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A review by libraryjen
In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Nova and Sam were once best friends who presided over their own little "Snailopolis" kingdom in the backyard. Nova was too young then to understand all the cuts and bruises Sam tried so hard to cover, or why he had to move. She was just sad to lose her best friend. Sam promised her he'd find her again when they were eighteen.
Now in high school, Sam has a football scholarship on the horizon and the perfect cheerleader girlfriend. Meanwhile, Nova has been transferring from school to school as she and her mom move from town to town following her mom's work. She's tried out so many personalities that she has no idea who she is or what she really likes. The latest job should last about 6 weeks so Nova's determined to use it to figure out who she really is and what Nova really wants. Then, they run into each other at school and all bets are off. Sam is determined to stick to the plan his parents and coaches have for him and Nova is determined to stick to her plan to discover who she really is. Then, they take a school-wide personality test as part of a student council fundraiser and the two of them match @ 99%. That's when things begin to get interesting.
I admit that though this book was super easy to read, and kept me interested, I really struggled because it kept looking like Sam was going to cheat on his girlfriend and I just hate that. I won't spoil it for you, but I will give you a trigger warning for that dynamic. I wanted to like the characters, and for the most part I did. It was an interesting look at trauma response and I definitely related to Nova trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted to be.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I recommend it to fans of the author (her previous books have been great!), fans of YA coming-of-age books, and clean YA romance. 3.5 stars
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Now in high school, Sam has a football scholarship on the horizon and the perfect cheerleader girlfriend. Meanwhile, Nova has been transferring from school to school as she and her mom move from town to town following her mom's work. She's tried out so many personalities that she has no idea who she is or what she really likes. The latest job should last about 6 weeks so Nova's determined to use it to figure out who she really is and what Nova really wants. Then, they run into each other at school and all bets are off. Sam is determined to stick to the plan his parents and coaches have for him and Nova is determined to stick to her plan to discover who she really is. Then, they take a school-wide personality test as part of a student council fundraiser and the two of them match @ 99%. That's when things begin to get interesting.
I admit that though this book was super easy to read, and kept me interested, I really struggled because it kept looking like Sam was going to cheat on his girlfriend and I just hate that. I won't spoil it for you, but I will give you a trigger warning for that dynamic. I wanted to like the characters, and for the most part I did. It was an interesting look at trauma response and I definitely related to Nova trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted to be.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I recommend it to fans of the author (her previous books have been great!), fans of YA coming-of-age books, and clean YA romance. 3.5 stars
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.