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The Gravity of Us #1
The Gravity of Us
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2020)In this smart, heart-warming YA debut perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, two teens find love when their lives are uprooted for their parents' involvement in a NASA mission to Mars.
Cal wants to be a journalist, and he's already well underway with almost half a million followers on his FlashFame app and an upcoming internship at Buzzfeed. But his plans are derailed when his pilot father is selected for a highly-publicized NASA mission to Mars. Within days, Cal and his parents leave Brooklyn for hot and humid Houston.
With the entire nation desperate for any new information about the astronauts, Cal finds himself thrust in the middle of a media circus. Suddenly his life is more like a reality TV show, with his constantly bickering parents struggling with their roles as the "perfect American family."
And then Cal meets Leon, whose mother is another astronaut on the mission, and he finds himself falling head over heels - and fast. They become an oasis for each other amid the craziness of this whole experience. As their relationship grows, so does the frenzy surrounding the Mars mission, and when secrets are revealed about ulterior motives of the program, Cal must find a way to get to the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.
Cal wants to be a journalist, and he's already well underway with almost half a million followers on his FlashFame app and an upcoming internship at Buzzfeed. But his plans are derailed when his pilot father is selected for a highly-publicized NASA mission to Mars. Within days, Cal and his parents leave Brooklyn for hot and humid Houston.
With the entire nation desperate for any new information about the astronauts, Cal finds himself thrust in the middle of a media circus. Suddenly his life is more like a reality TV show, with his constantly bickering parents struggling with their roles as the "perfect American family."
And then Cal meets Leon, whose mother is another astronaut on the mission, and he finds himself falling head over heels - and fast. They become an oasis for each other amid the craziness of this whole experience. As their relationship grows, so does the frenzy surrounding the Mars mission, and when secrets are revealed about ulterior motives of the program, Cal must find a way to get to the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.
313 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
1131 people are currently reading
72764 people want to read
About the author
Phil Stamper
15 books1,734 followersPhil Stamper grew up in a rural village near Dayton, Ohio. While it could be seen as a boring lifestyle to some, he kept himself entertained by playing the piano and writing stories that stretched his imagination. He has a B.A. in Music from the University of Dayton and an M.A. in Publishing with Creative Writing from Kingston University.
When he first left his home state, he landed in Washington, DC with no job prospects, $800 in graduation money, and the promise of a walk-in closet to live in. Not long after—and he’s not totally sure how—he was jumping headfirst into a career in non-profit PR and sleeping in a real bed. He loved writing for a living, even if he was writing press releases and news stories... and hundreds of emails to annoyed journalists. But after a while, the dry writing started to get to him, so he thought he’d finally work on that book he always wanted to write.
Years later, Phil is now the bestselling author of The Gravity of Us, As Far As You’ll Take Me, and other queer books for kids and teens. He works in author development for a major book publisher in New York City, where he lives with his husband and their dog. Golden Boys, the first book in his upcoming young adult rom-com duology, comes out in February 2022. Small Town Pride, his debut middle grade novel, publishes in Summer 2022.
--
Note: I no longer accept friend requests due to Amazon blocking reviews from Goodreads friends. It's not personal! Please connect with me on Twitter/IG/Tiktok at @stampepk. Thank you!
When he first left his home state, he landed in Washington, DC with no job prospects, $800 in graduation money, and the promise of a walk-in closet to live in. Not long after—and he’s not totally sure how—he was jumping headfirst into a career in non-profit PR and sleeping in a real bed. He loved writing for a living, even if he was writing press releases and news stories... and hundreds of emails to annoyed journalists. But after a while, the dry writing started to get to him, so he thought he’d finally work on that book he always wanted to write.
Years later, Phil is now the bestselling author of The Gravity of Us, As Far As You’ll Take Me, and other queer books for kids and teens. He works in author development for a major book publisher in New York City, where he lives with his husband and their dog. Golden Boys, the first book in his upcoming young adult rom-com duology, comes out in February 2022. Small Town Pride, his debut middle grade novel, publishes in Summer 2022.
--
Note: I no longer accept friend requests due to Amazon blocking reviews from Goodreads friends. It's not personal! Please connect with me on Twitter/IG/Tiktok at @stampepk. Thank you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,201 reviews
January 14, 2020
me: it's a little weird when authors 5-star their own books right?
also me: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
--UPDATE--
Anyone want to see a little teaser?
also me: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
--UPDATE--
Anyone want to see a little teaser?
January 31, 2022
I have never been so crushed about disliking a book.
I was SO excited to read this. It sounded incredibly promising. A queer romance against the backdrop of a NASA mission? Space + gays= exactly what I want. But oh how easily hopes can be squashed.
There were plenty of reasons I disliked this. Most of them have to do with our main character Cal. But I will get into HIS character later. For now, let’s talk about everything else that I wasn’t a fan of.
Firstly, the social media aspect of this book. I think I’ve realized this is something I just generally dislike in most cases (Radio Silence excluded). I hated it in Infinity Son. I hated it in What If It’s Us. I hate it here. It just felt really out of touch if I’m being honest. I’m willing to suspend disbelief when I’m reading a story, but I have limits. Those limits were met with this.
This kid, Cal, does a livestream and gets 300,000 live viewers. THREE. HUNDRED. THOUSAND. And I’m betting at the moment in the story, he hasn’t even hit 1 million followers. Even if he HAD a million, this is simply not going to happen.
The next aspect of this book I did not enjoy was a lot of the dialogue. It felt inauthentic and forced. It was clunky. And sometimes it felt like it was trying so hard to be relatable. Using the word “stan” does not instantly make your book relatable, news flash.
Then, in other relatability issues, let’s talk music. So Cal listens to cassettes, which is cool and all. But he mentions that he would NEVER have found artists like Nirvana and Dolly Parton had he not browsed through cassette stores. Pardon me? Now, I have not listened to either artist, or know much about them, but I know OF them. How could you be so detached to not know such big names? And to say that you wouldn’t have found the, without cassettes...lies. Truthfully, this felt like the author was trying to be relatable like “oh, teens nowadays don’t know OLDER music!” False.
(Also, when Leon is talking about his favourite music and says he listens to Calvin Harris...like not to judge if anyone does but...I cannot think of a single time I have ever seen or heard anyone ACTIVELY go out of their way to listen to his music...just saying.)
The romance in this, what I was most looking forward too, was ALSO a huge let down. It was the DEFINITION of instalove. There was next to no build up. One moment they had just met, the next they were making out. Like??? Perhaps some tension?? Some reason for me to CARE about this relationship happening? No? Gotcha. It felt like there were chapters missing, that’s how fast things happened.
Now let’s finally talk about Cal. Cal, the man, the myth, the legend. The internet sensation! Now one of my least favourite protagonists to ever exist!
Warning: there may be minor spoilers for the book beyond this point, but they are without context.
Here’s all the reasons Cal sucks.
He makes everything about himself. When his “best friend” calls him and tells him her family has been evicted and barely has any money at all, you know what he thinks? Instead of feeling bad for his friend, his first thought is that this ruins his plan for when he returns to Brooklyn! No, “oh I’m so sorry that firstly I haven’t been paying any attention to you whatsoever and not answering your calls and secondly that you are going through all that.” Nope.
He hardly seems to care about his mother’s anxiety.
When he and Leon kiss at one part, Leon seems worried after, and Cal storms off. Then he tells Leon that he has to either be all in or else this won’t work, because last time he was with a guy, the other guy wasn’t all in and it hurt him real bad. Not once does he ask about WHY Leon is so hesitant. Honestly, I kind of felt like this was emotionally manipulative as well? He uses his pain to make Leon feel bad about his own feelings and then they end up together.
Then, later, when Leon is talking about how he isn’t sure what he wants to do in the future, Cal kind of goes off. He is all like how can you not know at this point? And then he keeps pressuring Leon to do things, sends him quizzes and college forms and things. Leon is obviously uncomfortable with this, not responding to Cal’s messages with these, but Cal does it anyways. Because it worries HIM that Leon doesn’t have a plan. Firstly, Leon is dealing with depression, something you KNOW and aren’t acknowledging. Secondly, they are SEVENTEEN. It’s not like they have to choose their whole future right then and there!
He is so self-absorbed. Back to the social media stuff...Cal seems so obsessed with the NUMBERS and not his FANS. I don’t like this, honestly. He was just so stuck up about his fame too, in my opinion.
At one part, Cal sees that the cameras for the reality show are rolling and takes Leon’s hand so that they see. He does this without Leon’s consent, lets the whole world know about them being together without making sure Leon is fine with it.
