Thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, Gallery Books and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great surprise of a book! I haven't read it sooner simply by poorly judging it from the cover. Open it and you will find a deep, soul touching, heartfelt story! If you had told me that this was written by Jodi Picoult I would completely believe you. This is a story of a young boy and his mother. His father isn't involved in their lives until one day he contacts them and our brilliant young boy, Ethan starts asking questions and contacts his father. The story develops well slowly, but steadily and then the secrets come out and pow! It's like a ride on a roller coaster, up and down, up and down. This story was well done with realistic relationships and the ending was well done. Not perfect like a fairy tale , but left me content.
A solid 5 stars for me!

Recommended for fans of Contemporary books about families.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this anymore. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

This novel is told from 3 perspectives - 12 year old Ethan, an extremely smart and quirky kid; his single mother Claire; and his estranged dad Mark. Various things happen that change the status quo they have all been living in, and bring out secrets from their past. This was a really sad book, but somehow never made me cry, interesting but sometimes a little slow. 3.5 stars.

Relativity by Antonia Hayes is one of those books about which you NEED to talk to someone. It's one of those books about which you are not sure how you feel or how the author pulled you in the way she did. Relativity orbits around twelve-year-old Ethan, his mother Claire, and his father Mark. Ethan doesn't know his father, who lives on the opposite side of Australia from him and his mother, but he does know far more about physics than most non-graduate level students. Claire is working hard to hold life together as a single mother, but when Ethan suddenly begins experiencing a relapse of medical problems his mother thought had passed she becomes alarmed. Coinciding with this shock, Mark is back and wants to get to know his son.

There is so much I wish I could say about this book, but I hesitate to give any clues about the storyline. When I began it, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading. I really didn't like where I thought it was headed. As I read, however, I realized I was wrong and I was really loving it. Claire is a fierce mama bear, Ethan is a budding genius, and Mark is hurting with the recent loss of his father and the realization of everything else he has lost as well. Alternating between the three points of view, the reader is given access to each character's thoughts, memories, and motivations, but they aren't always reliable. This is part of what makes this book so interesting.

I really liked this book, though some of it was hard to take. It was heart-wrenching at times and heart-warming others. I had very complicated feelings about many of the characters and I think that is what makes for a good book. Characters should be complicated. They should make bad choices for good reasons. They should make us wonder if we would make similar decisions if we were in their place or at least give us an opportunity to empathize with them and their situation. That is what I like about reading and Hayes does her job well.

This books was awesome: a tender exploration of the family, with unexpected humor arising from the different points of view. Nicely done!

Relativity
By Antonia Hayes

This is a heartbreaking story of a family, but it is tinged with hope for the possible. I am a fan of stories where parents are portrayed as struggling, harried people, having myself struggled and been harried as a parent. 12-year-old Ethan seems much too wise for his years, but Hayes’ lyrical writing and sense of wonder lets me forgive her that indiscretion. There is a strong science theme in this story, but it is not pedantic or overwhelming; it’s tempered with respect and awe, especially when we see the physical world through Ethan’s eyes. Hayes sets us up for punishment: there are red herrings in this plot and we are encouraged to go down paths that will not get us where we want or need to be. We think we have the whole story in tact just because we have each person’s point of view, but their memories are highly charged and often filtered. The second point of view overlaps the first, but there still seems to be something missing, and then the third, Ethan’s, only adds to the mystery. Most painfully I think, Hayes offers a realistic story just when we thought we were getting a magical one. But I cannot fault her for being true and honest, and actually, that makes me respect her all the more.


For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — I liked the idea of the child obsessed with astronomy, and also that the setting was Sydney, Australia.
Reminded me of… A Beautiful Mind, and Room (for the mother-child relationship)
For my full review — click here

"Relativity" by Antonio Hayes

What a truly amazing novel. It is moving, heartwarming, and inspiring, with a touch of humor sprinkled within. Strong and relatable characters being this novel to life as we follow this young boys journey and his fascination of space and all things relative. A truly remarkable novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A poignant story about family relationships. It was a little heavy on physics metaphors for me. Thank you for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.