My husband read a review in which the reader mentioned how this book feels like someone fed a bunch of Joss Whedon scripts to a bot and got this in return; while I think that's an oversimplification, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

I'm conflicted because, unlike The Martian, this doesn't get into the nitty-gritty of astrophysics or math, and this would usually be a selling point for me--my eyes glaze over when I read uber-hard sci-fi--but sometimes it feels like Andy Weir's REALLY leaning into the pulpy aspect of his writing. Of course, I ate it right up, and it helped that this feels less bro-adjacent than The Martian--being left alone with Mark felt grating, but Ryland Grace has a softer, slightly more humble edge that feels more relatable. Despite its schmaltz, I also loved seeing the partnership between Rocky and Grace develop over the course of the novel.

It's not without its flaws, but this is highly readable and doesn't feel like it's almost 500 pages long. If you love hard sci-fi...you might not like it.