I was so excited about this one. I rarely read blurbs, but looking at the cover and title I thought "man, I wonder if that's about a Goldilocks zone planet" - SURE WAS. So I hopped on this immediately. It was advertised as a book for those who liked The Martian, and would be interested in that sort of feel but with five women instead of one dude alone on a planet. I thought, yes, yes that would sound lovely.

It turns out that a bunch of women steal a spaceship and plan to use a newly developed warp drive to go establish a new human colony on a planet called Cavendish. That sounded amazing.

I just didn't click with this one all the way. I still can't put my finger on why, I feel like there are other reasons than I'm going to list, but I just can't find a way to articulate them.

I think part of my issue was the broken up timeline. It didn't feel cohesive to me and I kept getting thrown off my groove when the timeline switched again. I didn't particularly warm up to any of the characters, either. I felt very distant from them and I think maybe it's because of the third person detached storytelling style. Instead of referring to characters by their names, sometimes the prose will reference "the cosmonaut picked up the wrench". It may sound silly and picky, but little things like that built up over time and I just never fell into any of the character's heads or hearts.

I think another big reason is I couldn't find myself enjoying the plotline. It's a well-written plot, it's plausible, it's well researched, it's provocative. It also gives me anxiety. There's an impending apocalypse.... the Earth is fucked. Everyone is wearing masks. Women have started to lose the ground they gained over the past couple of centuries and their expected societal roles are falling back to what you'd expect in the forties. There are rich people in charge, and they are screwing female scientists out of their opportunities. The poor are dying in droves, the land is poison, the air is becoming more toxic, and the rich are watching it all burn while they sip on expensive alcohol and eat meat which is a rarity for everyone else. It was so on the nose. I just squirmed the whole way through the book.

I really struggle to rate this. I think if the first couple paragraphs where I make it sound rosy caught your attention, try it out. This is definitely an "it's me not you". There's nothing wrong with this book, I'm just not in the right headspace to enjoy it. I gave this a 4/5 on Goodreads and I think that's as specific as I'm going to get with the ratings. I'm finding it impossible to try and analyze this one in detail since I bounced so hard off of it but absolutely recognize this is a really good book - for someone else.

This is Naomi’s story, told 30 years after it happened.

Naomi Lovelace is a member of the Atalanta five, five powerful and accomplished women in the aerospace industry who have been marginalized by America’s misogynistic society and excluded from their dreams to travel the stars. They steal a rocket ship, board the Atalanta, an inter-galaxy spaceship and head out to Cavendish, 10 light years away. If they are successful they could shepherd the way to the closest habitable planet and save Earth’s population.

The plot was well structured and told in flashback format. The flashbacks were so well written, I did not want to leave the flashback only to be placed into another compelling flashback. The chapter headings are a countdown, which enhanced the story’s suspense.

Good solid story and I’m going to read more of Ms. Lam’s books.

As women's contributions to saving life on a decomposing Earth are devalued in favor of less qualified men, the back story is set to bring these 5 women scientists together to take a ship and make the long unauthorized journey to prepare for life on another planet. The women face resistance from their support team and then discover that one of their number may not be as dedicated to this mission as the rest.
This book has some scary coincidences with current events. Living conditions have deteriorated on Earth to the point that science is racing to save what is left. Disease is rampant and resistant. The solution to saving mankind is to flee Earth to a more habitable planet. It's character team works so well together that you'd swear they are a real team. So when it's revealed that one of them could be working against the rest, you will turn pages quickly to see what's happening. When the end is close, you will be shocked!

Goldilocks by Laura Lam is not your typical science fiction story. Lam has combined political unrest and women's rights with a desperate need to explore and save the Earth.

Because in Lam's story, the Earth has only about thirty years left.

In the not so distant future, humanity has all but destroyed the planet. We have the world on life support, but water is disappearing, the air is unsafe to breathe unmasked, and the animals are gone. All we have as a species is technology, human ingenuity, and the desperate need to survive. This is a promising start to a story. So much of that rings true for humanity right now. We are hurling ourselves down a path of environmental destruction that we might not be able to come back from. I understood this and empathized with this part of the plot. Lam Partnered the imminent ecological catastrophe with the degradation of women's rights; women have been relegated to a secondary position. Never as good as their male counterparts. However, this is where the plot became a bit messy for me.

