biblioemily's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. I couldn't get into this one at first, but I gave it a second try and ended up enjoying it. I knew nothing about boxing and enjoyed this deep dive into that world. The pacing is a bit strange. Some sections seem to drag on with little action, and then a blog entry from Carmen Cruz will fast forward the story. What I loved most was seeing Gravity become a fierce person who knows what she wants, and her interactions with her boxing teammates.
resslesa's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I’ve listened to for YA in a while. The premise and situations of a female boxer and how she goes through various competitions and life struggles was accurate and awesome. I was in Gravity’s corner from the beginning and am so impressed with the premise. A great read for anyone who wants to know more about boxing or just wants a great read. For fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Chris Crutcher!
resslesa's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I’ve listened to for YA in a while. The premise and situations of a female boxer and how she goes through various competitions and life struggles was accurate and awesome. I was in Gravity’s corner from the beginning and am so impressed with the premise. A great read for anyone who wants to know more about boxing or just wants a great read. For fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Chris Crutcher!
emilydittmar's review against another edition
2.0
I felt like this book was all over the place with the narrative. There were a lot of characters that were hard to keep straight. I also felt like parts were too drawn out while others were just flew by and needed more development.
take_me_awayyy's review against another edition
3.0
Review to come.
**EDIT 05/30/20**
You can find more of my reviews here at my blog: Take Me Away...
I was so torn about this book. On the one hand it was cool to find out more about the world of boxing. On the other hand it would have been cool to hve more of a story instead of just constant matches and weird blog entries throughout the story.
Gravity Delgado is a fierce female boxer who trains with a large cast of diverse characters. Her life at home is nowhere near as great as her gym life, which makes her want to spend most of her time in the ring. This look into Gravity’s life shows her fight to get to the Olympics.
I picked this up because I have been really into sports romances lately. And I haven’t read a boxing one. And to make it better, it was YA?! This should have been everything to me, but in some ways it fell flat for me. For instance, I was not a fan of the way the author didn’t make this much of a story. It felt more like her stats and play by plays. I think that’s an important part of the story yes, but I thought there needed to be more. The little glimpses into her mom, her family, and her weird romance with certain people, was always too short. And the way the author threw in those blog posts was weird too. It just threw off the flow I guess.
I did like representation in the book tho. All different cultures were well represented and Gravity was Jewish which also gave some religious representation. I liked all of these things were well represented in different ways. And because it was a book where the Olympics was shown, there were different cultures there too. It was great to see all these different cultures in an environment that I don’t usually read.
As for the characters, I was a fan of Gravity and her brother, but not really anyone else. This is a very character driven story, so for the most part we only get to know Gravity. But I wish we had gotten to know many more of the characters. It was basically a telling of what they did and not a showing. And that got old about halfway through the story. Which is why it took me so long to listen to this. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to finish it or if I wanted to DNF it.
This book was weird for me. I liked it at some parts and at others I was thinking to myself, why am I still listening to this. But overall I was happy I read it. I learned some new things about boxing and I got my fill of sports romances at the same time. Basically, this book wasn’t a knockout for me, but it still lasted the full 12 rounds.
**EDIT 05/30/20**
You can find more of my reviews here at my blog: Take Me Away...
I was so torn about this book. On the one hand it was cool to find out more about the world of boxing. On the other hand it would have been cool to hve more of a story instead of just constant matches and weird blog entries throughout the story.
Gravity Delgado is a fierce female boxer who trains with a large cast of diverse characters. Her life at home is nowhere near as great as her gym life, which makes her want to spend most of her time in the ring. This look into Gravity’s life shows her fight to get to the Olympics.
I picked this up because I have been really into sports romances lately. And I haven’t read a boxing one. And to make it better, it was YA?! This should have been everything to me, but in some ways it fell flat for me. For instance, I was not a fan of the way the author didn’t make this much of a story. It felt more like her stats and play by plays. I think that’s an important part of the story yes, but I thought there needed to be more. The little glimpses into her mom, her family, and her weird romance with certain people, was always too short. And the way the author threw in those blog posts was weird too. It just threw off the flow I guess.
I did like representation in the book tho. All different cultures were well represented and Gravity was Jewish which also gave some religious representation. I liked all of these things were well represented in different ways. And because it was a book where the Olympics was shown, there were different cultures there too. It was great to see all these different cultures in an environment that I don’t usually read.
