The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper was definitely an interesting read! I didn't know much about it going on besides the basics - a teenager with an online following is uprooted from NYC to Texas so that his dad can train as an astronaut for an upcoming mission to Mars and falls in love with another astronaut's son. But there was definitely a lot more to this one. There was a really interesting thread of science throughout this whole book and that was a really enjoyable aspect to the novel. There was also the reality TV which showcased rather unfavourable sides to journalism but also explored some other kinds of media and attempted to make a point about what viewers want vs. what TV producers think viewers want. It was interesting though I wished the author had pulled back slightly on some of it.

On the whole I thought Cal and Leon's relationship was ADORABLE if slightly quick on the uptake. Cal was insufferably self-centred and messed up a lot but that felt realistic too and he at least owned up to his shitty behaviour and called himself on it within the text which I appreciated.

More contemporary books with science-based themes, please!

I feel very in the middle about this book.
There are many things that I loved.  There are many things that I wanted to love.  There are some things that I didn't love.
I love space exploration.  As a kid I was fascinated with the space age, with the Apollo missions and all that.  I think part of me still is with my love of the 50s and 60s.  Their clothes, their music.  Not all of it was great and it was a very misogynistic time.  The Apollo missions are a prime example.  The Apollo missions are all about going to the moon, being the first men (again) to land on the moon.  But anyone who knows anything about Greek mythology knows that Artemis, not Apollo was god of the moon.  And that male dominant attitude is brought up in the books.
When Cal and his family move to Texas to work for NASA they move into a house that NASA has bought, and decorated, for them.  They move into a house that is decorated like it is still the 60s, complete with record players.  They move into the same community were the original astronauts lived with their wives and families.  This was time when women were the 'homemakers' astronaut's wives were expected to have a nice community together and show what a real American house should look like, and cry prettily for pictures as their husbands were shot off into space.
This is a different time and as much as their houses show that era, the people inside them don't.  Stamper shows in his book that we're not living in the past anymore and that we need to meet today, and the future, head on.
Our main character Cal has half a million followers on FlashFame, a video sharing app, has an internship lined up for Buzzfeed over the summer and know exactly where his future will lead.
Until his dad comes home with the news that he is going to be the next astronaut on the Orpheus missions and they are all moving to Texas.
Cal is Brooklyn born and bred.  To paraphrase an English saying, if you snapped him in half, you'd see Brooklyn written all through.  This Brooklyn boy is not ready to move to Texas.  The only thing that makes it even slightly interesting is the boy that he's seen in all the coverage of the Astronaut families.  The boy who was a hopeful Olympic gymnast.  The boy that has the sad look in his eyes when he thinks the cameras aren't looking.
They meet Cal's first day in Texas when the film crews come to cover their arrival and it is instalove.  Not love at first sight.  Love at first sight is sweeter.  This was instalove.
But I should go back a step.  Cal is given one label when it comes to his sexuality.  Queer.  That is all that is said and that was it.
I'm not a lover of labels.  I don't think that one part of yourself, be that black, white, gay straight, trans, cis, (I could go on) defines all of you.  I don't think we need to put ourselves or others into those limiting boxes.  But I do feel the need for discussions between two people.  And nothing is said about Leon's sexuality.
I have my own 'label' and I don't assume that anyone I meet is gay, is straight, is bi, is ace, is pan, is anything.  I get to know the person and I see whether they might like me, whether I like them and in a story, that anticipation, that will they, won't they, the growth of the characters, is important.
There was none of that there.  They just dived right in.
I'm aware that this might me a me problem and not a wider reader problem but I would be interested to see what other who have read this think and whether you agree or disagree with me.
But I digress.
I did love the intrigue and unpredictability of the book.  There were quite a few 'OMG' moments and 'what? really?' moments.  The sort of moments that kept me on the edge of my seat.  I really wasn't expecting such a page turner from a romance.
I loved the ending as well. I've said this a few times recently but I love that the ending wasn't 'and they lived happily ever after' but more 'and they lived.'  It's more open.  More real.  Not every life is happily ever after and love that small level of realism in books.

