super interesting premise and very fast paced, which i love in my books. some plot points were left unfinished, but nothing too major. a gorgeous read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I am not sure what made me request this one because it is YA and I don't really read that anymore but I am glad I got it...there was just so much packed into the story...I mean, just sitting here it is all going through my head again. It was action packed, had some love and teenage angst...a crashed plane, conspiracy theories, and SO much more...I wouldn't recommend it to everybody but it made me laugh, it made me want to cry, it kept me interested throughout the whole thing...and it broke my heart a little at the end...for more than one reason.

I was really intrigued by this premise of this, but found that it was just trying to do too much. It's not that anything was bad, but I think it will come off as really heavy handed to teens who pick it up.

A surprisingly introspective and muddy search for truth in this book. I think as a reader we know from the start what the likely end will be. There are some surprises regarding the truths that the character uncovers but mostly this is a narrative about personal truths rather than a real mystery. On that front it's a little shaky. The characters aren't as deep as we would like to see and the narrative overall lacks much emotional impact.

Somehow I thought I would enjoy this more, but it really wasn't for me. Maybe others have had better experiences.

I liked the premise of the book, unpleasant though it may be. I'm even okay with not getting the ending I was looking for. The only thing I had a problem with, and I have this issue with a number of books written for YA, is the seemingly determined inclusion of just about every problem a young adult could experience in one story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This is such a beautiful story. I love the strength of Violet, who has gone through so much! Losing a parent is incredibly sad and tough but to not know what actually happened I imagine is so much worse.
I love a who done it and throughout the book you get little pieces of information that don’t give it away but keep you reading more!
Congratulations on a fab debut novel, I can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a review ebook copy of this book! Below are my honest thoughts.

The Gravity of Missing Things wants to be a really sad, emotional book about family and friends — and it does reach that description in some ways, but at its core a lot of the emotion and feeling is shown through the eyes of a main character who is selfish and not very likeable. That doesn’t make her pain invalid but it does make it hard to connect to her.

The plot felt a bit all over the place and as did the characterisation of several of the main characters. I don’t understand why there were two romance sub plots— one of them kind of made sense in a sense that it had been going on pre book beginning but the other just felt shoe horned in as a way to create a love story line when it wasn’t needed at all.

Overall it was a very sad story and I can see the potential and what it wanted to do, but for me it didn’t hit the mark.

This book was spoiled for me by a podcast and after that it really didn't interest me anymore. Was good in the beginning but once I found out about the girls mother I didn't want to pick it back up again.

The Gravity of Missing Things will take you on a very emotional roller coaster ride. This is a story that will make you cry, it will also make you smile, but mainly it will make you cry, in so many ways.

Anyone who likes the show Manifest will absolutely adore this book. We pick almost immediately with finding out that a plane with 155 people has gone missing, the pilot was the mother of the main character, Violet. Throughout the story we see her having to process all the different emotions that come with the uncertainty of not knowing where her mom is and trying to resist the urge to fall into an old habit of cutting again. Violet is the only one not willing to accept that the missing plane equals her mom is dead. She urges the FBI to keep searching and not give up. Through Violets own investigation she learns secrets about her mom, their family, and herself.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Book: The Gravity of Missing Things

My Thoughts: I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting, however, this book just wasn’t for me.

This book was really engaging right from the get-go. I often felt on the edge of my seat, curious to see what I would be learning about the plane crash alongside the main character. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this.

The gravity of missing things...or the way that when something isn't there, you CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. It's like there's a magnet drawing your attention specifically to the thing, person, item, idea, or whatever it is, and it simply won't let go.

Within this story, we've got the missing parent at a school function, the mysterious phone call bringing bad news, the questions left unanswered, and the undying hope of a young girl who simply wants her mother back. Life hasn't always been a smooth road for Violet, let alone her family (marital relations, the big "C" for Savannah, self preservation issues for Vi), but in the midst of this potential disaster filled with so many unknown factors and possible endings, she's about to uncover a truth widely known, yet not often acknowledged. The extent to which we know a person is only that to which they choose to reveal themselves to us. Everyone...even parents...have hidden depths, and whatever the reason might be for the secrecy, those areas in the dark stay there until such a time that they choose to reveal them, if at all. For Violet, she thought she knew something in connection with the events unfolding, and while she is connecting dots...it's not in the way she might have imagined, leaving her with more questions than answers, an identity thrown into crisis, and some serious hurts to try and overcome while remembering to be kind to herself, something that doesn't come easy.

Along the way, we meet her father, her sister, her best friend, and those relationships, nay their identities, start to intertwine, adding to the confusion circling Vi like a halo. In truth, the only one that stays the path on which they started is Landon, and he ends up bearing the brunt of her anger at the world despite his good intentions. It's okay, though not, because of everything happening, but it doesn't make either of them hurt any less...and it all works its way to a head that's bound to explode in the worst ways possible. Good thing family and friends can take the heat, and come out the other side of our bad times a little battered, somewhat bruised, but still full of love and acceptance.

