Thank you NetGalley, Kids Can Press, and Ria Voros for the early access copy of The Center of the Universe.

The Center of the Universe is the story of Grace Carter, whose mother, GG Carter is a famous news anchor that suddenly goes missing. The story follows the emotional journey the Carter family experiences through the time GG Carter is missing while also navigating life continue without GG's presence. The readers gain the families experiences through the eyes of Grace. With flashbacks of Grace and GG's relationship, the writing pulls the reader through teenage angst, miscommunication, and the idea that we may not always be in tune with the struggles of those around us.

Grace Carter has an affinity for space and is exceptional with her knowledge. The research that went into the story is well-done.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Grace is an anomaly, one of those kids who really doesn’t fit in with her family and seems to have another universe existing within her own head. She spends most of her free time amongst the stars while her own different-kind-of-star mother orbits around as a mystery that Grace really can’t seem to solve. One day, Grace’s mother goes missing, which sets off the plot of the book, but ultimately, is not the plot of the book.

The book goes deeper than any mystery and explores the different dynamics of relationships teens have-with parents, friends, siblings, and how they fit into the relationships that surround them.

The book is great for those who would like to further explore the highs and lows of mother/daughter relationships and how that dynamic impacts the rest of the world. While a longer book, it’s a quick read with enjoyable characters, intriguing plot, and will make a lasting impact for the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book, ahead of it being republished.

This novel seemed like something that was going to intrigue me, I thoroughly enjoy YA books - but I felt with this, I was constantly checking what % I was at, and often felt bored. This the main reason I decided to DNF at 32%. My main thoughts whilst reading the book was as follows:

1. The main character Gracie, comes across as very one note and bratty. I read over 100 pages and the only thing I could tell you about her is that she likes astronomy. I feel like her character could have done with some earlier development so we know what to expect.
2. The only well developed character in my opinion is GG. I believe that was depicted very well and I was intrigued to find out what actually happened to her. I enjoyed the depth to her character.
3. The friendship and potential romantic connection read very young and not 17 year olds.
4. I enjoyed the short chapters, it helped with the pacing of the book but overall I just wasn’t hooked.

I was left wanting more.

Grace’s mother went missing, and they are all left stuck in the Perpetual Waiting Room, or PWR. As they waited in the dark while the authorities slowly unravel the mysteries behind her mother’s disappearance, her relationship with Mylo, one of her friends from her school, grows stronger. They share a bond and experience that no one else has. Because Mylo has gone through the same thing as Grace is going through.

Although this was classified as a mystery book, I personally loved this book because of how relationships were woven into the story. The author was able to seamlessly show its readers different styles of parenting, and how they impacted kids’ growth and relationships towards others. It made me want to reflect back on my relationship with my mother when I was their age, and how I wanted to raise my daughter now that I am a mother myself.

Grace and her mother’s story show us that there’s just little we know about our mothers/parents, especially about their lives before we existed. And Grace finding out more about her mother gave her a fresh perspective not just about her mother, but about their entire family as well, which led her to better understand their situation.

As someone who also used to love astronomy when I was a kid, I can totally relate to Grace’s love for it. It rekindled my passion for it and made me want to buy all the astronomy books I used to have before. Thinking about it now, I guess it never really went away as seen on the first books that I bought and read for my daughter when she was still a baby.

This book was overall good. It was simple, yet it shows as the messiness but reality of a teenager’s life with a complicated family. The development of the characters and their relationships with each other was very evident on this book, and it's what I love the most this.

The Center of the Universe is a story about the often messy dynamics of mother daugther relationships, told through the lense of a family dealing with the fallout of a missing person. This book was long, but didn't feel that way. Grace and her friends, Iris and Mylo were supportive, quirky and realistically imperfect. Watching the family deal with the monotony of a perpetual waiting room while a family member is missing felt real in all the uncertainty, feelings, flashbacks, and anxiety. The astonomy portions were well researched and interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ERC

What a fabulous book.

Starting out as a simple teenage coming of age/family drama it develops into so much m9re than that.

The characters are interesting and engaging g whilst the story moves at a good pace.

I started reading this book thinking it was a straight-up mystery—vanishing mom, teen on the search, I expected a lot of sleuthing around. It turned out it wasn’t a mystery, not in the detectivesque sense of the word. In fact, it turned out to be so much more; a solid story containing an exploration of feelings and perspectives.

This is a book about how big events, traumatic events, mark our lives and how in processing these events we learn about who we are and who the people around us are, and how all this learning helps us move forward.

Yes, there’s a mystery at the center of the story, the mystery of what happened to GG Carter, Grace’s Mom and TV personality, after she disappears at the end of Charlie’s—Grace’s younger brother—soccer game.

