Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsCut stuff
Reviewed in India on 30 September 2020
You can find more about this particular title and other at my bookstagram - @chai_n_books
I went into this book expecting a lot of cute romance, some sci-fi angle and a nice story. I came out with a very cute but rushed romance, a sci-fi (not exactly tho) grounded in reality and a satisfying story. Written by a debutant writer, Phil, this books takes you on a small journey with Calvin Lewis Jr , our protagonist who’s dream is to become a journalist. He’s already done a lot of stuff and is pretty popular on social media. He is also confused with his sexuality and has a lot of unresolved issues which very often leads to a lot of anxiety. His life takes a sharp turn when his dad is suddenly chosen by NASA for their Mars Spaceship program and they relocate to Houston where all families working for NASA live in. Cal Jr. isn’t ready for all the paparazzi that surrounds him (and the family) and the hit reality Tv show that makes its money by covering the “perfect lives” (it’s anything but perfect) astronaut families.
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Here he meets Leon, another astrokid. Sparks fly and before either of them can understand what’s happening, they fall hard for each other. (gushing already) But, both of them soon realise that they have issues of their own which definitely needs to be addressed. Cal tries to “fix” a lot of these problems (and also of his family) but ends up doing more harm than good. The whole debate around can humans be fixed or is it best to let them be who they are and accept them as they come, even if they are a little(or way too much) broken is brought in the centre.
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What happens next, whether he “fixes” all his mess he created or not and whether he and Leon end up together or not is something that you’d have to read yourself to figure out because I really would like you to take that journey for yourself. But in case you’re unsure, here’s a HINT: IT DOES’NT HAVE A SAD ENDING :P
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Phil’s debutant book is good. It’s full of the flush of first love. It touches upon some of the important themes like mental health, the reality of television showbiz and family dynamics. It checks the right boxes and while it mate have flaws (I’ll cover them in seperate post) , they can be overlooked and forgiven.
