I’ve always found Melanie Summers books to be bright and joyful reads, and The Space Between Us is no exception.

After his business partner and best friend dies, Ty Sterling is forced on a wild trip to the Amazon in an organised memorial with workers from ‘scientific’ endeavours funded by their shared trust. Gwen is a scientist at SETI, searching for extraterrestrial life and determined to convince Ty to continue funding SETI. as they adventure through the Amazon wilderness they face many challenges, and try to ignore their growing attraction.

I had a lot of fun with this read. I enjoyed that the characters had more depth than your typical side characters. I especially liked the growth of the main characters, and their willingness to call each other out and take responsibility for their behaviour. The concept of judgement and dismissiveness within the scientific community was fun, and I liked the theme of everyone just trying to find their own place in the world.

The story was well paced, and I laughed out loud quite a few times. The more wacky characters brought lightness to the story, and the Amazonian setting added a lot of interest. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a light, fun read with a lot of heart.

Thank you Gretz Corp and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Gwen Fox is trying to find extraterrestrial signals. Unfortunately, the billionaire back, Ty is shutting down her project. Gwen must try to convince him to change his mind. They crash and crash until they sizle and burn each other...

I like this STEM book. A terrific book with great banter. Great characters with lots of chemistry.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

What could go possibly wrong on a farewell trip in the jungles of Peru between a stoic billionaire and a SETI researcher who has her heart set on pursuing the billionaire to not defund her work? A lot of things to be exact like lost luggage, canoeing wrecks, psychedelic tea and a lot of soul searching reflections.

Ty has had one goal in mind for a very long time and with the accidental death of his business partner occurring at the critical moment in time it leads to some more complicated hurdles to overcome especially when he must travel to Peru to honor his friend’s final wishes. As an SETI researcher, Gwen is no stranger to people assuming things about her and her work so when she becomes her work’s nominee to attend the farewell trip she assumes she knows everything about the man about to defund them but she’s surprised in more ways than one on the trip.

The electricity between Gwen and Ty is out of this world and not something either of them intended for or thought remotely possible. They challenged each other constantly and expanded their singular focuses to include others and their purposes.


Thank you Melanie Summers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

3.75 Stars

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC through NetGalley. My review is my honest opinion on this book ✨

I read this in almost 1 sitting which I was not expecting. I was in the mood for a romantic comedy after being on a romantasy kick and I think The Space Between Us checked all of my boxes.

This book has an FMC in STEM which I love, as well as a billionaire MMC (which I also love). I really enjoyed to "enemies" to friends to lovers trope in this, although I wouldn't necessarily classify it as true enemies as it was more like a one-sided hate and another-sided disrespect (of a profession)?

I also really enjoyed the whole funeral journey through Peru, I felt that each challenge really drove both the plot and character development forward. And I am a sucker for the only one-bed trope.

Where this book fell a bit for me was the MMC's internal conflict, as well the fact that I was left feeling a bit unsure about where Ty stood with how he felt about Gwen's profession. Was he supporting her because he loved her, or because he had a change of heart on extraterrestrial life, or both? I was also left wishing we had gotten more insight into Gwen's profession.

Overall, I would recommend because this is a fun, engaging read!

I honestly enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would! I didn't really know what I was getting into, but I was hooked after the first two chapters. The two main characters, Ty and Gwen, are likeable even at their worst. Gwen especially is very emotionally intelligent, which I love since so many women in STEM are never given that characterization. For a forced proximity romance, I don't feel like there as anything cliche about it and it didn't rely on situations that were completely unrecognizable or unreasonable. Using Napper's funeral journey as a physical and metaphorical journey worked really well and was rewarding.

Two points of contention:
- the portrayal of Michael, Ty's autistic brother, was less than ideal. As someone with autistic individuals in my life, I wanted to see more of Michael, not just read his quote or hear about him from Ty. Assuming that someone with autism has a sophisticated vocabulary or doesn't have any social mannerisms themselves makes neurodivergent folk into a monolith, and I feel like that's reductive in a book that otherwise does really well with playing against tropes.
- the chapter titles were a little cringy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ .5
Spice: 🌶️

🔭 Enemies to lovers
🔭 Billionaire romance
🔭 STEM rep
🔭 Forced proximity

If you enjoyed Ali Hazelwood’s love hypothesis series you’ll love this! I would recommend this to readers who enjoy lighthearted, funny and emotional romance books.

