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evelynyle_88's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Death
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
bumblemee's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.5
Liked a lot of aspects and especially the space stuff. I don't know why I didn't fully love it, but I'll probably read another book by this author at some point because I think he's got some great books in him. Oh, and the cover is amazing, I love it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
gcoulsxn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders
emmaward55's review
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I don't care about space. Never have. It always seemed so big and empty and boring to me, when our own planet is full of vibrant life everywhere you look.
Stamper's debut novel made me care. It swept me up in the eager sense of adventure and discovery and it made me wish NASA really was making these arrangements in real life. It made me wish I'd been able to appreciate being born in a world pre-moon landing, just for that incredible moment of knowing we'd done the seemingly impossible. How amazing must that have felt?
We get a glimpse of it in Stamper's prose and he really captures something special in each chapter. The writing itself is compelling, easy to read and heart-warmingly REAL. The only time I put this book down was to sleep! The fast pace and dramatic twists felt expertly tweaked to create a genuine reaction in the reader. I found myself crying out at the juiciest moments, my emotions on the line as well as Cal's own personal stakes.
I know there's a short story sequel to this book and I'll 100% be picking it up. Until then, I recommend that you get your hands on this book. If it can make my anti-space self care about our universe, it'll be ideal for anyone who thinks there's value in looking to the stars.
Stamper's debut novel made me care. It swept me up in the eager sense of adventure and discovery and it made me wish NASA really was making these arrangements in real life. It made me wish I'd been able to appreciate being born in a world pre-moon landing, just for that incredible moment of knowing we'd done the seemingly impossible. How amazing must that have felt?
We get a glimpse of it in Stamper's prose and he really captures something special in each chapter. The writing itself is compelling, easy to read and heart-warmingly REAL. The only time I put this book down was to sleep! The fast pace and dramatic twists felt expertly tweaked to create a genuine reaction in the reader. I found myself crying out at the juiciest moments, my emotions on the line as well as Cal's own personal stakes.
I know there's a short story sequel to this book and I'll 100% be picking it up. Until then, I recommend that you get your hands on this book. If it can make my anti-space self care about our universe, it'll be ideal for anyone who thinks there's value in looking to the stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Mental illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, and Bullying
Also: Moderate: Plane crash, underage drinking Re: Toxic relationship -books_and_fairy_lights's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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? Yes
4.5
"I'm not fixed, but I'm a little better."
- This quote quite nicely summarizes what this book has done for me.
I'll be honest, it was a lot better than I had expected. I went in expecting a breezy story of mlm fluff - and it was, but it was far from being shallow and I could relate to so many sides of the two main characters. Cal and Leon's story is soft and sweet, and yes, idealistic but not overly naive. It's hopeful. It reminded me of what it was like to love someone with my whole being and wanting that person more than anything in the universe. It also made me wish I could find someone with whom I feel that way again (but not in a sad way of "I'm alone and life sucks", in a hopeful way as "I have faith in love and life and I will be happy like that again someday"). Anyway it was a great book and I think it came to me at the right time in my life.
- This quote quite nicely summarizes what this book has done for me.
I'll be honest, it was a lot better than I had expected. I went in expecting a breezy story of mlm fluff - and it was, but it was far from being shallow and I could relate to so many sides of the two main characters. Cal and Leon's story is soft and sweet, and yes, idealistic but not overly naive. It's hopeful. It reminded me of what it was like to love someone with my whole being and wanting that person more than anything in the universe. It also made me wish I could find someone with whom I feel that way again (but not in a sad way of "I'm alone and life sucks", in a hopeful way as "I have faith in love and life and I will be happy like that again someday"). Anyway it was a great book and I think it came to me at the right time in my life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
cheye13's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol
ciao_potatoes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
sn0wman's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Don’t get me wrong - it’s a decent book especially for a debut novel. But, with that being said, I have to recognise that this was not for me - a lot of it felt too… artificial? In a sense? Where it took me out of the story to the point where the actions of Cal actually confused and somewhat irritated me at times. Personally, I found the pacing off too - a lot of very big things happen that seem to get automatically resolved over a very limited amount of pages.
Again, i stress it’s not a bad book - however, it also probably won’t be one I pick up to reread again soon, nor would it be one I’d recommend to my friends to go out and read at all costs.
Again, i stress it’s not a bad book - however, it also probably won’t be one I pick up to reread again soon, nor would it be one I’d recommend to my friends to go out and read at all costs.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
stagehand_bookworm's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death
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