Title: The Gravity of Us

Author: Phil Stamper

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA+

To Buy: Indigo (Affiliate Link)

Summary: 

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.

My Thoughts:

Let it be known. This book is about an…influencer. But I didn’t let that deter me, just because I’m old and don’t understand the interwebs anymore.

Why? Because Space Travel.

What can I say, I’ve always been a little bit of a space nerd. Space is vast, unknown to us largely still, and scary as hell.

Much like life. But it can still be exciting right? And in the case of this novel, it can be exciting, and scary, and passionate and dare I say it, adorable.

Because these two are.freaking.adorable. This is a library book I need to buy one day when I have money to spare. Cal tries too hard sometimes, and yet he misses the point quite a bit, but in a way that doesn’t make me want to shake the poor boy.

But Leon. Leon who is certain in his sexual identity but uncertain of everything else reminds me of myself when I was much younger than I am now. (What can I say I’m feeling old today…)

This book taught me a bit about space and had me reading articles about the 60s space race in between chapters, and it was cute and sweet, yet angsty all at the same time.

It made me feel good. And we can all use a little good right now.