‘The Gravity of Us’ follows social media vlogger Cal as he and his parents leave bustling Brooklyn for the middle of Texas where his Dad is in the running to become one of NASA’s next astronauts on their latest mission into space.

The first 40% of this book is mainly story building and getting to know the characters a little bit and I found this a bit slow at times. However, after this it really starts to kick into high gear. There are lots of dramatic moments to keep you interested in the story and it turns into a very quick read.

There are quite a few cute moments in ‘The Gravity of Us’ and I really loved the LGBTQ+ relationship and also how much focus there was on mental health. However, I found myself not really connecting with the main character Cal that much. I found him quite selfish and self-centred and although I think this was intentional, it made me not like him even towards the end when he redeems himself a bit.

Overall I enjoyed this book but I think it would appeal more to somebody younger than myself, definitely very YA and would be a great read for teenagers.

I loved it!!!!
Definitely a new instant favourite, it was such a fun cute love story and I couldn’t stop reading. There are so many things I loved I don’t know where to start. The story was so original, I have read so many YA contemporary romances that I love, but a lot of them follow a similar structure, this one is different though. I was a bit weary on the NASA aspect, because space has never been that interesting to me, and I don’t especially enjoy sci-fi books, but it pleasantly surprised me. It didn’t focus too heavily on the science of it, so I wasn’t out of my depth, but I actually found myself interested in the science/ space explanations that were included!
Another thing I liked is the way that the protagonist, Cal, and the love interest, Leon, are both gay, but it is not the main plot point of the story, which is refreshing. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against stories with people coming to terms with their sexuality, but it was nice to see a romance story where their sexuality is a normal, accepted thing.
In terms of the characters themselves, I mostly liked them all and thought they were all really well developed. Cal was definitely flawed in a number of ways; he could be selfish and not always too considerate of other people’s feelings. I thought that it was great that the protagonist was shown to be imperfect and human, it made him more relatable and real, and he was definitely redeemed by the end because he was shown trying to work on his flaws. The romance between Cal and Leon was so sweet, I guess you could argue that it was a bit quick moving, but I really enjoyed reading about their love and found them so cute.
Overall, I loved the story, the characters and the writing and highly recommend it!

I read this book a while back and I really enjoyed it, I liked the aspect of a reality show of setting up for going to space and really enjoyed the main character and the love interest, this book wasn't perfect but it was really enjoyable and definitely recommend for anyone

I didn't hate, nor did I love this book.

I really enjoyed the queer rep in here, the romance (albeit felt a little rushed) and the sci-fi element.

It's hit often we get fiction sci-fi books surrounding NASA specifically. And I really did enjoy that element. I wasn't a huge fan of the reality TV element but I see what Phil was trying to do with that and it worked well in the end.

I struggled to connect with the characters to be honest. My favourite characters were probably Kat, Leon, Grace and Deb. But I struggled with Cal, he's a pretty dislikeable character, relatively selfish, only thinks about himself. Even being stressed out and slightly controlling about Leon not really knowing what he wants to do with his future frustrated me. In other instances, he understood his mums anxiety, knew not to push her, also knew not to push Leon with his depression (only for a little bit though).

Cal and Leon's relationship was adoreable. However, I do wish it wasn't as rushed. It took almost no time for them to hit it off, which is fine, but I would have liked a bit more build up I think.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, and the writing style. I will pick up more from Phil in the future, but unfortunately, this just wasn't a new favourite for me.

Oh boy, I really wanted to fall in love with this book.
Space and gays? I’m all for it!

Unfortunately, I never managed to be fully hooked or completely invested in the story and its characters.

