Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on the Something Like Gravity blog tour!! I’m so excited to be on this tour, and I’m even more excited for you to read about what Amber Smith would do if she spent the day with Chris and Maia!!! Read on to find out more about the book and the author, follow the rest of the tour, and enter a giveaway for a print copy of Something Like Gravity!

Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith
Published on June 18, 2019 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA, Queer
Pages: 400
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For fans of Love, Simon and Eleanor and Park, a romantic and sweet novel about a transgender boy who falls in love for the first time—and how first love changes us all—from New York Times bestselling author Amber Smith.

Chris and Maia aren’t off to a great start.

A near-fatal car accident first brings them together, and their next encounters don’t fare much better. Chris’s good intentions backfire. Maia’s temper gets the best of her.

But they’re neighbors, at least for the summer, and despite their best efforts, they just can’t seem to stay away from each other.

The path forward isn’t easy. Chris has come out as transgender, but he’s still processing a frightening assault he survived the year before. Maia is grieving the loss of her older sister and trying to find her place in the world without her. Falling in love was the last thing on either of their minds.

But would it be so bad if it happened anyway?

What would you do if you spent the day with Chris and Maia? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?

First, I would have Chris drive over in his car with Maia to meet me in Charlotte, North Carolina (it’s only about an hour outside of Carson, where they live out in the boonies).

We’d start out with coffee at Amelie’s in NoDa (which stands for North of Davidson, like NYC’s SoHo—it’s Charlotte’s artsy district). We’d wander around the funky shops for a while and we’d each end up buying something we didn’t really need: Chris would buy a compass, just because. And Maia would buy a hat and immediately regret it. They’d probably talk me out of getting an impulse tattoo, though (they’re much more level-headed than I am!).  

Then we’d head uptown to the Historic Elmwood and Pinewood Cemeteries so that Maia could take some pictures—she’d definitely want to see the elaborate monuments and the gravesite of the south’s first woman physician. After that we would probably be pretty hungry, so we’d find some good vegetarian restaurants and we’d let Maia choose which one we would go to: She’d probably pick Luna’s Living Kitchen. Then it would be a bike ride through Freedom Park to see the cherry blossom trees.

Next, we’d need to get out of the heat, and we’d probably think it was a really good idea to go see a foreign arthouse film, but we’d be more interested in making up our own subtitles and getting buckets of popcorn and giant sweet teas (honestly, we’d be a little peckish from our healthy vegan lunch). Afterward, I’ll take Chris and Maia to our local LGBTQIA+ Center, Time Out Youth, so they could see how amazing it is there!

At sunset, Chris would insist on driving us just to the outskirts of town, where we’d find an empty field to look at the mesmerizing night sky full of stars, away from the city lights. We’d lay down a blanket and Chris would point out all the planets and constellations, and see way more shooting stars than me and Maia.

(Note to Self: Chris and Maia would probably want to have a little smoochy-romance time under the stars, so on second thought, I’d see if we could make it a double date instead and I’d bring my girlfriend along too!).

We would end the evening back in the artsy NoDa district for some late-night doughnuts from Reigning Doughnuts, and then we’d see Chris and Maia off, and make sure they texted when they got home safe.

(Note to Reader: How bad is it that I actually really to want to do this day with Chris and Maia?)

About the Author

Amber Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels The Way I Used to Be, The Last to Let Go, and Something Like Gravity. An advocate for increased awareness of gendered violence, as well as LGBTQ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue surrounding these issues. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her partner and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats. You can find her online at AmberSmithAuthor.com

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