Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.

Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another "Astrokid," and finds himself falling head over heels--fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

Expertly capturing the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teens feel, debut author Phil Stamper is a new talent to watch.

Review: I did this book on audio and i heartily recommend reading this book in that format if you can because you get real broadcasts from the reality TV show following the astronauts and their families which just brings the whole thing to life. 

I warmed to Cal and his story right from the beginning of the book. I loved the fact that he is a social media star but one with a difference. He not only uses his platform to show off neighborhoods in New York but also he uses his voice, one that so many people will be able to identify with for political good. Every aspect of social media is explored incredibly well in this novel through the reality TV show and through Cal and his online presence. 

I also love the relationship that Cal develops with Leon. This a friendship as well as a romance. This is own voices for queer representation and I love that Cal and Leon live their queerness in different ways. I like the fact that Cal has to handle making new friends in a new place when he has been so comfortable with his relationships in NYC. 

This book also deals with issues surrounding mental health and the power of science, two topics not normally found together in a novel, especially not a novel that has been marketed as a gay, young adult romance. I love that the writer has fitted so much into such a small space without ever compromising an engaging story line. All of these issues are dealt with so well through events and characters in the book, I am in awe of how these issues were included in such a natural and never forced way. 

This book is something that will stay with me for a while, I am still thinking about the characters and I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

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