Women's rights in science fiction and dystopic fiction are at the forefront of many stories. The Handmaids Tale, the me-too movement, and many new books have come out in the last few years that have had different angles on how to approach women's rights. Most of the stories had a hook, a reason why women were considered inferior whether it was religious patriarchy, inferiority due to menstruation, or the religation for women to become breeders for the good of humanity. Goldilock's hook was not clear to me. Women were considered inferior, looked over for promotions, and passed over for education. They needed to be twice as smart and twice as bold, as in the case of Valerie, to get anything done. But I was not sure if this was an extension of already existing conditions for women, or if there was some plot nuance I had missed early on. I couldn't engage fully with this exciting story because, for much of it, I couldn't figure out what had got humanity to the state it was in.

The story starts with five women, all who had been relegated to the sidelines, decide to steal the ship, Atalanta. This ship is slated to travel to a possible new home for Earth's inhabitants. A planet that exists in the Goldilocks zone, hence the title. The story is told from the perspective of Naomi Lovelace, a nice nod to Ada Lovelace, the ship's botanist. Naomi is brilliant but overshadowed by her fiercely driven adopted mother, Valerie. Valerie is the ship's captain. Much of the meat of the story is the dynamic between Valerie and Naomi. We are treated to flashbacks every few chapters by Naomi as she experiences monumental moments in her life. These moments help set her on the path that she is, stealing the Atalanta.

Along with Naomi and Valerie, the crew is made up of Lebedeva, a Russian ex-pat in charge of engineering. Hixon and Hart who are married, and in charge of Pilot and medical, respectively. They are all brilliant thinkers, top of their field, but the "why" still eluded me. Why did these women steal this ship? Later we come to find out that there are five men in cryostasis on-board. I was never sure why they were there. But they were five men who were leaders, mentors, shipmates, and in one case husband to the five women at some point in their careers. Why were these men considered inferior, especially considering the close relationships these men had with the women astronauts?

Aside from the head-scratching "why" I experienced much in the beginning of the book, I enjoyed the banter, characterizations, and pacing of the story. Goldilocks is a quick-moving story, and if you can get past the back-story holes, it is very engaging. This is doubly true as it picked up near the end of the plot. In the end, everything came together. We understood the characters for who they were, why they were doing what they did, and what could happen in the future.

For readers, I would characterize this story as more about relationships between family members than about the science fiction aspects itself. The story takes place in space, and the crew are scientists, but Goldilocks is about women's rights and motivations, and politics. Granted, the crew had things happen to the ship that they had to solve as a crew; most of these issues were caused by the men who put the space shuttle together, and that was interesting. But again, it was more about how each character approached the problem versus the science itself.

All in all, Goldilocks is an engaging story that tackles some tough questions about women's rights, all within the overarching story of climate change.

<I>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this digitally in exchange for my open and honest review. </i>

A staggeringly good debut and eerily timely. A first purchase title for adult fiction collections. Give it readers wondering what to pick up after Chuck Wendig's Wanderers.

Goldilocks was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a more adult version of The Final Six where people are sent into space (some authorized and some not) to find a new world for humanity. That’s sort of what happened. But this book was more of a thriller set in space than a search for a new world.
I really enjoyed this story. It’s told from the point of view of Naomi, but written in a book as she’s telling her daughter what happened many years later. I thought that was an interesting way to tell the story.
I like Naomi. She’s a girl that has experienced loss, but still acknowledges the privileges she had growing up as a wealthy white female, except for the female part because in this story female’s rights are slowly being taken away. I thought the future world was realistic and terrifying. I liked seeing Naomi’s history and the things she experienced that turned her into the person she was in space.
Then there’s Val. I really liked her storyline. It was interesting and surprising. I could find myself agreeing with her more outlandish ideas, which was a little scary.
The rest of the crew was interesting too. Though I would have liked to learn more about them. I would have liked to see a little more friendship and comradery among these women.
Overall, this thriller was a wild ride. The science fiction aspect of the story was interesting and horrifying. I liked the characters and the diversity among them. I definitely think this will be a hit for lovers of thrillers and lovers of science fiction.

