MEET ME IN OUTER SPACE by Melinda Grace starts out as a particularly strong example of an #OwnVoices type of book. The main character is Edie Kits, a college student with an auditory processing issue who encounters a less than helpful French professor as she struggles to qualify for time abroad in pursuit of her fashion-related degree.

Initially, Melinda Grace does build empathy for Edie and her situation, as in this conversation between Edie and her roommate, Serena: "I shouldn't have had to do extra just to get what I needed to learn, but I did and I wasn't about to complain. Complaining wasn't action. I recited the words I'd heard my whole life. 'Fair doesn't mean equal. It doesn't mean everyone should be treated the same, because what is fair to you isn't fair to me. Fair is getting what I need, and if that means I have to show up ten minutes early to class, then that's what I am going to do.' 'I guess I never thought of it that way,' Serena said, her forehead scrunching. 'Well, right. You've never had to.'"

Instead of continuing to portray Edie as a strong self-advocate, she is somehow morphed into an immature girl who refuses to honestly talk about feelings because she is overly (and unrealistically) concerned about starting a relationship before traveling abroad for an extended period. Of course, her crush is on her French Teaching Assistant and his actions (generally ignoring her attempts at keeping the relationship on a more platonic level) further reinforce the lack of control Edie has over her situation. Overall, MEET ME IN OUTER SPACE begins with a unique premise, but the potential is not fully realized. 3.5 stars

This book really surprised me. I'm not typically a contemporary reader, but I love #ownvoices novels, so I decided to go against my usual options and dive into this gem. Meet Me In Outer Space was a quick, cute read! It is an own voices novel- the MC has an auditory processing disorder. Grace handles the disability in this book so well. Often times you will find novels that exploit or twist a disability into something negative, but Grace kept it grounded and realistic.

I really loved that the characters were mostly real. Edie had goals, ambitions, and a drive to succeed. Her disability did not define her, but it was clear that it had a heavy impact on her life. She knew that her learning disorder effected her school work and she went the extra mile to try to overcome that. That thrilled me, as she was taking control instead of letting things happen TO her.

There were definitely things that I didn't care for. The romance bit, even though I know it was a large part of the plot. She continued to refute Hudson. The chemistry really didn't feel there for me, but to be fair I'm not a huge fan of romances period. This one was cute enough but Edie's story and not the romance is what kept me going. There were plot points that I really had to swallow, as Edie's growth at times revolved around Hudson's relationship with her, in whatever manner it was at the time.
Over all, I really enjoyed the story - It's a story that NEEDS to be heard. I do wish we could have seen a bit more character growth out of Edie without the assistance of a boy, but the setting, over all plot and writing make this an easy 4/5 stars! I recommend it to anyone who loves adorable romances that steal you away for a while.

I was not expecting this to be a contemporary first off or the setting to be in college! I also loved the fact that there was French! I want to study French when I go to college at the end of the year! The love story was so swoon worthy and joyful with complications. I felt as though the story was so close to being a 5 star read, but a piece of the story just fell flat for me. I enjoyed this book all the same. This is definitely a step in the right direction for college ya stories although it did have the romance. I do not mind contemporary romances regardless of where they take place. This story will take you through outer space and will show you that anything can happen even if you have always had a set plan.

2.5***

While I did enjoy the representation in this book and getting to learn more about Central Auditory Processing Disorder, this book fell flat for me. The insta-love was off-putting and the plot overall did not keep me entertained. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

***I received an e-arc copy of this book via net galley. This in no way affects my review or rating of this book.

I received this one for review without knowing too much about it but it sounded good. I love a good contemporary but I am so very picky. I thought this one would be grand because it’s about a person with a disability. One I don’t know anything about. I am a sucker for disability books because I like learn about the disability. This book was a good read. I enjoyed the romance. I enjoyed learning about the disability. It was a very fast read. I do feel there was a little something missing but I am not sure what it was. I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it as I had hoped I would.


This is about a girl with a auditory disability the difficulties she experiences in college. To get some help she employs the tutoring of a TA. A very cute and smug TA. She is leaving for Paris in the summer and she wants to be ready to speak French. Communicating and learning are already difficult for her because of her disability. So it’s important to her that she does well in French. The professor is difficult and doesn’t really seem keen on helping her. But the TA is. And that is what turns into the making of a love story.



