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emily_charlotte's review against another edition
4.0
Finally had the chance to read this, yay! Clues to The Universe is a simple, sweet MG about friendship and space. There were a lot of tropes I'd seen done before, and some parts personally lacked believability, but I still enjoyed it, and finished it in one evening. It's exactly the type of book I would have gobbled up when I was in Middle School, full of banter and STEM and likeable characters.
dinibharadwaj's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
5.0
A beautiful and nuanced exploration of grief, friendship, the father-child relationship and so much more, it definitely packs an emotional punch and I will admit that it made me cry several times.
babyskillet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the friendship that grew between Ro and Benji the whole story. I loved the way Benji and Ro slowly take on each others traits and how they love each other. So good.
bmetcalfe28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jadatrack's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
4.25
librandian's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kaitlyn_choe's review against another edition
4.0
"And so we stayed out there for a while, making up our own constellations... the pork buns warming our hands and the universe in our ears."
SUMMARY
When Rosalind Ling Geraghty and Benjamin Burns first cross paths, their lives are pointed in completely different directions. Ro is an aspiring rocket scientist; Benji, an artist with an obsession for space-based comic books. But when they accidentally switch folders in their middle school science class, their worlds collide in ways that will change both of their lives. As the pair help each other achieve their missions— one to launch the perfect rocket, another to find a long-gone father— they learn that their dreams have more in common than they think. The question is not whether or not they become friends: it's whether or not their friendship will stand all of the challenges thrown their way.
THOUGHTS
This story dragged for me a bit in the first half, but by the second half, I was flipping through pages and reading as fast as I could (: I almost cried at the end lol.
What I Liked About It:
- The way Christina cultivates friction and conflict between two middle schoolers feels really true and is honestly relatable even for college students like me. We so often know (and maybe even want) to do the right thing, but we do the wrong thing instead. I love how Christina leverages this to create tension and push the plot forward in the latter half of the book.
- The physicality of social anxiety
- The refusal to force the main characters into a romantic relationship
- The parallels between the characters' backgrounds and how that supports but also challenges Benji and Ro's friendship. The way Christina shows how sometimes, the more similar you are to someone, the farther apart they feel.
READ IF YOU LIKE
- Nerds! Nerdy friendships! Nerds with nuance! In the 80s!
- Nontraditional family structures, re: single moms!
- Parallel plotlines, re: two missions. two kids. two lost fathers
- That one old man who looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll. You know the one.
SUMMARY
When Rosalind Ling Geraghty and Benjamin Burns first cross paths, their lives are pointed in completely different directions. Ro is an aspiring rocket scientist; Benji, an artist with an obsession for space-based comic books. But when they accidentally switch folders in their middle school science class, their worlds collide in ways that will change both of their lives. As the pair help each other achieve their missions— one to launch the perfect rocket, another to find a long-gone father— they learn that their dreams have more in common than they think. The question is not whether or not they become friends: it's whether or not their friendship will stand all of the challenges thrown their way.
THOUGHTS
This story dragged for me a bit in the first half, but by the second half, I was flipping through pages and reading as fast as I could (: I almost cried at the end lol.
What I Liked About It:
- The way Christina cultivates friction and conflict between two middle schoolers feels really true and is honestly relatable even for college students like me. We so often know (and maybe even want) to do the right thing, but we do the wrong thing instead. I love how Christina leverages this to create tension and push the plot forward in the latter half of the book.
- The physicality of social anxiety
- The refusal to force the main characters into a romantic relationship
- The parallels between the characters' backgrounds and how that supports but also challenges Benji and Ro's friendship. The way Christina shows how sometimes, the more similar you are to someone, the farther apart they feel.
READ IF YOU LIKE
- Nerds! Nerdy friendships! Nerds with nuance! In the 80s!
- Nontraditional family structures, re: single moms!
- Parallel plotlines, re: two missions. two kids. two lost fathers
- That one old man who looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll. You know the one.
ipushbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
4.25
crystal98632's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really random find, I bought for the cover. But the story was great too. I guess I do like YA.