Scan barcode
bloomed's review
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
emily austin does it again!
i loved, loved, loved everyone in this room will someday be dead, and this book scratched the exact same itch. enid is a lovable, relatable, wonderful protagonist, and watching her grow, spiral, learn about herself, and go through the ups and downs of being a person was really, genuinely great. there was just enough plot to keep me wondering what would happen next, too; it wasn’t the focus of the story by any means, but it was a really interesting (and sometimes funny, and sometimes heart-wrenching, some sometimes thrilling) hook. the romance with polly was also excellent!! i loved how weird-but-right she and enid were together, and desperately need more freakish (affectionate) lesbians like the two of them in my books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Lesbophobia
rhalpin's review
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved this book. Sometimes felt mildly stressed while reading it but I think that’s the mark of great writing. Typically I’m more of a plot-driven girlie but the stream of consciousness/ character study vibe here just really worked for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
fauna's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I learned so much of my own feelings reading Enid’s internal monologue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Vomit
armstrongangela83's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Self harm
brnczv's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Title: Interesting Facts about Space
Author: Emily R. Austin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: January 30, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Shuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Charming • Relatable • Hopeful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black holes and their ability to spaghettify you without batting an eye in fear. Her one major phobia? Bald men. But she tries to keep that one under wraps. When she’s not listening to her favorite true crime podcasts on a loop, she’s serially dating a rotation of women from dating apps. At the same time, she’s trying to forge a new relationship with her estranged half-sisters after the death of her absent father. When she unwittingly plunges into her first serious romantic entanglement, Enid starts to believe that someone is following her.
As her paranoia spirals out of control, Enid must contend with her mounting suspicion that something is seriously wrong with her. Because at the end of the day there’s only one person she can’t outrun—herself.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I picked up Interesting Facts about Space on whim, not knowing what to expect. I had been intrigued by Emily R. Austin's novel Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, but I hadn't gotten a chance to read it yet. With that said, I am so glad to have taken a chance on this one - it was one of those books that just spoke to me on so many different levels.
Told from the first person perspective, the meandering writing style follows Enid's stream of consciousness, allowing for an in-depth glimpse into her inner thoughts, insecurities, and motivations. As a result of this, the pacing is quite slow through the first half, with the plot taking a backseat, and a lot packed into the final third. For most of the narrative, I really had no idea where it was going - and that is exactly why I ended up loving it.
Enid is unique, yet so relatable. I loved being inside her brain and trying to figure out why she is the way she is. Although it tackles some serious topics, there is an underlying comical tone that really set the stage. There were so many 'me too' moments sprinkled throughout. I saw myself in how she notices her mother's struggles when the little things start disappearing. Additionally, when Enid describes needing 5-minutes to rehearse what she will say to the waitress, I just felt so seen.
Interesting Facts about Space is one of those books that is incredibly hard to describe, yet so deeply human. It was a little weird, a lot messy, and in all honesty, not a whole lot happens, but somehow it worked. I was left with a quiet satisfaction and I would definitely read another book like it. I didn't realize Emily R. Austin is a Canadian author and I look forward to reading Everyone in This Room will Someday Be Dead sooner rather than later.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the character study
• anyone who has felt weird and misunderstood
• readers who like neurodivergent MCs
⚠️ CW: mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, anxiety, depression, paranoia, PTSD, self-harm, eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, stalking, abandonment, murder, death, death of parent, grief, fire/fire injury, ableism, homophobia, lesbophobia, outing, bullying, infidelity, vomit, pregnancy, sexual content, gaslighting, toxic relationship
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I wish I could have one nice interaction with everyone and then disappear."
"I wonder why some people are like her, and some people are like me… I can’t tell people things like, ‘It’s always so nice to see you’, let alone say something like, ‘I love you’, without feeling my insides curdle. I have to tell them about sunsets on Mars or bake them offensive cakes. I bet she tells Gina she loves her. I bet she doesn’t know anything about stars."
"I will never understand how my dad could stand in the glow of my mom, as if an inch from a star, and be unmoved by her formidable light. It has been devastating to watch her fade in response to him."
