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bent5390's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bethbarnham's review against another edition
5.0
All I can say about this brilliant YA read is that I wish I had something like this to read when I was a teenager, from a queer perspective at least. It subtly explores so many issues that teenagers face such as making difficult decisions about their own life when their parents have plans for their own careers, friendships, relationships, all whilst in the backdrop of a cool reality TV set of real-life astronauts. We particularly see how Cal navigates his life as he discovers he’s queer, all the while not quite understanding his full self and how that separates from his friendship back home in NY with Deb. Simultaneously exploring his new-found identity in Texas as he finds himself drawn to Leon. It’s a great coming of age for the new generation, sure Cal isn’t the best ‘character’, he’s full of flaws, he doesn’t make the best decisions, he hurts his friends and sometimes overeggs his new relationship with Leon. But, Cal is 17. None of us are perfectly carved at 17, and I think it’s representative of finding your feet, your first love, making new friends in a new city, all whilst your family has made plans without really considering the impact on you as a teenager.
meggie82461's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
I pulled some sort of muscle somewhere, so I am not a happy camper. I’m surly and not in the mood to be creative, but this book deserves a review, so we’re going with list format:
Likes:
1. Astronauts and queer people! The crossover I never knew I needed
2. Leon was Black, which let's be honest- the romance genre as a whole needs diversity. I can name at least twenty captive romances off the top of my head, but maybe two stories with interracial couples
3. The NASA stuff was super interesting, and filming a reality show alongside a mission to Mars was a necessary detail. I love nerds as much as the next person, but in a book, you need conflict, and let's face it- reality television is a great source for drama.
4. I liked that Cal was a blogger/influencer/self-made reporter. I know a lot of people bitch about young people and their social media obsession, but the author did a good job of taking this part of Cal's life seriously. It was important to him, thus it was important to the book. I mean, let's be honest; there is a whole generation out there that only gets their news from social media. And are they any worse off than those that get it from a (likely biased) TV source?
5. Cal's vintage cassette tape collection made me feel old, but I loved it. Nirvana, Cheap Trick, HEART?!
6. Cal’s family was far from perfect, but they weren’t comically fucked up, either. His parents fought, his mom had anxiety, and his dad was a little selfish. But they figured it out, because they were functional adults that wanted to make it work.
7. Leon’s depression was handled very well. I felt Cal’s desperation, and eventual acceptance. And there were no magic cures, either. Cal had to learn to listen, not fix. Leon’s depression was important, obviously, but it also didn’t define him.
8. Same with Cal’s mom’s anxiety. It didn’t make her weak.
Dislikes:
1. I loved the beginning, when Cal was living in NYC. You could tell the author loved New York, and it made the details beautiful. That kind of description disappeared when Cal moved to the Houston suburbs, and I missed it.
2. Cal was monumentally selfish and SO dramatic. The whole idea that it was unacceptable that his dad’s dream was interfering with his dreams annoyed me. It was like he thought adults can’t try to accomplish their dreams.
3. Cal was not all that likable about 50% of the time. But that could be because I can’t stand people that meticulously plan everything. It would’ve been okay if he didn’t judge people for not being that way... but he kinda did.
4. The point made by the “villains” of the book- that we needed to divert funds to schools and mental health treatment, not space travel- was not wrong, and I actually would’ve sided with those people IRL.
5. The whole idea that the 60s was some glamorous, bygone era was kinda gross. We all know it was only like that on the surface (and for straight white men). But, this was addressed towards the end, so I probably shouldn’t count it. I did want to point it out, though.
6. Honestly, during the first quarter or so, something about the story didn’t flow as well as I was hoping. It’s hard to describe, but it just... was stunted at parts. This resolved itself eventually, but it made the beginning a little difficult to get into.
So, in other words, the good definitely outweighed the bad... in quantity AND quality. I would definitely read another book by this author. And finally, I recommend it for fans of authors that write about misfits, like Becky Albertalli or John Green.
I pulled some sort of muscle somewhere, so I am not a happy camper. I’m surly and not in the mood to be creative, but this book deserves a review, so we’re going with list format:
Likes:
1. Astronauts and queer people! The crossover I never knew I needed
2. Leon was Black, which let's be honest- the romance genre as a whole needs diversity. I can name at least twenty captive romances off the top of my head, but maybe two stories with interracial couples
3. The NASA stuff was super interesting, and filming a reality show alongside a mission to Mars was a necessary detail. I love nerds as much as the next person, but in a book, you need conflict, and let's face it- reality television is a great source for drama.
4. I liked that Cal was a blogger/influencer/self-made reporter. I know a lot of people bitch about young people and their social media obsession, but the author did a good job of taking this part of Cal's life seriously. It was important to him, thus it was important to the book. I mean, let's be honest; there is a whole generation out there that only gets their news from social media. And are they any worse off than those that get it from a (likely biased) TV source?