First and foremost, this book is an adventure!

Science fiction and dark secrets will keep you reading through this one. While it's a slower start, it pays off.

Its eerily prescient. No spoilers, but I'll just say that you'll recognize quite a bit of what happens...and won't be surprised about some things that really could come to happen in our present world.

I've read some reviews that take issues with the way women's issues are presented in this book, but seriously? Just last year, a space walk was canceled because nobody bother to have space suits that fit women on board. Women as afterthoughts in our society? Every blasted day.

This is a good book! Adventure mixed with major social concerns - never losing the overall story!

Would happily read the author again.

Fast paced, fall in love with the characters, and a brilliant imaginative story. I think anyone who wants a great novel will enjoy this one to death!

Wow this was good. If you're expecting an action-packed space opera, look elsewhere. What you'll get with this is a poignant, character-driven story that eerily parallels the current and very-possible future states of the planet. It felt heavily researched, and Lam proves this in her acknowledgements section. Now I want to learn more about the Mercury 13 and women's roles in the space industry!

In a near future, with climate change and oppressive governments, woman have had their rights severally restricted. There are 5 woman astronauts, planning a mission to Space but at the last minute have the opportunity taken away from him. Naomi the leader, steals the spaceship. The mission is to go to Cavendish, which they are calling the final hope for the world.

The story is told in an alternating timeline between the past leading up to the mission and during the mission on the way to Cavendish. It's very much a slow-burn novel focusing on morality questions. I did think the characters were interesting, even if there wasn't a ton of development. This is something that I typically enjoy. Plus woman, space and science. Sold. It's important to know going in this is not a sci-fi thriller.

My big issue with the book was the world building. It was rather confusing at first and a lot was left very vague. There also wasn't a ton of character development. The parts we did learn about the world was plausible for how it got there and did make for a believable world.

I had an issue with the ending too.

4/5 stars.
I'd recommend this to fans of drama books and movies and space novels. If you liked Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton, I think you'd like this.

Women stealing a space shuttle in hopes to saving Earth? I was all about this. Even as women were pushed out of the work force, and no longer allowed to work for NASA, five women took on the task of training in secret to make the voyage to Goldilocks. How badass is that?

I absolutely love any space based fiction. There was so much science that made up the foundation of this novel and that is what kept me enthralled in this novel. This was a great read that made me stop and consider what was happening in the world today and how it could influence the future.

The nitty-gritty: Lam's latest is harsh look at what our own future could be, full of thrilling action and interesting morale questions, but the uneven second half made this a mixed bag for me.  

Goldilocks has a fantastic premise and uses one of my favorite sci-fi tropes: leaving our dying Earth and striking out to colonize a new planet, in the hopes of saving humankind. And for the first half of the story, it lived up to this promise. But I ended up with mixed feelings, and I felt the first half was way stronger than the second half. Still, I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I’m going to recommend it to readers who love strong female characters and enjoy reading about current social issues. There are some scary events in Goldilocks that really hit close to home (can you say “pandemic”?) which added a lot of tension to the story, but I also felt that Lam made a few missteps with the characters’ choices in some cases.

The story takes place in an unspecified future and involves a group of five women who end up stealing a spaceship right out from under the noses of the all male space crew who were about to launch. In this future, the Earth is in dire straits. Climate change has practically ruined life for everyone except the very rich. With the failure of crops, food is becoming more and more scarce. The rising oceans mean that sea walls have to be built to protect the coastal areas. Refugees crowd the streets and jobs are hard to come by. In short, the earth is dying and it’s become critical to find a new planet to live on. The wealthy Dr. Valerie Black is CEO of a company called Hawthorn, a private corporation dedicated to space exploration and travel. NASA has built a ship called the Atalanta which is set to take a crew of five astronauts to Cavendish, a planet ten and a half light years away which scientists say can sustain human life. Valerie and her crew are slated to be on the ship, but at the last minute, she’s pulled from the roster and all five slots are replaced with men. 