The last part that made me so mad was when there was an accident involving Cal’s father and Leon’s mother. They end up in the hospital, and another astronaut ends up dead. Cal goes to Leon’s house to make sure he’s okay, and they both worry about their parents but then immediately start kissing and talking about how much they like each other. Like, sorry, WHAT. YOUR PARENTS ARE IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER A JET CRASH AND Y’ALL ARE SUCKING FACE?? Unbelievable.
This book was a whole mess and I wish it wasn’t, but alas, here we are. I guess the lesson here is that even if something sounds like everything you could ever want, don’t get your hopes up because it could let you down. Sigh.
I was SO excited to read this. It sounded incredibly promising. A queer romance against the backdrop of a NASA mission? Space + gays= exactly what I want. But oh how easily hopes can be squashed.
There were plenty of reasons I disliked this. Most of them have to do with our main character Cal. But I will get into HIS character later. For now, let’s talk about everything else that I wasn’t a fan of.
Firstly, the social media aspect of this book. I think I’ve realized this is something I just generally dislike in most cases (Radio Silence excluded). I hated it in Infinity Son. I hated it in What If It’s Us. I hate it here. It just felt really out of touch if I’m being honest. I’m willing to suspend disbelief when I’m reading a story, but I have limits. Those limits were met with this.
This kid, Cal, does a livestream and gets 300,000 live viewers. THREE. HUNDRED. THOUSAND. And I’m betting at the moment in the story, he hasn’t even hit 1 million followers. Even if he HAD a million, this is simply not going to happen.
The next aspect of this book I did not enjoy was a lot of the dialogue. It felt inauthentic and forced. It was clunky. And sometimes it felt like it was trying so hard to be relatable. Using the word “stan” does not instantly make your book relatable, news flash.
Then, in other relatability issues, let’s talk music. So Cal listens to cassettes, which is cool and all. But he mentions that he would NEVER have found artists like Nirvana and Dolly Parton had he not browsed through cassette stores. Pardon me? Now, I have not listened to either artist, or know much about them, but I know OF them. How could you be so detached to not know such big names? And to say that you wouldn’t have found the, without cassettes...lies. Truthfully, this felt like the author was trying to be relatable like “oh, teens nowadays don’t know OLDER music!” False.
(Also, when Leon is talking about his favourite music and says he listens to Calvin Harris...like not to judge if anyone does but...I cannot think of a single time I have ever seen or heard anyone ACTIVELY go out of their way to listen to his music...just saying.)
The romance in this, what I was most looking forward too, was ALSO a huge let down. It was the DEFINITION of instalove. There was next to no build up. One moment they had just met, the next they were making out. Like??? Perhaps some tension?? Some reason for me to CARE about this relationship happening? No? Gotcha. It felt like there were chapters missing, that’s how fast things happened.
Now let’s finally talk about Cal. Cal, the man, the myth, the legend. The internet sensation! Now one of my least favourite protagonists to ever exist!
Warning: there may be minor spoilers for the book beyond this point, but they are without context.
Here’s all the reasons Cal sucks.
He makes everything about himself. When his “best friend” calls him and tells him her family has been evicted and barely has any money at all, you know what he thinks? Instead of feeling bad for his friend, his first thought is that this ruins his plan for when he returns to Brooklyn! No, “oh I’m so sorry that firstly I haven’t been paying any attention to you whatsoever and not answering your calls and secondly that you are going through all that.” Nope.
He hardly seems to care about his mother’s anxiety.
When he and Leon kiss at one part, Leon seems worried after, and Cal storms off. Then he tells Leon that he has to either be all in or else this won’t work, because last time he was with a guy, the other guy wasn’t all in and it hurt him real bad. Not once does he ask about WHY Leon is so hesitant. Honestly, I kind of felt like this was emotionally manipulative as well? He uses his pain to make Leon feel bad about his own feelings and then they end up together.
Then, later, when Leon is talking about how he isn’t sure what he wants to do in the future, Cal kind of goes off. He is all like how can you not know at this point? And then he keeps pressuring Leon to do things, sends him quizzes and college forms and things. Leon is obviously uncomfortable with this, not responding to Cal’s messages with these, but Cal does it anyways. Because it worries HIM that Leon doesn’t have a plan. Firstly, Leon is dealing with depression, something you KNOW and aren’t acknowledging. Secondly, they are SEVENTEEN. It’s not like they have to choose their whole future right then and there!
He is so self-absorbed. Back to the social media stuff...Cal seems so obsessed with the NUMBERS and not his FANS. I don’t like this, honestly. He was just so stuck up about his fame too, in my opinion.
At one part, Cal sees that the cameras for the reality show are rolling and takes Leon’s hand so that they see. He does this without Leon’s consent, lets the whole world know about them being together without making sure Leon is fine with it.
The last part that made me so mad was when there was an accident involving Cal’s father and Leon’s mother. They end up in the hospital, and another astronaut ends up dead. Cal goes to Leon’s house to make sure he’s okay, and they both worry about their parents but then immediately start kissing and talking about how much they like each other. Like, sorry, WHAT. YOUR PARENTS ARE IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER A JET CRASH AND Y’ALL ARE SUCKING FACE?? Unbelievable.
This book was a whole mess and I wish it wasn’t, but alas, here we are. I guess the lesson here is that even if something sounds like everything you could ever want, don’t get your hopes up because it could let you down. Sigh.
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April 25, 2021One small step for man, one giant leap for the gay agenda and their mission to conquer the universe.
The Gravity of Us was one of many upcoming queer releases that I was really looking forward to. It is an OwnVoices novel, it's queer, it has a beautiful cover - it ticks all the boxes. The main character is Cal, a teenage boy about to finish his last year of high school with ambitious plans: he wants to become a journalist. Already he has half a million followers on a platform where he regularly posts live videos about politics, his hometown Brooklyn, and the NASA's newest mission, Orpheus V. For the first time, humans will set foot on Mars, and Cal's own father might be one of them. As exciting as it sounds, Cal isn't too happy about his dad's involvement in the mission. It means he has to move to Texas, away from his best friend, away from a promising internship. It also means that he has to play his part in a trashy reality show that documents the lives of the astronauts and their families. The only silver lining is Leon, the extremely cute son of another astronaut on the Orpheus project.
I loved the idea of combining NASA + reality show + queer romance. To be honest, the reality show part was less exciting than I thought it would be, and while the queer romance was cute, it also felt a touch to insta-lovey for me. Somehow, Cal's and Leon's fates are already decided before they even meet, and their relationship goes from "Hello" to "We're a couple" in what feels like a matter of chapters. I also couldn't make myself root for Cal. He often acted in an extremely selfish way and was a straight-up twat. I had a hard time forgiving him for some of the things he said and did to his friends.
On the other hand, I did like the discussion of mental health and the simple fact that you cannot "fix" people, that we need to learn and grow and heal, that there is no simple solution that will suddenly make a person happy and healthy again. I also think it's great that the author wrote about parents whose relationship is complicated and messy, who love each other but fight a lot. And who hopefully find a way to overcome their issues. But what I loved the most about the book - and that's what I have in common with Cal's followers - is all that geeky NASA stuff. No matter if it's about soil, antennae, or spaceships, the scenes that show Cal live-streaming the preparations for the Orpheus mission are exciting and informative.
Overall a fun, geeky, queer OwnVoices novel that hopefully leads to more Phil Stamper books in the future.
Find more of my books on Instagram
The Gravity of Us was one of many upcoming queer releases that I was really looking forward to. It is an OwnVoices novel, it's queer, it has a beautiful cover - it ticks all the boxes. The main character is Cal, a teenage boy about to finish his last year of high school with ambitious plans: he wants to become a journalist. Already he has half a million followers on a platform where he regularly posts live videos about politics, his hometown Brooklyn, and the NASA's newest mission, Orpheus V. For the first time, humans will set foot on Mars, and Cal's own father might be one of them. As exciting as it sounds, Cal isn't too happy about his dad's involvement in the mission. It means he has to move to Texas, away from his best friend, away from a promising internship. It also means that he has to play his part in a trashy reality show that documents the lives of the astronauts and their families. The only silver lining is Leon, the extremely cute son of another astronaut on the Orpheus project.
I loved the idea of combining NASA + reality show + queer romance. To be honest, the reality show part was less exciting than I thought it would be, and while the queer romance was cute, it also felt a touch to insta-lovey for me. Somehow, Cal's and Leon's fates are already decided before they even meet, and their relationship goes from "Hello" to "We're a couple" in what feels like a matter of chapters. I also couldn't make myself root for Cal. He often acted in an extremely selfish way and was a straight-up twat. I had a hard time forgiving him for some of the things he said and did to his friends.
