"I'm so starry-eyed for this wise, romantic gem of a book." - Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Cal wants to be a journalist, and he's already well underway with almost half a million followers on his FlashFame app and an upcoming internship at Buzzfeed. But his plans are derailed when his pilot father is selected for a highly-publicized NASA mission to Mars. Within days, Cal and his parents leave Brooklyn for hot and humid Houston.
With the entire nation desperate for any new information about the astronauts, Cal finds himself thrust in the middle of a media circus. Suddenly his life is more like a reality TV show, with his constantly bickering parents struggling with their roles as the "perfect American family."
And then Cal meets Leon, whose mother is another astronaut on the mission, and he finds himself falling head over heels--and fast. They become an oasis for each other amid the craziness of this whole experience. As their relationship grows, so does the frenzy surrounding the Mars mission, and when secrets are revealed about ulterior motives of the program, Cal must find a way to get to the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.
Star Rating: —> 4 Stars
Ahhh, Gays & Space. ❤️
This was such a great story. Cal & Leon were so REAL & adorable. It meant so much to me just how ACCURATE the anxiety & depression reps were... it made the characters that much more accessible. No matter the subject matter the author never strays from this sense of accessibility, & I LOVED that. The family dynamics were wonderful & realistic, the friendships were amazing, and the exploration of first love was just amazing to read. The author manages to never stray too much away from a realistic standpoint while still managing to successfully express the bliss that is falling in love, and explore a setting that most of us can’t even imagine.
Overall, this was just a gem of a first love story that was out of this world (
Reading updates
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Started reading
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28 May, 2020:
Finished reading
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28 May, 2020:
Reviewed