Valerie is furious about having her lifelong project stolen from her, but instead of stewing about it, she decides to get even. She gathers together a small group of female scientists and they make plans to steal the ship and go to Cavendish themselves. The crew includes Valerie’s daughter Naomi Lovelace, a space horticulturist who will be responsible for growing food on board; Oksana Lebedeva, the engineer; Jerrie Hixton, the pilot; and Irene Hart, the ship’s doctor.

But once up in space—having successfully executed their plan—things start to go wrong. Some of the ship’s functions start to fail, the government has branded the women “traitors,” and Naomi uncovers a shocking secret. As tension among the crew starts to rise, the success of their mission is in danger.

Lam tells her story in alternating chapters that go back forth between the past and present. I absolutely loved this format, because we get to see the characters in the years leading up to the main event, which allows the reader to better understand their choices. We learn about Naomi’s college years and her desire to work for NASA, only to be crushed by rejection. We come to understand her past relationship with her ex-husband Cole and their struggle to have a baby. We also get lots of insight into the complicated relationship between Naomi and Valerie. In fact, I actually enjoyed these flashbacks more than the chapters that take place in the present. Lam excels at creating emotional moments between characters, and that strength is in full force in this book.

Lam’s vision of the future is grim indeed, and some of her descriptions of life on planet Earth were eerily familiar. For example, in California, wildfires rage unchecked and the skies are constantly full of smoke. Because of that, it’s illegal in that state to go outside without a face mask on. At about the halfway point, Naomi gets word from Earth that a terrible virus is attacking the population, and early estimates show an eighty-percent death rate. I’m quite sure Laura Lam didn’t plan on releasing her book in the middle of a real pandemic, but that’s exactly what happened. But even worse, in Lam’s future, women’s rights have actually taken several steps back, and such things as pregnancy and child-rearing are monitored by the government with strict rules and taxes. The fact that Naomi worked so hard in her career, only to be passed over by less competent male scientists, was extremely hard to swallow.

As engaging as the first half was, however, once I hit the half-way point, the story started to lose some of its charm for me. The whole plot of going to Cavendish to start a new colony became buried under a bunch of other plots, in particular the story line about Naomi’s big secret (which I won’t divulge), and the growing threat of the virus back on Earth. The women on the Atalanta are eventually faced with a big decision, and I can’t say I agreed with the way that played out. My biggest issue, however, was the ridiculous way the virus is resolved. I had a similar reaction to a plot about developing a vaccine for a deadly virus in another book recently, and I was dismayed to have that same experience here. I think if we weren't going through the experience of COVID-19, I would have been a lot more forgiving of the way the virus was handled in this story, but I just know too much about viruses now and I really struggled with this part. Without spoiling the details, I’ll just say that everything about the ending seemed rushed, and with so much plot crammed into this book, another hundred pages could have smoothed out some of the unbelievable, eye rolling moments.

It’s hard not to compare Goldilocks to Do You Dream of Terra-Two?, another book with a similar plot that was ultimately more successful in many ways. Terra-Two had a driving force that never let up, and I wanted that same feeling of consistency from Goldilocks. It almost felt as if Lam lost control of the reins at some point with too many subplots that needed her attention, and so ultimately the story suffered from lack of cohesion.

But I have to say, that ending was absolutely perfect! And by ending, I mean the last couple of paragraphs. It was the kind of satisfying resolution I was hoping for but wasn’t expecting. Despite my issues with the second half of the story, I did enjoy this book, especially the emotional moments between characters. 

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Climate change has been (and continues to be) an ever looming threat on the global horizon. An alien environment of super-cell storms, disappearing coastlines, and climate refugees are just the beginning. How will our government respond and when? What can we do? What comes next? Who will save us? Laura Lam broaches these emotionally charged topics in her stand-alone novel Goldilocks.

Naomi Lovelace finally gets to live her dream of being an astronaut and experience space travel when her “mother” Valerie decides to steal back her spaceship, the Atalanta, from the government. This isn’t a normal spaceship though. This one is to be the savior of humanity, taking them to Cavendish, a planet capable of sustaining human life and food due to Earth no longer being viable. Valerie has always been Naomi’s hero and role model, but as things unfold during travel, Naomi's perception of her entire life is put into question as she grapples with the harsh reality that the people that raise us aren’t always who they appear to be.

