Reviews

In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher

Only show reviews with written explanations

whitreadslit's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*

Ashley Schumacher writes the most beautiful stories of young adults figuring out who they are. I don’t know how she does it, but her books are just magical.

Nova and Sam are such complex and wonderful characters. One is afraid of their past catching up to them, and of disappointing the people in their present. The other doesn’t know what they want, and doesn’t feel like they even know who they really are. These are such relatable problems that we have all dealt with in our adolescence. Seeing the two of them work through these issues in the orbit of each other was tragically beautiful.

I loved this storyline. Two childhood friends finding each other again right on the cusp of major life decisions. *muah chef’s kiss* The friends and significant other in the story were fun and added some nice comedic relief.

Though, I honestly could have done without the romantic will they, won’t they. This is surprising for me, as I’m a huge sucker for romance. But, I felt like this story was strong without the extra complication.

Lovely and bittersweet, this is a beauty of a book. I hope you give it a chance to dazzle you. ❤️

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I gave In the Orbit of You 4.5 Stars!

https://whitreadslit.com/2024/03/18/book-review-in-the-orbit-of-you/#more-7388

bookmarkedbypage's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

cmareads's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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

3.5

bookbruin's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I’m a big fan of Ashley Schumacher’s writing and In the Orbit of You started off really strong. The premise intrigued me (please be sure to check CW’s) and I was drawn into the story right away. Unfortunately, the beginning, middle, and end chapter format/breaks didn’t make the most sense to me and the story went from love to like by the end.

Ashley Schumacher captured all the yearning, joy, confusion, and heartache of young love well. I wanted to root so hard for Nova and Sam (even if it was a little odd that they would have such deep and lasting feelings for each other starting at the age of 5/6). As certain plot points continued to drag on and on (and on) though, things started to derail. I can forgive a certain amount of back and forth and lack of communication, even more so in YA, but this pushed me beyond my limit.

The emotional cheating (and ultimately physical cheating) really soured the romance between Sam and Nova for me. His childhood was 100% heartbreaking, but just like Abigail pointed out - that doesn’t excuse his terrible behavior. Sam said “cheater” was a trigger for him and Nova’s previous boyfriend cheated on her, yet they still did this. I guess these choices just drove home the author’s point that Sam and Nova are young and needed to step back and figure themselves out first, before anything else.

The ending was hopeful though and allowed our characters to grow into themselves. It left me smiling, but I’m sad this one didn’t fully work for me.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Content Warnings

a_stylish_bookworm's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful medium-paced

3.0

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @netgalley for a copy of this book.

Sam and Nova were friends they were little kids and when Sam moved away, they lost touch. They randomly reconnect in high school and their connection is as strong as ever. I love how they reconnected but didn't like how they kept their friendship a secret. It felt they were both unfair with Sam's girlfriend, despite they were not "cheating". Aside from this aspect, I did enjoy the story. I think there's so much pressure on kids with knowing what they want to do with their future and I enjoyed seeing this portrayed.

brisbookreviews's review

Go to review page

4.0

Im surprising myself at rating this a 4. The main reason for the 4 was the authors writing style. Its wonderful. I was sucked in and captivated from the start. But what i disliked about the book angered me..long story short..i HATE the male main character. Youre meant to feel incredibly sorry for the guy but the way he treats others is terrible. But the simple fact that this book gave me so many strong mixed feelings made for a well written book. However I will say it dragged a bit for me and i was ready for it to end. The magic fizzeled for me at the end but overall in sincerely impressed with this author and plan on reading more!
This ARC was provided free via a goodreads giveaway. Thank you!

megan_apageofpeace's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

taketwolu's review against another edition

Go to review page

Two childhood friends, Nova and Sam, who are separated by a move reconnect years later during their senior year of high school. Despite the gap, the two are still drawn to each other. The only problem is that Sam has a girlfriend and Nova will move soon.

Schumacher’s books always manage to tear up my heart while doing so in deep, meaningful, significant ways. In this book, we explore the effects of abuse, constant moving, identity struggles, trauma, messy relationships, and finding one’s self.

Nova and Sam have my heart!! As childhood friends, the comfort these two had for each other was so heartwarming despite the heartbreaking conditions. There was some grey area emotional ‘cheating’ which had me and the characters fumbling. Knowing their backstory too had me rooting for them but the present day drama had me anxious and wishing that Sam would speak up. Still, I loved how raw, authentic, and layered each person’s story was.

The writing and pacing are captivating and had me speeding through! The heavier topics and triggers were addressed with care and the ending had me on edge. There was such a mix of emotions and though I’m not sure how I felt about the epilogue, I still enjoyed this overall!

Thanks, Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for my arc!

smizock's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mparrish17's review

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-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

More...