The Gravity of Us

I dropped this book so hard. I was not even half-way through the first chapter when I knew this is just a no from me. The first three paragraphs made me wonder why they are there. I don't think I ever read a weaker start of a novel ever, and also one that made me instantly dislike the main character. Cal is a narcissistic brat, he gives off strong vibes of Gary Stu and that just ain't for me. I need real characters, thank you very much.

I found it strange how this amazing journalist (who is a teenager, mind you) is so dedicated and so good at this job he doesn't even seem to like. He reports on the kind of news that makes him 'secretly want to vomit in a bucket than talk about it anymore'. Well, why are you doing it then? Find other subjects, it's not like he had a boss breathing down his neck and telling him what to talk about, he had the freedom to talk about whatever. Later he has a 'dilemma'. Quote: Do I want to report on things people care about? Yes. Do I want more followers and viewers? Also yes. What's the dilemma there? You have two questions with two affirmative answers, no 'but', no 'or', no 'why'. Cal does not know what a dilemma is (also, we encounter a contradiction here). This whole part makes no sense to me. It's okay to not like the subject you are talking about (or writing about like I do right now) and still do it because of your own reasons. Pray tell, where is a dilemma there?

Apart from Cal's amazing talents, his way of making news so that the 'real ones' get pushed back and he single-handedly makes so that people lose elections, he is also toxic. Here's this quote: The irony of him 'loving' my posts when he couldn't even commit to 'liking' me. Oh MY G! This makes me so angry. That's not how it works, you brat! People can love your content and not feel any kind of attraction to you. No one has to like you just because it makes 'rage burn inside you' if they don't. There is no irony here, you are just being a piece of entitled shit. Holy f!

The second half of the chapter made me see Cal in a kinder light, but not better. He has a tough situation at home, parents shouting and fighting, not paying attention to their kid, okay, yeah, he has some troubles. The end of the chapter made me say 'what?' out loud. I don't get what Cal's aversion towards the Mars mission is, why his dad potentially going on it bothers him so much and, you know what? I don't want to find out. I've seen enough of Cal to know I don't want to deal with him. (Reading the synopsis I am made to believe Cal doesn't want his dad on the mission because he'd be pushed into the spotlight of media. You know, the exact thing he does to others. Now that, Cal, is irony.)

I didn't even reach the other main character, but that's fine, I'm not interested.

The audio book (thanks to LibroFM's eARC program!) was fantastically done with a full cast, including some of my faves (looking at your Bahni Turpin, Michael Crouch, and January LaVoy!). Done in this way, it helped to integrate the StarWatch interstitials into the narrative and make that tension more suspenseful. It had enough great details about NASA and space flight that Liz, a NASA fangirl, was mostly interested listening in the car (that's my litmus about how real the space sections were). The queer romance was well done and I appreciated the focus on navigating anxiety and depression in relationships, whether romantic, friend, or familial. The only piece that grated was Cal always felt overly-entitled and that didn't seem to be on purpose. It didn't sit well and often overshadowed other parts of the narrative that were supposed to be the focus. A great first book, will definitely find an audience, can think of kids already who'd pull this after a booktalk.

Une histoire de David contre Goliath, un jeune aspirant journaliste entrant en lutte contre une chaîne de télé-réalité poubelle, sur fond de projet spatial, de NASA et de romance. J'ai vraiment passé un très bon moment, rapidement emballé par les rebondissements de l'histoire de Cal & Leon ainsi que de leurs familles. Seul petit bémol pour moi: le fait qu'au final peu des astronautes de la mission fassent leur apparition dans le récit. Mais un chouette livre, qui redonne envie d'explorer l'espace !