5. Cal's vintage cassette tape collection made me feel old, but I loved it. Nirvana, Cheap Trick, HEART?!
6. Cal’s family was far from perfect, but they weren’t comically fucked up, either. His parents fought, his mom had anxiety, and his dad was a little selfish. But they figured it out, because they were functional adults that wanted to make it work.
7. Leon’s depression was handled very well. I felt Cal’s desperation, and eventual acceptance. And there were no magic cures, either. Cal had to learn to listen, not fix. Leon’s depression was important, obviously, but it also didn’t define him.
8. Same with Cal’s mom’s anxiety. It didn’t make her weak.
Dislikes:
1. I loved the beginning, when Cal was living in NYC. You could tell the author loved New York, and it made the details beautiful. That kind of description disappeared when Cal moved to the Houston suburbs, and I missed it.
2. Cal was monumentally selfish and SO dramatic. The whole idea that it was unacceptable that his dad’s dream was interfering with his dreams annoyed me. It was like he thought adults can’t try to accomplish their dreams.
3. Cal was not all that likable about 50% of the time. But that could be because I can’t stand people that meticulously plan everything. It would’ve been okay if he didn’t judge people for not being that way... but he kinda did.
4. The point made by the “villains” of the book- that we needed to divert funds to schools and mental health treatment, not space travel- was not wrong, and I actually would’ve sided with those people IRL.
5. The whole idea that the 60s was some glamorous, bygone era was kinda gross. We all know it was only like that on the surface (and for straight white men). But, this was addressed towards the end, so I probably shouldn’t count it. I did want to point it out, though.
6. Honestly, during the first quarter or so, something about the story didn’t flow as well as I was hoping. It’s hard to describe, but it just... was stunted at parts. This resolved itself eventually, but it made the beginning a little difficult to get into.
So, in other words, the good definitely outweighed the bad... in quantity AND quality. I would definitely read another book by this author. And finally, I recommend it for fans of authors that write about misfits, like Becky Albertalli or John Green.
rkeighley's review against another edition
3.0
A heartwarming queer YA novel, this book covers queer love, mental health, dreams and space. An easy read I loved the characters however felt the story was rushed with gaps I would have liked to be explored more! I was left wanting more from such a cute story!
pjthom's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
callybee's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
joanna1905's review against another edition
3.0
*Rating a 3.5*
This book was a really good, quick, well-written read. I really liked the backdrop of NASA and thought it added a pretty unique element to the story.
Our Mc is pretty likeable but I would have loved to see him do a bit more work on himself and his tendency to sometimes be selfish - not too much in relation to his parents, I think he was completely justified there, but more in his friendship with Deb and his relationship with Leon. I also would have liked a bit more development of these two relationships, so the stakes would feel higher and the relationships more authentic.
I really thought it was was going to turn out that Josh was sabotaging NASA and caused the crash and explosion for publicity, maybe that was too dramatic but I think it could have been a really cool element to the story.
I also would have liked a bit more discussion on if the voyage should actually go ahead, it's clear everyone involved thinks it should however the gov rep who was concerned about the funding going to space instead of to education and healthcare made very good points. Of course, I think exploration is important but in my opinion hearing, some stories from passionate employees does not really change the fact that millions of dollars could be going to people in need instead. So I would have liked to see a bit more of a stronger argument as to why the mission was worth it.
I would have liked this book to lean either further into the romance or had a more sabotagey plot. All in all, it was an enjoyable read!
This book was a really good, quick, well-written read. I really liked the backdrop of NASA and thought it added a pretty unique element to the story.
Our Mc is pretty likeable but I would have loved to see him do a bit more work on himself and his tendency to sometimes be selfish - not too much in relation to his parents, I think he was completely justified there, but more in his friendship with Deb and his relationship with Leon. I also would have liked a bit more development of these two relationships, so the stakes would feel higher and the relationships more authentic.
I really thought it was was going to turn out that Josh was sabotaging NASA and caused the crash and explosion for publicity, maybe that was too dramatic but I think it could have been a really cool element to the story.
I also would have liked a bit more discussion on if the voyage should actually go ahead, it's clear everyone involved thinks it should however the gov rep who was concerned about the funding going to space instead of to education and healthcare made very good points. Of course, I think exploration is important but in my opinion hearing, some stories from passionate employees does not really change the fact that millions of dollars could be going to people in need instead. So I would have liked to see a bit more of a stronger argument as to why the mission was worth it.
I would have liked this book to lean either further into the romance or had a more sabotagey plot. All in all, it was an enjoyable read!
dembury's review against another edition
5.0
A sparkling, fun, and relevant read that is nothing short of delightful! “The Gravity of Us” doesn’t get 5 stars- it gets a whole constellation. ✨⭐️🚀🌙⭐️
Full review on my blog upcoming
Full review on my blog upcoming
czarixi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5