Melissa Keil

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, worry about girls he won't. Then Camilla Carter arrives on the scene. She's beautiful, friendly and completely irrelevant to his plan. Sam is determined to ignore her, except that Camilla has a plan of her own - and he seems to be a part of it! Sam believes that everything he needs to know he can learn from the movies. But perhaps he's been watching the wrong ones. Life in Outer Space is Melissa Keil's brilliantly sweet and funny YA debut. It's also the first book to be signed up through the Ampersand Project, Hardie Grant Egmont's initiative for emerging YA writers.

Life in Outer Space

Siya S

★★★★☆ 4 EVIL-COBRA-KAI STARS 


  
    She shrugs off her coat and shakes out her hair. Then she grabs my hand and tugs me into the lounge room, flopping onto the couch and pulling me down beside her. She shuffles closer, still holding my hand. I find that I’m not at all concerned about this invasion of my personal space. I find that my hand in hers is the best thing I have felt in weeks.
 
  




I love this book. It was so cute and funny and super easy to read. In a traditional YA coming-of-age books we came to love, LIOS introduced us to the text-book geek boy Sam Kinnison, who loved watching movies, Star Wars, World of Warcraft, and the best band in the world called Foals (YES YES YES!!!!), and how his life has changed once entering the Princess Leia personification, the friendly and beautiful Camilla.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sam was hilarious. Like, seriously, guys. His dead-panned internal monologues and sarcastic punchlines granted him a special place on the list of my favorite characters. With him were a band of misfits aka his best mates; Adrian, Allison and Mike the karate kid. Together they were solving common problems of youth while trying their best to conquer a torturing high school life, one day at a time. 

ANDDDD I’m such a sucker for friendship when it comes to YA books, and this one didn’t disappoint me. Just look at this heartfelt quarrel between Sam and Adrian:


  ' Radley, listen carefully. Do not come near me. Do not speak to me, or look at me, or breathe anywhere that I might be remotely downwind of. Get out of my face!’ 
‘But … you’re at my house,’ he says quietly. 
‘Yeah, well, consider this the last time!’ 


Or his opinion on Mike’s karate activity:

   ‘Man, first Allison and now you? Did you ever think that maybe Mike is sick of being kicked in the face eighteen times a week? Maybe he’s just bored?’ 


Or even the trio’s plan of having fun: 

   ‘You wanna get drinks?’ Adrian’s eyes widen as he looks at the bar. ‘Awesome. Whisky? How ’bout tequila?’ Mike rolls his eyes. ‘How about three beers? This isn’t Sex and the City. I’m not holding your hair back while you puke' 


But it’s not only friendship this book was dealing with. Sam also has some conflicts at home he has to sort the shit out. And then there's Camilla, who was trespassing into his personal space and didn’t seem to get the message when he tried to keep her away. IT WAS SUPER CUTE. And Camilla, she was a good juvenile heroine, meaning she’s neither annoying nor superficial, obnoxious and vain. (view spoiler)[ And it’s the most I could do not to swoon over the most heartburning, gut-wrenching, honest manifestation of love in YA history:

 ‘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. That’s all I wanted to say. I’m going to go now'  (hide spoiler)]

Overall, this book was unexpectedly satisfying. A very light read with shitloads of witty lines to be grinning about. Only one problem, though: WHY THE HELL THIS BOOK ISN’T MORE POPULAR???? Oh yeah, it’s THAT good.

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https://thebleedingeyes.wordpress.com/

Sixteen-year-old Sam Kinnison is perfectly happy as a game-playing, movie-obsessed geek until beautiful, friendly, and impossible to ignore Camilla Carter starts him wondering if he has been watching all the wrong movies.

b.andherbooks

Sam and his geeky crew stay on the fringes of their Australian high school, keeping their heads down and just trying to make it through without provoking the ridicule of the popular kids. Too bad new girl Camilla doesn't understand the social order. Despite immediately being accepted by the popular kids, Camilla also seems to think Sam and his friends are worthy of her time. Can Sam get over his own prejudices and believe she actually likes him for him?

Filled with the best geeky references and dialouge, this book has EVERYTHING that I like. Camilla is a true to herself nerd at heart with an excellent life philsophy, but also with her own insecurities. Sam is adorable, sweet, and also very stupid when it comes to matters of the heart. He genuinely cares for his friends, Mike who is a ninja superstar and is gay, and Julian who is like a dorky Chunk who lives life loud.

Life in Outer Space

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