RATING: READ IT {with a caveat}*

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but if you were to do so with Breaking Gravity by Autumn Grey, you wouldn’t be far off. It’s epic and moving, intense and beautiful. It’s the kind of story that slowly consumes you with each new detail.

Breaking Gravity is the story of Elon + Nathaniel, or Nate. Both characters have troubled pasts and find themselves in their present seeking to build strength as individuals, yet still surrounded by so much doubt and uncertainty. Elon, a student cellist, finds herself working for Nate, a professor, when her current professor/boss leaves the university. Nate, a former famous cellist has long been on Elon’s radar and someone she’s had a crush on for years. When circumstances bring them together, it is combustible. Their dance is one that is exciting to watch, yet nerve-wracking all at the same time.

Elon + Nate are surrounded by family and friends and you will be consumed by—and fall in love with—these characters immediately. They are a massive part of this story in a way that doesn’t always factor into most novels. Their history is long and their story is compelling.

Breaking Gravity is marketed as a standalone, and while you can read it without reading the previous book, Fall Back Skyward—I did—I don’t recommend doing so. There is a great deal of background that is imparted, but I still found myself struggling at times to understand who was whom and how their story fit into Elon + Nate’s. It didn’t ruin the experience for me, but I’m sad that I didn’t have the fuller, richer experience that I would have had, had I read Fall Back Skyward first. Had I known that I would have felt this way, I would have eagerly read them both in succession and I am absolutely certain this would have received a Buy It rating from me. Learn from my mistake—do yourself a favor and read BOTH of these books. I know it will be well worth it.

*If you’ve read Fall Back Skyward, I have no doubt that Breaking Gravity will be a Buy It rating for you. There are things that are resolved in this book and characters that I know are revisited that you will desperately want to read about. I don’t know what my experience will be like reading Fall Back Skyward after Breaking Gravity, but I will without doubt go back and read it.

As of 4.8.17, Breaking Gravity is available on Kindle Unlimited.