Gave up 2 hours in

I have read all the wonderful reviews on this book.. but I've listened to 2 hours of it, and everything that has happened could be summed up in one short sentence. Very little. Sorry I just found the pace tediously slow.

2 people found this helpful

#OwnVoices shoots for the stars

I really enjoyed this. I love stories about space and while this isn't set in space, it gives me enough space talk to keep me hooked. The world building was solid considering this is a debut novel. This is a story that's so full of heart and personal touches. It's so stinking cute. There's a lot of important topics in here too. Mental health (in both adults and teenagers) exploration of queer relationships and the dichotomy of personal life and social media presence. Almost all the characters are very likeable. And there's enough balance between the light stuff and the heavy to not bog it down too hard. I highly recommend this.

1 person found this helpful

Good, but falls a little short

Really enjoyed this book! I’ve been reading a lot of heavy stuff lately so this was really really nice and light. Read it in two days. I loved the voice acting, Michael Crouch did a great job. My only niggle is the main character is just a bit too pretentious, I didn’t like him very much. His relationship with Leon didn’t seem very intense or meaningful. There was never any major drama! Depression isn’t a personality trait. Nor is owning a cassette player.

Is this revolutionary? No. But that’s not always a bad thing. This was a nice easy middle of the road book. A nice get away.

Fab book

Ok so hi my name is Ash , if your reading this hi!
i thought that this book was amazing and i really understood Cal and Leons relationship, as a closeted Pansexual and nonbinary older teen i am in awe of theese characters comfidence in themselfs, i loved the general storyline and related to Leons Depression I really love the idea of the Orpheas 5 mission and everyone should give this author a round of applause this book is very underated. Cal’s persona was perfectly captured by Micheal Crouch , His Female impression for Cal’s Mother,Deb and Cat is So good i could belive that i was really with them (though i do wish that)
I came to this Book because it was recomended to me after i listended to They Both Die At The End which is another Amazing LGBTQIA+ Novel narrated by Micheal Crouch. This was suxh an emotional roller coaster and i have listended a solid 4 times, this book really made me think about LGBTQIA+ Rights as where i live The government is denying Non-Binary rights ! please Listen to us and this book !!!!!!! thanks for listening to my rant and congrats if u made it to the end xx be proud of who you are and enjoy your evening :D

Beautiful ✨

Queers & Space are my two favourite things, this story is so beautiful, I could picture every scene and visualise everything thanks to the amazing narration! 💛

Underwhelming

This wasn't terrible but it was dull. The shooting stars aspect just never grabbed me and although I could suspend belief over the Mars thing the way the story pans out is, frankly, a little dumb.
The biggest problem I had is that at no point did I care about the characters, I never became emotionally invested in them especially the development of Cal and Leon's relationship which at best feels like a minor side plot, a boring one at that. I've listened to hour long radio dramas where I've cared more about the characters. Cal isn't exactly dislikeable but nor is he particularly likeable and Leon barely registers, the family relationships offer something which is better than the nothingness of the rest if it but it feels like we only ever scratch at the surface. It was a struggle to make it through to the underwhelming and predictable conclusion.

The previous two books I've listened to in this genre- 'The Infinite Noise' and 'We Contain Multitudes' are vastly superior at putting you inside the heads of the characters, making you care for them and actually feel something. I'd reccomend them over this any day.

It was great

I liked the m/m romance the most. Definitely a sweet little read. 3.5✨
I would reread.

Loved the story

The voice cast did an excellent job portraying the characters and the story was really good.

Best gay romance story I've ever read

Best thing about this novel is the actual story. I became completely invested in both the story of the space mission and the main character's drive to become a journalist. the gay Romance although brilliant didn't take centre Stage and I really loved that.

Queer plus space exploration? Yes, please!

"Don’t aim to fix people. Fixing seems so permanent, so absolute. Like there’s no room for error. Aim to make things better."

Yes, this book gives a childhood nostalgia vibe since I know I'm not the only one who dreamt of being an astronaut. The promise of exploration and being closer to the stars is all what this book is all about but a different kind of exploration and stars.

The Gravity of US is a 2020 release with a fresh take on teenage queer romance by centering the plot on Cal Lewis, Jr., a budding influencer and aspiring journalist, whose life suddenly turned upside down after his father, Calvin Lewis, Sr.,was announced as the last astronaut that completed NASA's project on exploring Mars, Orpheus V.

With this news comes a supernova of life-changing decisions, from Cal's last minute attempt to stay in Brooklyn and continue with his Flashfame streaming and do his impending Buzzfeed internship to finally admitting defeat and get a new start in Clear Lake, Texas - the place where Orpheus astronauts' family are located.

But changes can be overwhelming and will Cal manage to blend in Clear Lake with all its flawless image and glorious families?

I was intrigued to finally start this recent release and I grabbed the chance to devour it since space exploration and queer romance is a perfect combination for a refreshing read.

The promise of a unique storyline was presented decently. Cal and his eminence in the social media platform Flashfame was convincing, thanks to the authors love for space exploration since his childhood the dialogues of our MC are written as crisp as how a fanatic talks like.

I also love how this book exposes people's fascination on reality show and how the producers manipulate it for drama. I hate Josh Farrow and Kiara and the entire Starwatch crew for focusing on the astronauts' family and toying with their emotion especially with the forced Mark Bannon tribute episode.

The Tuckers family is the ultimate goals! I love how Kat and Leon are both welcoming and not two-faced,and Grace being theotherly figure that she is.

Leon is also perfectly developed and clearly complemented Cal's personality. Their combination is unique but also satisfying. I love how Phil developed their relationship with brilliant tension without compromising the showcase of a contemporary queer love story.

Overall, this is a fascinating story and an enjoyable coming-of-age book that is recommended if you are looking for teenage queer representation and if you're a fan of space exploration.

RATING: 4stars