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To get straight to the point: this is my all-time favourite novel. I didn't see it coming, and it didn't come quickly, but it moved me so deeply that it undebatably takes my number-one spot.

Seveneves is very heavy on scientific detail and description, and I imagine it can be pretty punishing if you don't love that. The reward, though, is a hyper-believable world with a beautifully realistic lineage of technology.

And forgetting the sci-fi for a moment, Seveneves kicks a hard emotional punch. There were several moments when I just had to put the book down and cry while I accepted what I'd just read.

The story can be deeply unsettling, but it paints a vivid picture of the end of the world. I loved it.

I'm absolutely certain this is the first Aussie romance I've ever read, and I'm pretty certain it's the first I genuinely laughed out loud at. Honestly, it's spectacular! The cringe hurts, the joy is real, and it's been a long time since I read an ending this damned feel-good.

But… there has to be a but. The inevitable third-act breakup was horrible. Like HORRIBLE. Like, tonally fathoms darker than the rest of the story. Like, one of the worst things that any human being could do to another. Like, that whole setup could've been dialled significantly brighter and the end would've been just as satisfying. The only saving grace is how quickly it's resolved.

But despite that one super-dark turn, easy 5/5!

Ah, a proper little gay romance in Hay-on-Wye!

It's lovely and cosy and, okay, maybe some of the subplots take precious time away from the romance, but I appreciate the world that the story paints.

The author gives away a few too many ally cookies for my liking, especially during the finalé, but maybe that's just me. Everything turns out right for Hay-on-Wye's queers, even if they aren't the heroes in the end.

Loved it anyway, though!