Cleo and her friends sneak on board a spaceship on a mission to figure out why everyone aboard the Providence disappeared into thin air 20 years ago. The original crew had been tasked with traveling to Proxima Centauri in hopes of finding a new planet for Earth dwellers to call home. However, this group of present-day young adults manage to accidentally fire up the spaceship and the course is set for the same destination as the original Providence crew 20 years ago. Fortunately Cleo and her friends all seem to be capable of operating this spaceship and finding ways to survive the 7+ year trek to Proxima Centauri, though it helps that the ship’s hologram has taken on the form and memories of Billie (the previous captain). They must work together to problem-solve their way out of this long journey while also locating the missing crew and passengers.

Hamilton’s debut is a wild journey through space packed with queer, snarky characters that readers will instantly adore. (Seriously, the banter is SO GOOD.) This book is very character-driven and it focuses a lot more on the relationships between the current crew members and the burgeoning romance between Cleo and our ship’s hologram, Billie. If “insta-love” and “literally-cannot-touch-her” sapphic romance vibes are your jam, this is a great time! This book is marketed as both a space odyssey and sapphic rom-com, but it felt very much like a YA space romance for me (minus the one very spicy intimate scene near the end that was definitely adult). Overall, I enjoyed this read! The writing felt a bit immature at times (RE: the YA-feel of our new adult characters) and the first half was a bit of a drag for me, but the pacing picks up after a fun plot twist and there’s a tidy resolution by the end of the novel. If any of this sounds like what you’re looking for, check out this book! I’m looking forward to seeing what else Hamilton comes up with in the future.