Seventeen-years-old Grace and her mother had nothing in common. Grace is dedicated to study astronomy, she’s so into it, last year she discovered an exoplanet and became a co-author of a scientific paper because of it. GG, on the other hand, is a TV journalist for whom appearances and ratings are the only things that matter. Yet, after GG disappears, kidnapped by an unknown person, Grace starts to discover there’s way more to whom her mother really is.

I think that what I liked the most in this story is the great compassion the author shows for all her characters. None of them are a black or white silhouette, they all have dimensions and reasons to be, and that is refreshing.

At first, Grace may come across as moody, just your typical teen, but soon it comes clear that, even before the kidnapping, Grace was dealing with a lot, immerse in a just-too-hard-to-comprehend family dynamics, where an absent mother, and uncommunicative father, an overbearing grandmother and a full-of-energy little brother leave no space for her to express her feeling or needs, and even less of a chance for her to see her parents as people also in the midst of a serious crisis.

I loved how life-like Grace feels, she can be awful but also loving and understanding. She cares deeply, and that is not always easy. I liked Milo, Grace’s love interest, too. He’s a great example of how a person can be helpful by just being there. He isn’t perfect, but he fits just right. By comparison, Iris, Grace’s best friend, feels a bit more cartoonish, but not by much, and I liked how she managed to put aside her own issues and realized when she was being unfair to her friends.

All in all, a really enjoyable, albeit long, book.

Grace Carter's mother --- the celebrity news anchor GG Carter --- is everything Grace is not. GG is a star, with a flawless wardrobe and a following of thousands, while Grace --- an aspiring astrophysicist --- is into stars of another kind. She and her mother have always been in different orbits.

Then one day GG is just ... gone. Cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace's family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG's disappearance, 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? Author Ria Voros (Nobody's Dog, The Opposite of Geek) reaches for the stars here, deftly combining mystery with a passion for science and themes of mother-daughter bonds, celebrity, first love and best friendship.

Facts about astronomy and astrophysics are seamlessly woven into the story and are supplemented by an interview with real-life astrophysicist Elizabeth Tasker, making this the perfect book for readers who love STEM. And even readers who don't have stars in their eyes will love this smart, suspenseful, relatable and literary novel.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters have so much depth and are so real.
The writing is really beautiful and it kept me up late reading. But also I didn't want it to end. I did feel like the end was very lack-luster. I wanted more! I would read another book with these characters.
I adored Grace and how brave she is through everything. But she is also dealing with real teenage feelings and grief over everything that is happening. I loved her love of astronomy and how she incorporates it into her life and feelings about life.
I liked watching her become closer with her family through their tragedy. I also liked watching her and Mylo's relationship evolve. I liked her very real friendship with Iris and how these friendships helped her get through what was happening.
This is just a really beautiful YA book that many teens will be able to see themselves within the characters who are dealing with real life problems.
Not that they will be dealing with the tragedy that this family is dealing with, but just very real feelings about life and growing up and changing.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

The book started off very slow and was little hard for me to get into at first. However, it is well written and I wanted to know what happened to GG. It had a very good ending and I really enjoyed the family dynamics. Thanks #Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Kids Can Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"The Center of the Universe" by Ria Voros is a YA book filled with the exploration of family dynamics, mystery, and self-discovery. I found this book to be incredibly relatable with the realistic family drama as well as the development of the MC.

Seventeen-year-old Grace Carter finds herself grappling with feelings of inadequacy as she struggles to measure up to the public's perception of her famous mother, GG Carter, a national news anchor. Despite their strained relationship, Grace's passion for astronomy serves as a source of solace, offering her a sense of purpose and belonging as a member of the Star Club. However, her world is turned upside down when GG mysteriously disappears, leaving Grace and her family to navigate the fallout of her abduction.

Voros kept me engaged throughout the entire book as Grace embarks on a journey of self-exploration and discovery. Through Grace's eyes, you are drawn into a web of intrigue and emotion, grappling with questions of identity, loss, and the complexities of familial relationships. While the first half of the novel reads like a gripping mystery, the second half delves into the aftermath of GG's disappearance, exploring the ripple effects it has on Grace and her family. The book really shines is in its portrayal of family dynamics and the bonds that hold them together in the face of adversity. Grace's interactions with her brother, father, and grandmother offer poignant insights into the complexities of love, grief, and forgiveness. Moreover, Voros's lyrical prose and vivid descriptions bring the story to life, immersing you in Grace's world of astronomy and self-discovery. I really enjoyed reading about Grace’s love of astronomy and how much this interest is a major part of her life. While some of her character development felt a bit rushed and the romance subplot was a bit unnecessary, I enjoyed learning more about Grace’s wants and desires for her future as well as with her family.

Overall, "The Center of the Universe" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy compelling family dramas with a touch of mystery and self-discovery.

I love this book! The characters are relatable, the story is engaging, and the science and astronomy are compelling. The mystery and heartbreak of the mother-daughter relationship at its center is poignant and authentic and I would recommend this highly for adults as well as youth. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. #thecenteroftheuniverse #netgalley #riavorosrocks