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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Yessss. Just the romance I was looking for.
Is there anything sexier than CONSENT? No there is not, and Smith proves that to us within these pages. Consent is and can be sexy, I hope other authors follow suit. As far as I am aware, this was not written in Own Voices so I hope that it is an accurate depiction of a FTM point of view. I myself have never had this experience so I cannot be sure, and it does give me some pause.
Overall, this was a fun read. If you enjoyed Love, Simon I think it’s safe to say you will love this one, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it provoked many important questions within me. I would absolutely purchase this for teens grade 9-12 and adults that enjoy contemporary YA romance.
You can read my full review at k8canrelate.com/blog
Is there anything sexier than CONSENT? No there is not, and Smith proves that to us within these pages. Consent is and can be sexy, I hope other authors follow suit. As far as I am aware, this was not written in Own Voices so I hope that it is an accurate depiction of a FTM point of view. I myself have never had this experience so I cannot be sure, and it does give me some pause.
Overall, this was a fun read. If you enjoyed Love, Simon I think it’s safe to say you will love this one, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it provoked many important questions within me. I would absolutely purchase this for teens grade 9-12 and adults that enjoy contemporary YA romance.
You can read my full review at k8canrelate.com/blog
Unfortunately, Something Like Gravity wasn't for me. I'd picked up this book because of the trans rep, and not only did I find that the rep was potentially harmful, neither Chris nor Maia's stories were particularly captivating to me, and I was bored for most of the book.
The book is told in alternating perspectives from Chris and Maia, two teenagers living next to each other in a small town. Both Chris and Maia are dealing with two very life-changing events, which is what brings them together: alienated from the rest of their community, they find comfort in each other because they understand what it's like to be alone without knowing the history behind it. That they don't know each other's histories is, I believe, the driving point behind their relationship, and it also makes their whole conflict possible: namely, both characters keep secrets from each other throughout the book.
Personally, I found Chris and Maia both to be quite frustrating during the book. I did sympathize with both of them, however: both are going through a lot, and it makes a lot of their behaviours understandable. Both of their storylines reflected each other in a very poetic way, which I liked: it definitely lent more weight to the story.
I was, however, definitely the most disappointed by how Chris was written. I'm not transgender, but a lot of the content surrounding Chris made me really uncomfortable. There's a couple ownvoices reviews that echo these thoughts here and here and I suggest you read those because they say it better than I could ever. But there is a scene where Maia spies on Chris as he changes, which is how Maia finds out that Chris is trans, and I feel like that's such a common yet harmful trope which was really uncomfortable to read about. Both Chris and Maia are hiding things from each other, but Chris being trans is treated with as much gravity as Maia lying about her hobbies, and it felt very wrong to me to equate the two. In addition, I'm just ... tired of reading about queer pain in contemporary novels, and tired of queer identities being held as hostage, so to speak. I know that the author is a lesbian, but she's cis and so is Maia, and I felt like Maia acted like Chris being transgender was something she used against him. Which isn't something I particularly enjoy reading about.
This is also a very character-driven novel, which meant that because I wasn't too into the characters, I was not into the plot, either. Amber Smith's writing is beautiful, and I've heard a lot about her previous books -- so I was disappointed that I couldn't get into the rest of the book like I wanted to.
I feel like Something About Gravity had a lot of potential behind it, but I didn't find either of its main characters particularly interesting. In addition, the portrayal of Chris as a trans person played into a lot of harmful plotlines and tropes about trans people that made me really uncomfortable.
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The book is told in alternating perspectives from Chris and Maia, two teenagers living next to each other in a small town. Both Chris and Maia are dealing with two very life-changing events, which is what brings them together: alienated from the rest of their community, they find comfort in each other because they understand what it's like to be alone without knowing the history behind it. That they don't know each other's histories is, I believe, the driving point behind their relationship, and it also makes their whole conflict possible: namely, both characters keep secrets from each other throughout the book.
Personally, I found Chris and Maia both to be quite frustrating during the book. I did sympathize with both of them, however: both are going through a lot, and it makes a lot of their behaviours understandable. Both of their storylines reflected each other in a very poetic way, which I liked: it definitely lent more weight to the story.
