Phil Stamper, who grew up in a rural village near Dayton, Ohio, release "The Gravity of Us" as his debut novel. However, you can tell he is no stranger to writing since he has an M.A. in Publishing with Creative Writing from Kingston University.

The narrative about "the Gravity of Us" is about young Calvin "Cal" Lewis Jr., who wants to be a journalist and is well upon his way since he does have half a million followers on his FlashFlame app. He also has an upcoming Buzzfeed internship. But sadly, his plans are derailed when his father, who is working as a pilot, Calvin Lewis Sr., is selected for a NASA mission to Mars. In a few days, Cal has to leave his whole life in Brooklyn behind and start a new Houston, Texas. Hence the general public is dying to get to know more about the highly anticipated mission Cal finds himself in a reality TV show with the constant struggle to be American's perfect family. Cal meets Leo Tucker, whose mother is also an astronaut for this particular mission, and he finds himself falling in love with him immediately. They become each other's saving point for this crazy experience. However, as their relationship grows, they discover secrets about the mission, and Cal tries to reveal the truth without hurting anyone.

This YA-novel well-writing and felt quite refreshing. Phil Stamper emphasised the essential parts of the story, which made this book an easy and quick read. The love story of Cal and Leon is lovely for a young teenage audience; with that said, I believe if you are over the age of 16, you maybe find this story a bit lacklustre. The romance felt a bit rushed, and I would have liked to see a slow-burning romance. Cal almost instantly felt head over heels for Leon. However, I think the author did that intentionally since Leon sometimes said that their relationship is going quickly. Stamper well researched the NASA part, but I didn't catch any excitement because of it. However, I still believe that this storyline is quite beautiful. Another plot hole was Cal's interactions with his best friend Deborah "Deb". After he left for Houston, he did not keep her updated with all the events about NASA and his personal life with Leon since she is his best friend; it did not make much sense, in my opinion.

Overall, this novel was lovely to read, and I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't recommend it to any age group over 16 years old. The love story was quiet, and Stamper also focused on a heavier topic, making the story more real. I would not say it is a lousy novel necessarily but maybe not for my age. If you want to read a short book and enjoy some LGBTQIA+ representation go for it, but do not keep your expectations up too high.

TW: coming out themes recounted, cheating recounted, anxiety & anxiety attacks, depression, alcohol consumption, hospitalisation mentioned, terminal cancer recounted, grief & loss deception, death of aunt & sister mentioned, plane crash