Don't let the other reviewers hype you up.

The book is alright but not a masterpiece.
If this isn't your first dive into science fiction, a lot of the themes will be familiar.

I also found the execution of the plot a little lacking. For me, it all came down to the protagonist. He was quite incompetent for an astronaut. Even considering the nepotism it seems unlikely that he would've been chosen out of all the academy students.

Moreover, I found the USA vs. Russia rivalry unnecessary. In the beginning, it felt like cheap propaganda. And later it was just annoying.

The love story was often too cheesy for my liking.

The ending also left me unsatisfied. It made sense for the characters but for me as a reader it was quite disappointing.

And last but not least, there were a lot of mistakes concerning science that were even obvious to me although I only have the most basic understanding of physics.