I am so excited to be a part of another book tour organized by Dianne of Oops! I Read a Book Again and Pinoy Book Tours. Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of this.
Title: Life in Outer Space
Author: Melissa Keil
Date of Publication: February 1, 2013
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Pages: 316
Life in Outer Space is the first novel published through the Ampersand Project, Hardie Grant Egmont’s initiative for emerging YA writers.
Purchase Links: Amazon (Kindle)
About the Author:
“I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and have been a giant book nerd for as long as I can remember. I studied Cinema and Anthropology at uni, and then spent a few more years studiously avoiding getting a real job by dabbling in a bunch of graduate stuff, including Professional Writing and Editing. In between I have been a high school teacher, Middle-Eastern tour guide, waitress, community theatre dogs-body, and IT help-desk person (hands down, my most unsuccessful job to date). Now, by day, I am a children’s book editor, and I spend most of the rest of my time reading, writing, and watching YouTube. Life in Outer Space is my debut YA novel, published by the good folks at Hardie Grant Egmont. It’s a young adult romantic comedy that combines some of my many loves – movies, music, karate, the Astor Theatre, Star Wars, and all things geek. I am currently working on my second novel.”
Summary (from Goodreads):
‘Full of energy, wit and tenderness; this is one big-hearted and unique book.’ – Leanne Hall
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.
My Review:
When I first got the invitation to be part of this tour, I read the summary of the book and immediately became interested. Although the plot wasn’t exactly original, it seemed like it was going to be a light read, which was exactly what I needed at that time. However, I didn’t have high expectations for the book simply because I’ve read about these types of stories or have seen movies with a similar plot before. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find out in the end that Life in Outer Space is actually a really nice read.
We’ve all heard the story of the stereotypical geek who is bullied by the popular crowd yet falls in love with the most popular girl. We all know about the geek’s group of friends and how they live through high school basically as outcasts. These stereotypes are definitely present in Life in Outer Space, yet you still won’t help but fall in love with the characters, especially Sam and Camilla and how they came together.
All the characters in the book are characters that most of us have probably encountered in high school. They seem very real to me and I could relate with their individual stories. Sam is the nerd who does well in school, dreams of becoming a screenwriter and loves watching horror/zombie movies. He’s shy and awkward but fiercely loyal and protective of his friends and their “geeky life”. Camilla is the new girl, who immediately becomes popular because of her famous father. She’s pretty and friendly and seems perfect, but deep inside she’s also just a girl who has her own fears and insecurities.
Even the stories of Sam’s and Camilla’s friends are things that we all can relate to. From the anxieties of failing in school, going to a school dance, having your first kiss, dealing with body, love and parent issues – you’ll find something in the book that will make you go “Hey, I know how that feels!”. It will surely make you reminisce about your own growing pains and journey to being a teenager/young adult.
What I really like most about the book though are the funny and sweet dialogues and quotable quotes. You’ll find a lot of movie quotes in the book, since Sam loves watching movies. Keil was also able to inject very endearing conversations between Sam and Camilla that will make you go “Awww!”. Here’s one of those lines:
“I said that I am in love with you. I’ve tried not to be, I really have, but it’s just useless. I know you don’t feel the same way about me, but I had to tell you because… well, you’re all I think about. All the time. I miss you every second that you’re not with me… and I know you won’t want to be around me anymore, but, Camilla… you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had. You’re smart and amazing and weird and probably the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen… and before I met you, all I wanted was just to fast-forward through everything. But, really, I think my life was just paused, or something. You… made me press play. You made everything move. And no matter where you go, or whatever you feel about me… I will love you forever for that.”
See what I mean? It’s a book that can be turned into a seriously nice romantic comedy film. I am hoping that there will be a sequel.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a light, easy read that will leave you giddy and feeling good inside, then this book is for you. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
The Giveaway:
Thanks for taking the time to read my review. I’d love to hear what you thought about it on the comments section below. 🙂
Do join the giveaway too for a chance to win a Review Proof of Life in Outer Space. Good luck!
