I was attracted to this book like gravity. Jk it was the super interesting and diverse plot that hooked me in!
Told through the perspective of Chris and Maia, two teens going through difficult times, Something like Gravity is a romantically diverse novel. Chris has recently come out as transgender and has survived a sexual assault/ beating that put him in the hospital. As a result of this assault, Chris’s parents become even more protective and have him homeschooled for the rest of high school. Chris is tired of the sheltered life and convinces his parents to let him stay at his super awesome Aunt Isabel’s house for the summer.
Maia lost her older sister in a second, and now she’s lost. After her sister’s death, Maia retreats into herself and stops hanging out with her old friends. Instead, Maia carries her sister’s camera around, attempting to see the world through the same lens.
When Maia and Chris meet, they don’t immediately hit it off, but the following times after that, the two become close, and their relationship healing. Maia gives Chris the ability to fall in love and feels comfortable in his transition. While Chris, makes Maia feel accepted and like she doesn’t have to live in her sister’s shadow.
All in all, Something like Gravity had a lot of fluff as well as angsty moments all wrapped into a contemporary YA romance, and I enjoyed every page. Chris is my favorite character of this story, mainly because he is super loving, accepting, and a space nerd. Chris becomes comfortable with himself, and he even comes to an understanding with his mother, who from the beginning of this story, acted homophobically. Chris grew into himself in that short summer, and I would read a sequel all about him.
I had to remind myself of how boys could be- how men are taught to be. Not just rude and condescending like the shop guy, but how they could turn scary and mean and dangerous.
Chris
Something like gravity by Amber Smith
Maia is cool too, but she didn’t have much of a personality. Maia clings to her sister’s photos and her camera and spends most of the novel visiting the spots where these photos were taken. I can’t fault Maia’s nonexistent personality because her goal for this novel is to find herself and figure out what she wants to do. However, Maia’s self-discovery takes a backseat for the romantic plot, and by the time the novel is over, I still don’t understand Maia. Instead of discovering herself, Maia overcomes the grief of her sister’s loss. Maybe the author has plans for a sequel where Maia’s character is fully fleshed out. I wouldn’t mind reading it.
My favorite Maia moment came from her internal debate on whether she should wear Strawberry Chapstick because if she did, that meant she was going to be kissing Chris later.
What a concept!
From now on, we should all apply strawberry chapstick before makeout sessions. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.
He looked down at our hands, our fingers weaving together.
“Is this alright?” he asked.
Although this story is romantic, the two main characters don’t end up together. I was okay with this because both of them are young and need to grow into themselves. However, Maia’s little lie about being a photographer, which results in the end of her relationship with Chris, seemed not that big of a deal, but given that both leads are teens, this is the exact kind of dumb thing that would end a relationship. And I can’t fault the author for that.
My overall rating of Something like Gravity is four Stars, and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a diverse romance with a small-town setting.
Until next time continue living in libros,
Gaby
livinginlibros.com 