I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Shelly Crane, and the publisher, Kiss Me Publications, for this opportunity. 
 This beautiful cover is what stimulated my interest in this book. If I was giving ratings on covers alone, this would easily score a six out of five stars! But don't be fooled: this cover is a trap. The title was an intriguing one (trap) and the synopsis sounded unique and complex (another trap). 
 I feel I am being unnecessarily harsh but this book had everything going for it to make this an utterly stellar read. Unfortunately, for me, it failed on several fronts. 
 The Other Side of Gravity is set some seven hundred years in the future. The human civilization has had to abandon the planet earth and travel to a fairly hospitable planet that has been discovered on the other side of the sun. The only catch is that this planet is missing both oxygen and any sort of gravitational pull, leaving both of these to become sold luxuries instead of necessities for living. This, of course, means that the weak and the poor literally have to earn every breath they take. 
 The tale is told from a split first-person perspective, from the viewpoint of the dual protagonists, Sophelia and Maxton. Sophelia has been a slave since she was eight years old and I immediately empathized with her and her position in this harsh society. She had a feisty attitude, a quick tongue and a fire inside her that compelled her to keep living and fighting. This lasted for no more than the first quarter of the book. Then, I felt, she transformed into a cowed version of her former self. Most of her spark was gone upon meeting Maxton. I felt she played the role of the wilting female and I found her quickly an irritating protagonist and bad role-model for younger readers. I understood that her past sparked major trust issues, but in the space of 100 pages there are roughly four instances where she believe Maxton wants to leave her and would be better off without her. This leads Maxton to believe she wants to leave him and his quick temper flares. Sophelia gets upset. Maxton feels bad. They reunite. Rinse, and repeat. 
 The reality of this book is that it was basically an angsty teen romance shrouded in a little science fiction. Maybe it was the marketing and my own preconceived expectations but this was not what the synopsis or cover suggested to me. I found the love to be of the 'hey, I just met you, and this is crazy...' type where the characters sacrifice theirs and their entire family's happiness the moment they lay eyes on each other. It felt like this instantaneous love was based on nothing more than looks. And that is the sort of romance that does not cut it for me. 
 I felt the world building was particularly weak. I was continuously lost and unable to formulate an image of the place in my imagination. Initially, and in small quarters, the characters and the setting shone and I could see the book's potential. When the characters ventured outdoors or when larger spaces were attempted to be described, I felt it lacking any sort of real foundation. Brief overviews don't do it for me. Maybe this is because of my preference for bulky fantasy novels, but I needed to formulate an image in my mind of this place to bring this world to life and, at best, all I got was a half-formed rough sketch, fading out at the edges. 
 I am, I admit, a science geek. I understand that this relatively short YA was not going to give me the scientific particulars concerning just how oxygen was sold and administered, but I was expecting...something. It felt like a strong concept but there was no explanation given to back it up. 
 I hate to give this book such a low rating as the premise was so interesting and the beginning was quite a strong one. Unfortunately the rest of the book did nothing for me. If you like contemporary romance, passive reading and quick, Summer reads then this book is for you. If it was the fantastical setting that appealed to you, then I would suggest you look else where for your science fiction fix.