I think one of the faults might have been trying to tackle too many issues at the same time – depression, anxiety, family and financial issues, the media and what it should do, etc. In the end, to me, it just meant that all of the issues were quite superficial. I suffer from both depression and anxiety, and I love seeing both in YA literature, but in this case, it just didn’t work for me – though it wasn’t as bad as some books, far from it!

I’m also not a big fan of instalove. Give me pining, friends-turned-lovers, idiots-in-love and I’ll be the happiest I can be, but Cal and Leon’s story just felt really rushed. I didn’t feel happy for them, nor did I want to yell at them for being absolutely dense. I was just a bit indifferent to what was gonna happen.

I did enjoy the second half of the book more, as it really picks up halfway through. However, even then, it never quite got that "can’t put it down" effect on me!

On the bright side, I liked the mix of space-media, and the idea is a really good one. I also absolutely did not hate the book – it has some great characters, a solid plot and an interesting though too superficial for me look at some current issues.

Overall, it’d be a 6/10. I’m really glad of the diversity it brings into YA, but not as smitten as I was hoping I could be!

This had so much potential to become one of my favorites. The synopsis sounded amazing and I was all for a new queer read, but unfortunately the execution wasn’t for me. I didn’t mesh well with the writing style and the characters were a bit too immature for my tastes. I found the whole social media and NASA thing to be unrealistic. Especially the dad acted very weird for an adult, and since the entire book is triggered by his choices, I don’t think I’m going to be enjoying the book if I keep reading.
I am so thankful to Bloomsbury for proving me with an early copy, which makes it all the more sad to me.
I think this is cute, just not my cup of tea.

This was such a charming read! Seventeen year-old Cal has his entire life uprooted from Brooklyn to small-town Texas when his dad is recruited for NASA's highly publicised mission to Mars. His dad's new job doesn't just involve them moving, but having their lives recorded for a reality tv network called Shooting Stars - seen as a necessity by NASA to keep public interest and government funding. With his entire world having been turned upside down and fully exposed for all to see, a meet-cute with fellow 'Astrokid' Owen may be the best thing that has ever happened to Cal.
The reason this book is so charming is the fact it's a proper old-school romance. Cal and Owen have an instant connection and innate rapport - they are so lovely together and it's a real joy to follow their story. The book is honest and open about their mutual attraction, and the love, loss and longing that comes with your first big relationship.
I'd recommend for students year 9 and above. Although it's not explicit, I think students' slightly closer to Cal's age will appreciate it that much more.

This was a gorgeous book that I really couldn't put down!

It has such an exciting concept. Queer romance combined with reality TV and NASA. How could you not want to read that?!

It's such a cute book and I loved following Cal's relationship with his family and with Leon. At times, the relationship between Cal and Leon felt a bit insta-lovey but the rest of the story meant that this really didn't bother me too much.

I enjoyed the discussion around mental health, that you can't 'fix' someone and that The Gravity of Us showcases a relationship between parents that wasn't perfect. They fought and argued but ultimately loved each other.

I did find at times that the book was too fast paced. It sometimes felt rushed and time moved forward very quickly. I easily could have read a hundred more pages and not have been bored!

One of my favourite parts of the book was all of the geeky NASA stuff. I was so happy when Cal decided to livestream all of the behind the scenes of the Mars mission. If I was one of Cal's followers, that's what I would have been interested in!

This was such an enjoyable book that I really do recommend!

Plot:
Cal is an amateur journalist living in Brooklyn, he does live reports on the FlashFame app which has won him an impressive following, an upcoming Buzzfeed internship and a foot into the world of journalism. But this begins to fall apart as his father is hired as the final astronaut in a team heading to Mars. Cal and his family are relocated to Houston. A reality show sponsoring the Mars mission has complete monopoly over the astronauts and their families - Cal can no longer make content on FlashFame and he and his family are forced to join this reality show. He meets the son of another astronaut, Leon, and falls fast, all while learning more about the mission and the realities of the media.