So this book was a good read. I did enjoy it but I did have a few issues with it that I will get into. First I want to discuss what I did enjoy. I enjoyed the characters and the romance. The characters were not perfect by far. The main character, Edie, well she just wants to be normal, have a great life, and do what she dreams of doing. He auditory disability seems to get in the way at times but she has pretty much has learned to live with and find way to make things easier for her. The problem comes in when others do not want to help, as in her professor. She is torn between being normal and getting help for her disability. She doesn’t want to get special treatment or be treated with care… but sometimes she needs it. This did become aggravating at times but I did try to understand from Edie’s point of view.

The love interest. Well I just adored him. Yes, he was a little pushy and sometimes a little needy, and often times he comes across as an idiot… but something about it him was just adorable and I found myself rooting for him quite often. The romance was a good one. At first Edie was so not on board, but after a while, Hudson wore her down. The relationship didn’t come without it’s issues but in the long run it was cute and I enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed learning about Edie’s disability. It was interesting and since I knew nothing about this disability I was really into learning what it was and how people like Edie, live with it.

I did enjoy all these things but I also had some issues with them. The characters, I felt that Edie could have been a little more developed. I wanted to feel more of her struggles and her know more about her past. I felt everything I got from Edie was just the surface of her present life. The love story was cute, but it felt it was missing a little something. I would have liked it to be a bit deeper than cute. The disability aspect of the book. I felt it was too secondary to the romance. I would have liked it to be more central to the book.

I feel that this book was so much lighter than I anticipated. My fault or maybe the blurbs fault. I am not sure. If I had gone into this book expecting a light fluffy romance read… this would have been a perfect book. I think I was just expecting a little more depth. However I did still enjoy the book and would recommend to all those contemporary romance fans out there. It would make the prefect beach read this summer.


Nice, light, fluffy romance of a read.

This book has a beautiful and solid I CAN DO THIS story that will remind you of hope and to never give up on your dreams.

I love Edie. She continues to persevere and does her best despite the obstacles thrown her way. She does not let anything bring her down, and does her best to overcome each challenge. Her dream is her beacon of light, and she’s willing to brave every stormy sea just to reach it. She understood herself, her disability, and she acknowledged the fact that she needed help.

I also love how supportive she is. Wait till you read about the volleyball games. She may have a disability, but nope, this girl’s a lioness when it comes to loyalty.

In the beginning, I did not expect to like Hudson at all. He was a bit insensitive to Edie’s feelings regarding her disability, and overdid himself on catering to her disability, but I think that’s pretty normal for someone who’s never had this. Anyway, he may be cute, but he was a bit dull at first. He turned out to be okay in the end though, so that’s that.

I love the plot, how it was about a girl braving her disability to reach her dreams. But the story itself lacked some ‘high stakes’. It had little to no spice and made it lacking on heart-pounding fun even for a contemporary.

While reading this book, I found ‘fun’ on little things were thrown my way though! I enjoyed the fashion terms and tidbits of foreign languages (I love learning languages!). Seriously, I learned a lot about fashion.
The book was hard to get in to at first mostly because it has slow pacing, but it turned out good.

The writing is great. It made me understand just what is Edie up against. It made me realize how hard it is to have a hearing disorder, to be greatful that I don’t have one, and to admire those who have it but still continue to love life and see the beauty in it.

Meet Me in Outer Space made a great story. I’m just not sure if it is that memorable, but I actually like it. I wasn’t satisfied with the book as a whole. When the ending came, I was so ready for it to be over but it lacked some things and I just didn’t feel a sense of completeness by the time I finished it.

Meet me in Outer Space is a deeply moving novel that will give hope and courage to every reader.

From the minute I read the synopsis, I thought it would be the perfect book for me. Unfortunately, upon actually reading it, I found that I had a lot of issues with this. But, because I don't want to start this review on a negative note, I'll briefly list a few positive aspects of the book:

- The #OwnVoices rep was great! I felt like I really got to know a lot about what people with CAPD go through.
- I thought Edie's dedication to success (even in a class that she despises) was truly inspirational, especially given her disability.
- And finally, I loved how this was set in college. There's a terrible shortage of YA books in college (with Fangirl and Finding Felicity being the only two that I know of) and I'm super happy that authors like Melinda are stepping up to fill the gap!