On the other hand, I did like the discussion of mental health and the simple fact that you cannot "fix" people, that we need to learn and grow and heal, that there is no simple solution that will suddenly make a person happy and healthy again. I also think it's great that the author wrote about parents whose relationship is complicated and messy, who love each other but fight a lot. And who hopefully find a way to overcome their issues. But what I loved the most about the book - and that's what I have in common with Cal's followers - is all that geeky NASA stuff. No matter if it's about soil, antennae, or spaceships, the scenes that show Cal live-streaming the preparations for the Orpheus mission are exciting and informative.
Overall a fun, geeky, queer OwnVoices novel that hopefully leads to more Phil Stamper books in the future.
Find more of my books on Instagram
April 8, 2026
Cal may only be seventeen but he's breaking barriers for year - his FlashFame account is pushing half a million flowers and people all over the world are tuning in to his reports.
"I'm interested in him purely from a journalistic standpoint."
If he plays his cards right, his career is going to skyrocket.
Until...his dad drops a bomb.
Cal's dad, Calvin Sr, was selected to be a part of NASA's Mars endeavor...and Cal is NOT happy about the move.
"...have you even googled Houston? It's a cesspool."
He didn't ask to be uprooted, he wasn't asked to be part of a NASA-reality show and above all, he didn't ask to have his potential career go up in smoke.
But...Leon - another kid of a potential astronaut - seems to get Cal in all the ways his family doesn't. And despite himself, Cal finds himself drawn to him.
"...they don't necessarily want me to shut down my accounts. But they want to control it..."
And then, Cal realizes he's going to have to make a choice - one that could ruin everything he's ever known.
I really don't read that many contemporaries - and this book book is making me rethink that stance!
"But that doesn't stop the panic from settling in my body."
I loved the space theme - and with an actual trip to Mars, it feels like something just around the corner!
Cal was a wonderfully grounded main character. He was fun and believable. After just a few pages, I felt like I could carry a conversation with him.
Though, if I'm being completely honest...I LOVED Leon. He was sweet and absolutely stole the show every time he came onto the page.
I kind of wish there was more of a dance between Cal and Leon but at the same time, they fit together so well. It was really enjoyable to watch them come to terms with their their future.
I didn't think I'd enjoy the reality TV aspect but it really enhanced book - providing an interesting dynamic to the book.
All in all - I am so pleased by this book and I cannot WAIT to see what the author writes next!!
A HUGE thank you to Phil Stamper and Bloomsbury YA for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
January 17, 2019
You guys!!! YOU GUYS!!!!! This book is AMAZING!!!! 👬❤️🚀
June 26, 2021
One of two things is happening here:
Either I'm outgrowing young adult books, or they are all getting worse.
While I DO perceive myself as the center of the universe and think that everything is about me, even I am unable to justify thinking that the downfall of an industry is more likely than me just not knowing how to pick books I'll like, which has coincidentally been my fatal flaw for the last five years.
Either way, I found this book to feel half-finished. You know, insta-love, half-baked plotlines, characters that are either flat (as in boring) or flat (as in quirky and that's it).
Granted, I did read an ARC, so by definition it was unfinished, but not enough to justify the overall unpleasantness of reading it.
But maybe that's on me. I can take that failure on.
Bottom line: This could be my fault! But on second glance at that average rating, probs not.
---------------
pre-review
well. i can't say i wish i got to this sooner.
review to come / 1.5ish stars
---------------
reading all books with LGBTQ+ rep for pride this month! starting with this...extremely late ARC. sorry.
book 1: the gravity of us
Either I'm outgrowing young adult books, or they are all getting worse.
While I DO perceive myself as the center of the universe and think that everything is about me, even I am unable to justify thinking that the downfall of an industry is more likely than me just not knowing how to pick books I'll like, which has coincidentally been my fatal flaw for the last five years.
Either way, I found this book to feel half-finished. You know, insta-love, half-baked plotlines, characters that are either flat (as in boring) or flat (as in quirky and that's it).
Granted, I did read an ARC, so by definition it was unfinished, but not enough to justify the overall unpleasantness of reading it.
But maybe that's on me. I can take that failure on.
Bottom line: This could be my fault! But on second glance at that average rating, probs not.
---------------
pre-review
well. i can't say i wish i got to this sooner.
review to come / 1.5ish stars
---------------
reading all books with LGBTQ+ rep for pride this month! starting with this...extremely late ARC. sorry.
book 1: the gravity of us
February 24, 2020
2.5 stars*
I really thought I was going to LOVE this but unfortunately I didn't love it (but I also didn't hate it). I never became super invested in the characters or the story, but I don't think there was anything I specifically didn't like about it? Idk this was a weird one for me.
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury for sending me an early copy!
I really thought I was going to LOVE this but unfortunately I didn't love it (but I also didn't hate it). I never became super invested in the characters or the story, but I don't think there was anything I specifically didn't like about it? Idk this was a weird one for me.
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury for sending me an early copy!
June 4, 2021
Well, I can hear Switzerland anthems blasting through my ears combining with cho cho sound of semi-disappointment train : a shiny three starred read is approaching to my fastreadland!
After seeing the incredible cover and interesting blurb about Astro teenagers’ love story, LGBTQ representation and reality show about secret lives of astronauts, I was tempted. I was so sure that I was about to dive into another big winner story but well...
Cal, 17 years old, ultra popular social media journalist who can write about real juicy, nerdy NASA stuff could win my heart with only his job description but he was know it all, arrogant, selfish brat from the beginning. So many punching points he earned and I read his parts as I kept gritting my teeth.
Leon was sweet, adorable guy and too many times I wished he could find a better love interest for him. I think their relationship was so instant, haphazard without enough emotional depth like an arranged marriage.
So romance parts and annoying hero made me lose my interest. I was expecting a little more but it turns into a mediocre read which I truly don’t like or hate so much.
After seeing the incredible cover and interesting blurb about Astro teenagers’ love story, LGBTQ representation and reality show about secret lives of astronauts, I was tempted. I was so sure that I was about to dive into another big winner story but well...
Cal, 17 years old, ultra popular social media journalist who can write about real juicy, nerdy NASA stuff could win my heart with only his job description but he was know it all, arrogant, selfish brat from the beginning. So many punching points he earned and I read his parts as I kept gritting my teeth.
Leon was sweet, adorable guy and too many times I wished he could find a better love interest for him. I think their relationship was so instant, haphazard without enough emotional depth like an arranged marriage.
So romance parts and annoying hero made me lose my interest. I was expecting a little more but it turns into a mediocre read which I truly don’t like or hate so much.
February 3, 2020
Might be more of a 2.5 but I'm rounding up because while I didn't love this, I also didn't full on hate it? The writing style was just not really my favorite and honestly I was also not a huge fan of the main character. This was truly just like, the epitome of meh for me. Big womp :(
December 8, 2019
This was so beautiful and thought-provoking!!
Cal is a successful social media journalist with over half a million followers. But he doesn’t just make wry or cynical observations, or talk about the latest trends or restaurants in his Brooklyn neighborhood or in NYC. He really uses social media to make a difference, and played a huge part in getting younger people interested in the last presidential election. And people noticed—he landed an internship with BuzzFeed he can’t wait for.
But his whole life is about to be turned upside down. Call’s father has just been selected as an astronaut for a possible NASA mission to Mars, so the agency is relocating all of the astronauts and their families to Houston, to try and recapture the camaraderie of the early days of the space program.
Cal isn’t prepared for the media frenzy surrounding the space program, and although he’s technically not supposed to do any more social media broadcasting from Houston, he can’t resist putting his own spin on things, which puts him in the middle of a battle between NASA and a trashy media program that somehow has gotten an exclusive to cover the astronauts.
Life isn’t all bad, though, as Cal meets Leon, the son of another astronaut, and they fall for each other quickly and intensely. But Leon has his own struggles to deal with, and when Cal realizes he needs to use his online fame to right some wrongs, he doesn’t realize how that might put other things at risk, including his relationship with Leon.
Can we save those we care about or do we have to let them do that themselves? What are our obligations to those we love?
Phil Stamper’s book is so good, full of the flush of first love, the emotional struggles many have to deal with, and the excitement of getting to explore unknown territory. I have been trying to get an ARC of this for a while so I was so excited to finally get it. His writing is fantastic, and this story is compelling from start to finish. It's always nice to find a story where the characters' sexuality isn't cause for scandal or emotional crisis, it's just another aspect of their lives.
NetGalleyand Bloomsbury USA provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
This book publishes February 4, 2020.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Cal is a successful social media journalist with over half a million followers. But he doesn’t just make wry or cynical observations, or talk about the latest trends or restaurants in his Brooklyn neighborhood or in NYC. He really uses social media to make a difference, and played a huge part in getting younger people interested in the last presidential election. And people noticed—he landed an internship with BuzzFeed he can’t wait for.
But his whole life is about to be turned upside down. Call’s father has just been selected as an astronaut for a possible NASA mission to Mars, so the agency is relocating all of the astronauts and their families to Houston, to try and recapture the camaraderie of the early days of the space program.