As for the characters, I was a fan of Gravity and her brother, but not really anyone else. This is a very character driven story, so for the most part we only get to know Gravity. But I wish we had gotten to know many more of the characters. It was basically a telling of what they did and not a showing. And that got old about halfway through the story. Which is why it took me so long to listen to this. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to finish it or if I wanted to DNF it.
This book was weird for me. I liked it at some parts and at others I was thinking to myself, why am I still listening to this. But overall I was happy I read it. I learned some new things about boxing and I got my fill of sports romances at the same time. Basically, this book wasn’t a knockout for me, but it still lasted the full 12 rounds.
chelsbstring's review
5.0
Holy cow. What a beautiful book about a brutal sport, growing up, and womanhood. The last chapter is just beauty.
forbearance's review against another edition
3.0
rep: mixed race jewish mc, various poc side characters, very background wlw couple
In short, Gravity is a sports novel about a girl trying to make it to Olympic Gold against sexism, a bad home life, and growing up. This book touched on a lot of important topics, but the tone it took was a Let's Talk About This tone. Because it touched on so many, it felt like none of them truly got the attention Deming wanted to give them. However, I still appreciate them being represented because this is truly what the world is like for women in sports.
One thing that bothered me a lot, though, and probably kept it from getting 4 stars is this: This is just sex-negativity.
However, I did feel and root for Gravity the entire time. I wanted her to win and I wanted her brother to feel safe. I wanted her to pull her life together and I wanted to keep reading, which are all signs of a well-written book. I would recommend this to people who are into sports novels, but I wouldn't suggest it if you aren't already interested in the genre.
In short, Gravity is a sports novel about a girl trying to make it to Olympic Gold against sexism, a bad home life, and growing up. This book touched on a lot of important topics, but the tone it took was a Let's Talk About This tone. Because it touched on so many, it felt like none of them truly got the attention Deming wanted to give them. However, I still appreciate them being represented because this is truly what the world is like for women in sports.
One thing that bothered me a lot, though, and probably kept it from getting 4 stars is this:
Spoiler
Gravity ends up sleeping with her boyfriend, and her coach calls it "whoring around." Gravity, rightfully, felt disrespected and went to find a new coach. Upon breaking up with Lefty, she comes to the conclusion that sleeping with her monogamous boyfriend was whoring around, and she feels terrible. This is not a good message to send. This isn't even slut-shaming, because she wasn't a slut.However, I did feel and root for Gravity the entire time. I wanted her to win and I wanted her brother to feel safe. I wanted her to pull her life together and I wanted to keep reading, which are all signs of a well-written book. I would recommend this to people who are into sports novels, but I wouldn't suggest it if you aren't already interested in the genre.
smlunden's review against another edition
4.0
excellent character growth, but i got anxiety over every bout, was a difficult read emotionally as a result. highly recommend to others but the dearth of competition was not my cup of tea.
samwlabb's review
4.0
I have had this book on my radar for a while. I love reading sports books, and especially when we are talking about elite level sports. What sweetened the deal was the sport involved - boxing. I find the sport so brutal, but reading about women trying to be taken seriously in this world was fascinating. But this wasn't just a girl-trying-to-make-it-in-a-man's-world story.
This was a story about a young women, who pushed herself to succeed despite multiple obstacles in her way. A girl, who had to fight the negativity of a thieving alcoholic mother and an absent father to believe in herself and her talent. A girl, who had to push through her workouts and school, while assuming parenting duties for her younger brother. Let's just say, it was easy to root for Gravity. My need for her to succeed was great, and I was proud of her.
There was drama and romance and heartbreak and lots of boxing! It was quite a world Deming brought me into, and I was glad to have taken this journey to the Olympics with Gravity.
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This was a story about a young women, who pushed herself to succeed despite multiple obstacles in her way. A girl, who had to fight the negativity of a thieving alcoholic mother and an absent father to believe in herself and her talent. A girl, who had to push through her workouts and school, while assuming parenting duties for her younger brother. Let's just say, it was easy to root for Gravity. My need for her to succeed was great, and I was proud of her.
There was drama and romance and heartbreak and lots of boxing! It was quite a world Deming brought me into, and I was glad to have taken this journey to the Olympics with Gravity.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS