Letting Go of Gravity by Meg Leder Review + Giveaway

About the Book

Title: LETTING GO OF GRAVITY

Author: Meg Leder

Pub. Date: July 17, 2018

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 432

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Twins Parker and Charlie are polar opposites.

Where Charlie is fearless, Parker is careful.

Charlie is confident while Parker aims to please.

Charlie is outgoing and outspoken; Parker is introverted and reserved.

And of course, there’s the one other major difference: Charlie got leukemia. Parker didn’t.

But now that Charlie is officially in remission, life couldn’t be going better for Parker. She’s landed a prestigious summer internship at the hospital and is headed to Harvard in the fall to study pediatric oncology—which is why the anxiety she’s felt since her Harvard acceptance is so unsettling. And it doesn’t help that her relationship with Charlie has been on the rocks since his diagnosis.

Enter Finn, a boy who’s been leaving strange graffiti messages all over town. Parker can’t stop thinking about those messages, or about Finn, who makes her feel free for the first time: free to doubt, free to make mistakes, and free to confront the truth that Parker has been hiding from for a long time.

That she keeps trying to save Charlie, when the person who really needs saving is herself.

A gorgeous, sad, funny, and wise book about letting go and finding your place in the world. Meg Leder has written a story about a brother and sister that will break your heart and have you whispering ‘I got you’ long after you’ve closed the book.” –Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

My Review

4.5 crowns

Wow. Okay, tbh, I picked this book because I thought it would be a nice fluffy read about twins and, like, idk twin things? I thought there would be a few feels, but mostly I was just in my contemporary zone, ready to get in my summer mood. What I got? A book that made me cry on the treadmill, the most relatable main character that I’ve ever read that felt like me, a really cute romance, and some major twin growth.

I wasn’t aware when I picked this book up that there was anxiety rep, but it comes out throughout the book what Parker is dealing with. Leder does a wonderful job at going through what anxiety is like, and honestly, it did get VERY real at some points that I found myself getting anxious for her. So, it can bring a bit of anxiety, but it’s just done so realistically and puts you into someone with anxiety’s shoes.

As I said, I think I finally found my character. I always see questions like, “What character do you relate the most with?” or “What character are you the most like?” and I always blank because I’ve never really found myself in YA. That is until I found Parker. She worries about falling. She worries about mysterious cult compounds. She worries about big things and little things and social niceties. She gets anxious about a lot of things, but she feels deeply and cares deeply. I was legit on the same treadmill again – omg, wow, I’m taking fitness to a new level here – and was off thinking, “I am Parker. Parker is me. I’m becoming an inspirational poster now in some eighth grade classroom.” But I honestly just related with her so much. She makes mistakes – but she’s human and realistic and I just truly felt so much for her because I saw so much of myself in her. Honestly, one of the best main character that I’ve read in a while.

Also, there was a lot of strength in this book – especially from the female characters. Ruby and Parker both deep with some forms of anxiety, and I was just really amazed by their mental and emotional strength. It was so empowering for me to read. Plus, the ceramics ladies showcased their own empowerment as well. This book made my heart so happy to see all of the ladies supporting ladies and showcasing different forms of strength.

And this book made me cry. So it automatically gets 20 million points since I can’t even tell you the last time I cried in a book.

The rest of the characters were fantastic as well. They were messy and complex and dynamic – and just so realllllllllllllllllllll. Charlie, Ruby, Finn, the cermaics gang, and Trina – they were all brilliant and complex and omg, there was just so much to them. Of course, Charlie rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning, but it’s because there is so much depth to him and he just survived cancer. Leder doesn’t paint nice little happy campers – just shows the realness and humanity to them that okay, I might have hated their decisions, but they were REAL.

The plot is one of those slow burners. It’s all about the character growth and the journey. Parker is trying to figure out what she wants to be and learning who she and Charlie is. There aren’t too many big plot points or plot twists, and if you’re looking for others, this book isn’t it. However, if you love books with amazing characterization, amazing character journeys and growth, and more of an overreacting plot, this is it. And it’s so well done, because I literally DEVOURED this book. Every time I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about going back to reading it (I literally just typed eating so apparently I’m at that point now where I want to physically consume books).

Leder had a great writing style as well. I liked her pacing and her word choices and her flow and OMIGOSH, IF I SAY “REAL” MORE TIME, I’MMA LOSE IT BUT THAT’S WHAT IT FELT.

Anna is ready for all the feels.

I took a .5 crown off because I felt it slowed a bit toward the ending for me. And there was one or two things that irked me at the end. But other than that, this book was pretty much perfection for me.

Overall, this is one of the best contemporaries that I’ve read in a while, and I’m so glad I tried this one out on a whim. I thought it might be a light fluffy read but instead, I got a deep, complex book that finally gave me a dream: me in a book. It had a fantastic journey and showcases what contemporary does so right: makes you feel so deeply. I definitely recommend checking this out for the summer if you’re looking for a character with a great emotional journey. I cannot wait to get her previous book, Museum of Heartbreak that I’ve sadly had on my bookshelf for way too long, and get myself a copy of this book. 4.5 crowns and an Anna rating!

About the Author

Meg Leder is the author of Letting Go of Gravity and The Museum of Heartbreak, and the coauthor of books including The Happy Book and The Book of Me. A former bookseller and teacher, she currently works as a book editor in New York City. She spends her free time reading, looking for street art, and people watching. She lives in Brooklyn with her cat Tim Riggins.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a finished copy of LETTING GO OF GRAVITY, US Only.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/23/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Excerpt

7/24/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

7/25/2018- The Pages In-Between– Review

7/26/2018- 100 Pages A Day– Review

7/27/2018- Never Too Many To Read– Review

Week Two:

7/30/2018- Book Princess Reviews– Review

7/31/2018- Nicole’s Novel Reads– Interview

8/1/2018- The Reading Corner for All– Review

8/2/2018- Do You Dog-ear?– Review

8/3/2018- BookHounds YA– Interview

What do you think? Are you excited to read this now? Have you ever found your YA character that you’re most like? Have you ever cried on the treadmill? Let’s discuss in the comments below!