I LOVED this book. It really gave star trek meets star wars vibes, and I say that knowing that I don't really like either series all that much, which is a huge compliment because if a book can make star wars and trek look good then it's a damn good book. I loved Ty as well. his character just seemed to scream at me and I loved the relationship he had with Gwen. billionaire romances are also not usually my thing but this one was loveable, and not cringey in the slightest.

Okay, so the concept of this book was good and both Gwen & Ty were strong characters but I failed to feel the chemistry between them. Like they had a lot of potential but it was wasted because Gewn sometimes came off as very defensive and rude to me tbh. I feel like the execution of this book could've been better, also I felt like the topic about autism was overused and wasn't exactly accurate, rather it was dramatised. But I really liked that this book was an actual enemies to lovers romance because in the beginning, because these two really did not like each other. The plot in Peru wasgood and really added something to the plot. And I really enjoyed the banter between Gwen & Tybut the humour fell flat for me, which was a disappointment.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

I really loved this book. The romance was so sweet and it was just what I wanted in a book. The plot line was amazing. I would highly recommend this romance!

Title: The Space between us by Melanie Summers

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.

The Space Between Us is a standalone rom-com with hints of spice and giggles.

Gwen Fox, a dedicated S.E.T.I. researcher, is determined to unravel the cosmic mystery of extraterrestrial life. However, her mission faces a threat when their billionaire backer, Ty Sterling, decides to shut down their operation. With everything on the line, Gwen ventures to Peru to persuade Ty to change his mind. Despite their opposing views and personalities, sparks fly between them amidst the lush Peruvian jungle.

As they navigate the fine line between enemies and lovers, their undeniable chemistry ignites a passionate connection.

With its strong and intelligent female lead, stubborn, cold Billionaire male lead, steamy chemistry, and laugh-out-loud moments, this novel is a perfect escape for anyone craving a quick and easy read filled with adventure and romance.

This novel is a perfect pick-me-up for anyone in need of a good laugh and a dose of romance. Whether you're a fan of forced proximity tropes, S.T.E.M. romance, or just looking for a fun and entertaining read, “ The space between us “ has something for everyone. Don't miss out on this delightful rom-com adventure!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

TROPES
🧡 Enemies to Lovers
🧡 S.T.E.M + Billionaire Romance
🧡 One Tent
🧡 Forced Proximity

Gwen, an astrobiologist, and Ty, a CEO, are thrown into the wilderness of Peru on the trip of a lifetime when Ty’s partner Richard dies. It is the adventurous man’s last wish for representatives from every part of his foundation to go on this journey through Peru, but it turns into people trying to ensure Ty will continue funding their research.

This is literally all my favorite things in one book. A S.T.E.M. romance? Check. An enemies-to-lovers story with one tent? Check. Research into the unknown? Check. Mentions of Gigantopithecus? Check. Discussing the Inca? Check.

Everything about this book is great. Gwen and Ty both go on important journeys of self-discovery and acceptance, which is what Richard wanted. It forces them to reconsider their life decisions and move forward in a new direction, even if that might mean letting go of the past in some ways. I always love these arcs in books, and it was done incredibly well here. It’s almost like being out of communication with everyone they know forces some heavy thoughts and feelings to rise to the surface.

I also love how Gwen and Ty are forced to come to terms with their feelings for each other. It’s a ton of hilarious and sudden circumstances that only make sense when you are doing a trip like they are, and it worked every time because the precedent for it was set in the first few chapters. And maybe think twice about the power of suggestion.

The Space Between Us is a fantasic enemy to lovers with a little spice. If spicy isn't your thing, no worries, it's just a small section and Melanie has your back. She tells us exactly where it is in the intro and it's so easy to skip.

The characters in this one are great. Ty is a grumpy billionaire with a hidden soft spot. Gwen is a scientist trying to covince Ty, the contrarian, to fund her research. Except she's not the only one trying to get his money. Ty and about 30 people vying for his money end up in Peru on an epic adventure.

This book was so fun, and the chemistry between Gwen and Ty was just perfect. I love a good STEM romance, smart women are awesome and Gwen was no exception.

