Review Detail

THE GRAVITY OF MISSING THINGS is an emotional YA contemporary. Violet was the set designer for her high school play, and right before she goes to take a bow, she notices her mother is not yet in the audience. Her mother is a pilot for an international flight and was supposed to be there. After her bow, Violet knows something is wrong - something which is confirmed when her father tells her that her mother's flight is missing.

How does a plane just go missing? The media is ready to pin it on Violet's mother, and their coverage leads Violet to her own investigation. As she uncovers secrets about her mother's life and finds a strange note, she is more determined than ever to find her mother. However, life does not always work out the way we think it will, and her mother's secrets gain a life of their own.

What I loved: This was a really compelling and fast-paced read about Violet and her search for the truth. The situation seems monumental, both to the reader and to Violet. It would be difficult to think about losing a parent, especially when they are only declared missing, and to have people blaming her mother for it all is untenable. Violet is intrepid and determined - she will find out what happened to her mother. Her bravery is shaken by her own struggles with anxiety and cutting.

A boy that she has not noticed much before, Landon, feels like he is the only one on her side, and as she investigates, they become closer. Although she is bi, she is not really in the right frame of mind for anything romantic, and this is really just a strong friendship forming during tragedy. The brunt of the relationship focus is with her family, particularly her older sister but also her father. In their family it has always been Violet with her mother and Savannah with their father. That dynamic challenges their current situation, and the way the family handles all of this felt genuine and full of heart.

Themes around family, secrets/lies, unexpected loss, grief, friendship, anxiety and mental illness, and loyalty make this a really potent read. There are definitely some really heartfelt and beautiful moments as well as some for which you'll need some tissues. It is definitely an emotional book.

Final verdict: An emotional and genuine read about family and grief, THE GRAVITY OF MISSING THINGS is a riveting and heartfelt YA contemporary.