Goldilocks is an apt name for this book, as Laura Lam gets it just right. This is the perfect story for people who like mystery, suspense, science fiction, and long for a less-male, more-inclusive Crichton-esque story with just enough fact to make the story terrifyingly believable. The story centers around five female characters with the male characters taking a backseat; bold and brave for science-fiction but sorely needed. The main reason I tend to avoid sci-fi is the lack of representation. Hopefully this trend keeps up.

The detail Lam puts into her writing is admirable. Some parts got to be a little too long-winded, but I really enjoyed not feeling lost in the story; this is how I compare her to Crichton. She artfully blends scientific research and story, making for a masterpiece work. This is the first book I’ve read of Lam’s and I plan on reading future work of hers. Goldilocks gets 3 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for an apocalyptic survival drama in space.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this arc for review.

I didn’t know what to expect to read about a sci-fi book of 5 women traveling in space to a new planet . Earth is basically going down hill and Valerie herds a team for a chance of starting over. There were a lot of twist and turns that came out of nowhere and it just made sense! Some of the concepts in the book hit super close to home… and makes you think of appreciating what you have and taking care of the earth more. I really loved the authors writing and I felt like every detail had a meaning to the story. Not just some filler pages. I would totally recommend this book if your looking for a wild ride in space!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Goldilocks presents itself as a cross between The Handmaid's Tale and The Martian, which I have to agree with from the start. A crew of five women steal a spaceship originally intended for their use before they were replaced by a crew of men. The mission: prepare a distant planet, Cavendish, to be the new Earth. Naomi, the ship's botanist, has been waiting for this opportunity to make a difference her whole life. As things start to go wrong, it becomes apparent that nothing about the trip is as it seems.

As a big fan of The Martian, I was looking forward to another space-centric story with a certain level of humor woven throughout. Despite the general lack of humor, I found myself engaged by both the space scenes and the flashback scenes, which took place on Earth. The backstory fed nicely and evenly into present events. I also enjoyed the "fix it" moments sprinkled throughout wherein the crew, and Naomi, had to engineer fixes for unexpected problems.

The book was immensely enjoyable. While one twist was unexpected, it was surprisingly a pretty minor plot point. The main twist was apparent to me from pretty early on, although it didn't spoil any of my enjoyment. I was curious how the story would get there and was impressed by the breadcrumbs littered in more than a few places. I did, however, feel some characters shifts were a bit rushed.

The political and apocalyptic elements contributed to the story, but the characters and overall plot took center stage for me. I appreciated the focus on smaller details and explanations with only brief attention given to the "how it came to be". I honestly think it works best when each reader can imagine those details how they wish.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it for a fast but thoughtful read. I do wish I had been a little more surprised by the ending, but I definitely enjoyed the journey.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I wish I'd loved it, but it was a bit of a struggle for me. A tough cookie to review.

The book is set on a futuristic Earth, where climate is killing off the people, and women have lost their rights. The Earth has found a way to travel to another solar system, where a planet with just right conditions for human life to survive exists. They have planned an expedition with a crew of five to try this interstellar travel, and set up a place for more people to follow. All is changed, when 5 women steal this ship to prove that women can do it.

Now, there's a lot of backstory that is missing. It says that a lot of these changes came slowly and unnoticeably, but under the same presidency? It didn't explain why these women were loosing their rights, like working equally as a man, having say over your own fertility and birthing of babies, etc. It seems like a tough place to be a strong woman, but there's no real reasoning.

The story seemed to really just focus on one of these 5 women, Naomi. Who was raised by her mom's friend Valerie and molded into pushing the boundaries that society was building around her. It was very much a character study, but felt a bit distracted with everything that was happening around her. There was just something missing with Naomi's story, it felt disconnected and very unemotional.

The only saving grace for me was the drama on the ship. Once it started to crumble, it was fun to watch (fun maybe isn't the right word, but you know what I mean). I needed that drama. The end however left me bored again.

I like the idea of this book, but wish it had a bit more bite. At this point, it's not memorable for me.

Fast paced and well written. Seemed to be some leaps of faith on the part of the reader, moments of incredulity but still very enjoyable and fun.

