Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Interesting Facts About Space

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Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

31 reviews

noshinbean's review

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challenging dark funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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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."

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breanneporter's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a mixed bag for me. It puts you inside the head of the 26-year-old lesbian protagonist, Enid, who is confronting some mental health issues and finally working through some phobias and trauma that are affecting her life. There’s a sweet love story that was for sure the highlight for me (I love Polly!) and certainly some funny moments, but overall it was an exhausting and anxiety-inducing ride. For most of the novel I just wanted to scream-shout “please go to therapy for the love of god!!”, so it is a relief when it finally goes there but I struggled at both the beginning of the novel, getting used to being inside this mind, as well as toward the end, when I’d grown weary of it. Again I did enjoy much of the middle and I do think Enid is a very well constructed and interesting character, I just don’t want to spend too much time with her (but I’m so glad Polly does! Did I mention how much I love Polly?). I think I liked Everyone In this Room Will Someday Be Dead a little more but I’m glad I read this one too and I will likely pick up more from Emily Austin in the future.

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sxndaze's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

I wish I could have one nice interaction with everyone and then disappear.

a gorgeous story that feels like a warm blanket. it’s not for everyone, and you need to be in the right mindset, but it’s so beautiful. the audiobook is definitely one to check out.

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hcasp98's review

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dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

No plot just vibes. The main character, Enid, is relatable, especially to anyone who grew up neurodivergent and was written off as being "quirky" or "weird." I really enjoyed the different relationship dynamics between Enid and the people in her life (her mother, Vin, her sisters, Poppy). It was refreshing to read a book that has queer & disability representation, and I enjoyed how the author handled the topic of mental health. An enjoyable read overall, just didn't have that five star feeling, hence me rating it 4 stars.

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booksandcoffeewithlexi's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

I am so floored at how this book sucked me in. It was relatable, intriguing, and heartbreaking while not being too dark to put down. There was always a small lightness to bring you back to earth.
I’ve absolutely spiraled like Enid, and my love for true crime also challenges my morality for liking it.
I hope your mom is wearing lipstick.

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