But I have to end the positives there, because there are a couple of things that I would like to discuss:

- For one, I didn't really like Hudson and Edie's relationship, like, at all. It was super clear from the beginning that they both really liked each other a lot, but neither of them wanted to admit it. But when Hudson finally gathers the courage to do so, Edie runs scared because she wanted to only focus on getting to Paris for her semester abroad. I usually wouldn't be too upset about this, except for the fact that it fuels the myth that you can't have a long distance relationship (which, I would like to point out, you totally can!!)

- Also, Hudson's personality gave off a really young and juvenile vibe. It's weird, because even he's technically *at least* three years older than me, I saw him more as a freshman in high school than a mature adult.

- And speaking of characters, none of them were very well-developed. Because the story focused heavily on Edie and Hudson, we didn't really get to see too much of the other side characters in the book, which was really disappointing to me.

- And while I won't spoil the ending, I will say that I didn't think it really worked with the book. There were several unanswered questions, and I felt like an epilogue set in the future (maybe upon Edie's return from her summer abroad) would have made it much better.

Overall, I'm going to give this book 2.5 stars. Hopefully some of you guys will enjoy this more than I did.

Strong YA romance (College students, which was a nice change from the usual high schoolers). The main character's Central Auditory Processing Disorder was a launch point for the story, but not as central of an issue as I expected. I felt the ending was abrupt. I guess readers will have to decide for themselves how things will play out for the main couple.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: March 12, 2019

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (language, sex/mature scenes)

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Pages: 272

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Smart and unflinching, this #OwnVoices debut contemporary novel stars an ambitious college student who refuses to be defined by her central auditory processing disorder.

Edie Kits has a learning disability. Well, not a learning disability exactly, but a disability that impacts her learning. It isn't visible, it isn't obvious, and it isn't something she likes to advertise.

And for three semesters of college, her hard work and perseverance have carried her through. Edie thinks she has her disability under control until she meets her match with a French 102 course and a professor unwilling to help her out.

Edie finds herself caught between getting the help she needs and convincing her professor that she isn't looking for an easy out. Luckily for Edie, she has an amazing best friend, Serena, who is willing to stitch together a plan to ensure Edie's success. And then there's Hudson, the badly dressed but undoubtedly adorable TA in her French class who finds himself pulled into her orbit...

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, Meet Me in Outer Space is a sweet, heartachingly real story of love and college life by debut author Melinda Grace.

Review: Another book that I completely devoured! I loved how cute this book was. The meet cute was… cute lol. The main character has a disability. The book is fast paced and is the perfect quick read to move you from one heavy read to another one. The main characters are developed and the world is developed amazingly well.

However, as the book progresses we hear less and less about the main character’s disability. I feel that’s a double edged sword, the book shouldn’t have totally focused on the main character’s disability but I feel that it shouldn’t have completely dissolved either. The book boils down to a simple love story during that process, which is good and bad at the same time. The book also has a really abrupt ending. I feel that this book really deserves an epilogue.

Verdict: A cute, quick read to keep you out of a slump.

Meet Me in Outer Space fully understands the point of view how Edie Kits has to perceive her disability, trying to explain what or how it really is for her. Pure luck, as she has mentioned when she got through her French 101. With her mind set on spending the summer in Paris, her French will not be pretty without the essence of educating the language which can give her the anxiety she is avoiding. She may have struggled through it but fashion and Paris - her yes to everything has her heart yearning for more.

The initial part of the book has me focused and very much curious to Edie. I give respect to that her disability is not to be overlooked. The book would have been very pleasing if not only do the readers get an inside to Edie's POV, but I was very much hoping to get Hudson's POV as well because the relationship they both present and creating through the pages does not have much impact to me. It was not even clear for both of them although at the end they found closure and patched things up. I felt like Edie's feelings are not genuine or something like forced to like Hudson whilst she actually intended to like another.

Another problem is the friend of Edie, Serena, who is known to be her supportive friend. She also happens to be one with lacking the courtesy towards both the main character's with the said relationship. I do not know if it is just me but I am afraid I did not find anything significant in the story. A bit cliché and there were times I find such scenarios to be cringey, as if the relationship focused only on it. It gives me a slight distraction, honestly speaking.

I truly wanted to like Meet Me in Outer Space however it failed me to see her dream turned into reality to come and have the time of her life in Paris.

Meet Me in Outer Space sure was a book that took me out of a marching slump. [Yes, it never left it just looms over me, the slump that is.] An #OwnVoices read about Edie Kits a fashion design student challenged by central auditory processing disorder. And she is out there to prove that no disability can hold the goodness within her.