One of the biggest reasons I gravitated toward reading Goldilocks was the comparison to The Martian. But it just doesn't hold up, not in the slightest. The voice is mediocre and reminiscent of other stories, and ultimately doesn't feel unique. It took about halfway into the book before I started to become connected to the characters in any way, as the first half was mostly plot driven and didn't fully engage me. 

Then there were issues that the book touched upon but never really dove into, or connected the characters to in a deep way that made me care. The's climate change and then the revival of misogyny. But why did the new society restrict women as professionals?  Ultimately this was a disappointment for me and was just an average science fiction story.

1 star

Thank you for NetGalley for sending me an early arc to review!!
The in-depth review can be found on my good reads.
Warning it will be a rant review!

Women had been ushered out of the workplace, so subtly that few noticed until it was too late.


In the near future, climate change has wrecked such havoc on Earth that humanity will probably cease to exist within the next thirty years. But there is potential salvation—in a goldilocks planet called Cavendish, which is close enough to reach within a lifetime thanks to a warp ring. And the first humans to go to Cavendish will be five women—after they steal their spaceship back.

3.5 stars, rounded up

I feel like this could have been so much more.

It has so many timely issues—women's rights, climate change, the future of Earth and the fate of humanity, billionaires and governments, and yet I felt so disconnected.

Much of that reason is because the main character, Naomi Lovelace, is telling this story thirty years into the future, and because she's telling it out of time. But I didn't mind the out of time portion so much as her general disconnected relationship with her own past. I never really engaged with Naomi the way I did with, say Valerie, who was honestly so much more real than Naomi was.

And Naomi turned a riveting space-theft into something...kinda boring? Although her passion for anything crept out when she was talking about plants, and so therefore I was pretty fucking excited too, because I was just as hungry to learn more about Cavendish and its suitability for Naomi as she was. And I understood her hunger to be on the team, even if I didn't really get her motivation—mostly because she didn't understand her own motivation. As her own self? Professional pride? Desire in exploring? Refusal to be Valerie's pawn while being Valerie's pawn?

Plus, Naomi's small acts—and then larger acts—of rebellion were so out of character, mainly because she'd pretty much followed Valerie's rules more or less to a T for her entire life, and even when she did rebel she always returned to her guardian. Their relationship was fraught and complicated and I felt like I need more of it instead of the half-baked disassociated thing that I got.

The women's rights portion of the story also was ripe for being absolutely amazing, and yet it felt...weirdly TERFy? Even though Lam is not a TERF, the way the all-women crew thing and women's rights were handled felt very womb-centric. While I'm not saying that Lam was required to include a trans woman in the story (she was not), the only mention of trans people at all was for trans men, and that only in relation to their possession of a womb. Which was...an interesting step, particularly for a book focused on women's rights.

The constant returning to the womb, to childbirth, as a woman's place just was weird and weirdly off-putting. It made sense that the conservatives focused so much on cis women's abilities to pop out babies, what with given their obsession with women's reproductive systems anyway, but the entire plot hinges in contraception, fertility and childbirth (without context, this is a mild spoiler). So the fact that both the bad guys and the good guys were each focused on wombs and children (in three different but equally icky ways) was...weird.

So with my general disconnect from the plot and the relatively flat characters (all of the characters felt fairly single-faceted, save possibly Valerie) and my disconcertion with the women's rights aspect, why the 3.5 stars?

Because of the science.

And because of the thought of going to another planet. I'm a sucker for dubious missions to other worlds, even if they tend to result in no one actually reaching the other worlds (or do they). And because I actually really liked the plant and exoplanet discussions, which were super cool and well researched, and I liked all of the research and thought that went into having a group of people go into space for a long-term mission to the stars and through a wrap-ring-thingy and to another planet over ten light years away.

I felt the comparisons to A Handmaid's Tale were rather apt, what with both books' obsessions with women's fertility and the repression of women, but that the comparison to The Martian was off, because aside from the science aspects and the long-term survival in space/a planet, the humor that saturated every page of The Martian was just not present in this one.

Anywho, go into this one for the science. And I guess go in if you like wombs a lot.

Because in this reality, space is pretty womby.

...I'll see myself out.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review