Cal isn’t prepared for the media frenzy surrounding the space program, and although he’s technically not supposed to do any more social media broadcasting from Houston, he can’t resist putting his own spin on things, which puts him in the middle of a battle between NASA and a trashy media program that somehow has gotten an exclusive to cover the astronauts.
Life isn’t all bad, though, as Cal meets Leon, the son of another astronaut, and they fall for each other quickly and intensely. But Leon has his own struggles to deal with, and when Cal realizes he needs to use his online fame to right some wrongs, he doesn’t realize how that might put other things at risk, including his relationship with Leon.
Can we save those we care about or do we have to let them do that themselves? What are our obligations to those we love?
Phil Stamper’s book is so good, full of the flush of first love, the emotional struggles many have to deal with, and the excitement of getting to explore unknown territory. I have been trying to get an ARC of this for a while so I was so excited to finally get it. His writing is fantastic, and this story is compelling from start to finish. It's always nice to find a story where the characters' sexuality isn't cause for scandal or emotional crisis, it's just another aspect of their lives.
NetGalleyand Bloomsbury USA provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
This book publishes February 4, 2020.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
November 17, 2022
I picked up a copy of this book because I thought it had an interesting premise and because it had great reviews. Unfortunately, after reading it, I have to say that it's a major disappointment.
This book suffers from a wide range of issues, most prominently: (1) an unlikable main character, (2) a lack of romantic tension, and (3) an inconsistent and jumbled plot.
(1) Cal, our main character, is extremely unlikable. In fact, he is a giant dick. No, I don't mean that he has a giant dick (this is YA after all - no erections allowed), I mean that he IS a giant dick. He's a giant dick to his father - constantly deriding his ambitions to be more than a Delta pilot - he's a giant dick to his best friend - never calling her back, considering her his 'back-up plan' - and he's a giant dick to his boyfriend - recording him without permission, outing their relationship to the world without consulting him. It's really incredible. He is so legitimately unlikable that I was rooting for StarWatch to take him down by the end of the book. Not a good start for a supposedly character-driven romance novel.
(2) Cal and Leon's romance has no spark. None. Zero. Zilch. Nothing in this book makes me care AT ALL about their relationship. Part of the problem is clearly that neither of them has any personality. (Note - liking cassette tapes is not a personality - neither is being depressed). But another problem is that there is nothing that makes me believe that they would be interested in one another. What is bringing them together? What do they like about each other? The only explanation we ever seem to be given is that they're the only two (gay) teenage boys in Clear Lake. Oh, and Cal sees 'something' in Leon's eyes. Wow - truly they are a romance for the ages. Romeo and Juliet, step aside.
(3) Plot? What plot? Is there a plot? If there is, it has somehow escaped me. Sure, the book has a series of events that occur in linear time. However, it would be stretching even the most vivid of imaginations to consider these a plot. Plots have build up, tension, and resolution. This book has none of the above. Moreover, I can't even tell what the author intended the plot to be. Was this book supposed to be about a selfish teenager who learns to be more compassionate? I hope not. Because as far as I can tell, Cal experiences absolutely zero character growth over the course of the novel. Okay, maybe the book was supposed to be about the difficulties of being in love with someone struggling with mental illness. I could have been down with that. Unfortunately, if this was the intention, it was executed very poorly. Case in point: Cal spends the entire novel making Leon's struggles all about himself. HE can't handle when Leon is down. HE can't deal with the fact that Leon doesn't have his life figured out. HE doesn't know how to make things better. Everything is Cal, Cal, Cal 24/7. It's exhausting. And frustrating. And it makes the book nigh on unreadable.
This book suffers from a wide range of issues, most prominently: (1) an unlikable main character, (2) a lack of romantic tension, and (3) an inconsistent and jumbled plot.
(1) Cal, our main character, is extremely unlikable. In fact, he is a giant dick. No, I don't mean that he has a giant dick (this is YA after all - no erections allowed), I mean that he IS a giant dick. He's a giant dick to his father - constantly deriding his ambitions to be more than a Delta pilot - he's a giant dick to his best friend - never calling her back, considering her his 'back-up plan' - and he's a giant dick to his boyfriend - recording him without permission, outing their relationship to the world without consulting him. It's really incredible. He is so legitimately unlikable that I was rooting for StarWatch to take him down by the end of the book. Not a good start for a supposedly character-driven romance novel.
(2) Cal and Leon's romance has no spark. None. Zero. Zilch. Nothing in this book makes me care AT ALL about their relationship. Part of the problem is clearly that neither of them has any personality. (Note - liking cassette tapes is not a personality - neither is being depressed). But another problem is that there is nothing that makes me believe that they would be interested in one another. What is bringing them together? What do they like about each other? The only explanation we ever seem to be given is that they're the only two (gay) teenage boys in Clear Lake. Oh, and Cal sees 'something' in Leon's eyes. Wow - truly they are a romance for the ages. Romeo and Juliet, step aside.
(3) Plot? What plot? Is there a plot? If there is, it has somehow escaped me. Sure, the book has a series of events that occur in linear time. However, it would be stretching even the most vivid of imaginations to consider these a plot. Plots have build up, tension, and resolution. This book has none of the above. Moreover, I can't even tell what the author intended the plot to be. Was this book supposed to be about a selfish teenager who learns to be more compassionate? I hope not. Because as far as I can tell, Cal experiences absolutely zero character growth over the course of the novel. Okay, maybe the book was supposed to be about the difficulties of being in love with someone struggling with mental illness. I could have been down with that. Unfortunately, if this was the intention, it was executed very poorly. Case in point: Cal spends the entire novel making Leon's struggles all about himself. HE can't handle when Leon is down. HE can't deal with the fact that Leon doesn't have his life figured out. HE doesn't know how to make things better. Everything is Cal, Cal, Cal 24/7. It's exhausting. And frustrating. And it makes the book nigh on unreadable.
April 16, 2020
sounds gay, i'm in
February 14, 2020
I wish I could say this was everything sweet and lovely and as interesting that I hoped it would be.. but it wasn't.
This is a story about a space mission, social media, and first love. But the space mission never really felt real until near the end, there was so much streaming or reality tv that I felt like shaking my fist and yelling at kids to get off my non-existent lawn, and the first love was hella insta-love-y and took off at the speed of light.
Additionally this ARC was brutally formatted and the little chapter break sessions with the company running the reality tv show were unreadable. So if there was an added element that might've explained something.. I missed it. It was just not comprehensible and my brain bled trying to make sense of it.
That said, there is a dramatic element that results in a cool viral campaign to save NASA and I did like how that was done. It gave me the feelings of watching similar movements unfold on twitter and all the traction it gets and all the positive and, unfortunately rare, good things that happen as a result. But it was pretty late in the game to redeem the story on a whole, or even the characters — the one who spearheads the videos is the MC who is, almost in every other situation, a grade A knob.
But maybe this isn't as bad as it seemed to me. Maybe some of my technical issues contributed to what should've been only minor disappointments. But I didn't enjoy the writing or the characters and any of the good, the diversity and the mental health rep, it was all overshadowed by the unbelievable romance, the self-centered MC, and the boring everything else.
Sadly this debut didn't wow me and I probably wouldn't pick up anything by the author again. But I'm glad we're getting more queer stories (particularly #ownvoices ones) and the effort was made to be inclusive, so, that is why I've rounded up just enough to not drop this into one-star territory.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
This is a story about a space mission, social media, and first love. But the space mission never really felt real until near the end, there was so much streaming or reality tv that I felt like shaking my fist and yelling at kids to get off my non-existent lawn, and the first love was hella insta-love-y and took off at the speed of light.
Additionally this ARC was brutally formatted and the little chapter break sessions with the company running the reality tv show were unreadable. So if there was an added element that might've explained something.. I missed it. It was just not comprehensible and my brain bled trying to make sense of it.
That said, there is a dramatic element that results in a cool viral campaign to save NASA and I did like how that was done. It gave me the feelings of watching similar movements unfold on twitter and all the traction it gets and all the positive and, unfortunately rare, good things that happen as a result. But it was pretty late in the game to redeem the story on a whole, or even the characters — the one who spearheads the videos is the MC who is, almost in every other situation, a grade A knob.
But maybe this isn't as bad as it seemed to me. Maybe some of my technical issues contributed to what should've been only minor disappointments. But I didn't enjoy the writing or the characters and any of the good, the diversity and the mental health rep, it was all overshadowed by the unbelievable romance, the self-centered MC, and the boring everything else.