It took me a surprise that I finished this book in one sitting. Yes! It was compelling in its own ways:

a.) The representation it gives. I am not an #OwnVoices reader but I do know what it feels to be represented or seen by a book. We rarely see the representation we want; there are so much to tackle yet too. For now, I feel honored to know our MC, Edie Kits.

b.) The writing, the moment one laid eyes on the first paragraph. I have no doubt, they will have a hard time putting it down… or just a case for me. It was easy to follow the flow of the story. The writing was addictive. In every page, it left me questions entirely enough to keep on reading threading for the answers to reveal.

c.) The character, specifically Edie! In a young woman’s life, one had struggled or are still thriving to achieve the best of their dreams. Making it into reality. Her passion for fashion is obvious. She loves crafting and creating things out of her hands.

d.) The setting, it centralises on the school/university. I love it, made me feel nostalgic. I miss studying, I miss uni life. Ahhh.

Of course, if there are parts I liked there are parts that did not work for me. I love how Edie and Hudson met. The description was cute. The slow burn was fire. I admit the right amount I long for in a romance read. However, I may have seen red flags for me. Edie’s development revolved around Hudson. And her friends would insist on shipping them both, that now seems to cause delay for Edie’s goals. And lastly e.) I may be an unpopular opinion with this one but I liked the ending. It is up for debate but for me, endings such as with Meet Me in Outer Space was something that would continue for my imagination.

Overall, it was good. I enjoyed reading through it. And I love the fact that it brought back my reading mojo. I still would recommend, Edie’s voice deserves to be heard by you!

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I enjoyed this contemporary novel where the main character Edie has an auditory processing disorder and needs a tutor to help pass french. I liked that the setting was college rather than high school. I also liked the light the author shines on disabilities. I felt like there could have been more depth to the relationship development. I appreciates that the author kept this novel sex free. Overall a good read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.

I’m so happy to say that it’s finally my tour stop for Meet Me in Outer Space and I’m beyond ecstatic to be bringing you my review on this beautiful book. Having read this #ownvoices book really made me want to learn more about auditory processing disorder as I wasn’t really aware of it before.

I loved every single character in this one. They are all three dimensional and are written spectacularly, like they can jump right out off the pages at any time. I especially loved Edie, the main character. Sure, I didn’t agree with some of her decisions but that’s what made me like her even more. Her pure passion and determination for her ambition was really inspiring. She didn’t let her APD hinder her success, instead, she put in extra work on her studies and I really did see her efforts.

Hudson is a sweetheart as well! From the start of the story, he wasn’t perfect at all but as the story progresses, you can really see his genuineness. He felt this pull on Edie from the very beginning and from there on, he has been nothing but endearing; it warms my heart so much.

The romance in this book is so sweet, it got me smiling like an idiot one too many times. And can you believe that I finished this in only one sitting?? Considering that I read painstakingly slow, I’d say that having read this so fast says a lot about how much I’ve enjoyed it.

I could have easily given this a 5-star rating if it wasn’t for the ending. The last chapter was spectacular and everything I could have hoped for but… Man, the ending got me sooo put off. I’ve been longing to find out how the story would be wrapped up but it finished with an open ending and I’m not just one for those. (But I do know that there are readers who do love open endings!)

Anyway. I highly recommend you read this book, especially if you love contemporary!

Meet Me in Outer Space is a unique YA Contemporary about a girl in college whose dream is to become a fashion designer. When she starts hanging out with the cute French TA she starts to struggle keeping her distance. She will be leaving for Paris after all and the last thing she needs is to have a boy in her life, as that will only bring heartbreak.

Edie is failing her French class so when she is approached by the good looking TA about possibly tutoring her she has to choose to try to get her grade up on her own or accept his help. I thought Edie’s character was inspiring. Although she has a disability she doesn’t let it define, or stop, her from trying to reach her goals. I thought Melinda did a wonderful job of making Edie feel normal, just the way Edie wants to feel. I think we need more stories like these where we get to see different representations as a way of understanding how resilient humans can be!

Hudson was so adorable! I loved how much he wanted to get to know and understanding Edie. Even when she gets mad at him or pushes him away he is always there working to support her! He wants her to succeed as much as she does! I thought the banter between them was adorable & he has the best dad jokes!

This was the perfect YA Contemporary I was looking for lately! I’m so glad I got a chance to read and review it!

