This book was not what I was expecting so I ended up marking it as a DNF. Just not for me. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

As someone who is child free, I didn’t realize how hard it is to relate to main characters with children until reading. This book left me with a lot of thoughts and different ways to approach life.

Gravity is the Thing is such a heartwarming, sometimes laughout loud funny tale very reminescent of PS I Love You. There's just something about books that have messages from passed loved ones that seem to come after they die that just warmly tug on your heart strings!

Like many others, I was surprised that Jaclyn Moriarty's adult debut, Gravity is the Thing, ended up being completely different than what I expected. However, as this was hinted at being a major theme for the book's main character Abigail - she attends a retreat expecting one outcome and returns home with a completely different one - perhaps I should have seen it coming. Unfortunately, I did not like this turn of events, nor this book.

Gravity is the Thing started off exciting - Abigail Sorenson has been mysteriously receiving chapters from "The Guidebook" in the mail over the past 20 years. The chapters started showing up the same year her brother went missing - she feels the book and his disappearance have to be connected - and finally, Abigail is to learn the mystery behind The Guidebook. She has been invited on a retreat where the secret is to be revealed. But what Abigail discovers is nothing like what she imagined.

The problem with Gravity is the Thing is that it essentially has very little plot. The story feels disjointed as it meanders back and forth between past and present, from Abigail's relationship with her brother to the relationships she forms with those who attend the retreat. Throwing in pages from The Guidebook and focusing on Abigail's personal journey and self-discovery, this novel reads much like a self-help memoir ... and unfortunately was not the book for me.

Those who enjoy quirky characters, funny dialogue, and outlandish, sometimes downright outrageous, plots, will likely enjoy this book, but those seeking something a bit more grounded in reality should look elsewhere.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Jaclyn Moriarty is one of my favourite authors so I was thrilled to hear she'd written another adult novel. I adored Gravity is the Thing right from the beginning due to Jaclyn's distinctive, quirky, clever writing voice. The story expands, layer by layer, with facts and details building until the end where everything is woven together perfectly. An absolute joy to read.

This book wasn't really for me, because I didn't love the writing style and while I love a quirky character I felt like all of the characters here were a little overboard. However, I did find it to be a relatively fun book when the quirk level wasn't out of this world and I liked the general idea of the self-help aspect of it. It just didn't really work for me personally.

I started out very interested in this book and this group of people. Abigail goes on a weekend trip to learn why she has been receiving chapters of The Guidebook for 20 years. To finally hear "the truth". But that really isn't the point of the story, the finding out. That happens pretty quickly. And that is what makes you want to read. But then the story kind of meanders. Overall, it is a good story. But parts just became so tedious, the self help books and lessons. The part I most wanted to know was wrapped up almost as an afterthought. There was something good there. It was just buried a little.

HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Gravity is the Thing. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Abigail Sorenson has been receiving random chapters of a self-help manual called The Guidebook through the mail, with no apparent agenda, since the day before her sixteenth birthday. Twenty years later, she is invited to an all-inclusive retreat to learn why. The trip did not go as Abigail thought, but it leads her down an unexpected path to self-discovery.

I wanted to find this book charming and interesting, but I never really got the point. The notion that you can let yourself go and learn to fly is nothing new in books, so I did not find Gravity is the Thing to be all that remarkable. The book was all over the place, going through Abigail's life around the time that the chapters arrived to the present. I did not find the characters to be engaging, nor the plot to be compelling. Gravity is the Thing just did not hold my interest, so I would be hesitant to recommend it to other readers.

I'd never read anything by Jaclyn Moriarty, although I'm a huge fan of her sister Loraine Moriarty's work. I'm so glad that I requested this book, because I discovered a new author to binge read. I enjoyed Abi's voice and story in GRAVITY IS THE THING. I cared about Abi as a character almost immediately. Moriarty wrote her in a way that makes her charming and real. I rooted for her all along and wondered where her story would end up. This book is one of my the most unique books I've read in a while. Parts of the premise are a bit absurd, but they're written in a way that feels not absurd at all. Moriarty did a wonderful job expressing the way real people speak and interact, particularly Abi and Oscar. I enjoyed this story very much, and can't wait to read Moriarty's other books. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the premise of the Guidebook as it was so original. But for some reason the story line never came together for me. I did like the main character of Abi though.

Gravity Is The Thing was not at all what I expected from reading the teaser or even when I started reading the book itself. There story's backbone is one of love, loss, guilt and in the end self-forgiveness. The main character, Abigail, is a believable and likable single mom. Throughout the book we see how the loss of her twin and her marriage have affected her. We learn about the self-help chapters of The Guidebook that Abi began receiving around the time her twin brother disappears. When we start learning the true meaning of the Guidebook, it just got too far- fetched for me. Definitely the strangest book I've read this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love, love, love!!

Funny, quirky, introspective, touching, and sooo different from the books I usually read. I have a new favorite author to add to my list. Time to fly!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I finally decided to DNF this one at the 35% mark. I find the parts about Robert’s disappearance and his relationship with Abigail to be interesting but I can’t get into The Guidebook.

Started off great; the first 30% of this book I was obsessed. Started to slow down at that 30% mark and then just got repetitive and lackluster. Still enjoyed it, but a tad disappointed in the ending.

This book is a wonderful story about overcoming obstacles in life. I must admit that I contemplated not finishing this book (a rare occurance) after the first 20% but I'm so glad I didn't give up on this story. As it all starts to come together I couldn't put this book down. Abigail was a strong character who had many tragedies in her life that she had to deal with and 'The Guidebook' always seemed to know how to help her. I was so involved in this story that by the end I wanted more. So if you start to read this book and feel like giving up ... don't! It gets much better! I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the eARC of Gravity is the Thing.
On the eve of Abi’s 16th birthday, her 15 year old brother, Robert. She also starts receiving chapters of a mysterious book called The Guidebook - a self help sort of book.
When 20 years later she is invited to find out the truth about The Guidebook, she hopes it leads to the truth about Robert as well.
I initially felt kind of off balance as I read, the story moves around in time and setting, but after a while the threads start to weave together, and at that point o was totally hooked! I particularly appreciated Abi’s thoughts on motherhood and her own son - they really resonated with me as a mom with sons.
This book is heartbreaking and heartwarming, sad and hopeful, and uplifting in the end.

DNF at 25%. I kept thinking it would get better but it didn't. The narrative is choppy and I couldn't get interested in The Guidebook.

This is a beautiful story about love, and the lengths we'll go to keep those around us safe and happy. This book was relatable, even though I'm not a single mom. I was sad at times, happy at times, laughed out loud at times. I had a hard time putting this one down!



I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.