As an added bonus, it had AMAZING and funny chapter titles which I absolutely love.

I loved everything about this book. The characters, the humor, the setting in Peru (which I have now added to my bucket list). It was also emotional and heart warming and had me tearing up.

I liked the book well enough. It went better than it seemed at one point so i was happy with that. I liked Ty, he was a good guy that worked for everything in his life and all anyone wanted was his money. Irritated me so much that the foundations thought they were entitled to his fortune just because his business partner gave them his money. That's part of why I didn't like Gwen very much. She frustated me so much in various situations regarding the money part. Why does he have to give money to something he doesn't believe in or finds ridiculous? It wasn't fair and irritated me so much. I liked how she grew throughout the book same as Ty and didn't abuse his trust to get the money in a dirty way, huge points for that. I liked them together they evened each other out in a certain way so that was good

It's not really a review because I stopped reading after 7-8 chapters. Not going to post my review anywhere else, as it seems like an unpopular opinion.

I requested this book mainly because of the author whose previous few books I liked. But this book didn't work for me. It was full of activity but didn't seem to move forward. 7-8 chapters and I couldn't connect with the writing style or any of the characters or situations.

They have to send someone from their office to Peru to convince someone, so the person has to be a woman because that person in Peru is a grumpy man, plus that woman has to be pretty with a perfectly symmetrical face (they are even trying measuring which woman's face is prettier and more symmetrical). And we are talking about “intelligent” people. If it was an attempt to create a funny situation, then I'm sorry it was a pathetic attempt.

Thanks for the copy, but sorry it didn't work for me.

I know it says 3 stars but honestly, 3.5 for the banter alone. This book was a fun time! Admittedly, I kinda skimmed the synopsis before requesting so I thought this would have more spacey stuff involved, but I was pleasantly surprised! The FMC and MMC have good reason to hate each other but the chemistry is off the charts. I loved their tension with each other and it had a great payoff. Had some sweet and not so sweet family dynamics and a happy ending.

As much as a contemporary romance can be enemies to lovers, this book nails it. These characters REALLY don’t like each other at first, none of that “enemies to lovers means annoying person at workplace” stuff. Gwen is a researcher at an institution that involves finding alien life and Ty is a cynical billionaire who has openly voiced his disdain for their project and others like it. After the untimely death of the co founder of the foundation Ty built to sustain these otherworldly enterprises, Gwen and Ty and other folks connected to the co founders life embark on a hike across Peru as his final wish. Along the way, Gwen must attempt to get the funding her institute needs and Ty is unwilling to part with as he wants to use it to get back at his absent father. Shenanigans ensue!!

Some of the humor fell flat for me but that’s just a personal thing. I get the characters are supposed to be late 30s/early 40s but sometimes it didn’t feel like they talked that way. Like I would rather these characters outright swear rather than say “blerg” or “butts”.

Overall, this book was short, sweet, and somewhat spicy. All you can ask for with a romcom.

Thank you NetGalley for supplying the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As much as I wanted to LOVE this book, I just could not get into it. The biggest part for me was how long it actually took to see the characters interact. The first time the characters "interacted" on the page was at about the 22% mark, and it really only a quick passing by. It made the start of the book feel like it dragged on tremendously. I am all for world building and setting the scene, but it almost felt too much. At that point, I was so incredibly taken out of the story that it was difficult for me to really get back into. and I just found myself not really caring what happened with the characters. I definitely think that this book will be enjoyed by lots, but it just was not my cup of tea. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy this author a lot but this was my least favorite of hers that I have read. The characters didnt even meet or interact with each other until a quarter through the book. There were some fun antics on the travel and I like that it is a billionaire romance but not quite like what you would normally think. It honestly had very little to do with space and more to do with traveling on a crazy trip! It was fun, but it would not be the first I would recommend to someone if they were to read a book from Melanie!

First of all, Thank You netgalley for the ARC granted. It took me a while to get involved with the narrative, but as soon as the story was going by, I could appreciate it a lot.

