I won a copy of Gravity is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty, through readers first after leaving a first impression review.

Fundamentally, this is a book on happiness. Gravity is a life affirming read for anyone who’s ever desperately flicked through The Secret, tried to align their chakras, or failed at making a mood board. Abi is a woman who lives by mainly blaming herself. She’s not present enough in her child’s life, she’s too needy for her husband, too eager with boyfriends, and too blunt with her brother. She told him his joke was rubbish, and then he disappeared.
The only consistency she feels she has is the Guidebook - anonymous chapters of a self help guide that have been sent to her for years. She’s sent an invitation to a retreat, to finally find out ‘the truth’. From there we follow Abigail (she doesn’t like Abi, she thinks that sounds drunk) and her new mismatched bunch of friends as they learn to let go.
Gravity is also a novel about parenting. Abigail’s relationship with her son is told through witty, realistic scenes that perfectly illustrate (or so I imagine) parenthood to be - especially the relationship you have when you’re a single parent.
This novel is a testament to Jacyln’s writing. Her prose is sharp yet dream-like, and she embodies Abi’s character completely. I laughed allowed so many times, frequently wishing my inner monologue was half as funny. Some sections read like poetry, and I highlighted pages by folding down corners (sacrilege) whenever a line punched me in the gut.
Example - ‘Maybe, by a certain age, we have all encountered some impossible loss, or at least the accumulation of small sufferings.’ What’s most impressive, out of all of these things, is that Jaclyn has managed to weave so many different elements into this book (perhaps why it’s 400 something pages), and as a result, reading it feels like a journey. It must’ve been an undertaking to write, I feel like I’ve lived a year with Abi in real life, so in-depth is the knowledge I have of her history. . .