
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An easy, light read that is good fun with a m/m romance that is very sweet.
I am not typically either a YA or Romance reader so if you’re in the same boat; I found this definitely worth the read. It’s easy to read, first-person story told by Cal, an internet-famous 17 year old whose life is uprooted when is dad is (unexpectedly) accepted into a space program to Mars. The family moves from New York to Texas to take up residence in Houston for the father’s astronaut training.
It is written in the lexicon of a teenager in 2020 and I feel that lends to a more authentic feel as a personal coming-of-age story under exceptional circumstances. The romance is key to the story but not 100% central so you can’t get sick of too much soppy stuff. Not that there’s much anyway as Cal and Leon are more the kind of sweet young love than the drippy overly saccharine sort.
Besides the queer romance, the book deals with themes of mental health, loss, fame and integrity and does so very well. All of these aspects come together to build the story up and to ensure it has the strength to stand on it’s own and is not just a romance novel. It is clever, funny and moving.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a short philosophical book that explores the cycles of community beliefs and how a single pebble can cause ripples that change far more than could have been predicted. This version is one reprinted with the fourth section (previously languishing in a desk drawer) and I definitely think the addition of that final section makes the whole story feel more finished. The cycle is completed by that last section; a full turn of the wheel.
“…the forces of rulers and ritual slowly, slowly will kill our freedom to live as we choose.”
Yes there is an obvious spiritual aspect to the tale but don’t be put off if you are not religious; it seems equal parts positive and critical of organised religion or organised belief systems. It is worth reading regardless.
These were my 45th and 46th books of 2020.
If you enjoy my content please consider supporting me via Ko-fi.

Leave a Reply