I love reading stories about disabilities, and recently, I feel like it has been the new YA trend.

But this story follows a unique character as she struggles with an auditory disorder that hinders her ability to learn. She doesn’t just have to work to overcome this, but she also has to deal with the teachers and people around her who don’t quite understand what she’s going through.

That is until she meets Hudson, who may be more than she bargained for. But her dreams of studying abroad in Paris next fall means she needs all the help she can get in French class. Reading the French dialogue was another one of my favorite parts in this book!

This book was a quick read full of sweet, romantic moments and powerful goals as she begins to reach for her dreams despite her setbacks.

I really loved exploring this disorder, and I think having it set in college was a good atmosphere for the main character. I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars.

There were moments when I felt like there was a bit of repetition in the dialogue and in the romance areas, but overall, I found the story to still be enjoyable.

College student and fashion major Edie Kits is going to do a summer semester in Paris and maybe stay for the fall- if only she can pass French. Edie is having an especially hard time in French due to her Central Auditory Processing Disorder, an invisible disability that makes it difficult for Edie to understand things and sometimes mishear things. This makes French class twice as hard, especially when her professor won't let Edie record the class. The French TA, Hudson- a super cute, beanie wearing fashion failure comes to Edie's aid. Hudson over-zealously offers to tutor her and helps the teacher understand Edie's transmitter. Edie finds herself falling for Hudson, but Paris is only a few months away.

Meet Me in Outer Space is a sweet, heartfelt and realistic new adult romance that explores life with an invisible disability. Edie stole my heart with her determination, grit and willingness to fight for herself and her dreams. The writing portrayed Edie as a regular college aged woman who just happened to have a disability. Central Auditory Processing Disorder isn't a disability that is often explored and is definitely one that is very misunderstood. The opening chapter did a fabulous job exposing the difficulties of living with and finding resources for a disability that no one believes you have. The romance and Hudson's character were sugary sweet and charming. For as determined as Edie was to not have a boyfriend before she left for Paris, Hudson was equally determined to be with her. I enjoyed Hudson's willingness to really get to know Edie and taking things at her pace. Overall, a charming and entertaining new adult romance that showcases the struggle between chasing your dreams and romance.

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

3.5 stars
I have to start off by saying that I love that this is an own voices book about a central auditory processing disorder. I honestly didn't know much about this disorder or have I ever read anything about it in YA books. Authors that write books like these are amazing and I am happy I know about this now. The author brought it in an interesting way to let the readers understand what it is!

Edie is an amazing character. She knows that this auditory disorder makes it harder for her to pick things up. She needs French for a requirement, but also to make her trip to Paris easier. I love that she knew what she needed and fought for it! That was a journey that was so interesting to read about! I loved that she had an amazing friend group that had her back! Serena was a lot of fun.

Hudson is a character who seemed really sweet, but at times I felt we didn't learn enough about. Yeah, he's smart and caring, but who is Hudson? He really stayed on the surface and we only got glimpses along the way! I think this book would've been just a bit more interesting if we had more insight on Hudson.

The romance added to Edie's journey was really cute. It was fun, because it definitely wasn't instalove. It took time, but once they gave in to their feelings it was really sweet. There were a lot of swoonworthy moments that had me smiling along the way. I have to say Edie did annoy me at times when she started pushing him away. I felt that because some of their romance stayed on the surface, it was harder to understand her pushing Hudson away! The ending was also a bit abrupt. I love how it ended, but everything that got us to the ending didn't seem completely resolved.

All in all, this was such a cute and interesting read. I loved the balance of fun and serious moments. Edie is a character who knows what she wants and is willing to fight for what she needs! I think it's important that we have more strong characters who show that no disorder will stop them from following their dreams! Add a cute romance and this story is complete!

When I saw Meet Me In Outer Space come through my email, I knew I needed to read it. Honestly, I wasn’t disappointed!


Meet Me In Outer Space CoverSmart and unflinching, this #OwnVoices debut contemporary novel stars an ambitious college student who refuses to be defined by her central auditory processing disorder.

Edie Kits has a learning disability. Well, not a learning disability exactly, but a disability that impacts her learning. It isn’t visible, it isn’t obvious, and it isn’t something she likes to advertise.

And for three semesters of college, her hard work and perseverance have carried her through. Edie thinks she has her disability under control until she meets her match with a French 102 course and a professor unwilling to help her out.