Sadly this debut didn't wow me and I probably wouldn't pick up anything by the author again. But I'm glad we're getting more queer stories (particularly #ownvoices ones) and the effort was made to be inclusive, so, that is why I've rounded up just enough to not drop this into one-star territory.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
February 8, 2020
A tale about the whiny entitlement and self-obsessed privilege of a social media influencer, who gets to have his inflated sense of Importance completely validated.
January 6, 2022
I’m on BookTube now! =)
”Look, I’m sorry you won’t be able to play on social media anymore, but this is real life.”
I choke back a laugh. “Real life? I have to give up my journalism, plus my entire life, because a reality show says so. You really think what I do is less ‘real’ than StarWatch?”
I think in many ways “The Gravity of Us” was different than I expected it to be and after thinking about it for a while and letting the book sink in I decided to give it 3 stars. Don’t get me wrong, 3 stars is still good and when you look it up in my rating system it will say that the plot and the characters were good but that I had some minor issues with the book. Which is exactly what happened in here. I really enjoyed the book but there were also some things I can’t overlook and need to address in my review. I have no idea if other people already did that but since this was Phil Stampers debut I’ll just add my two cents and hope that if he ever stumbles upon this review it will help him to write even more amazing books in the future. Because when it comes down to it “The Gravity of Us” was really good and a great debut. =)
So this said let’s talk about the awesome things in the book! First of all I’ve to say that I loved to get an inside look into press work. We didn’t just get a good glimpse at what it means to be an influencer/journalist on social media but also an idea of how big TV channels handle the stories they talk about. I really liked the ambivalence of a social media channel that is focused on telling the truth and trying to give people an inside look at the scientific facts vs. a TV show that only aims to get the hottest gossip and the highest click rate. And I’m not gonna lie, John Farrow and his Shooting Stars show really made me angry. It’s the perfect example of how inhuman people can become if they only see dollar signs.
”I start taking note of everyone’s expressions: crisp, practiced, perfect. Are they all that good at faking it? Or do they actually buy into all this? I’m looking for a flaw, but I can’t find the reality behind the show.”
The second recurring theme of the book I really enjoyed was the background history of space travel and all the science that was a part of the story line as well. Whenever his father spoke about NASA and the history of space travel you could feel his enthusiasm and what it meant for him to be a part of this Mars mission and project. I found this to be very interesting and as someone who only heard the legends of the moon landing but never really knew about all the details – like for instance the fact that there was an entire village for the astronauts and their families – this was super intriguing. “The Gravity of Us” got me so curious that I decided to dig a little bit deeper into the history of space flight and to find out more about it. It’s definitely an interesting topic to dive into. =)
”But with Leon, the burning in my chest has never been so perfectly bright. So clear.”
As much as I enjoyed the focus on media, science and history I still have to say that this was probably also the reason why some of the other topics of this story fell kind of flat. For instance the love story between Leon and Cal felt very insta-lovey and didn’t have a lot of substance. I’m aware there’s only so much you can do when you want to write a believable relationship in a 300+ pages book, but those two were just going way too fast for my taste. Plus Cal never asked Leon if he was okay with revealing their relationship like that and consent (especially when all eyes are on you and you belong to the LGBTQ+ community) is very important. Another topic I would have liked to read more about was the mental health representation (anxiety & depression). It was broached with Cal’s mother and with Leon but Stamper never really dug any deeper. It was mentioned on the surface but in the overall story it was more like a footnote than an actual rep. I mean they both got help and therapy which is a good thing, but considering how severe the anxiety of Cal’s mom was I found it a little bit unrealistic? I know I’m probably a bean counter now, but I think that if you bring up a topic you also have to dare to address it and to dig deeper. Then again this is probably personal preference and I’m sure a lot of other people didn’t see it as an issue.
”I’m the one who does the fixing. I’m unfazed, unbothered. My resolve is a freaking rock.
But the rock is breaking. It’s cracked and worn, and I know it. But if Dad comes home and things get okay again, I can handle it.”
Which brings me right to the characters. I know Cal had a lot on his plate but I still can’t get over the fact that he basically ignored his best friend from the moment he became part of the Mars mission. I mean Deb was his bestie and went through so much but he didn’t even think about her? It’s something I really couldn’t relate to because my besties know about everything that happens in my life. (I’m being a bean counter again, aren’t I? *lol*) Anyway! The last thing I need to mention is the relationship between Cal and his father. I still don’t know how I feel about it because there was such a massive shift in where it started and where it ended that I have no idea if I liked it or not. I mean at the beginning of the book I couldn’t understand how Cal’s father could disregard his son’s life and social media presence so much because fathers should always support their children. But at the end of the book I realized that Cal and his mother didn’t support the dream of Cal’s dad either. They didn’t even believe that he would be able to become a part of the mission and when he did they were angry at him for uprooting them from their lives. So yeah, I understand both sides and I don’t know on which one I would stand. I guess it’s good I don’t have to choose sides because it worked out well for everyone in the end?! *lol*
All told “The Gravity of Us” was a really good story and I read it pretty fast. It’s was an enjoyable read I could pick up whenever I felt like it and no matter how long it took me to get back to the book, I never lost the thread. XD I loved the science, space travel history and the social media angle and I’m definitely looking forward to Phil Stampers next book! He’s an author to watch out for and I’m sure his next book will be even better! =)
__________________________
This book was totally different than I expected it to be, but in a good way?!
I really liked the inside look into press work and the background history of space travel.
Definitely an enjoyable read! I’ll think some more about it.
Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-)
P.S: My Instagram
____________________________
In the last couple of days I read more than I probably read the last 3 weeks and this even though I was ill at home for two of those days because the side effects of the Covid vaccine are no joke.
So yeah, since I finally seem to be halfway healthy again and out of my reading slump (YAY!!!) I decided to go for "The Gravity of Us”. I already spoke about this book in ”My December TBR” video and I can’t wait to read about a m/m story that’s playing in space?! Or on their way to it? Still on earth?
I dunno but I’m ready to find out! XD
”Look, I’m sorry you won’t be able to play on social media anymore, but this is real life.”
I choke back a laugh. “Real life? I have to give up my journalism, plus my entire life, because a reality show says so. You really think what I do is less ‘real’ than StarWatch?”
I think in many ways “The Gravity of Us” was different than I expected it to be and after thinking about it for a while and letting the book sink in I decided to give it 3 stars. Don’t get me wrong, 3 stars is still good and when you look it up in my rating system it will say that the plot and the characters were good but that I had some minor issues with the book. Which is exactly what happened in here. I really enjoyed the book but there were also some things I can’t overlook and need to address in my review. I have no idea if other people already did that but since this was Phil Stampers debut I’ll just add my two cents and hope that if he ever stumbles upon this review it will help him to write even more amazing books in the future. Because when it comes down to it “The Gravity of Us” was really good and a great debut. =)
So this said let’s talk about the awesome things in the book! First of all I’ve to say that I loved to get an inside look into press work. We didn’t just get a good glimpse at what it means to be an influencer/journalist on social media but also an idea of how big TV channels handle the stories they talk about. I really liked the ambivalence of a social media channel that is focused on telling the truth and trying to give people an inside look at the scientific facts vs. a TV show that only aims to get the hottest gossip and the highest click rate. And I’m not gonna lie, John Farrow and his Shooting Stars show really made me angry. It’s the perfect example of how inhuman people can become if they only see dollar signs.
”I start taking note of everyone’s expressions: crisp, practiced, perfect. Are they all that good at faking it? Or do they actually buy into all this? I’m looking for a flaw, but I can’t find the reality behind the show.”
The second recurring theme of the book I really enjoyed was the background history of space travel and all the science that was a part of the story line as well. Whenever his father spoke about NASA and the history of space travel you could feel his enthusiasm and what it meant for him to be a part of this Mars mission and project. I found this to be very interesting and as someone who only heard the legends of the moon landing but never really knew about all the details – like for instance the fact that there was an entire village for the astronauts and their families – this was super intriguing. “The Gravity of Us” got me so curious that I decided to dig a little bit deeper into the history of space flight and to find out more about it. It’s definitely an interesting topic to dive into. =)
”But with Leon, the burning in my chest has never been so perfectly bright. So clear.”
As much as I enjoyed the focus on media, science and history I still have to say that this was probably also the reason why some of the other topics of this story fell kind of flat. For instance the love story between Leon and Cal felt very insta-lovey and didn’t have a lot of substance. I’m aware there’s only so much you can do when you want to write a believable relationship in a 300+ pages book, but those two were just going way too fast for my taste. Plus Cal never asked Leon if he was okay with revealing their relationship like that and consent (especially when all eyes are on you and you belong to the LGBTQ+ community) is very important. Another topic I would have liked to read more about was the mental health representation (anxiety & depression). It was broached with Cal’s mother and with Leon but Stamper never really dug any deeper. It was mentioned on the surface but in the overall story it was more like a footnote than an actual rep. I mean they both got help and therapy which is a good thing, but considering how severe the anxiety of Cal’s mom was I found it a little bit unrealistic? I know I’m probably a bean counter now, but I think that if you bring up a topic you also have to dare to address it and to dig deeper. Then again this is probably personal preference and I’m sure a lot of other people didn’t see it as an issue.