My thoughts:
This book was so good!! I’m not a massive space fan and I really don’t know a lot about the space race back in the 60s but this book has made me so interested in it! It explores more of how the families were treated and puts it in a more modern setting, with reality TV and social media.

I really liked the characters, the setting and just the whole story. The writing was so gripping and easy to read. I loved the aspect of Cal’s journalism and what he does with it during the book (I don’t want to spoil what it is but there’s just such a great energy that comes with it and I really loved the atmosphere). I loved the ways this book explored the media and social media, it was really interesting to read and I loved the inclusion of the transcripts of the show.

I also loved that Cal and Leon’s relationship was never made a big deal of or outed without their consent through the media. It is something that could have been dramatised and used to cause pain and I’m just so glad it wasn’t (this section is just me having low expectations and nothing against this book!). There was no negativity about their relationship or any homophobia which is something I love and appreciate in books. This book also had rep and discussion of some other things such as mental health (depression and anxiety specifically).

My only problem with this book was that I thought the relationship between Cal and Leon could have done with some more development. It felt a bit like love at first sight because it was so quick and we don’t see them really getting to know each other and growing closer much early on. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not love at first sight, I just wanted more.

Overall, this book was so fun and consuming and sweet and I really loved reading it.

*eARC received in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley*

Honestly, I had high hopes for The Gravity of Us and ultimately I feel really let down. If you’ve seen my reading vlog, you’ll have seen that I was very keen for this book, especially in the beginning. But the whole thing started to go downhill quite quickly.

I adored the basic premise of the main character being a social media star and a wannabe journalist. The mixture of social media fame and reality TV was really interesting, and I think a lot of Booktubers and perhaps book bloggers will be able to relate and connect to the main character, Calvin.

My issues lie with the various relationships that the author tried to portray in this book. Firstly, and most importantly, I thought that Calvin’s relationship with Leon was incredibly rushed. The two of them were telling each other they loved each other very early on, and kept talking as though they had known each other for years. We didn’t have time to get to know Leon before Calvin jumped into a relationship with him.

Calvin also ditched his supposed best friend, who we’re introduced to at the beginning of the book as though she is going to be an important character with a side plot. It was brought up that Calvin ditched her, but I didn’t think there was any progression there, nor was it addressed very well. It was all a bit lacklustre. I thought her potential side plot sounded really interesting, and I would have loved to see more of that. Instead it was as though the author forgot he had introduced her, and her story turned into more of an afterthought.

I’m really disappointed by this one, and I’m going to mope about it for a while.

I had heard about this book before having the opportunity to access a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review.

Going in I knew the book both covered a storyline connected to space exploration with NASA, and also included a queer teen romance. But neither really prepared me for what was actually ahead of me.

This book has a curious balance that I find hard to put into words. It encompasses a number of aspects in the storyline, each depending on one another.

We have Cal (junior) as our protagonist. He has been building a loyal following online, which has opened doors for him that he is excited to pursue. In fact, he is a planner and has his future pretty well mapped out when the impossible happens. His father actually wins a sort of lottery when he is unexpectedly chosen as the last person to be added to a team of astronauts working towards ultimately travelling to Mars. The whirlwind that follows isn't something Cal had been expecting at all, it was so ludicrous seeming to him that an airline pilot would be hired by NASA as an astronaut. In a very short period of time his well planned future is no more for he is in a car, on his way to Texas with his parents, and is about to become a part of the group of families that have already reached celebrity status as their lives are covered by a reality show style programme.

Many things happen in the coming pages, but ultimately the story does cover Cal's growth as his upended plans force him to reevaluate his priorities. Thrust into a new situation and home life, recognising how the changes also impact his parents, discovering new friends (and enemies, of a sort), finding himself wrapped up in an innocent (but thrilling) queer romance, and his realisation that his future plans need restructuring all add to the journey.

