Audiobook Review: Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith
Something Like Gravity
Author: Amber Smith
Narrators:
MW Cartozian Wilson
Sandy Rustin
Published: June 18, 2019
Audiobook: 9 hours 7 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: October 21-25, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Chris and Maia aren’t off to a great start.
A near-fatal car accident first brings them together, and their next encounters don’t fare much better. Chris’s good intentions backfire. Maia’s temper gets the best of her.
But they’re neighbors, at least for the summer, and despite their best efforts, they just can’t seem to stay away from each other.
The path forward isn’t easy. Chris has come out as transgender, but he’s still processing a frightening assault he survived the year before. Maia is grieving the loss of her older sister and trying to find her place in the world without her. Falling in love was the last thing on either of their minds.
But would it be so bad if it happened anyway?
Jessica’s Review:
I saw this one in my Audible account and it was available until October 30th, so I decided to go ahead and listen to it. And it was just ok. I didn’t really connect with Maia as she was just so… I’m not sure but poor Chris. He had experienced so much bad in life already at a young age! But really both Chris and Maia are going through losses. They are two traumatized teens who meet when Chris almost hits Maia with his car!
I had no issue with one of the characters being transgendered, we need more of those books for trans youth. But maybe they should be written by trans authors. Authors who know what these characters are going through. The author is in the community, but not trans herself, so it may have been some of the issues I felt. I did not know this about the author until I went to go write my review. I have read some books about trans characters written by trans authors and I felt what I was supposed in those books!
There is a little bit of spice for a YA novel, but nothing too much. Its two young people having their first relationship and experiences.
The narrators MW Cartozian Wilson and Sandy Rustin both gave fabulous jobs in their narration!
Overall, I give this novel a solid three stars. It was a good effort with intended love written by the author that just overall did not work for me.
Audiobook Review: Four Years Trapped in My Mind Palace by Johan Twiss
Four Years Trapped in My Mind Palace
Author: Johan Twiss
Narrator: Johan Twiss
Published: December 8, 2016
Audiobook: 7 hours 29 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 17-23, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Audiobook Description:
I was paralyzed—trapped in my own mind. The friendship of a crazy old man was my way out.
Fourteen-year-old Aaron Greenburg is trapped in a vegetative state. He’s awake and aware of everything around him, but the doctors don’t realize it. After being placed in a care facility, he receives a new roommate–Solomon, an old eccentric jazz musician with dementia. When Aaron talks in his mind to stay sane, Solomon hears his thoughts and replies. But no one believes that Aaron and Solomon can converse, except for Solomon’s teenage granddaughter, Sarah.
When Solomon relives the past during his dementia episodes, Aaron joins him in those moments in time to experience 1920s New York City, getting into a scuffle with the mob in a Chicago nightclub, fighting in World War II, and much more as the two develop an unlikely and unique friendship.
Four Years in My Mind Palace is a humorous and heartwarming coming-of-age story, entwined with an end-of-age story, that will capture your imagination and renew your faith in the power of friendship.
Jessica’s Review:
My friend Beccie has been on me for YEARS to read this book. For Christmas in 2020 (yes, I am very embarrassed about this now!) she even bought me a signed edition by the author. I promised I had intended to read it before now because I did buy a kindle copy years ago. Twiss now has a new edition of Four Years with a gorgeous cover, so I finally decided to read it. Let’s just say that 2024 has not been my year to read books, so I am thankful that audiobooks exist and I used an Audible credit for this one: I can say that I have all the formats of this book covered!
THIS BOOK: It gives you all the feelings! I was pulled in from the very beginning and just fell in love with Aaron and Solomon. This book is magical realism with a bit of historical fiction added. It would be appropriate for middle grade readers and up. Everyone will find something to love with this book. I loved everything about it. We even get some history mixed in with Solomon’s life. This reader learned some things.
Twiss also narrated the audiobook. He really brought both Aaron and Solomon to life. This is a book that deserves so much more attention than it has gotten, and with a gorgeous new cover, I hope it does! This is a book that will touch you and you will look back at it fondly.
Twiss also talks about the research he did with the historical aspects of the novel.
I have a kindle version of his novella 30 Red Dresses that I hope to read sooner rather than later now! If you haven’t read Twiss yet, do pick it up and read it now versus waiting as long as I did. My excuse is this: There are too many excellent books and never enough time!)
Here are pictures of my signed copy courtesy of Beccie:
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review and Movie Comparison of Five Feet Apart
Five Feet Apart
Authors:
Rachael Lippincott
Mikki Daughtry
Tobias Iaconis
Published: November 10, 2018
288 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 30- August 30, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Can you love someone you can never touch?
Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.
The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.
Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.
What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?
Jessica’s Review:
I first read this book back in 2019, which was before the whole world changed. It was interesting reading this one again in a Post-Covid world: These kids were wearing masks and keeping six feet apart long before it became the ‘thing’ to do in 2020! LOL, but seriously, I looked at my review and can’t really say anything more than I did back then, so I will give the link to that review. And it was apparently a double review with Kim, so you’ll get her thoughts on it back then too.
And the book cover is just…. I love it!
Here is the link to both Kim and I’s reviews of Five Feet Apart.
Kim also recently re-read it and said she wouldn’t change a thing on her thoughts, though the teenage drama got to her a little bit more this time around. She still really enjoyed it!
Movie Comparison
Movie Trailer
Jessica’s Thoughts on the Movie Compared to the Book:
I thought they did good with the movie compared to the book. A lot of my thoughts on the book are the same for the movie. The biggest thing for me was that Poe seemed to be more of a minor character in the movie. I wasn’t as attached to him in the movie as I was in the book. I adored ‘book Poe’. Parts of the movie seemed rushed compared to the book. So when the movie got to a certain point through the end it just wasn’t as emotional for me.
I’d give the movie 4 stars on it’s own not comparing it to the book. Comparing the movie to the book, then movie would get 3.5 stars.Will I watch the movie again? No. But I do have a copy of the book.
Purchase Links:
Book
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Movie
Amazon US
Amazon UK