[Book Review] Space (2019) by Penny Reid

Posted on March 18, 2019 by thegrandshuckett in Book Reviews // 0 Comments

Plot Summary: Mona’s meticulously planned allotment of relaxation is thrown into chaos by the unscheduled appearance of her older brother’s band of friends, including the one person she'd hoped to never face again. Abram still makes her feel entirely too much, which is one of the reasons she disappeared after their one week together. But now, trapped on a mountain of snow and things unspoken, Mona will have to find a way to coexist with Abram, chaos and all.

Author: Penny Reid

Review by: Leanne

After the cliffhanger of Motion, I was more than ready for the second installment of the Elements of Physics trilogy, Space. Imagine my surprise when all of my expectations were upended.

Space is the continued story of Mona and Abram, who fell in love with each other under false pretenses. Out of love and respect for her identical twin sister, whom Abram still thinks she is, Mona sacrifices her chance to have a real relationship with Abram to protect her sister’s relationship with their parents and returns to her real life. Time passes, and Mona hopes she is recovering from her heartache when circumstances throw the pair together again on a winter retreat in Aspen.

What I Liked:

I was fully expecting Space to continue the story from where Motion left it and carry it out normally, but there was a time skip! I have a love/hate relationship with time skips, but in the case of this series, it was a more-than-welcome surprise. I was unsure of what would happen next and anxious that there would be a lull or overwrought drama as each of the characters were in anguish. In highly emotional dramas, of course, that’s what you want, but, in romantic comedies, it gets old fast.

Immediately following the time skip, the reader is reintroduced to Poe, a character who was only briefly involved in Motion, and I realized that he is yet another character tied into another of Reid’s series, Winston Brothers. Specifically, he is the younger brother of Simone, the leading lady of Dr. Strange Beard, which is the only clue given (that I noticed) that he is black. I like that Reid incorporates characters of color without a lot of fanfare that screams “look at how inclusive I am.” Poe serves as Mona’s second love interest, and we all know how often they get the girl (never). He seems really cool, though, and I hope he gets his own novel.

We also are introduced to Allyn, Mona’s best friend since college, who becomes a love interest for Mona and Lisa’s brother, Leonardo Da Vinci, better known as Leo. This, of course, leads me to hope there may be a novel down the line for them as well.

Continuing the themes of Motion, Space tackles some pretty difficult topics in terms of consent, sexual assault, and trauma. I enjoy that Reid’s characters have depth, all of them. Just when you think there’s been a stock character, they show up in another series with a full-fleshed backstory that makes you realize they were never a stock character at all. Case-in-point, in Beard Science, readers meet Jennifer Sylvester’s brother, Isaac, who turned gang member and proceeded to act like he didn’t even know her; however, readers are reintroduced to Isaac in Dr. Strange Beard where we find out he’s an undercover agent, and everything clicks into place.

What I Didn’t Like:

The majority of Space, like Motion, takes place over the course of a few days, in a single setting. This was also the case in Reid’s Elements of Chemistry series, so I feel pretty confident that this is the set structure of these trilogies. This is a very minor gripe because I don’t really mind. I just want more. I want the whole thing. I’m too impatient for trilogies, especially when reading them as published. I would much prefer to binge read a series. Fortunately, the wait won’t be long for the third installment.

Summary

Space was another spectacular novel from Reid, and I can’t wait for the third novel to be released! I am fully invested in finding out how the series is concluded, and I’m already eager for Reid’s next series. If you haven’t already done so, I would strongly suggest you subscribe to her newsletter, especially since she is currently releasing the second Dear Professor novel serial style in it.

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Author Bio:

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.