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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I have never read a book with a transgender main character, but this book was so good. Highly recommend to anyone.
This arc was provided to me by Margaret K. McElderberry Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I can’t say that I loved Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith. I also can’t say that I hated it, either, because I most certainly didn’t. However, I'm not really certain what my expectations were prior to reading this.
Something Like Gravity follows the story of Chris, a female to male transgender teen from Buffalo, and Maia, a girl who grew up in small town North Carolina over the course of a summer. Meeting unconventionally, a friendship forms between the two and romantic interests seem to peak quickly.
Maia struggles to find her place in the world with her older sister having passed on. It is Maia's struggle, as well as her developing relationship with Chris, that primarily fuels the plot line of the novel. I really wish the author could have touched more on Chris' experiences since coming out as transgender, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
I will not lie, I don't know very much about what it is like to live as a transgender person. I don't know what transitioning, passing or dysphoria is like. I haven't gone through these experiences, nor have I done enough proper research on this topic. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert or highly educated individual when it comes to this, because I'm not. I don't know many people who identify as transgender (literally only a few, and only one of them is a friend), and I certainly don't want to offend anyone who may come across my review.
That being said, I feel as though Chris' character is poorly written due to lack of proper research. This disappoints me endlessly, as it was Chris' character that piqued my interest in this book in the first place.
Details of Chris' transition process are difficult to piece together in order to create a clear picture, and the timeline of his transition is inconsistent. He describes his voice as being "high and light" a year ago, but later states he's been subconsciously talking low for years, "before the hormones." It is actually never clearly stated whether or not he has actually started hormones, merely that his father has "signed the stupid paperwork."
Throughout the novel, there is no instance of Chris being administered hormone shots. Chris and his aunt didn't have a discussion of where Chris would even go for his shots or prescriptions. There were no doctor or specialist appointments. The only part of his transition that is actually touched upon is Chris wearing a binder. However, upon reading
I can’t say that I loved Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith. I also can’t say that I hated it, either, because I most certainly didn’t. However, I'm not really certain what my expectations were prior to reading this.
Something Like Gravity follows the story of Chris, a female to male transgender teen from Buffalo, and Maia, a girl who grew up in small town North Carolina over the course of a summer. Meeting unconventionally, a friendship forms between the two and romantic interests seem to peak quickly.
Maia struggles to find her place in the world with her older sister having passed on. It is Maia's struggle, as well as her developing relationship with Chris, that primarily fuels the plot line of the novel. I really wish the author could have touched more on Chris' experiences since coming out as transgender, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
I will not lie, I don't know very much about what it is like to live as a transgender person. I don't know what transitioning, passing or dysphoria is like. I haven't gone through these experiences, nor have I done enough proper research on this topic. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert or highly educated individual when it comes to this, because I'm not. I don't know many people who identify as transgender (literally only a few, and only one of them is a friend), and I certainly don't want to offend anyone who may come across my review.
That being said, I feel as though Chris' character is poorly written due to lack of proper research. This disappoints me endlessly, as it was Chris' character that piqued my interest in this book in the first place.
Details of Chris' transition process are difficult to piece together in order to create a clear picture, and the timeline of his transition is inconsistent. He describes his voice as being "high and light" a year ago, but later states he's been subconsciously talking low for years, "before the hormones." It is actually never clearly stated whether or not he has actually started hormones, merely that his father has "signed the stupid paperwork."
Throughout the novel, there is no instance of Chris being administered hormone shots. Chris and his aunt didn't have a discussion of where Chris would even go for his shots or prescriptions. There were no doctor or specialist appointments. The only part of his transition that is actually touched upon is Chris wearing a binder. However, upon reading
This book was good and highly unexpected. Me and my bff read it and we both agree Amber Smith needs to make a sequel.
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 stars. This was not a light romantic read, but rather a realistic YA novel about a relationship between a grieving girl and a trans boy who are both dealing with family issues. While Chris and Maia have great chemistry, I like the fact that their relationship is not just love at first sight and happily ever after and all the other typical romantic notions of "love" but that it's complex and human and more about navigating ups and downs rather than a definitive yes or no. Isn't that what relationships are really like? They're evolving and complicated and I liked how the author really showed the tensions that happen in REAL relationships. I'm also reading this for Pride month which makes me so happy because finding Pride reads for YA is something I definitely didn't grow up with! <3
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.
This book, in short: His secret is he is trans, her secret is she hasn't dealt with her sister's sudden death, they fall for each other. Lots to unpack in this plot! But, it just doesn't hold up to its promise.
I have to qualify my two stars by saying I think this is a good book for many people, I see its good qualities, but I did not enjoy it overall. It's probably a three-star, at least, read for most people, but, personally, I didn't enjoy it.
It could have been a good book, but at almost 400 pages, it needed some serious editing. The ending was also too much, and models some seriously unhealthy behaviors that I cringe to read, knowing the target audience is teens. I wound up skimming quite a lot of this book to get the gist rather than truly reading it.
I have to qualify my two stars by saying I think this is a good book for many people, I see its good qualities, but I did not enjoy it overall. It's probably a three-star, at least, read for most people, but, personally, I didn't enjoy it.
It could have been a good book, but at almost 400 pages, it needed some serious editing. The ending was also too much, and models some seriously unhealthy behaviors that I cringe to read, knowing the target audience is teens. I wound up skimming quite a lot of this book to get the gist rather than truly reading it.
emotional
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:
Complicated
Something Like Gravity is, ultimately, the story of two teenagers grieving the loss of the version of themselves that existed prior to a traumatic event. It is also about love. And about figuring out how to be comfortable in your own skin. This story was incredibly important as it's both a story of healing and of finding someone that loves you AND all of your baggage.
What I found to be stunning about this book is that it is one of the first books I have read that is about a trans boy falling in love. It is not about him figuring out he was trans, but instead his life being trans.
This book was heartbreaking and important and another step in the right direction toward having every kind of story for every kind of person. I especially appreciated the experience of reading from a trans character and the understanding and empathy-building that is included as a result.
Amber Smith's writing style is one of my favorites in contemporary literature.
What I found to be stunning about this book is that it is one of the first books I have read that is about a trans boy falling in love. It is not about him figuring out he was trans, but instead his life being trans.
This book was heartbreaking and important and another step in the right direction toward having every kind of story for every kind of person. I especially appreciated the experience of reading from a trans character and the understanding and empathy-building that is included as a result.
Amber Smith's writing style is one of my favorites in contemporary literature.
a soft sweet mellow story about a trans boy finding someone who loves him at the right time and the right place for who he is.