Edie finds herself caught between getting the help she needs and convincing her professor that she isn’t looking for an easy out. Luckily for Edie, she has an amazing best friend, Serena, who is willing to stitch together a plan to ensure Edie’s success. And then there’s Hudson, the badly dressed but undoubtedly adorable TA in her French class who finds himself pulled into her orbit…

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, Meet Me in Outer Space is a sweet, heartachingly real story of love and college life by debut author Melinda Grace. (Goodreads)
Goodreads

I received an eARC of Meet Me In Outer Space via Xpresso Tours in exchange for an honest review.
The rep for Edie’s central auditory processing disorder was really realistic, as someone who also has one. I also thought that the way the story handled it was really respectful.

I really enjoyed the way that Edie’s friends were almost a larger part of the story than her romance was – the way that she and Serena made every effort to support each other and call each other out on their shenanigans was really lovely to read. Edie’s enthusiasm for their intramural volleyball team was frankly adorable.

I would have liked a little bit more of seeing Edie’s work as a fashion student and to see why she wanted to go to Paris so badly, since it was clearly so important to her. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what Melinda Grace comes out with next!

You can pick up a copy on Amazon!

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **

Edie is one class away from living her dream of fashion design in France- but that one class could cost her the dream. Edie needs to pass her second semester of college French but with her learning disability she is struggling way more than normal. When her cute French TA Hudson steps up to help her, it may be just what she needs- or the perfect kind of disaster.

The interactions and banter between Edie and Hudson were spot on the most perfect way to my heart. Between the awkwardness, the snark and sarcasm and the flat out rejections that were easily ignored, I just could not get enough of the scenes between the two of them. I can't help but snicker at the dad jokes Hudson throws around, and celery really takes on a new meaning. I mean really, how could you not love this?
“So I was online, and I found a very scientific way to create a code name. I did yours for you,” he smiled.

“How very generous of you…”
“Yours is Pink Peony,” he said with a smug look. “Mine is Sergeant Style.”
...
“You seriously tried to get ahold of me for an hour about this, and then when you couldn’t you somehow celery stalked me to a locked building and then got into the building just to tell me this?”


Not only was the cute, slow developed relationship between Hudson and Edie perfect, but the relationships that Edie has in general really helped to makes this book. Keep in mind that the driving force of the story is the detailed, engaging, flawed characters more than anything else. Her friend Serena was another great character that pushed and encouraged Edie in the best of ways, making me want to go back to college and have a chance to live in a dorm to have this kind of lifelong bestie experience.

Random comment here also- both Edie and Hudson are described as real people with overweight regions and interesting style choices, not cookie cutter Barbie doll/Ken types and yet they rock what they have with confidence and find the other so attractive, flaws in all, and I loved that about the book! Go team regular people being rock stars! And we totally need more YA college books like this out in the world!

I found this YA contemporary romance to be a quick read, perfect for losing your self in for a few hours of delightful escapism. Add in the fact that fashion and design play a role in Edie's character and I could not stop reading. I can't wait to check out more from Melinda to come!

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Meet Me in Outer Space follows a college student named Edie who has an auditory disorder that causes her to process speech incorrectly. She is determined to do well in her French 102 class, and starts getting help from her French TA, Hudson. As the story unfolds, she and Hudson start getting closer and all her priorities get scrambled in the process.

When I started this book I thought I was going to like much more than I actually did. I was ultimately left feeling very disappointed by the end of it. I didn’t feel like there were any stakes in the story, and that all of the drama surrounding her and Hudson was entirely self-made. Edie turned out to be very self-sabotaging. I disliked Edie so much that I was beginning to wonder if she was intentionally written to be an unlikable character. I still don’t know the answer to that. I liked Hudson better, but not by much.

I expected the whole TA-Student relationship to be a bigger deal than it actually was. I think the story would have been more interesting if that were the case, instead of focusing so much on the fact that she was leaving for Paris in the summer. I know long-distance relationships are hard and frustrating, but if they had something legitimate going, then he was going to be there when she got back. I’m glad that in the end Edie’s friend helped her realize that there was a future after Paris. It just seemed like there was a lot of heartache over nothing.

I found Meet Me in Outer Space to be comparable to Emergency Contact by Mary HK Choi, which was another book that I didn’t really like. However, if you did like Emergency Contact then this book might be more your cup of tea.