Author: Emily R. Austin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: January 30, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Shuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Charming • Relatable • Hopeful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black holes and their ability to spaghettify you without batting an eye in fear. Her one major phobia? Bald men. But she tries to keep that one under wraps. When she’s not listening to her favorite true crime podcasts on a loop, she’s serially dating a rotation of women from dating apps. At the same time, she’s trying to forge a new relationship with her estranged half-sisters after the death of her absent father. When she unwittingly plunges into her first serious romantic entanglement, Enid starts to believe that someone is following her.
As her paranoia spirals out of control, Enid must contend with her mounting suspicion that something is seriously wrong with her. Because at the end of the day there’s only one person she can’t outrun—herself.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I picked up Interesting Facts about Space on whim, not knowing what to expect. I had been intrigued by Emily R. Austin's novel Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, but I hadn't gotten a chance to read it yet. With that said, I am so glad to have taken a chance on this one - it was one of those books that just spoke to me on so many different levels.
Told from the first person perspective, the meandering writing style follows Enid's stream of consciousness, allowing for an in-depth glimpse into her inner thoughts, insecurities, and motivations. As a result of this, the pacing is quite slow through the first half, with the plot taking a backseat, and a lot packed into the final third. For most of the narrative, I really had no idea where it was going - and that is exactly why I ended up loving it.
Enid is unique, yet so relatable. I loved being inside her brain and trying to figure out why she is the way she is. Although it tackles some serious topics, there is an underlying comical tone that really set the stage. There were so many 'me too' moments sprinkled throughout. I saw myself in how she notices her mother's struggles when the little things start disappearing. Additionally, when Enid describes needing 5-minutes to rehearse what she will say to the waitress, I just felt so seen.
Interesting Facts about Space is one of those books that is incredibly hard to describe, yet so deeply human. It was a little weird, a lot messy, and in all honesty, not a whole lot happens, but somehow it worked. I was left with a quiet satisfaction and I would definitely read another book like it. I didn't realize Emily R. Austin is a Canadian author and I look forward to reading Everyone in This Room will Someday Be Dead sooner rather than later.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the character study
• anyone who has felt weird and misunderstood
• readers who like neurodivergent MCs
⚠️ CW: mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, anxiety, depression, paranoia, PTSD, self-harm, eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, stalking, abandonment, murder, death, death of parent, grief, fire/fire injury, ableism, homophobia, lesbophobia, outing, bullying, infidelity, vomit, pregnancy, sexual content, gaslighting, toxic relationship
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I wish I could have one nice interaction with everyone and then disappear."
"I wonder why some people are like her, and some people are like me… I can’t tell people things like, ‘It’s always so nice to see you’, let alone say something like, ‘I love you’, without feeling my insides curdle. I have to tell them about sunsets on Mars or bake them offensive cakes. I bet she tells Gina she loves her. I bet she doesn’t know anything about stars."
"I will never understand how my dad could stand in the glow of my mom, as if an inch from a star, and be unmoved by her formidable light. It has been devastating to watch her fade in response to him."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
anxiety, depression, paranoia, PTSDbrebooks_'s review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
mold_munchr's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Outing
getlitwithamy_'s review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This short yet poignant novel by Emily Austin reveals the trials and tribulations of family dynamics, along with the complexity of mental illness
Enid, the protagonist of INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPACE, is the kooky neurodivergent mess I need for comfort. I loved seeing her go through her life as a lesbian who can’t be bothered by men (unless they’re bald)
What impacted me the most was the mother-daughter dynamic. Enid’s mom goes through a rollercoaster of emotions as she struggles with her depression. My dad and I used to have a similar relationship with the roles reversed
I felt very seen in this book. It was hilarious, and I even got emotional enough to nearly cry once as well. Great job to Emily Austin!
Enid, the protagonist of INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPACE, is the kooky neurodivergent mess I need for comfort. I loved seeing her go through her life as a lesbian who can’t be bothered by men (unless they’re bald)
What impacted me the most was the mother-daughter dynamic. Enid’s mom goes through a rollercoaster of emotions as she struggles with her depression. My dad and I used to have a similar relationship with the roles reversed
I felt very seen in this book. It was hilarious, and I even got emotional enough to nearly cry once as well. Great job to Emily Austin!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Self harm
thepostman96's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Self harm and Fire/Fire injury