Freefall by Joshua David Bellin

This read is a blend of intriguing plot and disappointing sudden emotional attraction (instant love). Overall the book is well-written although at times the wording feels unnecessarily complicated. The science side of things sounds solid and flows with the overall plot thus giving credence to the situations and reasoning although there is an overabundance of information provided that I didn’t feel was necessary to enjoy the book. I wasn’t thrilled with the choice of words or descriptions for the people remaining on Earth or the other political elements that just seem taken from current headlines rather than original. For a book that’s supposed to be YA, I felt there was entirely too much unnecessary language I wouldn’t want my youngest son (13) to hear, much less read in a book. I stopped reading at this point and was going to list this read as a DNF but my eldest son picked up the book and decided to read it and offer me his thoughts. He pointed out that the planet Cam’s ship landed on sounds an awful lot like a blend of Crematoria from The Chronicles of Riddick and the planet from Pitch Black. He agreed with most of my points although he did state that YA books seem to all have that instant love. Overall, there are good aspects about this read and some areas that could use polish, editing, and some general improvements. We received an ARC through the author in exchange for an honest opinion, which may or may not align with yours.