I thought this book was a bit odd to start with, but rapidly got swept up in the excellent story telling. The story of human flight - was it real, or purely imaginary?

But I got bored towards the end - I found it went on a bit, a bit disappointing and slow in the last quarter or so..

This was a little bit different to what I would usually read and I did find it difficult to get into. I did persevere though and I’m pleased I did. Thanks to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the advance copy

This is an unusual read, I found the book very hard to get into , I wasn’t drawn in . The rambling thoughts of Abi the main character were random at times
Sorry this book is not for me
Thank you to Netgalley, and Atlantic books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

A very absorbing read, I raced through it! Would definitely recommend, although it is slightly different Jaclyn's previous books that is no bad thing.

I would describe this as an ok read, I will admit I was expecting better but maybe my expectations were too high. It was the cover that initially caught my eye and the blurb intrigued me enough to request a review copy. There were definitely some good elements to the story overall with a few laughs and interesting plot points but overall it wasn't enough to keep me hooked. I could potentially try another novel by this author but it would have to be a very enticing blurb to convince me.

What a brilliant book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I loved the way the author wove events throughout the story.

This was a quirky read and definitively a bit different to what I would normally read. Makes you appreciate life. Moving, funny and insightful.

Unfortunately not for me. I really struggled to relate to the main character which meant that I really struggled to get into the book.

I just finished Gravity is the Thing this morning. This book probably suffered from my lack of concentration during the Covid19 self isolation but I did keep going in spite of several pauses. It is a strange book - the central theme of a group of people who have been recruited into Flying School since they were adolescents is quite a leap of faith. The flying is about human flight - not humans learning to fly planes. It works as a metaphor for me but the idea that people would actually go to weekly classes to learn how to fly just stretched it a little.

However, the best thing for me in this book was the writing. There are several passages that stopped me in my tracks. I felt the author's sensitivity and compassion for fellow humans and especially for the protagonist who is a single mother who lost her brother and is struggling to deal with the unfinished business that is strewn though her life. I liked her - I liked her observations and her struggles to be the best person she could be.

i enjoyed the first part of the book,, struggled along in the middle, then re-discovered pleasure in the last part. It was always the writing that carried me forward.

The ending for me was perfect and satisfying which was a difficult feat given the strangeness of some of the story. Abi is believable and that made this a very readable book for me although I have to admit skimming some of the lessons on Flying.

Recommended.

It is always good to read something different and unusual - Gravity Is The Thing was certainly that. I really enjoyed the concept of this story and cared about the characters. Self help, love story with a satisfying ending. We can all fly!

I was unable to read this as I mistakenly thought I had downloaded it but it was archived before I realised.

Sadly I did enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I gave 3 stars because it was charming and quirky but it just felt unfinished and a bit flat.

From the description and reviews I thought I would enjoy this book but I found the storyline quite hard to get into and the main character hard to understand. I did try and persevere to the end but found myself giving up. It wasn't for me I'm afraid.

Gravity is the Thing is a lovely curiosity of a book. It is very entertaining and contains themes of hope, love and loss; beautifully written and totally original. Not only is it funny, it is complex and satirical.

Abi is a single mum whose brother disappeared twenty years ago at the same time that she began to receive random chapters of a self-help manual. In the present day she is invited to a retreat to learn the truth behind the manual. There are a host of quirky characters who join Abi in the search for the truth, which includes learning to fly. I really began to care about them and their individual journeys. With wry observations about the self-help industry this is a heart-warming, thoughtful and absorbing read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quirky book! It's basically the ramblings of the main character Abi. She has also received chapters from a book over years starting when she was a teenager and an invitation many years later to a retreat starts her on an interesting journey with a group go people who also qualified for the course. Very different to anything I've read before!

I really wanted to enjoy this book as the description was right up my street and I was immediately drawn to Abi, the main character, who was welcoming and familiar to the reader from the very start. However, I found the book somewhat “jumpy” and found I was reading to get to the end and have storylines resolved without really taking pleasure in it. A well written book that deals well with the subject of surviving a missing family member but just didn’t quite hit the spot.

I really didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would based on the description which is disappointing. I got really bored halfway through and skipped a few pages but I felt I must finish to give it a fair review so I grit my teeth and persevered. I felt this was a book of two halves; I loved the storyline about family relationships and how a missing member of the family creates turmoil and unrest, but the storyline about the guidebook chapters that mysteriously starts to appear and the resulting “flight classes” completely lost me, and for me was far too fetched and difficult to follow. I would have liked more emphasis on Abbie and her family tragedy than the guidebook itself, which I felt took too much space up and went into too much unnecessary and unrelatable detail for me. Sorry. Thank you though to Jaclyn Moriaty, Harper and Netgalley UK for this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

This story has a heartwarming vein running right through it, although with love also comes heartbreak.

The characters are realistic, the main protagonist Abigail intelligent, and the story has enough mystery and lift to make this a page turner.

Any reader would enjoy this sometimes funny, sometime extremely moving tale. Highly recommend.

This is a very strange book. It's difficult to review without saying too much and spoiling it... The story is about a woman who has a brother who disappears when she is a child. As she grows, the brother is ever present. But she also has a "self help" book which is sent to her in random chapters over the years.

As an adult she goes on a retreat with the other folks who got the self help book sent to them. And some of them are chosen for additional teaching because they are "special".

So much for the plot which doesn't cover the fascination, the characters, the heartache, the humour, and the frustration I felt while reading this. Barely a page goes by without some sort of reaction. And all of it positive. I really enjoyed this but it is difficult to say why. The lead character Abi and her love interest/s are well developed and even where the plot is magical rather than "real", the characters all seem genuine. I loved Oscar, her small son, who is beautifully captured and endearing.

Recommended if you just want something a bit different to get lost in, in these difficult times.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Gravity is a Thing is beautifully written, a wonderful, witty tale that you’ll find hard to put down. After finishing it, I felt incredibly uplifted. A must read!