The storyline peaked and dipped for me, meaning that parts were of more interest to me than others. However, I am glad to have experienced this book which is really not quite like anything else I have read - a rare thing for a long term avid reader.

I would be more inclined to give this debut novel a 3.5/5, but without the option of half stars I think it deserves to be rounded up for the writing is definitely much better than a three.

There's a lot going on in the story with a large cast of characters; space programme, reality TV, social media, dysfunctional families, anxiety, depression and LGBTQ romance.

For the most part this was positive. Interesting, flawed but lovable characters and a fast paced storyline that didn't have a dull moment. It did cause some problems though as I felt that some storylines and characters didn't get the attention they deserved.

Overall a really enjoyable read.

Book Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

2 stars

Cal is a 17yo journalist wannabe with a big social media following whose life is turned upside down when his dad is enlisted as an astronaut for a mission to Mars and they have to move from everything he knows and loves in NY to Texas.

I loved the idea of this book as I haven't read any YA or contemporary books with space travel and NASA at the forefront of the story, so I enjoyed that aspect of it but sadly that is where my enjoyment ends.

I found Cal to be obnoxious, selfish and incredibly dramatic. Some of his "strops" were like a 12 year old, not 17. He was very arrogant and it really put me off his character despite some of his actions being for the greater good.
I found the romance to be utterly ridiculous as they seemed to barely talk and still "fell in love". It was a way too unbelievable instalove for me.

The storyline was generally fine but the idea that a 17 year old's online videos can do as much as it did is a bit over the top. Everything was just so overdone and dramatic. I also thought the themes of depression and anxiety were really badly handled and were just put in there to get some sort of depth.
I also found the writing to be a little odd. The dialogue was incredibly cheesy and often felt really stilted.

I am gutted that this book didn't work out for me as I was looking forward to it so much but sadly it obviously wasn't for me.

Thank you to @netgalley for gifting this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very, very sweet story and I really enjoyed it. Nothing particularly happens for a long time at the beginning, but around the 50% mark it really picks up the pace.

Cal and Leon's relationship is very cute but also the absolute definition of needing a lot more show than tell. The book told me they were in love, but it didn't make me feel *why*. They were dating from basically the first minute they met, but it didn't really get fleshed out beyond that.

What I did really, really like was all the enthusiasm and hope-punk of the NASA story and I /really/ like how Cal's parents felt like real, believable people.

Oh dear, what a massive disappointment The Gravity of Us was.


I was so excited when I was approved by Netgalley. It felt that this was the book to read, and I had been given an exciting opportunity. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I nearly did DNF this book. I didn't as I was hoping (perhaps a little too eagerly) that this story would improve.


It did not.


Before I dive in with all the things I did not enjoy about the book, I will comment on the few things that I did enjoy.


I loved that this was an LGBTQ+ romance story, as we need more diverse stories. The characters are accepting (and rightly so!) of Cal and Leon's relationship, which was beautiful.


There is a good representation of mental health which is discussed throughout.


Okay, now for what I didn't like.


The romance was way too insta-love for me. Which is an absolute no-no. It fault forced and was super overwhelming. It did nothing for the story; I would have much preferred a slow burn romance. It did not feel at all real. Most of their interactions with one another made me cringe, and I feel this is mainly down to the writer. I wanted to smother myself with a pillow to make it stop.


The story itself sounded interesting but actually reading it... it was just kinda boring? Everything felt too rushed, too forced and there was no time to develop what was happening around the characters. I really struggled to work my way through this book!


The MC Cal was a total nightmare. I could not begin to try and like him. He felt forceful, overbearing and at times just an absolute pain. He was not a nice person. He remarks that living with his best friend Deb is his 'backup plan' if all else fails while living in Texas. I thought this was just terrible! He is an awful best friend and doesn't even try to help her through her situation.


