,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. (From the book blurb) My thoughts: This book was just impossible to put down, so I had to read it in one sitting! Cal Lewis is a seventeen year old aspiring journalist and news reporter. He has been working very hard on building his account and follower base on a social media site. Cal is passionate about his videos and news updates because he believes people do not just want gossip- they want facts and real information that can help them make choices. Cal is also a planner. He has a schedule for his news updates, he knows what he is going to do in summer (his internship), next year, and how he is going to build his career. All of this comes to a screeching halt when his Dad announces he has just been selected for a NASA program as a potential astronaut on a mission to Mars. Cal's family are to move to Texas in ...a few days. The worst part is that Cal won't be able to post any more videos as all filming rights are controlled by StarWatch Reality Show that has an exclusive contract with NASA. Once in Texas, Cal meets another astro-family with two perfect teens, one of whom becomes his love interest. Cal comes across as a bit self-centred, especialy if you consider his interactions with Deb, his best friend and ex-girlfriend who has much more serious problems and is nothing but supportive of Cal. Having said this, there's so much energy in his character and so much drama! I really liked the social media career angle, and I sympathized when he felt his carefully laid out life plans were thwarted. Not that I didn't think that his Dad wasn't entitled to giving a shot to HIS dream of becoming an astronaut, but a bit more attention to how the change was going to affect the rest of the family was surely needed. Cal's relationship with Leon was a bit too fast, and Leon himself seems to stay out of limelight all the time. Perhaps, it would have been more credible, if there were two points of view, or even more, if you want to cover all important people in Cal's life. Great rep for mental illness- Cal's Mom's anxiety and Leon's burnout and depression. These are important topics that require a lot of sensitivity, and Phil Stamper did a really good job here. Overall, an original and upbeat coming-of-age novel dealing with topics of family relationships, first love, following one's dreams, social media authenticity and many others. Thank you to Edelweiss and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Comments are closed.
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