”I’m the one who does the fixing. I’m unfazed, unbothered. My resolve is a freaking rock.
But the rock is breaking. It’s cracked and worn, and I know it. But if Dad comes home and things get okay again, I can handle it.”
Which brings me right to the characters. I know Cal had a lot on his plate but I still can’t get over the fact that he basically ignored his best friend from the moment he became part of the Mars mission. I mean Deb was his bestie and went through so much but he didn’t even think about her? It’s something I really couldn’t relate to because my besties know about everything that happens in my life. (I’m being a bean counter again, aren’t I? *lol*) Anyway! The last thing I need to mention is the relationship between Cal and his father. I still don’t know how I feel about it because there was such a massive shift in where it started and where it ended that I have no idea if I liked it or not. I mean at the beginning of the book I couldn’t understand how Cal’s father could disregard his son’s life and social media presence so much because fathers should always support their children. But at the end of the book I realized that Cal and his mother didn’t support the dream of Cal’s dad either. They didn’t even believe that he would be able to become a part of the mission and when he did they were angry at him for uprooting them from their lives. So yeah, I understand both sides and I don’t know on which one I would stand. I guess it’s good I don’t have to choose sides because it worked out well for everyone in the end?! *lol*
All told “The Gravity of Us” was a really good story and I read it pretty fast. It’s was an enjoyable read I could pick up whenever I felt like it and no matter how long it took me to get back to the book, I never lost the thread. XD I loved the science, space travel history and the social media angle and I’m definitely looking forward to Phil Stampers next book! He’s an author to watch out for and I’m sure his next book will be even better! =)
__________________________
This book was totally different than I expected it to be, but in a good way?!
I really liked the inside look into press work and the background history of space travel.
Definitely an enjoyable read! I’ll think some more about it.
Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-)
P.S: My Instagram
____________________________
In the last couple of days I read more than I probably read the last 3 weeks and this even though I was ill at home for two of those days because the side effects of the Covid vaccine are no joke.
So yeah, since I finally seem to be halfway healthy again and out of my reading slump (YAY!!!) I decided to go for "The Gravity of Us”. I already spoke about this book in ”My December TBR” video and I can’t wait to read about a m/m story that’s playing in space?! Or on their way to it? Still on earth?
I dunno but I’m ready to find out! XD
August 4, 2019
I guess I am supposed to believe that a teenager from NY both got his dad into a national astronaut program AND saved that program from shutting down when things went awry. OK, if I set aside my skepticism and concentrate on the characters' arcs, I am still left with... nothing.
The main character, Cal, has planned out his life as a journalist, but then NASA calls and his family is swept away to Houston practically overnight. Suddenly, Cal's plans have changed and he falls in love just as quickly with a fellow astronaut's son, Leon, who has depression and is reluctant to commit to Cal, until he isn't. I don't buy how Leon and Cal fell in love because the author did not explore their friendship in enough detail to make it believable. Additionally, Cal's parents' relationship is shaky at best, but those issues resolve themselves without Cal (or the reader) ever knowing until Cal's dad suddenly becomes the great communicator thanks to couples' therapy.
The entire book seems to be more about how a teenage influencer can take on a government agency and a corrupt TV show and come out on top, which, as an adult reader, was just too unbelievable for me to be able to recommend this book to anyone.
The main character, Cal, has planned out his life as a journalist, but then NASA calls and his family is swept away to Houston practically overnight. Suddenly, Cal's plans have changed and he falls in love just as quickly with a fellow astronaut's son, Leon, who has depression and is reluctant to commit to Cal, until he isn't. I don't buy how Leon and Cal fell in love because the author did not explore their friendship in enough detail to make it believable. Additionally, Cal's parents' relationship is shaky at best, but those issues resolve themselves without Cal (or the reader) ever knowing until Cal's dad suddenly becomes the great communicator thanks to couples' therapy.
The entire book seems to be more about how a teenage influencer can take on a government agency and a corrupt TV show and come out on top, which, as an adult reader, was just too unbelievable for me to be able to recommend this book to anyone.
February 5, 2020
I could do a Ted Talk about "The Gravity of Us". I listened to the audiobook, which has a full cast to do the voice of some special characters. My reading experience was definitely better because of this incredible production. It's now on Audible.
The main character, Cal, is a 17-year-old boy who updates his millions of followers with the latest news from the world. He has unresolved issues with his best friend and has just discovered that his father was chosen for NASA's new mission to explore Mars. So he needs to move quickly to another city and ends up being in the middle of a media circus.
This story talks about how hard it is for a teenager to be taken seriously and have credibility, how challenging it is to have millions of people in the palm of your hands, how difficult it is to make your family understand your dreams, and also how you cannot embrace the world and fix everything. Cal is a strong, intelligent and brave character who grows a lot during the book. He always wants to do the best he can, and sometimes he needs to understand that he can't always control everything. The character development was incredible.
Another highlight of the book is the honesty about mental health. You can have happy moments and still deal with depression. You can live a dream and still deal with anxiety. And the solution to these problems is not magic, but therapy. This is not a subject that the author delves into, but it was interesting to see it here in a natural way.
The book also addresses other topics, such as long distance friendship, family relationships, the dream of a better world, and our online personality. Each line of this story has touched my heart and soul deeply.
There were some things I didn't like, of course, and I don't think it was a perfect story. I would have liked to see, for example, things going even more wrong before a solution came up. Still, none of this affected my reading experience.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Now go read this book.
The main character, Cal, is a 17-year-old boy who updates his millions of followers with the latest news from the world. He has unresolved issues with his best friend and has just discovered that his father was chosen for NASA's new mission to explore Mars. So he needs to move quickly to another city and ends up being in the middle of a media circus.
This story talks about how hard it is for a teenager to be taken seriously and have credibility, how challenging it is to have millions of people in the palm of your hands, how difficult it is to make your family understand your dreams, and also how you cannot embrace the world and fix everything. Cal is a strong, intelligent and brave character who grows a lot during the book. He always wants to do the best he can, and sometimes he needs to understand that he can't always control everything. The character development was incredible.
Another highlight of the book is the honesty about mental health. You can have happy moments and still deal with depression. You can live a dream and still deal with anxiety. And the solution to these problems is not magic, but therapy. This is not a subject that the author delves into, but it was interesting to see it here in a natural way.
The book also addresses other topics, such as long distance friendship, family relationships, the dream of a better world, and our online personality. Each line of this story has touched my heart and soul deeply.
There were some things I didn't like, of course, and I don't think it was a perfect story. I would have liked to see, for example, things going even more wrong before a solution came up. Still, none of this affected my reading experience.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Now go read this book.
September 6, 2021
Cal is the exact embodiment of "groundbreaking". Even in his Brooklyn hometown, he did not have a normal life. He's a FlashFame celebrity who covers New York life for fun.
You could tell that Cal had his life together. He knew his passions, and he wasn't short on experience. But here's the surprise: His dad was to be part of the Mars missions. Their whole family was forced to move to Salt Lake City—home of the astronauts. It was where the fun began.
Meet Leon, son of another astronaut. And like Cal, he liked boys. Honestly, the idea seemed so far-fetched. Two sons of future astronauts, the brightest people in America, falling in love in one elite neighborhood. Maybe that's why this book had such a feel-good atmosphere in it. The scenario was too perfect, and it actually worked.
But of course . . . not everything can be perfect. Glamor always comes with a messed up background. Cal shed too many tears from conflicts, may it be in family, friendships, or relationships. Hell, he even made an enemy out of an entire corporation.
There were points in the novel where Cal's world seemed to crumble. As he put it, he was a rock. He was usually as hard as rock. However, too much pressure has its consequences. Eventually, you break. And that's what happened.
Cal, undoubtedly, is strong. And my most important takeaway is this: Don't aim to fix things. Fixing seems so permanent, so absolute. Like there's no room for error. But maybe . . . you can aim to make things a little bit better.
This book wasn't perfect, but I loved it more than I can express. The breadth of its topics adds a special value to it: from the reality of broken families, the struggles of mental health, the prevalence of media manipulation, to the thrill of gay romance. So here's a little secret. The Gravity of Us is a bit less shallow than most.
You could tell that Cal had his life together. He knew his passions, and he wasn't short on experience. But here's the surprise: His dad was to be part of the Mars missions. Their whole family was forced to move to Salt Lake City—home of the astronauts. It was where the fun began.
