Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.

Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

Expertly capturing the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teens feel, debut author Phil Stamper is a new talent to watch. ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided by Bloomsbury YA in exchange for an honest review

Review: Cal is a successful teen social media journalist – covering the streets of NYC and breaking news on his FlashFame channel. He’s been offered an internship to Buzzfeed and has his whole path to becoming a professional journalist meticulously planned out as well as moving in with his best friend, Deb. But when his pilot father gets chosen by NASA to train and compete for a spot on the Orpheus V spacecraft and it’s first manned mission to Mars – his whole life is upturned.

Not only does Cal’s family need to move from NYC to Texas, right away, but the whole thing is covered by a reality show called Shooting Stars that likes to amplify the drama and competition aspect of things. Cal’s mom suffers from anxiety so having the media track every move of their imperfect family is difficult. Then Cal’s internship is canceled, and because of a contract clause, he is no longer allowed to post on his channel anymore.

His first few days in Houston are filled with tension between his parents and anger at his father combined with having to fake it for the cameras. Shooting Stars has an inordinate amount of power over the candidate astronauts and their families. The show is used to keep NASA and it’s projects in the public eye and popular - and therefore secure funding. Cal discovers how manipulative the host is and what he’s willing to do to keep his ratings high and retain power over NASA and the process.

So Cal goes rogue and still broadcasts out on his channel in an act of defiance. He gets support from his neighboring “astrokids” Kat and her brother Leon, who Cal develops an instant attraction to. There is a bit of "insta" everything going on but I could see how easily Leon and Cal connected because of their circumstances.

I was expecting more of a government cover up type of plot based on the summary but this is much more of a commentary on social media, depression/anxiety and relationships - although the space mission does figure prominently.

This is also (mostly) a coming of age story for Cal. Between trying to be the peacemaker for his quarreling parents, exploring his sexuality, falling in love and trying to chase his journalism dreams - he screws up and often. He seems to have boundless patience for Leon and his depression and sympathy for his mother's anxiety but is often selfish in regards to his best friend, Deb's, problems. That was a tough one to read because she is always so forgiving and supportive with him.

Stamper touches on a lot of things and is very respectful of those issues but doesn't dig overly deep either. That's not a complaint - I think there is room for stories that represent real, messy life and have positive outcomes - that are also lighter reads that offer hope and ways out.

The Gravity of Us had such a unique but topical setting with characters that I think teens can relate to. Especially in this fame/social media obsessed culture they live in. And kudos for writing parents that were incredibly flawed but layered. Parents are usually thrown in to make the teens life miserable and then tossed but Cal's parents (slowly) come full circle and that was nice to see. And the teens are shown confronting their parents about their challenges and what they need - with parents actually responding in a healthy way.

If you're looking for a low key but relatable read with a unique backdrop give this one a go.