I was, however, definitely the most disappointed by how Chris was written. I'm not transgender, but a lot of the content surrounding Chris made me really uncomfortable. There's a couple ownvoices reviews that echo these thoughts here and here and I suggest you read those because they say it better than I could ever. But there is a scene where Maia spies on Chris as he changes, which is how Maia finds out that Chris is trans, and I feel like that's such a common yet harmful trope which was really uncomfortable to read about. Both Chris and Maia are hiding things from each other, but Chris being trans is treated with as much gravity as Maia lying about her hobbies, and it felt very wrong to me to equate the two. In addition, I'm just ... tired of reading about queer pain in contemporary novels, and tired of queer identities being held as hostage, so to speak. I know that the author is a lesbian, but she's cis and so is Maia, and I felt like Maia acted like Chris being transgender was something she used against him. Which isn't something I particularly enjoy reading about.
This is also a very character-driven novel, which meant that because I wasn't too into the characters, I was not into the plot, either. Amber Smith's writing is beautiful, and I've heard a lot about her previous books -- so I was disappointed that I couldn't get into the rest of the book like I wanted to.
I feel like Something About Gravity had a lot of potential behind it, but I didn't find either of its main characters particularly interesting. In addition, the portrayal of Chris as a trans person played into a lot of harmful plotlines and tropes about trans people that made me really uncomfortable.
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TRIGGER WARNINGS: LOSS OF A LOVED ONE, TRANSPHOBIA, TALK ABOUT CHEATING, ASSAULT, DEATH OF AN ANIMAL
Firstly, I want to issue a disclaimer that my review is not an own voices review. So, my thoughts on this book will not effectively talk about the experience of transgenders. Please take my review with a grain of salt as I cannot review the authenticity and state whether Chris’ representation is good or bad.
I had heard of Amber Smith through EmmmaBooks who had recommended Smith’s The Way I Used To Be. After reading Gravity, I’ve come to know the enchantment of Amber Smith’s writing. Her prose moves from gut-wrenching to simple, from grief to confusion; the author explores emotions in a way that I could relate to but would fail to explain to anyone else. Gravity tackles issues of identity, grief, and loss in its many forms. To handle these heavy emotions and yet to also evoke the cute, sweet chemistry between Chris and Maia made Gravity a difficult book to put down.
The characters in the story meet each other at a time in their life when everything feels to be falling apart. I loved their innocence as they sort of danced around each other, trying to figure out why they were drawn to the other person. Maia and Chris’s relationship development was the kind built on patience. Between Maia’s loss of her sister and Chris’ past assault, both characters are at a time in their life where they are trying to understand who they are. Then comes along this other person who they begin to have feelings for – so the conflict between wanting to fall in love and figuring who they are first tantalized me! I love how their friendship somehow helped them see themselves from a new perspective.
However, one scene in Something Like Gravity made me feel very uncomfortable. It's on page 209 where Maia watches Chris undressing. To me, this scene felt unnecessary. It felt like a forced coming out for the character. In my opinion, such scenes do more harm than good for the queer community.
I received a free copy of Something Like Gravity from The Fantastic Flying Book in exchange for my participation in the blog tour. Thank you to the author, Amber Smith, Margaret K.. McElderry Books for sending a copy my way. However, this did not influence my review in any way.
Firstly, I want to issue a disclaimer that my review is not an own voices review. So, my thoughts on this book will not effectively talk about the experience of transgenders. Please take my review with a grain of salt as I cannot review the authenticity and state whether Chris’ representation is good or bad.
I had heard of Amber Smith through EmmmaBooks who had recommended Smith’s The Way I Used To Be. After reading Gravity, I’ve come to know the enchantment of Amber Smith’s writing. Her prose moves from gut-wrenching to simple, from grief to confusion; the author explores emotions in a way that I could relate to but would fail to explain to anyone else. Gravity tackles issues of identity, grief, and loss in its many forms. To handle these heavy emotions and yet to also evoke the cute, sweet chemistry between Chris and Maia made Gravity a difficult book to put down.
The characters in the story meet each other at a time in their life when everything feels to be falling apart. I loved their innocence as they sort of danced around each other, trying to figure out why they were drawn to the other person. Maia and Chris’s relationship development was the kind built on patience. Between Maia’s loss of her sister and Chris’ past assault, both characters are at a time in their life where they are trying to understand who they are. Then comes along this other person who they begin to have feelings for – so the conflict between wanting to fall in love and figuring who they are first tantalized me! I love how their friendship somehow helped them see themselves from a new perspective.
However, one scene in Something Like Gravity made me feel very uncomfortable. It's on page 209 where Maia watches Chris undressing. To me, this scene felt unnecessary. It felt like a forced coming out for the character. In my opinion, such scenes do more harm than good for the queer community.
I received a free copy of Something Like Gravity from The Fantastic Flying Book in exchange for my participation in the blog tour. Thank you to the author, Amber Smith, Margaret K.. McElderry Books for sending a copy my way. However, this did not influence my review in any way.