Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Single mum Claire is a proud ferocious mama to Ethan. She strives to five him a great life while he struggles. Now Ethan us close to his teenage years he wants to know about his father. Can she pull it altogether for everyone.

I really liked this but felt it needed a bit more for me.

A book I couldn't put down. Wonderfully written with a theme threading through children, families, modern life and scientific past. Loved it.

https://jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/lanzarote-book-by-book/

A joy to read, painful and hopeful. A paradox.

Ethan is an extraordinary twelve year old, he lives with his mother Claire. She is the centre of his universe and, he is hers. Claire is a single mother, she's like any other parent- just trying to do things the right way. He's her life's purpose. She hasn't told Ethan about his father, Mark, she wants to protect her son. But when Mark re-enters her life, all is thrown into doubt. She is plagued by the possibility that she made the wrong choice.

This book was awesome, I loved every moment. Antonia Hayes definitely did her research, all the work that went into writing this book is nothing short of admirable. It paid off, the science within this book inspires humility, sadness, torment and that grappling realisation that we don't have all the answers, and you can certainly understand Ethan's enthusiasm for the subject of Physics. There was a John Green vibe, but still this book was an original in its own right. I've never read anything like it. There was introspection and feeling, you get a sense that real lives are on the line, and a feel that many people have lived a life like this- shaped around the making of one mistake: shaken baby syndrome. The book's focus wasn't just on any one character, just as no one person is at the centre of everyone's universe. It's all about relativity, there are no absolutes.

I loved all the main characters, a rarity for me. It was all down to the writer's talent, she told the full story, we learnt so much about Ethan, and his parents- before and after his birth. He was tormented, bullied in school but thrived in the classroom. An intelligent child, brave and curious. What was especially endearing about him, was his humility- he didn't know how special he was. I guess that's to be expected when he lived on the notion that he's father left because of him, it's heart breaking to think that so many children grow up believing this.

We see the development of the relationship between father and son, how they become close, we see the hope of there being a future of them together. But, we also see the power that acceptance of mistakes, of the past, has on the process of moving forward. It's crucial. We also see the beautiful relationship between Claire and Ethan, it hurt to learn that Claire blamed herself, just as Ethan did. This is a book that makes it a challenge to not get emotionally invested. I cared as soon as I met Ethan. Needless to say, at this point, but this book made it to my favourites!

I received this book through NetGalley.

Ethan is 12 and living in Australia with his mother Claire but he does not know anything about his father Mark, he knows he is different to the other kids but doesn't really know why.....physics is his world, but after a seizure where the hospital know all about him he starts to question

Claire hates Mark and blames him for Ethan's problems and the brain damage as a baby but she cant help remembering the love for him as well and this is causing a problem now that he is back

A lovely story with great characters and emotional pulls but found I did have to skip a bit over parts about physics......science was never my bag!

A well written book which was both heart breaking and emotional but handled sensitively and well researched.

Relativity by Antonia Hayes is the story of a broken family that is connected by their love and knowledge of the planets and physics. Ethan is raised by his mother Claire and knows absolutely nothing about his father. However, a decade later his father, Mark, reappears in Sydney and due to a complicated connection of events, he attempts to reconnect with his family.

Relativity switches between the perspectives of Ethan, Claire and Mark throughout the novel. I really enjoyed this aspect because it helps the story unfold in layers and as a reader you constantly change your perspective and ideas on what exactly is happening. There are also time jumps in the novel that kept me interested in the plot and wanting to find out what is going to happen next.

To say I am not a physics expert is an understatement. I about failed every single science-y course in high school. This meant that Relativity was a challenge for me at times. Ethan, and his father, are very interested in planets and the concepts of physics. While Antonia Hayes does a good job explaining these concepts, I sometimes did not understand how they fit into the story. There were pages of physics talk that I did not understand and I wish I was able to connect them to the story better.

The story overall was really interesting. I won't really talk about the big events that reconnect Mark to his family, because it is really exciting to see them slowly unfold on paper when you have no clue what is about to happen. Antonia Hayes is very successful in combining a character based story with an interesting and original plot. While I found the pacing often too slow for my liking, the story was gripping enough that I couldn't put the novel down.

Overall, Relativity is an original story, especially because it has an interesting and unconventional ending. I enjoyed reading this story and I would recommend it for people with an interest in our cosmos and physics. That knowledge will probably help you connect certain concepts better with the story, but even without it, it is still an enjoyable and emotional read.

I read this book with interest in the subject matter, Shaken Baby Syndrome is a hard subject and not one spoken of often unless speculating or gossiping. This book, however, is written from the point of view of all involved, including Ethan, the child in question.
I loved the way the subject was handled and felt there was just enough description of the moments it happened. Brilliantly written to show the whole thing without getting lost in legal terms. But, there was way to much physics and science in it for my liking. Ethan is a gifted child with his knowledge of science, as is his dad... but for a general reader to follow a lot of that part of the book is very hard. I tended to skip the bits that Stephen Hawkins would love and concentrated on the actual story.

Claire is a single mum to twelve year old Ethan. He is exceptionally gifted and seems to absorb tricky physics issues and astronomy information like his peers do with Pokemon stats. Now that he is twelve and moving into puberty he is thinking more about his Dad. All he knows is that he left when Ethan was four months old and that he feels an inner guilt about what may have caused that absence.

One day out of the blue Claire gets a letter from Mark, her ex husband. His father is dying and very much wants to meet his grandson again before he dies. Claire has a dilemma. If Mark comes back into their lives she will have to tell Ethan what happened all those years ago. Why Mark had to leave.

This is a beautiful book that is so cleverly written. The threads of physics and astronomy weaving themselves into the story and beautifully illustrating the turmoil that the family are experiencing. I loved the descriptions of Ethan being able to "see Physics" and it makes it so much easier for a non scientist to be able to understand.

There are some very difficult issues at play in this story, not least the issue of Shaken Baby Syndrome which has seen some heartbreaking real life legal battles, but it is all dealt with in such a sympathetic way that although your heart may be breaking you will still have a smile on your face.

Supplied by Net Galley and Corsair in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite different to anything I have read before. I do like a book that informs me as well as entertains and this certainly fits the bill!

The story is about Ethan, a young boy with a fascination for the stars and physics, his mum and dad. I really enjoyed the way Antonia wove the emotions around the science - it made for an interesting read.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So perfect, so heartbreaking, so wonderful.