**CW: Contains themes of child abuse and trauma.
This book is ~sweet~. Like sipping lemonade out on the front porch kind of sweet. In the Orbit of You had me from the very beginning, when we meet young Nova and Sam playing in the dirt by their connected fence. The queen and king of Snailopolis, as they call it. (Freaking adorable.) They’re torn apart, however, when Sam is taken away from his abusive home to live with his uncle. Snailopolis and its royalty become a distant memory. Until Nova and Sam meet again in their final years of high school.
In general, I think it’s a bit overkill when a romance really pushes the fate card. When it’s practically screaming See? They’re totally meant for each other! See?! I’m all for destined love — just don’t shove it in my face. This book does push the fate card pretty hard, with the friends’ reunion and all the subsequent coincidences, but Ashley Schumacher wrote it in a surprisingly charming way. I could see why Nova is special to Sam and vice versa, and how that makes their feelings inevitable. Of course, there are obstacles in their way: Sam has a girlfriend, Nova is only at the school for two months, and they’re both too scared to stray from their life plans.
As much as I loved the main couple, watching them try so hard to stay away from each other when it’s clearly killing them… was frustrating. There was a lot of back and forth happening, which started feeling repetitive. It was worth it, though, because they’re just so dang ~sweet~. I liked their inside jokes, their vulnerable conversations, their soft palm kisses. I also liked that we don’t see too much of Sam’s past, unless it includes Nova. Frustrations aside, this is a delightful read about childhood friends-to-lovers who are just trying to find their place in life.
**Much thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. In the Orbit of You will be released on March 19.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Sara Bechtol 