It's a story about a life lived, and the secrets that dwelled below the surface unbeknownst to those held dear. It begs us to take a moment every day to consider the dreaded what if...while telling us to live our own truths, come what may, because those left standing after the fallout will love us that much more. Hard to swallow...certainly...but then again, can you bear to live a life where you aren't your genuine self?

This book was a bit of a challenge to get through for various reasons. First and foremost -- I had to set it down a few times simply because it wasn't particularly healthy for me to constantly be in Violet's mindspace. The prose was incredibly good at making me feel a sort of all-encompassing feeling of being overwhelmed. I also swung back and forth on my feelings regarding the story since I thought it was a pretty effective exploration of grief, depression and denial but also I did have some issues with the framework around it

Reading through the progression of Violet's own search for answers definitely was a challenge. It was effective for her to consistently push people away who weren't going to give her the responses she wanted as much of the book covers her being in a state of denial. However, it did trip my low secondhand embarrassment tolerance having her getting into online arguments regarding it and deciding that she had the insight and expertise to find the "truth" in the face of what seemed like a pretty extensive search anyways (done at known personal risk by any professionals/volunteers) -- despite knowing that it was something that she would absolutely do faced with such rumors regarding her mother. I could empathize with her easily even if I did end up really disliking her interactions with a lot of other characters amidst her denial.

The blooming romance I think I understood more in concept of Violet needing someone who could relate to her emotional state and also stand by her as a bit of a supportive third party not deep in the family drama of the loss. Ultimately, I went from thinking it was somewhat charming at the beginning to feeling like I wanted it excised towards the latter half since it felt a bit more of a narrative tool than as deep an emotional connection as I wanted it to get.

All in all I'd say it was an effective book. It hit with the emotional impact it clearly intended to have despite my many misgivings and for that I'd say I'd give it a solid 3.5 rounding up to 4.

I want to thank Netgalley, Entangled and the Author for giving me a chance to read this book.

Honestly I couldn't finish it...I tried but I kept getting stuck. I found it very confusing and I just struggled with trying to follow it

The Gravity of Missing Things is a beautiful and thought-provoking exploration of grief, secrets and mental illness. All wrapped up with relatable characters who leaped from the page and a super intriguing plot.

I loved Violet, the protagonist. She had such a unique and clear voice, and her personality shone through. I loved how tenacious she was, how determined she was to find the truth, and the belief she had in her mom. She was proactive and chased her goal the entire way through the novel. I loved her sarcy attitude too, and it didn’t feel forced.

The awareness of self harm was interesting and how big a problem it can become for young people. It was handled sensitively and never included more information than necessary to reduce the potential for triggers. It didn’t take over the plot, but it also wasn’t pushed to the sidelines. It was realistic in the way it takes over your life, even in the smallest ways.

I loved the writing. It was punchy and lyrical, with the protagonist’s voice distinct from start to finish.

The plot was so intriguing! I loved the mystery of what happened to the plane and what her mom was involved in and where she’d gone. It kept me engaged in the novel and turning the pages. There were a lot of different threads and clues to follow and the fast pace added a layer of excitement. I loved the ending and how the book came full circle, starting off during a theatre show and ending with one too.

I LOVED the relationships between the characters! Violet and her best friend Alex were so lifelike, and it literally felt like I was in the room with them. It was so natural. I also loved the romance between Violet and Landon, and it was great seeing it develop over the course of the book. Their scenes were so cute and I was rooting for them the whole way through!! Violet and her sister, Savannah were also so natural. Such a realistic portrayal of siblings. I also loved Violet and Agent Rosenfield, which was nice but surprising! I liked how they had the connection of both missing someone and wanting to discover what happened to them. However, one thing that bothered me was we didn’t get an ending to that subplot. It just sort of cut off. Which when the truth about the plane was revealed, Agent Rosenfield had no reason to be in Violet’s life, but it would have been nice to have some closure.

Lastly, there was also a lot of humour inserted in too, despite the heavy subject matter, and it was nice to have those small lighthearted, fun moments. Because that’s realistic! Even when we’re going through a hard time, we can still experience moments of happiness, excitement, and relaxation.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book! I can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

I really enjoyed this book! I had some issues with it but overall I enjoyed it. It was a solid 4 star read for me!

TW: self harm and discussions of mental health

I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. All I really knew going into it was that there was a missing plane, which is a huge interest of mine. I didn't know about the bisexual rep (or any of the other LGBT rep) and I also didn't expect how huge of a part mental health would play. Both of those aspects were handled brilliantly and made the story feel more grounded.

Violet's grief was so raw and realistic. I did think that her sister and dad moved on too quickly to be believable, but everyone processes grief differently. I also appreciated how the romance didn't take over the story.

Overall this book was great and I'm excited to read more from the author.