Friday, 25 January 2013
Published February 1, 2013 by Hardie Grant Egmont
Source: the publisher
Rating: 5 paws
From the blurb: Sam Kinnison is a geek, and he’s totally fine with that. He has his horror movies, his nerdy friends, World of Warcraft – and until Princess Leia turns up in his bedroom, he doesn’t have to worry about girls. Then Sam meets Camilla. She’s beautiful, friendly and completely irrelevant to his life. Sam is determined to ignore her, except that Camilla has a life of her own – and she’s decided that he’s going to be part of it.Sam believes that everything he needs to know he can learn from the movies ... but now it looks like he’s been watching the wrong ones.
Life in Outer Space is Melissa Keil’s debut novel. Set in Melbourne, the story revolves around Sam Kinnison, geek and horror movie-fan, and his bunch of friends. They manage to keep themselves out of trouble at school, most of the time, but when Camilla Carter joins their class, everything starts changing for Sam and his friends.
This book clutched at my heart from the beginning and by the end it was squeezing it so hard. This is one of the best books I've read this year (I know it’s a bit early to say that) but, if I make a top ten list at the end of 2013, this book will be on it, for sure.
I really loved reading about Sam. He is pretty set in his ways and likes routine. He enjoys spending Monday arvos in the computer room with Mike, Adrian, and Allison. He likes watching horror movies and writing screenplays (with titles like Killer Cats from the Third Moon of Jupiter). He doesn't like that his dad basically ignores him and his mum. He doesn't like Justin Zigoni, class bully. He doesn't like rom-coms or anything he deems to be girly. I really loved the relationship between Sam and his mum, she seems to be drifting along, not doing anything about his father’s behaviour, and Sam doesn't know what he do for her, other than to put on a horror movie and watch it with her.
The secondary characters were just as loveable. Mike is a bit closed off but I liked the way the boys were able to talk about him being gay and how much they wanted to help him when he quit karate. Adrian was hilarious, completely unaware of social etiquette and how to be subtle when having a conversation. Allison was so sweet and I was worried she was going to get her heart broken, but my suspicions about who she liked were incorrect.
And then there’s Camilla. Beautiful, happy, unique Camilla. She was a lot of fun to read about, the kind of girl everyone would want as a best friend. She’s confident without being full of herself, she’s friendly, kind, understanding, as well as shy about her musical abilities. I loved watching Sam get to know her and I wanted him to stop putting a wall up and give in to his feelings.
Sam’s story felt so real, from the beginning I was completely immersed in his life and felt as if I was there with him every day. The relationships between the group of friends was so sweet and I found myself crying on and off, especially towards the end. Don’t get me wrong, this book isn't that sad, it’s just so full of emotion and so heart-warming. And I am a wuss! I've had a book hangover all week since finishing this on Sunday.
The writing was easy to read and fun, scattered with movie, music, and tv references that I know readers will relate to (Dirty Dancing, Underworld, Say Anything).
Life in Outer Space is a fun, sweet, endearing story about a boy, his friends, his family and his second-to-last year at school. It’s about living life, not sticking to your routine, having fun and branching out. I recommend this to all readers, whether you read YA or not.
Now take a look at this gorgeous, amazing cover
Thank you to the wonderful people at Hardie Grant Egmont for my review copy. This book won the inaugural Ampersand Project and it most definitely deserved it.
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27 comments:
I am so here for books that cause crying even though they're not *technically* sad.
I was looking forward to this review ever since I saw it in your Sunday vlog and wow! Five paws? Awesome. It does sound wonderful, I'll do my best to get my hands on a copy.
Fantastic review!
So happy that you loved it :D I just posted by review yesterday and even writing that made me happy as I was revisiting Sam and the book even if in a more subtler way. I looooved Sam. Such a relatable protagonist.
*hands you tissues*
huzzah huzzah huzzah!
AAAHH! Mandee, this sounds SO GOOD! Seriously, I love finding those books that you just KNOW will make your favorites lists by the end of the year because of what an impact they made on you. I'm thrilled to see you loved this one so much and now I simply have to add it to my shelves and hopefully order it soon too! ;) Lovely review, dearest!
This sounds fantastic. I'm so glad you liked it. I love the movie title! I will definitely have to check it out if it has such a cast of memorable characters.
WOW. One of the best books this year? Urghhh I feel like smacking myself for not requesting this when Jen sent out copies...the blurb didn't exactly intrigue me but after reading your review (and Braiden's) I'm positive I'll be reading this as soon as it's out! Lovely review, Mands! So glad you loved it so much :D
Sweet and endearing sounds good to me.
Happy reading,
Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog
This sounds like such an awesome read- added it to my TBR list! I love pop culture references, and Dirty Dancing is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I must read this.
Ahh I loved books which leave you with a book hangover afterwards, despite not being the greatest things, books which leave a great impression on you afterwards are always the best. This book sounds adorable and the cover is just stunning! So glad you enjoyed this Mandee! :)
This sounds like such an adorable read and I've never heard of it before. Thanks for putting it on my radar!
I LOVE this cover! It's so cute! And the story sounds great as well, very unique and I'm very intrigued to see what happens :)
A book hangover! Love that. :) I've been looking forward to reading your review for this book. It sounds really well done, particularly the characters and their relationships.
Great review, Mandee!
Yes, that cover is amazing! I love the mental image of you hugging this book. Knowing that it's already on your top 10 list is quite enough for me to add it to my tbr. =)
Love this review, and the book sounds awesome! I like the sound of the main characters, and I like it when the author takes the time to flesh out the friends, as well. And that cover grabbed me instantly, I'm a sucker for bright colours. :)
Oh my gosh that cover is so cute! If I saw this in a bookshop, it would instantly be in my hands, being taken to the till, regardless of the plot!
I hate it when I get book hangovers. My most recent book hangover was after reading The Fault in Our Stars - needless to say, I was a wreck for days.
Thanks for sharing your lovely, informative review with us, Mandee! This is going right on my Wishlist :)
lol. Let's just watch a horror film to make my mom feel better. That'll work. This sounds super sweet. I want to see Camila and Sam together! I thought she was going to have attitude but she seems sweet. Love that cover :D
I remember you mentioned this one before and it's already on my wishlist! it just sound so good.
This book sounds like it was MADE for me.
Ah! I can't wait. This book sounds so gorgeous.. Incredibly excited to pick it up. Love the review Mands.
Okay, your review has me convinced that I need this book. (On a random note, I know someone named Sam Kinnison, haha. Except she's a girl.) This book sounds amazing. Thanks so much for your review, Mandee, because I had not heard of this one before today! Also, the cover is gorgeous.
Awwwwwww! This book! It just sounds so... so... I MUST HAVE IT. I had high hopes it would prove to be an entertaining read, but between yours and Braiden's review, I have no doubt that this will touch my heart in many, many ways <3 Fantastic review, Mandee!!
I am CRACKING UP that the MC's name is Sam Kinnison. Do you remember the comedian Sam Kinison? This just makes me even MORE excited to read this book! Love this review, Mands.
-Maggie
I want this, like right now. It sounds lovely and the cover is...wait for it...out of this world. I can't tell if there's a legitimate plot from your review but I think that makes it sound even better to me, as I tend to love Aussie slice of life books.
Hi ladies, I'm a newer follower to your blog and I just wanted to commend you on the fantastic reviews!
Sam sounds like a kid after my own heart --- horror movie junkie, ridiculous screenplay writer and good friend. I like that each of his friends has a very unique personality that is outside of a cliche. I can see exactly why this would tug at the heartstrings and I look forward to reading it!
Keep up the great work!
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