Book Review: Love and Gravity by Samantha Sotto – and a bonus Spotify playlist!

What a lovely story this was! I love stories with time travel and alternate or unusual timelines. I was a huge fan of The Time Traveler’s Wife – this one felt redolent of it for a while, although it wound up (much to my delight) traveling down a more original path than it suggested at first…

There’s a beautiful timeless love story, of course, but there’s also a fascinating exploration (although I don’t know how true – this is, after all, fiction) of Isaac Newton’s early years and a very original take on the inspiration for his major discoveries/theories. The characters really come alive in this one. Isaac himself is fascinating, of course – how could he not be, he’s Isaac Newton! But more interesting, I think, is Andrea. She’s a brilliant enigma, a girl of immense talent with immensely complicated relationships. She really brought the story to life for me. The ancillary characters (her father, Nate) were always present but were clearly set up in supporting roles (even though they were essential to the story)

There’s a twist – I will admit that I saw it coming, but that didn’t lessen the joy of the reveal for me at all. Instead it made it richer and feel like a coming-full-circle wrap up that tied things together nicely without feeling twee or too cozy. This was a very enjoyable and easy-going read, and I will definitely keep the author on my radar…

And, as a special bonus (since music is an essential part of this story), the publisher, Ballantine Books, would like to share this free playlist from Spotify! Enjoy, and see where the music transports you…