A review by beforeviolets
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


TW: sexual content, sexism/misogyny, lesbophobia, death of mother (past), death of father (past), grief, death of S/O (past), toxic relationship/abusive relationship (past)

I know I'm not the first to say this, but this book is so much more than a spicy romance novel. I mean, do NOT get me wrong, the spice is fantastic, but there are incredible qualities to the work beyond that.

Throughout this story, we follow two incredibly well-written, complex, and powerful women learning to take up space and assert their importance in their relationships, in their work, and in their lives. 
Misogyny is a theme constantly handled on both smaller and larger scales, exploring topics like the erasure of women within the sciences and the history of invalidating more "domestic" and "feminine" artistries. 

I also find it fantastically ironic that this book only exists within the form of a mass market romance novel, a form that is often labelled as "cheap" or "trash" by self-proclaimed "intellectual" readers. Its state - whether intentional or not - comments on the way we as a society view work catered to women as lesser than. Only by defying the misogynistic societal judgments of romance books is it possible to even consume this work, making the reader feel connected to the experiences of the characters and relating the messages of this book to our own realities. 
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