'Under the Milky Way' by Vanessa Barnveld is a sweet young adult sci-fi tale that follows high school senior, Cassidy Roekiem as she tries to solve a mystery that landed her mom in a 'wellness resort' that feels more than a little questionable.
As locals start to report lights in the sky and issue claims of alien abduction, Cassidy finds she's missing chunks of time that she can't account for.. and that's exactly the kind of symptom being associated with these said 'events.' The town insists nothing out of the ordinary is really going on, but the problem is so widespread she has her doubts.
Then there's Hayden. He's new at school and seems to have all the right boxes checked for instant popularity, but he keeps to himself and has a strange habit of watching Cassidy. Almost constantly.
Honestly, the writing itself is just okay, but the story is cute and enjoyable. Hayden really is lovely and the dynamics between him and his family, especially Trudy are quite amusing.
Told in a non-linear format from multiple perspectives, there's a decent bit to keep track of both past and present. Conceptually and structurally, it could have been a robust story.. but the execution just isn't quite there. Having done a bit of research into the author, I feel that's largely just inexperience and that she's probably still learning to fill those pages out thoughtfully. She definitely has potential, she just needs to get all the pieces working fluidly together.
Still, as I said.. I did enjoy the read. Anyone looking for a light fare with some cute romance and a sci-fi bent might enjoy this too.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)