Ria VorosReseñas

I'm giving up on this. Other reviews have said this is a 500 page book that reads like a 300 page one and I agree; there's not nearly enough going on that the tale needs to be this long. There are an interminable number of scenes where Nothing Happens and the writing isn't good enough for me to waste my time.

Gretchen told her parents she wanted to be a doctor when she was four. She's now sixteen and a very different person, but Mom and Dad still have that mindset-she'll be a doctor. Gretchen isn't sure what she wants, but writing, especially poetry, is something that makes her come alive. When she verbally strong arms geeky James into being her chemistry tutor, it's the beginning of change, something that includes his older cousin Dean, a boy she can talk to so easily, the loss of her longtime best friend, a new somewhat bumpy friendship with food-obsessed Ashlyn and friction at home. It turns into a very painful experience that eventually sends her back into the sunlight of life, wiser, still sad, but with a more realistic understanding of herself. I read this in about two hours, deciding to buy it after reading her new book The Center Of The Universe. It was a very smart decision.

There are many books that satisfy, a few go well beyond that. This is such a book. Part coming of age, part family drama, part mystery, part psychological autopsy and a bit of love story are blended together and told from teen Grace Carter's perspective. Older of two siblings with a fascination for astrophysics, Grace has a friction-filled relationship with both her TV reporter mom and actress grandmother. When her mother takes a call at her son's soccer game and then vanishes, it sets in motion one heck of a story. It was so good I immediately bought a copy of the author's other book published back in 2013.

Grace Carter's mother --- the celebrity news anchor GG Carter --- is everything Grace is not

Then one day GG is just ... gone.

Grace grows closer to her high school's golden boy, Mylo, who has faced a black hole of his own. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother's long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother? Was GG abducted ... or did she leave? And if she left, why?

Thank you Goodreads and Kids can press for the chance to read this.

This was a good book. It wasn’t really my cup of tea but still a good book. It is about a teenage girl who doesn’t feel up to the standards of being GG’s daughter. So, it's mostly about a relationship between a mother and daughter. And a young girl finding her own self-worth.

This book took me a few chapters to get settled into, since the first few chapters jump around in time rather frequently and the jumps were rather hard to follow early on. After that, however, things evened out and the transitions grew smoother. Once I got settled in, I loved Grace's character voice. She's observant and thoughtful, and her interests and the way her brain works are super cool and come through clearly in the book's prose.

This book does move faster than the average contemporary, since it's blended with the action of trying to figure out what happened to GG, but there were enough slow moments to mostly balance it out for me. Though I generally prefer more laid-back contemporaries, the pacing of this book was well-suited to the story and I didn't have a problem with it.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book. Grace's voice was engaging, and I loved her relationships with her dad and brother (I kind of wish we'd gotten to see more of that). Her passion for astronomy is awesome, and I loved seeing her steadily pursue that throughout the book.

Iris was probably my favorite character. She's fun and loyal, as well as self-motivated and entrepreneurial. And it was awesome to see a homeschooler who was passionate about her education and also just treated as... normal. Though she might have tended toward the positive homeschool stereotype of always motivated and almost hyper-normal (homeschoolers are normally at least a little weird/counter-cultural), it was nice to not see the more negative stereotype. I'd love to see more homeschooled characters like this in fiction.

Mylo was also awesome. His conversations with Grace while she was overwhelmed were super sweet, and I loved the dynamic between the two of them.

And did I mention the dad and brother? I'm so happy with the positive family dynamics in this book, and my only disappointment is that we didn't get to see more of the sibling or father-daughter dynamics. The dad is awesome, doing his best to support his family while also struggling himself, trying to find his wife... He was just a super strong guy and awesome dad. And Charlie (the brother) was such a realistic younger brother. He was so sweet, but also had his moments of being difficult, and he would go back and forth between asking Grace to spend time with him and pretending he was annoyed to be related to her. He was great.

There was one brief, fade-to-black love scene that I thought unnecessary and forced, and I seem to recall there was mild language throughout, but otherwise I thought everything was handled well as far as content is concerned.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Student Review by: Lindsey R. (10th grade)
Grade Range: 7th Grade and up
Literary Merit: Excellent
Characterization: Excellent
Review:
The Center of the Universe by Ria Voros is an excellent book about a girl named Grace Carter whose mother goes missing. Grace has never been close with her famous mother GG Carter; Grace loves astronomy and her mother loves being a newsperson, so they do not have very much in common. While her mother is missing, Grace learns a lot of things about her, like the fact that her mother barely finished high school. She spends a lot of time with her best friend Iris and becomes really close to a boy named Mylo.
The Center of the Universe was very suspenseful, and I really didn´t want to stop reading it once I started, though the plot did slow somewhat in the last third. The book shines a light on the importance of friendship as well as the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. The book was not only meaningful but also fun to read because of the mystery of wondering where her mother could be. Another intriguing element of the novel was the relationship between Mylo and Grace as the author made their love story so interesting, yet not the main focus either.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to everyone, especially those who love mysteries with a tad of romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Center of the Universe was an amazing all-around read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters, and always looked forward to picking it up again. Typically, I try to do housework while the kids take their naps, but this week I've been staying in their room long after they've fallen asleep, just so I could keep turning the pages. (You should see my house right now...eesh. Neglected and scary, but totally worth it!)

I still cannot believe this book is over 500 pages! It never felt long, and all of the information was relevant and necessary. The writing flowed beautifully, and I was completely entranced by what was happening. Did her mom leave willingly? Was she abducted? Was that a clue? Honestly, I considered everything a clue, and I was still surprised by what happened. Ria Voros is clever -- loved it!

More than anything, I think The Center of the Universe is about a relationship between a mother and a daughter. Grace starts gathering tiny fragments of information about her mother after her disappearance, and she was surprised by how much she didn't know. I feel like that's true for all of us, because how well do we really know our parents? What were they like before we existed? Her dad, grandmother, and some of her mother's friends, shed a light on GG Carter that Grace was unaware of before. It allows Grace another perspective of her mother, and maybe a better understanding.

Iris and Mylo are amazing friends (can we get a Mylo book, please), and they're both there for Grace throughout the book. Mylo's constant reminders to breathe were sweet and thoughtful. He shared his own experiences with loss, and was able to relate to Grace in a way no one else could. Iris is simply the best! I also loved her parents and their cooking -- yum! They both go above and beyond to help Grace, despite having their own problems to deal with.

Families are messy and complicated, and I thought the author did a fantastic job of painting a very realistic picture. Grace fights with her brother, is annoyed by her grandmother, and is sarcastic with her father. She fought with her mother (repeatedly), and yet they were still a family. It was obvious they loved one another, and it was clear that they were all trying to do their best under the circumstances. There were happy moments amidst all the sadness, and we see people trying to cope with their grief while also supporting their loved ones.

I was totally and completely engrossed in The Center of the Universe from the very first page. I loved the opening quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson, and all of the scientific facts shared throughout the book. I've always been enamored by space and the mysteries of the universe, so Grace was a character after my own heart. It was never overwhelming, just a girl sharing her knowledge and her passion.

If I keep listing all of the things I enjoyed about this book, this post will go on forever. It's a truly remarkable read that I look forward to reading again in the future!

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on March 29, 2019.

"Center of the Universe" is a good mystery. It was not predictable. The characters' reactions to the disappearance of GG were well portrayed. The characters were likable. The only problem I had with this story was my inability to relate to the relationship problems between Grace and her mother--especially later in the book. The problems revolve around GG talking about "a time in my life when I could be anything." Realistically, we all have to limit our life choices. I never had amazing artistic skills. I ruled out being an artist by middle school--same with world class athlete, dancer, etc. By college, we already can't be "anything." Yet this "time" for her caused so much trouble in her life. The focus on her 'possibilities' was overdone.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I thought it might end up falling into cliches, but I was pleasantly surprised. For such a long book, it reads very fast due to the short chapters.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The Good Stuff
•Sensitive and not in your face tale of a boy dealing with grief
•Characters are realistic and interesting - nobody is perfect
•Chilko is adorable and I have a sudden urge to adopt a dog
•A great book for bringing up conversations about death & grief
•Darkly funny at times
•Very moving -- I won't lie I cried
•Extremely hopeful
•Jakob is a likeable character whom the reader will really cheer for
•Deals with surviving guilt and grief and becoming stronger for it all - done is a way that kids will appreiate because it isn't preachy or sugar sweet
•A fabulous book for classroom discussions - will be recommending this to my sons teacher
•This will be an author to look out for - and hey she's Canadian & from the west coast (Nudge nudge @indigogreenroom BC or Alberta event - I can help)
•The relationship between Patrick and Jacob is lovely & their conversations so deftly written.
•Love some of the conversations between Jakob and Libby - trust me they will make you smile

The Not So Good Stuff
•Could have been fleshed out a bit more - but than again hey maybe wouldn't appeal to reluctant readers as much

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"Wait - draw this leaf." She holds out a salmonberry branch. "Sit right there and draw what your hands see."

"My mom always knew when I was lying. It was some kind of superpower, like she could see inside me and find the lie circling around in my bloodstream. When I was five I lied about taking cookies from the package we were saving for a party. She stared me down until I started blubbing and confessed, in tears. From that day on, I couldn't lie to her. Her power was too strong."

"The way he greeted you. His wagging tail. It was pure happiness. I'd love to draw that."

Who Should/Shouldn't Read
•Perfect for the reluctant reader, especially one who is dealing with grief
•Must have for middle school and public libraries
•Also perfect for those kids that are just a little bit different & feel apart from everything

4.5 Dewey's

I received this book from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review