This is my first book by Melanie Summers and I’m so glad I received this as an ARC. As a STEM girl myself, I love the representation in books lately!

Ty is a skeptic and thinks SETI is ridiculous and has said so publicly and so Gwen hates him with a passion. However, there’s an instant connection when they first meet.

The book is set in Peru and was fairly adventurous, it was an interesting premise and a very easy read. I absolutely loved the banter throughout the book, actually had some laugh out loud moments. This book was way more thought provoking and deep than I thought it would be. It has low spice, as it was more of a emotional connection but honestly I didn’t even mind.

Absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the next in the series!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC through NetGalley. My review is my honest opinion on this book ✨

This one was so fun! I love a brainiac FMC and grumpy MMC. If thats your vibe this has it all. Woman in stem, billionaire, great banter and side characters. It was a quick and easy read. Nothing extremely surprising but i found myself liking how ready Gwen was to argue, most of the times the "nerds" are meek bumbling damsels. Read like a comedy, stayed for the love story.

*Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

4/5 stars
This was such a fun read!
The chemistry between the main leads was off the charts, sparking off the pages and keeping me hooked throughout. Their banter was witty, their tension palpable, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages to see how their relationship would unfold. The 'special tea' scene was hilarous and had me laughing out loud. That scene alone deserved 3 stars. I loved watching the personal growth of the main characters. As they navigated their own flaws and insecurities, I found myself rooting for them every step of the way. It was incredibly rewarding to see them overcome their differences and find love and happiness in each other's arms.
The S.T.E.M romance added an interesting layer to the story, while the forced proximity and enemies to lovers tropes added an extra spark of excitement and tension.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and am leaving my voluntary opinion solely based on my reading experience.

You would not believe the amount of giggling and screeching I did while reading this book. Perfect for readers who love a quick witted FMC and lot of flirty banter.

“I never wanted to go to space before, but if that’s what you want, I’ll go. I’ll build the best spaceship ever made and we’ll go together.”
Like sir?!?! That’s the sweetest shit ever?! You know what’s even more sweet? Ty taking care of his autistic younger brother since they were kids. He still takes such good care of him, even though he’s like 36 now. I loved Michael!

And Richard. That man was just the best person ever. I wish I could have read more about him. The emotional scene when Ty had to say the final goodbye had me almost crying.

Although the instant connection Ty and Gwen seemed to have was a bit too much for me, their chemistry was good and I liked the awkward and goofy scenes between them.

Excited for the next book!

The space between us is a fun romantic story filled with a high level of chemistry between the main two characters.

Ty Sterling is a self made billionaire who carries an emotional baggage and his only objective is revenge. Gwen Fox is a brilliant scientist who works for a project which needs funding from a Foundation that Ty half-owned. When destiny throws them together in a self discovery trip, they’ll have the opportunity to change their lives while falling for each other.

This is a funny story with silly and over the top moments that incredibly will make you reflect about the influence of our parents and their never met expectations of us. Their lasting effect from childhood to adulthood is something that unfortunately most of us have in common. This book reminded me of it and the importance to work on this issues in order to move on towards happiness.

Gwen and her team at SETI are dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial signals. When Ty, their billionaire backer, threatens to shut them down, Gwen travels to Peru to confront him. Despite their differences, Gwen’s passion for science and Ty’s stubborn cynicism spark an unexpected chemistry. Once they leave the breathtaking Peruvian jungle, can their connection survive?

I love book this so much. It’s hilarious and heartfelt with likable, relatable characters. Gwen and Ty have so much chemistry, and the banter between them is fun.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I went into this book excited by the premise and maybe it was my fault for expecting something different, but I just don't think this book was for me. The writing was smooth and easy to read, I finished it in less than a day.

The description and title led me to believe that this book had something to do with outer space and aliens. The fmc works for an organization that searches for intelligent life in the universe and I figured that would come more into play, but it really isn't about that at all. Like I said, that might just be because I had different expectations but I figured her job would feature more in the story, but it doesn't, which left me disappointed.

My biggest issue with this book was the two main characters. They had very little personality outside their jobs and the way they fell for each other so fast just wasn't convincing to me. I didn't have a reason to root for them because the stakes just didn't feel real enough. For Gwen maybe, her job was at stake but for Ty? All his problems were of his own creation. I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to feel bad for a billionaire who's entire life's work is about spiting his father when he so easily could have just, not done that.

The two main characters try to grow and learn from their mistakes and in the end they do, but it all felt a little too neat for me. It was like they didn't have to work that hard to do it. They just decided, "Oh! I'm a better person now!".

Thank you Net Galley and Gretz Corp for allowing me to read this book for a honest review. I am so glad I stumbled upon this title and requested it because it turned out to be such a good time. It started off very much The Bachelor and Survivor vibes, but it soon evolved into something more substantial.

I had such a fun time - the story was engaging and I flew through it in about 8 hours. Even the bonus content of deleted scenes were super cute. The whole time I was smiling, giggling and kicking my feet but there were quite a few moments were my heartstrings were really pulled surprisingly.

The writing felt polished i.e. there weren't any filler scenes and all the side characters that were introduced actually had distinct personalities and contributed to the story. I felt that everything was adequately fleshed out despite this being a quick, fluffy romance read. There was no annoying miscommunication or betrayal trope which I appreciated, and whenever there was conflict, it was dealt with upfront like the adults these characters were.

The tension and banter between the main leads was great. I especially loved the 'special tea' scene. That literally had me cackling out loud. I also really liked the personal growth both main characters made, it was realistic and heartwarming to read about.

Would read again. Would be looking into the rest of Melanie Summers' books, and keen for the sequel to this book!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

I wasn't sure how a STEM romance would work, if anyone can pull it off it's Melanie Summers. This fun and funny romance was a fantastic read right from the very first page and one that I really enjoyed.
Told from alternating points of view this enemies-to-lovers romance is a great read. Gwen is desperate to save her job, but her inability to moderate what she says, really doesn't stand her in good stead. Ty sees her work as a foolish pipe dream and one that's really not worth his trying to save, never seeming to understand that his own dreams are probably even more foolish. I loved seeing them start to understand and fall for one another.
I read this book really quickly because I couldn't put it down. I just haven't had chance to review until now. There's even better news too, it seems that this is the first in a series so there's more to come soon!
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

I would like to thank netgalley and Gretz Corp for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable stem romance. I loved the uniqueness of the fmc's research.

DNF at 30%

Based on the blurb, I thought I'd love this book, but it was so not it. The characters are insufferable and exhausting, and the setup is so far-fetched and almost trivial that I couldn't get myself to care about it. And as a woman in STEM, reading about an eccentric billionaire being courted almost exclusively by women who were sent by their professional, scientific teams to secure funding just because they were attractive with "symmetric faces" -- I just can't.

*slow burn
*forced proximity
*billionaire romance
*enemies to lovers

This book was such a pleasant surprise!!

Gwendolyn is our FMC, and her job is to look for aliens, and I’ll be honest - I was hesitant about this because I’m not super into Alien books, but it was so much MORE than that.

Ty, our MMC, is partnered with a guy who funds her department, and when he dies her department is in big trouble. Gwendolyn is "pretty and vaccinated", so she gets picked to go convince him to save their department.

This book was less about aliens and more of an adventure/enemies to lover romance and I just LOVED it!

Their relationship had the perfect pacing. They had banter and misunderstood feelings about each other and it was so enjoyable to see their journey. They both had an amazing character growth throughout the story.

I loved this book and will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Fab read. Been is a researcher at SETI looking for life on other planets. Ty is sceptical to find this, can she change his mind? Hope this will be a series!

A great read, enemies to lovers. Gwen sets out to convince Ty not to cut funding for her team's research. Will Ty realise there is more to life than work and revenge? I liked how it was told from both points of view.

The chemistry between the Claire and hero is fantastic. Their every interaction is permeated with a subtle tension, the kind that seems to sizzle as you read. I loved reading this.