Boy Swallows Universe vs The Faithless: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Dysfunctional families, Families, Fiction
Boy Swallows Universe
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Raw, whimsical, existential, heartbreaking, modern mythology
The Faithless
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Don't miss NO REGRET, the brand new novel from Martina Cole. Coming October 2025. With family, there's a dangerous line between love and hate... Reaching the darkest corners of family life, THE FAITHLESS by the…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Boy Swallows Universe has the widest readership — 102318 ratings behind its score.
- The Faithless runs the darker storyline; Boy Swallows Universe stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Boy Swallows Universe | The Faithless | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (102318) | 4.2 (3894) |
| Hardcover | 4.4 (104) | 4.0 (3) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (92) | — |
Reception
| Boy Swallows Universe | The Faithless | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 102318 | 3894 |
| Editions | 11 | 3 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 80 | 1534 |
| Reading it now | 35 | 411 |
| Written reviews | 2 | 194 |
| Wikipedia attention | 2439 | 891 |
| Pages | 472 | 490 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Boy Swallows Universe or The Faithless?
Boy Swallows Universe has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Boy Swallows Universe 4.3/5, The Faithless 4.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: Boy Swallows Universe or The Faithless?
Boy Swallows Universe is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Boy Swallows Universe (472 pages, ≈ 8 h 44 m); The Faithless (490 pages, ≈ 9 h 04 m).
Which is harder to read: Boy Swallows Universe or The Faithless?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Boy Swallows Universe: Moderate; The Faithless: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Boy Swallows Universe: 1 film adaptation; The Faithless: no film adaptation on record.