Meet Leon, son of another astronaut. And like Cal, he liked boys. Honestly, the idea seemed so far-fetched. Two sons of future astronauts, the brightest people in America, falling in love in one elite neighborhood. Maybe that's why this book had such a feel-good atmosphere in it. The scenario was too perfect, and it actually worked.
But of course . . . not everything can be perfect. Glamor always comes with a messed up background. Cal shed too many tears from conflicts, may it be in family, friendships, or relationships. Hell, he even made an enemy out of an entire corporation.
There were points in the novel where Cal's world seemed to crumble. As he put it, he was a rock. He was usually as hard as rock. However, too much pressure has its consequences. Eventually, you break. And that's what happened.
Cal, undoubtedly, is strong. And my most important takeaway is this: Don't aim to fix things. Fixing seems so permanent, so absolute. Like there's no room for error. But maybe . . . you can aim to make things a little bit better.
This book wasn't perfect, but I loved it more than I can express. The breadth of its topics adds a special value to it: from the reality of broken families, the struggles of mental health, the prevalence of media manipulation, to the thrill of gay romance. So here's a little secret. The Gravity of Us is a bit less shallow than most.
February 5, 2020
Cal Lewis is a seventeen year old aspiring journalist and news reporter. He has been working very hard on building his account and follower base on a social media site. Cal is passionate about his videos and news updates because he believes people do not just want gossip- they want facts and real information that can help them make choices. Cal is also a planner. He has a schedule for his news updates, he knows what he is going to do in summer (his internship), next year, and how he is going to build his career. All of this comes to a screeching halt when his Dad announces he has just been selected for a NASA program as a potential astronaut on a mission to Mars. Cal's family are to move to Texas in ...a few days. The worst part is that Cal won't be able to post any more videos as all filming rights are controlled by StarWatch Reality Show that has an exclusive contract with NASA. Once in Texas, Cal meets another astro-family with two perfect teens, one of whom becomes his love interest.
Cal comes across as a bit self-centred, especialy if you consider his interactions with Deb, his best friend/ex-girlfriend, who has much more serious problems and is nothing but supportive of Cal. Having said this, there's so much energy in his character and so much drama! I really liked the social media career angle, and I sympathized when he felt his carefully laid out life plans were thwarted. Not that I didn't think that his Dad wasn't entitled to giving a shot to HIS dream of becoming an astronaut, but a bit more attention to how the change was going to affect the rest of the family was surely needed.
Cal's relationship with Leon was a bit too fast, and Leon himself seems to stay out of limelight all the time. Perhaps, it would have been more credible, if there were two points of view, or even more, if you want to cover all important people in Cal's life. Great rep for mental illness- Cal's Mom's anxiety and Leon's burnout and depression. These are important topics that require a lot of sensitivity, and Phil Stamper did a really good job here.
Overall, an original and upbeat coming-of-age novel dealing with topics of family relationships, first love, following one's dreams, social media authenticity and many others.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Cal comes across as a bit self-centred, especialy if you consider his interactions with Deb, his best friend/ex-girlfriend, who has much more serious problems and is nothing but supportive of Cal. Having said this, there's so much energy in his character and so much drama! I really liked the social media career angle, and I sympathized when he felt his carefully laid out life plans were thwarted. Not that I didn't think that his Dad wasn't entitled to giving a shot to HIS dream of becoming an astronaut, but a bit more attention to how the change was going to affect the rest of the family was surely needed.
Cal's relationship with Leon was a bit too fast, and Leon himself seems to stay out of limelight all the time. Perhaps, it would have been more credible, if there were two points of view, or even more, if you want to cover all important people in Cal's life. Great rep for mental illness- Cal's Mom's anxiety and Leon's burnout and depression. These are important topics that require a lot of sensitivity, and Phil Stamper did a really good job here.
Overall, an original and upbeat coming-of-age novel dealing with topics of family relationships, first love, following one's dreams, social media authenticity and many others.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Read
May 23, 2020i was mistaken. i misread the maybe bordering on a possibly as a yes... (i don't know HOW i misread that but here we are)
sadness
but i will certainly try to get an audio file from penguin I'M READING THIS BOOK EARLY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
****************
i have just gotten word that i will in fact be getting an ARC
****************
Science + gays = perfection
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sadness
but i will certainly try to get an audio file from penguin I'M READING THIS BOOK EARLY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
****************
i have just gotten word that i will in fact be getting an ARC
****************
Science + gays = perfection
| Goodreads | Blog | Pinterest | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram
May 29, 2021
I didn't like this one as much as I should. I didn't pick it up with inhuman high hopes and anticipation but it just didn't work for me. I love the plot, I love the various characters but the plot wasn't executed well and the characters lack development. The writing style irked me the most. Everything was way too convenient. The romance parts seem like they were coming from an adult chicklit. The adult characters came out really weak considering the plot showcased NASA and astronauts and social media hype/following as the main themes.
I didn't DNFed this one as the story is cute and the writing flow was okayish. I wanted the story to develop more and I was hoping for that till the last page but sadly, it didn't happen. I wanted so much to love the main characters but no, they seemed so distant. The more I read the more they seemed distant. This is a book about dreams, LGBTQ relationship and mental health issues like depression and anxiety. I seriously could not get the dreams-come-true parts as they seem too convenient in the book. Everything just happened according to what the characters wanted. But I am happy about the LGBTQ representation. The characters were really cool about it and I am glad they didn't make a great deal out of it.
The best parts of the book were how mental health was tackled really well. It was written with good understanding, in depth and with great deal of care.
My most favourite characters were Deb and Kat. Deb as the ex and best friend of Cal, our main character. And Kat, the sister of Leon, the other main character.
This is one of those books where I had to struggle reading as I couldn't relate with the main character. The writing is average. The worse part is that the chemistry between the main characters didn't make me feel anything and it seemed like something taken out straightaway from adult romance novels available everywhere.
That's it, folks. Moving on to the next book☕
I didn't DNFed this one as the story is cute and the writing flow was okayish. I wanted the story to develop more and I was hoping for that till the last page but sadly, it didn't happen. I wanted so much to love the main characters but no, they seemed so distant. The more I read the more they seemed distant. This is a book about dreams, LGBTQ relationship and mental health issues like depression and anxiety. I seriously could not get the dreams-come-true parts as they seem too convenient in the book. Everything just happened according to what the characters wanted. But I am happy about the LGBTQ representation. The characters were really cool about it and I am glad they didn't make a great deal out of it.
The best parts of the book were how mental health was tackled really well. It was written with good understanding, in depth and with great deal of care.
My most favourite characters were Deb and Kat. Deb as the ex and best friend of Cal, our main character. And Kat, the sister of Leon, the other main character.
This is one of those books where I had to struggle reading as I couldn't relate with the main character. The writing is average. The worse part is that the chemistry between the main characters didn't make me feel anything and it seemed like something taken out straightaway from adult romance novels available everywhere.
That's it, folks. Moving on to the next book☕
October 5, 2020
“Don't aim to fix people. Fixing seems so permanent, so absolute. Like there's no room for error. Aim to make things better.”
A queer contemporary romance mixed with the proceedings of astronauts seemed like a premise I was bound to love. While I did have a mainly fun time reading, there were some aspects that didn’t live up to what I expected.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
When Cal’s father is selected for the next NASA mission, he realizes he’s about to lose everything. Cal will be forced to move to move states, leave his best friend, and abandon his journalism. Arriving in Texas thrusts Cal and his family into the media spotlight. He finds his only solace to be Leon -another astronaut’s son- who he ends up falling for.
~★~
Throughout The Gravity of Us, Phil Stamper maintains a good amount of both contemporary and sci-fi esque aspects. While objectively, this balance was executed well, I was left wanting more with each taste of NASA we received. My curiosity was peaked hearing about the astronauts preparing to launch with Cal’s father, though the narrative never leaves Earth.
While I did like Cal as a protagonist and Leon as a love interest, my feelings towards the characters were never strong. I was able to enjoy my time reading about them, though it never passed for more than mild entertainment. The romance moved a little too quickly for my taste as well.
This is by no means a bad book. There are definitely people who will like this story a lot more than I did. I would recommend it to people who enjoy reading about space, as well as some light romance!
February 4, 2020
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5 Stars
Full review HERE
The Gravity of Us tells such a contemporary story that you really cannot help but feel like it's something that could totally happen in a not-so-distant future.
I always appreciate it when authors manage to include in their books the use of social media in a good and positive way, since it's such a big and important part of our everyday life and also our current culture. Cal is a social media journalist, who is very famous on Flashfame, a social network where he regularly posts updates and information about current events, politics and his city. That was such a nice addition to the whole story and it's something I truly liked.
