Main character Parker and her twin brother Charlie as well as their father are pretty hard to take at times. I had moments where I found them borderline intolerable, I could see some readers DNF-ing because of that, however, the author does dig deep, setting the scenes emotionally, giving you enough backstory of what they’ve been through so that you understand that there’s pain and fear (Parker’s anxiety is palpable) behind their actions. There are several instances where you do feel for them, just maybe not right in the moment where they’re being a tattle-tale or saying hateful things or whining about their job when their kid is obviously old enough to realize he’s the reason you’re stuck in that job.

I liked the romance, particularly the beginning via the childhood flashbacks, actually all the flashbacks in the book not just those between Parker and Finn were effective and necessary rather than momentum killing as flashbacks sometimes feel.

The senior citizen group came off as a little more exaggerated than I would have preferred still there were some nice moments there and overall I
was interested in how those scenes lent themselves to Parker finding a path for her future.

The one character I did totally fall in love with is Ruby. Her role isn’t huge yet I felt like the arc of the novel, of the relationships, wouldn’t have been as believable without Ruby bringing her light to them and to the book overall. I know it’s probably unlikely but I would love to see a sequel/companion novel featuring Ruby and her relationship with her mother.

With Parker and Charlie the way they sometimes are in this book, I think enjoying this and staying with it does require a bit more patience than some other books, but it really is well-written and worth seeing these sometimes challenging characters through to the next stage in their lives. ( )

Parker stands in the middle of an invisible tornado. It's fueled by her feelings of guilt and obligation, her brother Charlie's thus far recovery from leukemia, her feelings for Finn, the boy she first met in early elementary school who then vanished, but has returned with baggage of his own, and parental sacrifices due to Charlie's medical bills.
When she has a panic attack on the first day of a prestigious internship that will help her hope of going to medical school after Harvard, she bolts and ends up helping with a ceramics class for senior citizens. What follows involves trying to save other people until Parker crashes and burns, realizing in the process that the person she really needs to save is herself. Reading how she does that is an extremely satisfying experience. ( )

“I like thinking of time that way—that it’s a little more fluid in Spanish. Like maybe to start thinking about the future, you need to think about the possibility in the right now, you know?”

Okay, so I originally read and reviewed this book for a blog tour (you can find my initial thoughts here), but I couldn't definitively express my overall feelings. There were things I enjoyed about the book, but there were also a lot of things that really got underneath my skin. What was my solution? Read it again. I feel like I understand Parker a little more now, but I still think she was a terrible friend, sister, and daughter.

Let me elaborate... Parker's twin, Charlie, should have been her equal, but he came across like a younger brother she was trying to protect. I know that deep down her choices came from a good place, and she genuinely thought she was helping, but she only ever made things worse for him. He was old enough to make his own decisions, whatever they may be, but she didn't allow him that freedom. Tattletale. She always had to go behind his back and announce his personal, private business to the world. If I were Charlie, I would have been pissed, too.

Despite feeling like she had to tell on Charlie for the slightest misstep, she kept her own secrets. Her brother wasn't allowed to keep anything to himself, but she could withhold super important information and justify it by saying it was too difficult to talk about. Ugh. Parker also had the very best friend, Em, but she treated her like garbage for being truthful and trying to get Parker to do the right thing. Em was traveling abroad with her cousin, but she still made time for her friend. Her emails were sweet and detailed her adventures, but they also encouraged Parker to be honest with her parents. This was something Parker didn't want to do, and she admits that she doesn't want to be reminded of it, so she just ignores her. Em talked about so much more than that in her emails, but Parker couldn't respond at all? It was so frustrating to watch. I wanted to smack Parker in the face!

The secondary characters in this book were treasures! Ruby, Em, Matty, Carla, and all of the people from the retirement home. I loved those old ladies (and Henry)! They were hilarious and really added another layer to the story. It's clear that the women are dealing with their own issues, and it was nice seeing Parker try to mend their relationships. At first, she just tried to spice up their days with new craft ideas, but it eventually morphed into something else.

Charlie's story is a sad one, and he has every right to be angry with the world. Finn's past is equally (if not more) tragic, and I enjoyed learning more about him as the story progressed. We can't choose where we come from, but we can decide where we are going. It was nice to see Finn take control of his future and his present.

I thought the author did a wonderful job conveying Parker's anxiety. I would start feeling anxious myself when Parker's eye would start twitching. Her inner turmoil felt tangible. I could feel my palms sweating and my heart racing, which gave me a better idea of what Parker was going through.

In the end, I still can't decide how I feel about Letting Go of Gravity. One, I think Parker and Charlie's grandmother should really refrain from telling that specific story to children. Two, Parker wasn't a very likable character, but I don't think she was supposed to be. Instead, she offered a realistic perspective of a person dealing with anxiety and feeling trapped in their current situation. She didn't see a way out for herself even though I felt there were clear alternatives. Three, I felt like the book was a little longer than it needed to be. There was a lot of filler that could have been left out, because at times it felt like the story crawled from chapter to chapter.

It's weird... not knowing exactly how I feel about a book. Did I like it? Yes. Would I read it again? Probably not a third time, no. Was there an important message? Yes. The story is good. I wish Parker had made different choices, but then there wouldn't have been much of a story. It was an interesting read with a unique perspective, and I think the author makes a lot of valid points. Life is too short to spend it doing something we hate. We also need to be able to forgive ourselves and others, or the world is going to be a lonely place.

Wow... the ending... it was exactly what this book needed and deserved.


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"That's what friends do- they remind you of who you are underneath all the stuff people believe about you, all the stuff you believe about yourself."

Charlie and Parker are twins. During childhood, they always had each other's back. However, they were always two different people; Charlie is extroverted, loud, popular and easily makes friends, Parker is introverted, guarded and needs approval. One other difference arose when Charlie and Parker were in fourth grade, Charlie got leukemia. As medical bills rose and their parents lived in fear, Parker vowed to become a doctor and help kids with leukemia. Now it is coming true, as Parker graduates valedictorian of her class with an internship at a hospital and an acceptance to Harvard, and Charlie is in remission for a second time. When it's time to begin the internship, Parker feels overwhelmed and panicked at even being in the hospital. She quits, reconnects with an old friend and finds a job at a pottery shop and the weight lifts. Now, if she could only tell her parents.

Letting go of gravity is an epic coming of age tale that so many teens will be able to connect with. It is not only Parker's story either, it is also Charlie's. For so much of Parker's life she has strived to be what her parents expect that she has lost herself. For Charlie's life, he has been the boy with cancer that people have given up their lives to help. They both just want to stop being people's expectations for them and learn to be themselves, but they will need each other to do it. I could easily relate to Parker and was swept up in her story, eagerly turning the pages to see how she would manage the twists and turns in her life. Even though I have never had to deal with cancer, Charlie was also intriguing. His journey in and out of remission while being a teen is very sincere and heart wrenching, even when he is ok. Charlie and Parker's journey took me through emotional highs and lows that reminded me of the transitional time after high school. In addition to this, the romances were very sweet and realistic. Overall, a roller-coaster of a story about self-realization and being able to become who you truly are.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )