Title: Something Like Gravity
Author: Amber Smith
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication: June 18, 2019
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Summary
After Chris almost runs over Maia with his car, their relationship isn’t off to the best start. But since Chris is new in town and doesn’t know Maia’s past, they gravitate toward each other. After all, they are neighbors, at least for the summer. They can’t ignore each other forever, especially in a small town like Carson.
Not only is Maia struggling with the death of her sister, but Chris has his own baggage. After recently coming out as transgender and suffering a terrifying assault, he’s struggling to figure out how to move forward as himself. But as the summer goes on, the two figure out that maybe they need each other in order to move on from both of their pasts. Though romance is at the back of both of their minds, maybe them falling in love was inevitable.
Review: Something Like Gravity
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy to review! Before we get into the nitty-gritty, can we just admire how absolutely beautiful this cover is? It’s one of the reasons I requested it on NetGalley in the first place, though I had heard great things about the book as well. It should have been included on my June Releases to Watch Out For post, because it’s definitely one you should keep an eye on.
Told in alternating chapters, we really get to get in the heads of both Maia and Chris. Despite a rocky beginning, they quickly become close, utilizing the freedom of summer to just be together. One of the things I enjoyed the most about was the journey that both of the characters go through. They’re both struggling with their own problems, but with each other, they’re able to kind of work through them, and I thought that was beautiful.
I also did a bit of research about this book, because it’s a book with a transgender narrator by someone who isn’t transgender. I always like to see if these stories are authentic to the voice they’re portraying. For the most part, it seems like Smith does it justice, as long as you keep in mind that it isn’t own voices. But! We should also make sure to support stories from Own Voices authors as well. I’ll be doing a post about that later this month!
All in all, Something Like Gravity is a beautiful love story whose release date is perfectly settled in the middle of Pride Month. If you’re looking for a slightly different romance to read this summer, definitely pick this one up!
4/5 stars