I also enjoyed how NASA was included in the storyline, but I must admit it was a bit too much for my taste. I like to read about space and I found the Orpheus mission very interesting, but I think they definitely stole the spotlight from the main character who was just there to tell their story. As soon as Cal moved to Texas we kind of lost his voice and I'm sorry for that. His interactions with others were kept to a minimum in my opinion and not even his newfound and sweet relationship with Leon helped in salvaging this character's arc. We only got glimpses of what could have been a lovely story to tell. Kat, Leon's sister, was also not very much present on the page and it's quite sad since she actually seemed like such a nice and fun character to have around.
If you're looking for a book about NASA, space, and the importance and pull that social media has in this day and age, then I urge you to give this book a chance!
3.5/5 Stars
Full review HERE
The Gravity of Us tells such a contemporary story that you really cannot help but feel like it's something that could totally happen in a not-so-distant future.
I always appreciate it when authors manage to include in their books the use of social media in a good and positive way, since it's such a big and important part of our everyday life and also our current culture. Cal is a social media journalist, who is very famous on Flashfame, a social network where he regularly posts updates and information about current events, politics and his city. That was such a nice addition to the whole story and it's something I truly liked.
I also enjoyed how NASA was included in the storyline, but I must admit it was a bit too much for my taste. I like to read about space and I found the Orpheus mission very interesting, but I think they definitely stole the spotlight from the main character who was just there to tell their story. As soon as Cal moved to Texas we kind of lost his voice and I'm sorry for that. His interactions with others were kept to a minimum in my opinion and not even his newfound and sweet relationship with Leon helped in salvaging this character's arc. We only got glimpses of what could have been a lovely story to tell. Kat, Leon's sister, was also not very much present on the page and it's quite sad since she actually seemed like such a nice and fun character to have around.
If you're looking for a book about NASA, space, and the importance and pull that social media has in this day and age, then I urge you to give this book a chance!
September 12, 2023
I really didn't like how the mc treated his best friend and that he made his own relationship public without the love interest's consent (even if it was not that big of a deal), but I loved everything else.
Namely:
- the setting and the plot were so unique
- he learned to respect his father
- he accepted that others view the world differently
- how mental helath and therapy was handled
Namely:
- the setting and the plot were so unique
- he learned to respect his father
- he accepted that others view the world differently
- how mental helath and therapy was handled
May 19, 2020
Read this during a space-themed reading vlog https://youtu.be/pk5jDe-0MBA
Read
March 21, 2020dnf 😔✋
May 17, 2020
3/5
This was a quick, easy and overall pleasant read - the kind that’s a bit fluffy and feel-good and light. Entertaining, but also not the kind that will stick in my brain for any foreseeable future. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.
This was a quick, easy and overall pleasant read - the kind that’s a bit fluffy and feel-good and light. Entertaining, but also not the kind that will stick in my brain for any foreseeable future. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.
May 8, 2020
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 take it at face value, but really I’m only guessing.
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for the early review copy.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities.
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 take it at face value, but really I’m only guessing.
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for the early review copy.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities.
December 13, 2024
Things I enjoyed;
/The length of the book (it was over quick)
/Easy dialogue
/Good side characters
/Mental health focus/rep
/the NASA theme
/the story wasn’t complicated
Things I disliked:
/Practically Insta love
/No vibing between mc’s
/Straight to the “I like you” phase when like… they had no banter or reason to really like each other.
/No moments between the MC’s that made you go “nawwww” from cuteness.
/NGL…. love interest was kinda just a boring af dude 🤷🏻♀️
/I’m not overly a fan of the modern Instagram influencer trope/vibe so meh vibes all around and the space theme didn’t even carry hard enough to make it enjoyable.
*edit because old formatting gave me the shudders and honestly, can’t remember shit about this book but from what I wrote, it wasn’t a vibe✨*
/The length of the book (it was over quick)
/Easy dialogue
/Good side characters
/Mental health focus/rep
/the NASA theme
/the story wasn’t complicated
Things I disliked:
/Practically Insta love
/No vibing between mc’s
/Straight to the “I like you” phase when like… they had no banter or reason to really like each other.
/No moments between the MC’s that made you go “nawwww” from cuteness.
/NGL…. love interest was kinda just a boring af dude 🤷🏻♀️
/I’m not overly a fan of the modern Instagram influencer trope/vibe so meh vibes all around and the space theme didn’t even carry hard enough to make it enjoyable.
*edit because old formatting gave me the shudders and honestly, can’t remember shit about this book but from what I wrote, it wasn’t a vibe✨*
June 8, 2020
4 Stars
A journalistically career focused seventeen-year-old kid named Cal, has his NYC life uprooted when his father is chosen to join a space mission Cal decidedly wants nothing to do with.
Cal runs his own extremely popular FlashFame news vlog, to which he has half a million followers, and dreams of a future studying, living, and eventually working in New York as a successful journalist, so the idea of moving to Texas during his pivotal senior year is unthinkable.
But once Cal and his parents arrive in Houston—moving into the same housing community historically designated to NASA astronauts and their families—Cal begins to change his tune, becoming entrenched in the mission at hand and the various people involved, and quickly falling for quiet and reserved Leon, a son of another astronaut on site.
As Cal adjusts to his new life in Houston, and reevaluates his life plan—hopefully one very much including Leon—he also finds himself butting heads with the big wigs who run the reality show, StarWatch, an entertainment news program that have snagged themselves exclusive rights to the NASA space mission, and who have effectively made it their business to meddle with Cal’s increasingly popular newscasts on the matter.
The story was well-paced and well-written. I particularly enjoyed the NASA story arc/setting and mentions to some of the history surrounding various unforgettable space missions throughout history. Where Cal wasn’t, I was definitely excited for his dad and the life changing opportunity he was getting here. In this regard, Cal (and his mother) came across as a bit self-centred and hugely inconsiderate, often whining about what the move would do to them and never really thinking about the amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience the father was being granted. This attitude definitely annoyed me for a good portion of the story, but I guess Cal’s reaction realistically portrayed how self-involved and ungracious teenagers can sometimes be when things don’t go their way—hell, people of all ages do this, I guess.
As a couple, Cal and Leon were very cute together, but their feelings came upon them very fast and with such uncomplicated ease as to be a little far-fetched, IMO. Still, they loved so sweetly and wholeheartedly that I can’t rightly complain that it happened quickly. They put a smile on my face, and I believe that counts for a helluva lot.
The story touches base with themes of mental illness, too, with Leon battling depression and Cal’s mother suffering from an often debilitating social anxiety disorder. These issues weren’t delved into too deeply, but it was still great to see some positive representation of such things.
Overall, this was an easy, enjoyable read, and I look forward to getting my hands on whatever stories Stamper wonders up next.
A journalistically career focused seventeen-year-old kid named Cal, has his NYC life uprooted when his father is chosen to join a space mission Cal decidedly wants nothing to do with.
Cal runs his own extremely popular FlashFame news vlog, to which he has half a million followers, and dreams of a future studying, living, and eventually working in New York as a successful journalist, so the idea of moving to Texas during his pivotal senior year is unthinkable.
But once Cal and his parents arrive in Houston—moving into the same housing community historically designated to NASA astronauts and their families—Cal begins to change his tune, becoming entrenched in the mission at hand and the various people involved, and quickly falling for quiet and reserved Leon, a son of another astronaut on site.
As Cal adjusts to his new life in Houston, and reevaluates his life plan—hopefully one very much including Leon—he also finds himself butting heads with the big wigs who run the reality show, StarWatch, an entertainment news program that have snagged themselves exclusive rights to the NASA space mission, and who have effectively made it their business to meddle with Cal’s increasingly popular newscasts on the matter.
The story was well-paced and well-written. I particularly enjoyed the NASA story arc/setting and mentions to some of the history surrounding various unforgettable space missions throughout history. Where Cal wasn’t, I was definitely excited for his dad and the life changing opportunity he was getting here. In this regard, Cal (and his mother) came across as a bit self-centred and hugely inconsiderate, often whining about what the move would do to them and never really thinking about the amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience the father was being granted. This attitude definitely annoyed me for a good portion of the story, but I guess Cal’s reaction realistically portrayed how self-involved and ungracious teenagers can sometimes be when things don’t go their way—hell, people of all ages do this, I guess.
As a couple, Cal and Leon were very cute together, but their feelings came upon them very fast and with such uncomplicated ease as to be a little far-fetched, IMO. Still, they loved so sweetly and wholeheartedly that I can’t rightly complain that it happened quickly. They put a smile on my face, and I believe that counts for a helluva lot.
The story touches base with themes of mental illness, too, with Leon battling depression and Cal’s mother suffering from an often debilitating social anxiety disorder. These issues weren’t delved into too deeply, but it was still great to see some positive representation of such things.
Overall, this was an easy, enjoyable read, and I look forward to getting my hands on whatever stories Stamper wonders up next.
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