty at writing reviews and I’m not sure how to unravel my yarn ball of thoughts. What I will say though is that this book is lovely. It’s full of real feelings, and real work on navigating through them. It’s full of great relationships, realistic interactions between peers, and the kind of family love that makes me want to cuddle up and sob. Trust me when I say that this book about feelings will absolutely make you feel. A lot. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Rachel Schommer

Admittedly, I did listen to the entire "Bright Sessions" podcast; I'd have loved to keep listening to "AM Archives" if they didn't move it to a Luminary Exclusive...but that's not the point. The point is I already knew and loved these characters, so I knew no matter what that I'd enjoy this book. And I did! But it didn't really offer anything additional to the podcast outside of having Caleb and Adam's story all together from front to back without the interruption of another story line. 

I really just think Caleb and Adam are so endearing! 💙

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The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen

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