On that note, what about Deb? We are given a backstory that her family life is somewhat worse than Cal's and that's it. We don't learn anything more than her. It's washed over pretty quickly. Give it some sparkle and sunshine and hey! It's resolved pretty easily. No, sorry I just don't buy. It was lazy storytelling. It should have been left out completely if it was never going to be developed.


All in all, this was a pretty poor book. I couldn't give it a rating higher than 2 stars out of 5. Maybe this book is for some but for me, it fell flat right from the get-go.

Gutted is how I feel if I compare my excitement at the beginning and my feelings over this by the end. I feel like THE GRAVITY OF US had all the potential but none of the execution. I couldn’t have been more excited for this context of two NASA teens finding a connection, I couldn’t have felt more let down by the characterisation and plot lines, sadly.

What didn’t work then, you might ask? The protagonist Cal didn’t work for me at all. I was actually invested for the first 25% of this book, overlooking some of the egocentric side of Cal but this all fell flat once the family had moved to Texas. Cal’s character was a lot to handle, the ego, the selfishness; he was bold to the point of being obnoxious to me.

Sadly the story went down the route of insta-touchiness, insta-feelings and insta-love with none of the narrative to make this even slightly tangible. Added to this, I found the handling of mental health issues to be problematic. Depression and anxiety were factors for some of the characters and the lack of time to work on these topics within the story really let that representation down.

I don’t want to flog this horse any more, it’s a painful review to write when I wanted this to be such a different experience. I guess it could work for readers if they are happy to read at the surface only, but really I’m only guessing.

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for the early review copy.

3.5 stars
In this book we follow Cal, a teen in New York with a large following on a platform similar to YouTube. Cal’s dad has always loved space travel and has got a place on a NASA mission to Mars and moves the family to Texas.
We follow the family as they adjust to life in Texas, as astronauts (Cal Sr.) and as they are constantly on camera as there’s a reality series produced about the astronauts and their families.
The Tuckers are the only other family with teenagers so Cal spends a lot of time with Kat and Leon.

I have mixed feelings about this book.
I didn’t particularly like Cal but at the same time, I appreciate the author showing him as a normal, flawed human being. I also had a lot of questions and eyebrow raises throughout the social media sections.

On a more positive note, I enjoyed there being strong female characters represented throughout different areas of the book. I appreciated that Cal and Leon being gay, queer or whatever, wasn’t a big deal or drama - the families just accepted them as long as they are happy - as it should be! I also appreciated the representation and discussions regarding mental health. There are characters with anxiety and depression and I feel they were approached well.
Oh and I LOVE the cover, beautiful colours!

This was a good read but didn’t exactly knock my socks off.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

Thank you Bloomsbury publishing for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredibly heartwarming and I loved reading it!

I really liked Cal, the main character, and his rebellious personality. He knows exactly what he wants and is not willing to compromise his judgements and his ambitions, which I think is an important quality for the young people who read this book to see. It shows the dangers of selfishness when Cal at times isn't as considerate as he should be about others feelings, but also the positives of following your dreams. It's important to be caring of other people and think about how your actions affect them, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't believe that you can do anything too.

There were some really important moments throughout about the importance of family, friends, and caring for one another. I loved a lot of the things about the community spirit of the people involved in the Mars mission and the solidarity that they had with one another in those moments.

The supporting characters were overall well written and I felt like they were all important to the story in their own way and for their own reasons. Leon was a great character who I quickly loved and couldn't wait for more scenes with. I loved watching them get to know each other and see Leon help Cal get used to his new life as the son of one of the astronauts going on the Mars mission. LGBT+ storylines are important and I love how we continue to get them in all stories and genres.

Sci-fi is one of my favourite genres and it was really interesting to read a book that was about space and science from an outside perspective rather than from the inside for a change. It was like reading a book in the unique spot between sci-fi and contemporary with elements from both which I really loved. I think it would be a great book to read if you like either of those genres and would like a book to help introduce you to the other.

Overall, it was a fantastic read and I definitely recommend it!