4.5/5 ⭐️s

LOVES:
- Gwen’s parent’s story and her entire introduction is great
- The entire “who’s going on the trip” conversation 😂
- The joke about billionaires in romance novels
- The message of acceptance 🥹
- the “tea” and subsequent confessions 🤣

CRITIQUES:
- The opening introduction for Ty is super intense and he’s not very likable at the beginning
- They’re in the Amazon and there is not a single mention of any actual animals or bugs?? 🤔🤨

DNF at 14%.

Right off the bat, the way the MMC spoke just rubbed me wrong. I was pleased to see some disability rep with him having an autistic brother, but the bit I read of him and from reading other reviews, it just felt like taking all of the most stereotypical traits of an autistic person and using them as a prop.
Secondly, and speaking of stereotypes, the FMC has so many negative stereotype biases against people she talks about in her first chapter. Then the kids she has to give a tour to all act like stereotypes… I almost quit then, but decided to go a little further.
The premise of how the MMC & the FMC are going to meet is already ridiculous, but when her colleagues, which includes her manager, decide they need to pick the most attractive woman to go to try and get the MMC to continue their funding. That was it. She clearly states it’s a sexist way ti go about it and the manager continues to let this go….
The final thing, which is just a personal preference thing and wouldn’t have made me DNF this book on its own, is I just don’t care for the writing style or the tone of the writing.
Considering this author has a lot of other books out and this wasn’t a debut, I don’t know that I would read anything else by them.

I had the opportunity to read this arc recently. I have to tell you it was a rollercoaster of emotion I laughed then I cried then I laughed then I cried. The space between us will make you feel things. By half way through this book the only things I wanted to do was call my family and friends to tell them I love them. Huge recommendation for any who reads romance because it is that and so much more.

Opposites attract in this enemies to lovers standalone romcom from a fav Canadian indie author that sees a billionaire and a S.E.T.I. (Search for Intelligent Life) scientist come to heads over funding for her research.

Full of humor, heat and a great autistic side character. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend for fans of zany adventure love stories like Love quest by Camilla Isley or Raiders of the lost heart by Jo Segura.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: a couple open door scenes

Gwen and Ty were emotionally constipated not-quite-enemies in forced proximity on a trip to Peru for an adventurous funeral. Ty had a crappy childhood but struck gold when he and his bestie cornered the market on DNA kits. His younger brother, Michael, was autistic. As an autistic person myself, I had mixed feelings about how he was portrayed. I felt like what he said was frequently used as a joke. The whole he’s autistic so he takes everything literally” was overdone. I did like that he has a job and that Ty encouraged him in his passions.
Gwen was defensive AF, given that she worked as an Astro biologist for a not-for-profit that aimed to make first contact with aliens. She did have a growth arc, which was a good thing because she was frequently just kinda mean.
I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the main characters as much as I would have preferred, but they did have potential as a couple.

Spice: 3/5

Triggers: child abandonment, death, grief

I absolutely adored this book! The premise was so fun, and I loved all of the quirky characters. There was a good ratio of adventure to romance, and the banter between the two love interests was super enjoyable. There were times were I found it difficult to like Gwen because she could be brutally mean and hypocritical at times. It seemed like she was borderline autistic-coded, and I wish that had been addressed since the younger brother, Michael, has autism. I think that would have fit in really well with why he was able to connect with her so well despite being work enemies. But overall, it was a very enjoyable, nerdy read and I'm excited for the next book in the series.

I liked this book. The premise was different, and I couldnt easily figure out how they would come together (because they almost always do - right?) just from reading the paragraph summary. The opening of The Space Between Us was strong, the middle a bit slow and then the last 25 or so pages (iPad size pages) brought the loose pieces together nicely. I almost put it down a few times but kept going, and I am glad I did. The story is about dreamers really, and we can always use more dreamers! Melanie Summers did a good job of reminding us of that while wrapping the message up in a romcom.

4 reasons I gave The Space Between Us 4 stars:
1. STEM romance that is not cringe. Better than Ali Hazelwood.
2. FMC and MMC are both grumpy. Makes for good banter.
3. Some adventure in Peru
4. Had actual laugh out loud moments.