The Gravity of Missing Things is a moving YA thriller/mystery. Author Marisa Urgo created a poignant storyline with remarkable characters. It will make you cry and keep you on the edge of your seat.

The story begins with Violet, a young high school student who is working on the school play. She is looking out of the stage curtains and notices that something is off. Her mother isn't in the front row and her dad is leaving halfway through. After the play is over, her world is turned upside down. She learns that her mother's plane, Flight 113, has disappeared.

As the story goes on, Violet is struggling. She is dealing with the idea that her mother could be gone forever and yet she is hopeful that there is more to the story. Her sister and her dad are going through it too but it feels like she has no one to talk to. But that soon changes when she starts talking to Landon. He is cute and sweet.

Violet and Landon start to form a beautiful friendship. They do both deal with their own struggles like anxiety and self-harm. I think they get to understand each other on a different level because of it. I loved the character development throughout the story. It seems like Violet is the only one who is hopeful that her mother could be alive. There are plenty of conspiracy theories out there but she ultimately wants to clear her mother's name. She couldn't have done something like this on purpose or so she hopes.

There are so many ups and downs, secrets, and twists and turns. This is such an engaging read that it was easy to get lost in. I have to admit that I didn't expect the book to be this good when I read the blurb. Yes, I was intrigued but it exceeded my expectations.

I give The Gravity of Missing Things 4 stars. It's a wonderful story about dealing with pain and grief and learning to continue to move on with life. The author did a great job of representation leading with a bi-sexual main character and mentioning mental health struggles like anxiety, therapy, and self-harm. I was surprised at how emotional the story got and how thrilling it was.

Thank you, Entangled Publishing, for allowing me to read The Gravity of Missing Things early!

I honestly fell in love with the cover at first sight. It is like a painting which should be showed in all galleries around the world. The book is not far behind! Marisa Urgo's debut is a thrilling and smart mystery novel that will require you to stop reading at times because of all the waves of emotions that will suddenly hit you. Definitely an engrossing reading experience!

As much as I wanted to love this book, and believe me, I did, I couldn’t. The reason I kept reading was to find out the “truth.” And it wasn’t anything unexpected. There was no big reveal and no interesting plot twist at the end. Suffice it to say, this wasn’t my cup of tea and I totally misjudged the book before picking it up. I was looking for a thrilling read, but I found this book to be an everyday teenage story. Violet, who is the main character, acted childishly at times and mature at others. It was so difficult to connect with her. I think Savanah was a much better character. I thought this book would be an emotional rollercoaster and, unfortunately, I felt nothing other than mild curiosity about what might be the conclusion of all the drama. That said, the book is actually very well written and some of the side characters, like Alex and Landon, are very interesting. The overall premise is good and original. I’m sure many people will find this book enjoyable. I especially loved the beginning and the interactions between the two sisters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Wow just wow I could not put this down, I read it in one sitting. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole thing. This is one f my favorite books so far this year. I can’t wait to read more from this author

Wow! Just wow! This book really surprised me, but in a good way. It was a great read. The Gravity Of Missing Things is a book that should be in your 2022 reading list.

Full review to come.....

The Gravity of Missing Things by M. Urgo, published by Entangled Publishing LLC, is a ya/na book.
This stand-alone is nothing what I expected but everything I could have asked for.
A fantastic read, literally unputdownable. A cover to cover in one sitting read tells it the story of Violet and her family. Her mother, a pilot, is in an accident and a lot of answers still ahve to be answered. She's determined to clear her mother's name and that leads her on a dangerous path.
A wonderful book, I recommend it, 5 stars.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a YA mystery/thriller, filled with conspiracy theories, romance, love of musicals and the found family trope all thrown in for good measure. It made for an emotional read at times, covering hard topics such as grief and loss but did so in an honest and delicate way that kept it in the YA genre.

Bi-representation was shown through the main character, which is a new but great exploration of diversity and will hopefully help young readers discover and be confident in their own sexuality. However I don’t want to speak for others on how good this representation was. Though the family dynamics were absolutely spot-on and the relationships throughout the book were so relatable in a teenager-esc kind of way.

This was a super easy read, I finished it in 2 days.

Although despite having a really unique and captivating plot line, I saw all the plot twists coming, so it felt a bit boring at times. Also, I felt the ending was a bit rushed. There was a big climax to the book but the resolution seemed a bit flat and disappointing as I finished the book left wanting more than the simple way it all ended. Another minor criticism was that I don’t think we ever found out the age of Violet, the main character. I assumed she was around 16, though her narration seemed a bit babyish for her age at times, and then at other moments she made comments alluding to themes and ideas much older. This left me a little confused at times and jolted the flow of the narration a little.

Finally I loved the cover, and thought it was gorgeous - but didn’t quite understand how it related to or represented the story itself. A symbol of the wings of the pin, the rose from Belle or paint brushes would have been great additions to the cover to draw everything together.

I wouldn’t let any of these criticisms deter you from reading though, it did have a unique concept that is rare for books in this day and age; and dealt with all the themes in a very endearing and appropriate way. And this book covered some dark topics that are essential to young people to learn about early on, and did so in a highly commendable way that other new books/authors could learn from.

Trigger Warnings: self-harm, suicide, grief, death, affairs

This was my favourite book of the year so far, I absolutely loved it. I was really intrigued by the title and synopsis and immediately was grabbed by the first few chapters. The family element was so interestingly done and the twist I really didn’t see coming. I appreciated the representation in the book and the discussion of love and relationships. The main storyline was heartbreaking and I felt as if I really went on a journey with Violet. I LOVED this book and am confident it will be one of my favourites I read this year. I’m so thrilled and can’t wait to buy a physical copy when it’s released.